Columbus 2-1 Colorado
Scintillating stuff from Emmanual Ekpo. The Nigerian midfield strutted his stuff against the Rapids, taking the ball 50 yards from his own has, beating six defenders and ripping a shot past Bouna Coundoul. I think that it’s safe to stop placing a “pretender” tag on the Crew, who had struggled after their hot start. My premonition that they were just a flash in the pan is looking to be wrong. They’ve bounced back nicely, and have a firm grasp on second. The Rapids on the other hand are now mired in a slump of their own as they haven’t won in four games. Ever since they were in first they’ve yet to do much about it - a shame really. Christian Gomez was forced to sit out with a leg injury; they’ll need him back to put a stop to this skid ASAP.

New England 2-1 Toronto
No shutout for Matt Reis (he’s fallen off the league lead) but three points nonetheless. It was a fairly entertaining battle between Toronto who, like just about every team in the MLS, can’t win away from home. A brace from Steve Ralston was enough to carry NE, with a late Maurice Edu goal making things interesting. Toronto’s poor road record (1-5) may end up being their undoing in their search for a postseason berth.

Chivas USA 1-1 New York
Should have been three points for the Red Bulls. Jon Conway played brilliantly, saving twice from point blank range, and a tricky free kick by Dave van den Bergh giving them a 1-0. However, right before halftime, a mix up between defenders Kevin Goldthwaite and Jeff Parke ended up sending Ante Razov on net, and he beat Conway to the ball and scored to give the Goats a tie. A shame really; I’ve been impressed with the play of the Red Bull despite their injury problems. Three points would have been huge, but they just missed out.

Chicago 0-0 San Jose
Blah. I don’t have much to say about this game. The Fire are impressing no one right now. Props to the Quakes, but one shot on goal isn’t going to cut it. Chicago needs Brian McBride. Or someone to cure them of their scoring woes.

Kansas City 1-0 Real Salt Lake
Speaking of scoring woes, the Wizards “broke” their scoreless streak thanks to an own goal from RSL defender Tony Beltran. A sad turn of events for Real, as they were just a few minutes away from securing a rare point on the road. While three points is a step in the right direction for Kansas City, they still have a lot of problems in front of goal. Their buildup and passing was much better, as they got into dangerous positions time and time again. But their finishing was non-existent, as indicated by recording 21 shots, with only three of them being on goal. Real lost no ground in the West, and still sits in second place, while the Wizards are still stuck in the East basement, and will trouble no one is their finishing woes continue.

DC United 4-1 LA Galaxy
The much-hyped matchup between the league’s two hottest teams turned into a rout, as Luciano Emilio shredded through the struggling Galaxy defense. Emilio was unlucky not to have another hat trick, and his recent form has helped to vault United into third place. On top of that, Emilio is now one goal off pace behind Donovan for the Golden Boot. In all reality this game wasn’t all that close. Zach Wells, a player who I never go easy on around these parts made two or three quality saves, and could have had a clean sheet if not for a bit of slack defense combined with a tenacious Edson Buddle. LA can only wish that they could play San Jose every week, that way they’d have a weekly shutout. Their defense will determine how far they can go this season.

Goal of the week
There isn’t a whole lot to choose from (as opposed to previous week), but I will give this prestigious award to Emmanuel Ekpo of the Columbus Crew for his waltz through the Colorado Rapids defense. Well played, young man.

Don’t forget about the US Open Cup third round matches tomorrow, with eight MLS teams set to take part.

Columbus v Colorado
The Crew appear to have smoothed things out after a rough stretch last month. They scored six goals from two games while on the road, earning a win out in KC and a draw out in LA. A pretty good showing if you ask me - and now they host the struggling Rapids, who are winless in the past three. For the Crew, it boils down to the midfield play of Robbie Rogers and Guillermo Barletto Schelottos, who must work the ball up top to striker Alejandro Moreno. Rogers had a mini goal scoring streak going earlier this season, and recapturing that form will only help. The Rapids were allergic to scoring last weekend, as they made a point to either miss the frame or nick the post, mustering a single shot on goal against Houston last week. Colin Clark and Tom McManus, where are you guys? Christian Gomez has fallen back to earth a bit, and perhaps may end up pining for DC by the end of the season. Crew should continue their roll…
Verdict: Columbus 2-1 Colorado

New England v Toronto
The Revolution are used to being this high up the table - while Toronto is a newbie at the top. They sit in third place, six points off pace behind NE. They’ll have all their big guns back as well - Maurice Edu, Amado Guevara to name a couple, who will need to come up big to get some points on the road. A chink has appeared on the Revolution’s armor, as their seven game unbeaten streak was ended against Real Salt Lake last weekend. Adam Cristman has been performing well in spot duty for the injured striker Taylor Twellman, a player that NE has missed at times. Giving them a boost is a return of Kheli Smith and Shalrie Joseph from international duty - and with their respective countries knocked out of CONCACAF qualifying, they won’t be missing any more games this season. While Toronto have played well this season, they’ll probably come up short on the road against the Revs.
Verdict: New England 2-0 Toronto

Kansas City v Real Salt Lake
This is a huge game for the Wizards - they have RSL coming into town, a team that has struggled on the road (one win all season). KC is languishing in last place, and if they can’t get anything from this match, they’ll have little hope. The main struggle has been goals - only 10 the whole season. Things are desperate enough that we could see the return of Josh Wolff to Kansas City, a player who hasn’t exactly light up the score sheet while playing overseas. Salt Lake is quietly sneaking up the table in the West, and is now in second place, only two points behind LA. Impressive for a team that looked a bit disheveled earlier on. The play of Javier Morales and Robbie Findley has marked their resurgence, and while things in the West are tight, the play of RSL at home could lead them to the playoffs. Despite KC’s offensive struggles, they are near the top of the league in goals conceded and Kevin Hartman leads the league in shutouts. I think they’ll end their winless streak with a close win.
Verdict: Kansas City 1-0 Real Salt Lake

Chicago v San Jose
The perfect recipe for a struggling Fire team is the arrival of the Quakes. The curse of success has been a rampant theme this season, as Dallas and Columbus both started off well, only to recently fall of the pace. Chicago is mired in a three game losing streak, having been shutout two games in a row. Poor finishing cursed them last week, as Chad Barrett missed two glorious chances in a 2-0 loss to Chivas. They’ve had few worries at the back, with John Busch playing extremely well, bolstered by a consistent defense. The Fire seem to be waiting for Brian McBride to come to the rescue - and securing his rights from Toronto has proven to be trickier than anticipated. San Jose is hardly going to roll over and die - Ryan Johnson and Ronnie O’Brien have been two bright spots on a typically spotty first season. San Jose will be a remedy for the Fire’s struggles, and Blanco and co should get all three points.
Verdict: Chicago 2-1 San Jose

Chivas USA v New York
After a 4-1 humiliation in DC, the Red Bull have picked up their game a bit, drawing at New England and winning against Dallas last week. It’s a difficult time for them regardless, with Claudio injured (yet playing in a charity match?), Juan Pablo also struggling with injuries, and Jozy shipped off to Spain. It’s opening up chances for some of the younger players, such as Dane Richards, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, and Danleigh Borman. Whatever tricks Juan Carlos Osorio has up his sleeves, he needs to reveal it soon. A point or win on the road would be a real plus for the boys from the Big Apple. Chivas has endured similar struggles with injuries as the Red Bull, with Ante Razov missing at the beginning of the season, now coming off as a substitute. They could use some more goals from Jorge Flores and Sacha Kljestan (whose brother Gordon just signed with New York). I’ll take the Red Bull to grab a point on the road.
Verdict: Chivas 2-2 New York

DC v Los Angeles
The matchup of the weekend which will be on ABC features the two worst defenses (LA conceded 24 goals, DC 25) and the two best offenses (LA has scored 31, DC 24) statistically. With a huge crowd expected, as well as high game temperatures, it will be interesting to see what gives way between these two. United is hot, having won three in a row and unbeaten in five, as a surging Luciano Emilio has keyed their recent success - as well as the play of Fred in midfield, and the still adjusting Marcelo Gallardo. LA boasts Landycakes, Edson Buddle, perhaps Carlos Ruiz, and some bloke from England. Hopefully it’ll be an instant classic with goals aplenty - United’s home advantage will leave the Galaxy cooked.
Verdict: DC 4-3 Los Angeles

Last Week’s record 2-4 Season so far 32-56

Chivas 2-0 Chicago
Whats wrong with the Fire? Their once seemingly unbeatable aura has vanished, leaving them with one win from their last six games. Seems like once a team gets near the top, they have no desire to stay there. Lucky for Chicago, their next opponent is San Jose. That should help them turn it around. A critical win for Chivas, who was beginning to struggle and found themselves near the bottom of the table. I have a feeling that the West is going to be a real slug-fest.

Toronto 0-0 Kansas City
Wizards can’t find a way to win. Although this weekend they were on their heels most of the time, with Kevin Hartman stepping up to preserve the scoreless draw. Hartman is now tied with Matt Reis for most shutouts this season with five. Now if they can only find the net. Scott Sealy missed the net while unmarked in the box. Toronto must consider themselves a bit unlucky as they thought they had a match winner in extra time, but the linesman flagged Danny Dichio for being offsides. It did look like a good call, although you’d think Dichio could have timed his run better.

New York 1-0 Dallas
It’ll be sweet when the Red Bull move out of Giants Stadium. I get tired of watching soccer played with football lines. That rant aside, who is Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Dave, I’m asking you)? He had a great volley denied by an even better Dario Sala save, and then set up Kevin Goldthwaite for the lone goal of the game. A disappointing performance from Dallas in their first game under new head coach Schellas Hyndman - so disappointing in fact, that I won’t say anything else about them.

Colorado 0-0 Houston
Surprisingly enough, the Rapids actually drew a match. In another 0-0 draw that featured a goal disallowed (Ching with a handball), this was a game that seemed like each team thought hitting the woodwork got them a goal. The stat book tells the story on how many shots they mustered on goal: Colorado had 15 shots with only one going on goal. The Dynamo were only one better, getting just two on goal from nine shots. Not exactly a clinical display of finishing going on here.

Real Salt Lake 2-1 New England
Don’t look now but Real is in second place in the West. They’re two points off pace with Los Angeles - although LA has a game in hand. They’re home dominance continues, as they’ve yet to lose there still. In fact they haven’t lost in five games. Pretty good for a team that was struggling just a few weeks ago. They fell behind early, as confusion between Nick Rimando and Nat Borchers gave Revolution keeper Adam Cristman a chance to head the ball into an empty net. An own goal from Jay Heaps and then Tino Nunez gave RSL the win. Are they for real? Their five game unbeaten streak is a club record too. Pretty good stuff. And if you haven’t seen the beauty of MLSnet, check out this headline: Pass the Salt - they’re for Real. That’s very clever.

Los Angeles 3-3 Columbus
It was a wild one out west as the Crew came back twice to snatch a point on the road against the Galaxy. Some shoddy goalkeeping was on display as both Will Hesmer and Steve Cronin made errors that cost their team a goal apiece. The Galaxy defense was there to remind people that yes, they are quite bad. However, Landon Donovan was once again displaying his attacking prowess to bail out the backline. Do I dare ask if he is going to attempt to go overseas again? For a player who just earned his 100th cap, he’s quite young, having turned 26 this year. Might he have another crack at Europe? I’d support it. And just for fun, I support Edson Buddle to get a call up for the World Cup qualifiers.

DC United 3-1 San Jose
A similar theme continued for United this week: they won, Zach Wells can’t get a shutout. Yes, their backline has been far from stellar this season. And now that the goals are starting to pour in (14 in five games - more than SJ and KC have all season) it slips your mind. Wells had an absolute howler that let the Quakes get on the board. While DC is definitely back on the warpath, heading towards the postseason, unless Wells steps his game up, they’ll be toast eventually. Oh, and as for the Earthquakes, at least they didn’t get shutout again.

Goal of the week
Pretty easy. Gonzalo Martinez. If you haven’t seen it, watch here, then vote:

Toronto v Kansas City
BMO Field is a fortress. That’s the new theme north of the border. Toronto is undefeated at their home ground and have already defeated Kansas City there once this season. The Wizards are struggling big time; they can’t score and last week their usually strong defense conceded three times to the Crew. I can’t see a reversal of fortune this week, even if Toronto has Guevara playing (don’t know if they will).
Verdict: Toronto 2-0 Kansas City

New York v Dallas
The Red Bull were unlucky not to win already this week. They let the Revolution equalize late in the game. The wounded strikers don’t exactly strike fear in anyone. Juan Carlos Osorio needs to figure something out to get this squad going in the right direction. Dallas has named a new coach in Schellas Hyndman who will be looking to turn things around. They’ve only won two of their past nine games. Not sure if Hyndman will be in charge this weekend. Despite all of their problems, New York will somehow find a way to pull a win out of this one.
Verdict: New York 1-0 Dallas

Colorado v Houston
The Rapids are looking for improvement. From anywhere. They have dropped their last two games and can’t build any sort of positive consistency. Hosting Houston this week is a chance to reverse things for once, but it’s not like the Dynamo are coming in amidst their own struggles; they’ve managed to patch together their poor start to the season and are back near the top of the West. DeRo and Onstad are out via Canadian team duties, while Bouna Coundoul continues his stint in Africa with Preston Burpo (always gotta love the name) continues to start. Christian Gomez has been relatively quiet as of late. I think the Dynamo will pull through on the road.
Verdict: Colorado 1-2 Houston

Real Salt Lake v New England
This is a big test for RSL. After a road win against Chivas, a win over New England this weekend will be a real boost for confidence. Salt Lake hasn’t lost at home yet this season, and I don’t think the trend will start this week, no matter how well Matt Reis is playing.
Verdict: RSL 1-1 New England

Los Angeles v Columbus
No longer are the Galaxy just Beckham/Donovan combination. This game could provide a bit of trouble for them, as the Crew look to restart the success from earlier this season. Hard to say what’s going to happen, but I think the Crew may escape with a win here.
Verdict: Los Angeles 2-3 Columbus

DC v San Jose
United is on a roll. They’ll have Gallardo and Namoff back after they missed out yesterday through suspension. San Jose comes to town. Nothing short of a two or three goal victory for DC here.
Verdict: DC 3-1 San Jose

Last week’s record: 3-4 Season so far: 30-52

Also, shout out to DC United supporters. I briefly mentioned the Toronto fans earlier this season, but a crowd of 18,000+ in a game that was played almost entirely during a downpour deserves props. Memo to the District: give them a stadium. If the Nationals get one and now hardly play in front of anyone, while the United supporters keep showing up.

Houston 0-2 New England
I hope these teams don’t play in the MLS Cup this year. Nothing against them, but variety would be nice. It’s hard to predict the Revolution missing out - and I know that it’s way to early to predict this - but three years running of the same two teams battling out for the league’s highest honors would be dull for fans outside their respective fan bases. That rant aside, it was another outstanding Matt Reis performance carrying the Revolution through. Obviously goals were needed, and Steve Ralston and Kheli Dube took care of business. The Dynamo were missing a number of players through international duty - Onstad, DeRo, Ching, to name a few - giving them a bit of an excuse. Plaudits to Reis for then earning a call up to the National team for last Sunday’s qualifier, although on the bench behind Guzan. Still, good to see him get some respect from Bob Bradley and the powers that be.

Toronto 3-1 Colorado
Toronto continues their quiet but strong season. Missing Amado Guevara and Maurice Edu (among others) they easily dispatched the Rapids, who are mired in a bit of a dry spell. Former Spur Rohan Ricketts was man of the match, netting an impressive brace. BMO field continues its role as a fortress - Toronto is 5-0-2 at home this season and riding a nine game unbeaten streak dating back to last year. Danny Dichio opened the scoring for the Reds, getting a favorable bounce off the turf to volley home in the 37th minute. Christian Gomez with a late consolation for the visitors, who lost their second in a row.

DC United 4-1 New York Red Bull
Is this enough to confidently proclaim a DC return to form? A sound thrashing of New York took place at RFK, and while the Red Bull had a decent contingent out through injuries (Reyna and Angel - not to mention Jozy being gone) it was a solid performance from United through and through. The only negative is the inability of Zach Wells to actually get a shutout - unfair to place the blame entirely on him, but he fails to inspire real confidence. Trouble could be ahead for New York. They are lacking up front right now, and the combination of injuries and transfers is starting to catch up. I bet they have July 15 circled, highlighted, and starred on their calender.

Kansas City 0-3 Columbus
A disappointing result for the Wizards, to say the least. After all the hoopla of playing so many games away from home, they came out flat (dreadful?) against the Crew. Columbus entered the game struggling for goals, and come game time on Sunday found it real easy against a normally decent KC backline. Crew players had too much space and too much time, getting off a total of 13 shots. Meanwhile, offensive problems continue to plague the Wizards - just two shots on goal the whole game. Dare I ask - are they missing Eddie Johnson? If they can’t start turning things around soon, they’re toast.

San Jose 0-3 LA Galaxy
Speaking of hat tricks, Edson Buddle was at it again. He put on a clinical finishing show, especially with his noggin. The Galaxy look like they are getting used to Ruud’s system, and considering that Beckham was only involved in their first goal and Donovan/Ruiz were out through international duty, they definitely are a team coming into their own (outside their three stars). Buddle has managed two hat tricks this season, meaning six of his eight goals on the season have come through just two games. Meanwhile, the San Jose offense continues to struggle, managing just one shot on target. Hard to tell if the Galaxy defense is improving or the poor San Jose offense just made them look good. I would lean towards picking the latter - the only shutouts that LA has this season are against the Quakes. Worth mentioning: it was a packed house in SJ - 39,872, many of whom may or may not have been to watch Becks.

Chivas USA 0-1 Real Salt Lake
The monkey is off their back. RSL grabbed a solid road win of the season - their first of the season! How about that. Didn’t seem like a very exciting game for those involved. Robbie Findley, who is continuing to play better with every game, accounted for the game’s lone goal. Brad Guzan was MIA through Nat’l team duty, and maybe he would have saved Findley’s goal. I’d reckon he wouldn’t have. RSL hopped over Chivas on the table, and now sit tied for the last playoff spot with Colorado.

FC Dallas 1-0 Chicago Fire
Other people out there like Kenny Cooper. Let’s hope Bob Bradley jumps on the bandwagon. The big man’s scoring run continues, lifting his struggling team to a win. Great run, great ball, easy finish past Jon Busch. He had a few more chances, but couldn’t lob Busch and forced a save for the other shot. It was a real oven in Dallas, and I can’t imagine it was much fun playing in triple digits. Seemed to have an effect on the Fire. Ironic that the only thing cooling them down (on the road) was the heat. Busch was forced into nine saves, keeping the game close, but nobody backed him up.

Goal of the week
Rohan Ricketts’ second goal against the Rapids. Some fancy footwork in the penalty area which was followed by a quick driving shot that beat Preston Burpo. Don’t forget to vote:

With that aside, it’s going to be another weekend marred by international call ups. Because of the USMNT’s qualifying game against Barbados, six players will most likely be missing, along as five others for other countries. It could play a big role this weekend.

Houston v New England
Another rematch of the 2007 MLS Cup. New England has been playing well of late, and looks to take their success on the road. Matt Reis has been red hot, have 18 saves in the last two games. After a struggling start, Houston is all of a sudden tied for first atop the Western Conference with the Galaxy. Definitely surprising after their early season struggles. The Revoluation currently have the most points and the best record in the MLS, and I tip them to get a win on the road against the Brian Ching-less Dynamo.
Verdict: Houston 0-1 New England

Toronto v Colorado
The Rapids continue to be an enigma. They’ve won a handful of games, lost more than they’ve won, and have yet to draw at any point on the season. That’s pretty remarkable to not have drawn after 11 games have been played. This could be the week, however. Toronto will be missing two of their best players in Maurice Edu and Amado Guevara. Their presence was missed in last weekend’s 3-1 loss to the Dynamo. Jeff Cunningham will be going after his 100th career goal in the MLS - if he’s picked to play that his. He probably will be, but won’t score. That’s my prediction.
Verdict: Toronto 2-2 Colorado

DC United v New York Red Bull
Is this the rise of United back towards the top of the East? Their defensive struggles have marred them all season (23 goals conceded so far this season after conceding 34 all of last year) but their offense is now stepping it up. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a LA Galaxy-like mentality: score a lot more than they do. The Red Bull now face post-Jozy life, and with a wounded Juan Pablo Angel their main threat up top, there should be worry up in the Big Apple. We’ll see how Osorio and the RB respond to the challenge. On another note, good luck to Jozy, who was definitely received warmly in Spain.
Verdict: DC 2-1 New York

Kansas City v Columbus
A tale of two teams both trying to climb out of a tailspin. Columbus, because teams are learning how to neutralize their attack: foul Robbie Rogers, and Kansas City, who haven’t played a game on the road since April 12. That’s a long time. They posted a 1-3-2 record on their six game, two month road trip, and now sit in dead last in the East. The Crew, who are winless in their last four, haven’t scored a goal in awhile. The Wizards have had a decent year defensively, with four shutouts already and only 13 goals conceded. Their big problem? Scoring. They’ve only put in 10 total - a sparse amount. I think they’ll resume their winning ways, and nick a goal against Hesmer and the Crew.
Verdict: Kansas City 1-0 Columbus

San Jose v Los Angeles
Instead of Beckham playing over in Austria this weekend, he’ll face off in San Jose, against the Quakes. If you told someone that last year, they probably would have laughed (if they knew what you were even talking about). San Jose picked up their second road win of the year last weekend with a win against Columbus. They scored two goals off of two shots. They should get more opportunities against the Galaxy this week, but it probably won’t be enough. Carlos Ruiz and Landon Donovan will both be out of action because of international duty. I don’t think it’ll be enough to trouble their offense. Look for Edson Buddle to continue his solid play, and for the Galaxy to score lots of goals.
Verdict: San Jose 2-4 Los Angeles

Chivas v Real Salt Lake
Hardly the need for much of a preview. It’ll read mostly as word vomit. RSL has no wins on the road. 3-0-3 at home, 0-5-0 on the road. That is an atrocious record. Can’t think of a good reason as to why this will change this week, although Chivas will be undermanned. Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan (start against Barbados please) will be missing for the Goats, but it will hardly matter. Jorge Flores will score his fourth goal in five games, Chivas rolls.
Verdict: Chivas 3-1 RSL

Dallas v Chicago
It’s game one of the Brimstone Cup. One of my friends from here described the origins as “finding what team was the hottest” when FC Dallas was known as the Dallas Burn. The Wikipedia entry there backs me up, although we all know not to trust Wikipedia at it’s word. Back to reality. Dallas has struggled a bit since sacking their coach and and are waiting for current SMU coach Schellas Hyndman to be announced as their new coach. Chicago seems to play better on the road than at home, and I think they’ll continue to do that this week. Jon Busch won’t fade yet, and Chad Barrett will score (please? - he’s on my fantasy team).
Verdict: Dallas 1-2 Chicago

Feel free to add or correct anything you think I’ve missed.

Record, just for Dave:
Last week’s record: 2-5, Season: 27-48

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New York 1-0 Chivas USA
A good win for New York, as the news that Jozy Altidore was leaving was reported just the day before this match. He ended up not playing because of an ankle injury and may not play in the MLS again. His team was mired in a three game winless streak coming into the game, and faced huge questions with injuries to Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna. That’s not to say their opponents were injury free, as Chivas has endured their taste of injuries this season. The end result wasn’t pretty for a Thursday night game, as both teams shot wildly without getting much on target. The best chance for the Red Bull was put away by Angel off a cross from Dane Richards. And that was pretty much that, a ho-hum sort of game. No heroics from Jorge Flores this week.

New England 2-1 FC Dallas
A pretty diving header from Adam Cristman in the fourth minute and it was practically game over - at least that was the case in New England, as Matt Reis continues to play out of his mind. Another goal from Steve Ralston through a penalty and that was all she wrote. I’ve always known that Reis was a good keeper, but after helping preserve a draw against DC the previous week, he stuffed FC Dallas 10 times. It was a shock that he even conceded a goal - but no one marked Arturo Alvarez to cruelly deny Reis a clean sheet that he by far deserved.

Columbus 0-2 San Jose
Well, so much for that impressive start from the Crew. Two shots on goal by San Jose - two goals. The Quakes defense acted like a bunch of thugs, kicking and tripping Robbie Rogers on a number of occasions. The officiating here was pretty bad, as the cards and calls were inconsistent on both sides. Negative things aside, great playing by Ronnie O’Brien. His assists were picture perfect - in between Crew defenders, right onto the heads of teammates Ryan Johnson and Ramiro Corrales on their respective goals. While a positive step for San Jose, I still don’t know if they’ll be able to build on this. On the other end of the spectrum, the Crew are struggling - haven’t scored in four games now - but are only four points off the pace and still tied for second.

Chicago 1-2 DC United
Welcome back Luciano Emilio. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen the real you, or the 2007 MVP from last season actually showed up. Just about the right time as well, as DC rode his fine play to a surprising road win (first since Sep 1 of ‘07) in Chicago. Even more impressive was doing it a man down, as some boneheaded play from Bryan Namoff earned him two quick yellow cards in the span of about three minutes. Having watched DC a number of times this season, I have always thought they are more talented than their record shows; Zach Wells remains a question between the nets. Not that he’s bad, just not very reassuring. Only a slight bump in the road for Chicago, who received superb goalkeeping from Jon Busch, although I thought he could have done better on Emilio’s goal. It wouldn’t surprise me to see these two teams near the top of the table at the end of the season. Stay tuned.

Real Salt Lake 0-0 Kansas City
I can’t wait until October and RSL can stop playing on the concrete-looking turf of RE Stadium. Although it may be hard for them, since they maintained their undefeated record in a semi-exciting draw against the Wizards. KC struggled with possession at times, but did have the best chance early in the match when a Davy Arnaud shot struck the crossbar. For the most part, it was all RSL, as they fired 19 shots on net, forcing seven saves from Kevin Hartman, who earned his 71st career shutout. Not much else to say really. The Wizards finally get a home game next weekend against Columbus, as their six game road trip is now over, yielding a not-so-great record of 1-3-2.

Los Angeles 3-2 Colorado
You know what I hate? When the youtube highlights posted by the MLS have the following headline: Beckham’s back! Come on, it’s not a one man show here. As great as Golden Balls is, or thinks he is, or Alexi Lalas thinks he is, we don’t need this from the front office as well. So what if he’s the only reason people care about the MLS, there is still no good reason to put that up there. Rant aside, this turned out to be an interesting game. The Galaxy came out firing on all cylinders, even without Landycakes, who was MIA with his groin ache/international duty. As a result, the goals came pouring in through the likes of Edson Buddle, Ely Allen, and Alavaro Pires. Before the Rapids knew what hit them, they were down 3-0. It was also 10 v 10 at the half, as Facundo Erpen and Alan Gordon were both given red cards before the first half was done. Props to the Rapids for not giving up, as a nice individual effort from Colin Clark pulled one back, making Abel Xavier hit the deck. Herculez Gomez then made it interesting, scoring with just over eight minutes left. Couldn’t get the equalizer, and LA Galaxy hit back in first; meanwhile the Rapids still have yet to draw a game this season.

Houston 3-1 Toronto
This was going to be a tough match for Toronto, even before taking into consideration the lack of Maurice Edu and Amado Guevara because of international duty. Houston made quick work of them, as Brian Ching set up Dwayne De Rosorio for a goal before halftime, then scored twice himself in the second half to make it 3-0 with 20 minutes left. A Jeff Cunningham goal brought the score back to 3-1, but is only significant because it marked his 99th goal in the MLS, putting on the cusp of joining the prestigious 100-goal club, alongside Ante Razov and Jaime Moreno.

Goal of the week
The batch from this week wasn’t as jaw-droppingly spectacular as recent candidates. Cristman’s diving header was nice, but I will tip Emilio’s goal in stoppage time to give United a huge road victory. Don’t forget to cast your vote here.

New York v Chivas USA
Talk about two teams heading in opposite directions. Chivas has been on fire as of late, winners of their last three games. Sueno MLS winner Jorge Flores has been the toast of the team, with a goal in each of those victories. It’s good to see a young athlete stepping up and taking advantage of the opportunity that he’s carved out for himself. Meanwhile, NYRB are looking to stop their two game losing streak that has immediately followed what was a five game unbeaten stretch. Banged up striker Juan Pablo Angel hasn’t replicated the form of last season as he battles injury (didn’t play last week), Altidore has chipped in every now and then, and to no one’s surprise, Claudio Reyna is hurting. Danleigh Borman has been a spark off the bench, but with the way the standings are shaping up in the East, if New York doesn’t turn things around they could be done for. I think Chivas will play well enough to grab a road win. Don’t forget to tune in to ESPN and watch.
Verdict: New York 1-2 Chivas

New England v Dallas
This will not be an easy trip up to Gillette stadium. Marco Ferruzzi suffered his first loss in charge last weekend, and has a tough task ahead of him. The Revolution fought hard for a draw against DC last Thursday, with Matt Reis coming up huge, denying United two or three times. He continues to prove himself as one of, if not the best keeper(s) in the MLS. New England is now tops of the table, and doing this without their consistent goal scorer Taylor Twellman, who is listed as doubtful for this clash, and has yet to feature prominently this season. They’ve managed to find goals from other places, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble against Dallas. In a semi-related note, I really want to see Kenny Cooper feature against Argentina. Eddie Johnson has fallen flat on his face, and it’s time that Bob Bradley give someone Cooper a chance - he’s earned it.
New England 3-1 Dallas

Columbus v San Jose
The Crew find themselves in a unusual place this week: they are struggling. Losers of their last three, they haven’t scored since they last played San Jose back on May 10. How Columbus responds of these next few games will demonstrate is they really are a contender, or just happened to string together enough positive results at the beginning of the season. San Jose will probably help cure that, as again the Quakes struggled last week, losing at Rice Eccles Stadium. I feel bad for Joe Cannon, who saved a penalty in the third minute only to have to face on later on in the match. Unless something changes magically, San Jose’s stereotypical expansion season continues.
Columbus 2-0 San Jose

Chicago v DC
HUGE game for United. Things were looking up last week, only to concede twice in the later stages of the second half to come away with just a draw. They travel to Chicago, where they’ll face a Fire squad who knocked them out of the playoffs last season and already beat DC 2-0 at RFK in May. Blanco’s impressive May was rewarded the other day, as he was named the MLS Player of the Month. But it’s been more than a one man show: Jon Busch is having a great season - six goals conceded in nine games, Chad Barrett is finding the back of the net, and Justin Mapp has played well in the midfield. While is isn’t time to hit the panic button for DC, it seems like another loss will send the team spiraling out of control. And it’s hard to see them traveling to Chicago and even getting one point. I still think DC is talented, but Blanco and co. have been superb.
Verdict: Chicago 3-2 DC

Real Salt Lake v Kansas City
This marks the last stop on the Wizards’ six game road trip. They haven’t hosted a match in the league since April 12. It will have been two months since that when they play a game in KC next weekend. But first up, they head to Rice Eccles, to play a match against RSL, who have been unbeatable on their ugly home turf. The Wizards sit in second to last in the East, and have struggled, despite a few “experts” picking them as a potential sleeper. Not playing at home in two months isn’t easy, but through five games they have a total of four points. That won’t do you any good. Meanwhile, RSL’s 3-0-2 record has been highlighted by dynamic play from Javier Morales and a sweet strike from Robbie Findley last weekend. Look for more offensive flair from those two, as they will get by a tired KC squad.
Verdict: RSL 1-0 Kansas City

Los Angeles v Colorado
Well this should be easy to predict. Colorado’s last five fixtures have gone like this: W-L-W-L-W. So if all goes according to plan, they will lose and LA Galaxy will take over first place. In fact, patterns aside, I would expect that to happen. Beckham’s back, and with the recovering health of Ruiz and Donovan, LA will be good enough to be near the top in the West. Colorado has now found some consistency - that is, being unable to win back to back games. Preston Burpo (with a name like that, he has to be mentioned) will probably continue as keeper for the Rapids, which is awesome. With or without Landycakes, the Galaxy will cruise.
Verdict: Los Angeles 2-0 Colorado

Houston v Toronto
I feel like Toronto has been real quiet in the East, yet one look at the standings shows that they are in fourth place, only three points behind New England. Amedo Guevara has worked wonders for them, and while he was missing in action last weekend, Toronto still continued their successes. They’ll take on a Dynamo team that continues to steady what has been a rocky 2008 season thus far. While a few positive results recently bring a stronger sense of optimism, there is still a ways to go for the defending champs. The good news is that despite the harsh start, they only remain a point off the pace in the West. Brian Ching and Rico Clark could miss this game because of National Team action, as could Maurice Edu for Toronto. Look for Toronto to grab their second win on the road this season.
Houston 1-3 Toronto

New England 2-2 DC United
United’s struggles continue. For 60 minutes it looked like they were going to get that first road victory that has thus far proved so difficult. Goals from struggling Luciano Emillio and Fred gave DC a 2-0 lead at Foxborough. But like they’ve already done a number of times this season, the Revolution fought back at pulled even with two goals from Adam Cristman and Kheli Dube. DC continues to sputter at the bottom of the East, and the Revolution (with a little help from Chivas) took over first place. I still think a team like DC is too talented to be near the bottom of the table for the entire season. They’ve got a short turnaround this week before playing Houston on Wednesday night.

Toronto 2-0 Los Angeles
In the battle of depleted squads, it was the hosts that came out on top against LA Galaxy. Without Becks and Landycakes, LA didn’t have much of a shot. When Edson Buddle and Alan Gordon as your offensive catalysts, I would put money on whomever they are playing against. Not to mention Toronto has yet to lose this season, and it was all over in the middle of the second half. Goals from Julius James and Jeff Cunningham gave Toronto the lead that they easily secured. The only good news for the Galaxy was the return of Carlos Ruiz, returning from a knee injury he suffered earlier this season. Donovan is still nursing his groin, and Becks was away on English duty. This game should serve as warning to LA if either Donovan or Beckham misses a great deal of time. It won’t look pretty, that’s for sure.

Chivas 2-0 Columbus
After dominating MLS for the first six or seven games, the Crew have hit a bit of a rough patch. They haven’t scored since May 10 in their 3-2 win against San Jose which happened to also be their last victory. It was pretty easy for Chivas, who have now won three in a row. Danny O’Rourke helped them out when he went in studs up with a challenge on Atiba Harris. I haven’t seen an easier call for straight red card in a long time. Chivas already had a 2-0 at the time, after goals from Jorge Flores (his third in three games) and Jesse Marsch were more than enough. The Crew still attacked well, forcing a couple spectacular saves out of Guzan. I think that it’s no coincidence that the resurgence of Chivas has coincided with a return to form from their keeper. His rough start seems to be a thing of the past. On the Crew’s side, they now find themselves outside of first place for the first time since April.

Houston 1-0 New York
The resurgence of the Dynamo continues. Going up against the Red Bull lacking in a couple of their stars (Onstad, De Rosorio), a goal by Brian Ching helped Houston to continue the resurgence they have enjoyed in the past few weeks. Once again, the Red Bull seemed to play uninspiring football, although they had a few chances near the end of the game. But their usual hero Danleigh Borman shanked a shot from inside the penalty area when he was charging in on goal. Jon Conway helped keep the score close, saving well from Brian Ching, who had a free header from just a few yards out. It just seems like more of the same from the Red Bull.

Real Salt Lake 3-1 San Jose
In a game that surprised no one, RSL continued their home-field success with a suffocating performance against the Earthquakes. It seemed like it could have been San Jose’s day after Joe Cannon saved a Javier Morales penalty that was whistled for a handball in just the third minute. It wasn’t until after the break when Robbie Findley was in the game that RSL tok control. Just three minutes into the second half he controlled a long ball, beat a defender, and smashed a shot past Cannon at the near post. Findley then set up the second goal, sending Morales in on goal. And a bit more than ten minutes later, it was 3-0, as Dema Kovalenko converted a penalty after Andy Williams was pulled down in the box. John Cunliffe scored one for a little consolation, but it was too little too late. Real has been unbeatable at home, but to make any kind of run to the playoffs must start to win on the road. San Jose continues to have a stereotypical first-year-of-a-franchise type year.

Colorado 2-1 FC Dallas
I wonder if DC wishes they still had Christian Gomez. Marcelo Gallardo isn’t a bad player, but Gomez continued his solid 2008 season with a perfectly weighted pass that set up Conor Casey’s goal. Gomez continued to pull the strings for Colorado, and helped keep them dangerous for most of the game. However, they lost their lead just before halftime, as Dominic Orduro leveled the scores. With first place at stake, the second half seemed to go Colorado’s way, as Tom McManus grabbed the winner in the 72nd minute. For kicks, the Rapids starting goalie was Preston Burpo. What, you’ve never heard of him? Me neither. But he has a hilarious and awesome name. Rapids are now in first, but they have no breathing room at all. Still to early to matter anyway.

Goal of the week
It’s gotta go to Finley. Kenny Cooper’s midweek strike was nice, but beating a solid keeper like Joe Cannon from long range is no easy task. Don’t forget to make you choice by voting here.