Week 10 Preview

By: travis | May 29th, 2008

As usual, lots of news and events clogging the Internets. There was that friendly played at Wembley – won’t go there, but I’ll just say I was disappointed – the newest MLS team got a new jersey, and it’s also that time of the year when national teams need their players. Along with that, the Fire and Wizards both aren’t playing this weekend. It should be an unpredictable weekend as a lot of team’s will have their depth tested.

New England v DC United
A big game for DC. Can they reverse their negative fortunes on the road – they’ve only scored one goal, conceded 12, and lost five games away from RFK – against the consistently tough Revolution? New England is all square at the top with the Crew and Fire, having topped Columbus last week. Neither side faces a significant international loss, as DC’s Francis Doe is back in Africa with Liberia while Kenny Mansally is with Gambia, as both try to qualify for the World Cup. With a win, things could start to look up for DC, who beat Toronto at home last weekend, although it was slightly unconvincing. Zach Wells has struggled in goal while they have issues at just about every position. Can’t really see them scoring, much less winning their second game in a row.
Verdict: New England 2-0 DC United

Toronto v LA
These are two of many teams hit by international call ups. Toronto loses starting keeper Greg Sutton and defender Jim Brennan to Canadian duty, Maurice Edu was over in England and I’m not sure if he’s going to make it back in time, Amedo Guevara was called up by Honduras for a friendly, midfiedler Carl Robinson is going to play for Wales – the list goes on. LA Galaxy are missing Donovan, Becks, and Ante Jazic. Not sure if Donovan will play – he is still nursing his sore groin. Beckham was named in the 22-man squad that will face T&T, and Jazic was part of the Canadian squad. As far as predictions go? This one seems like a crap shoot. A quick look at the Galaxy’s squad and it looks bleak, but the same point could be made about Toronto. That’s before mentioning that Laurent Robert is out through suspension after being sent off the previous weekend against DC. If Donovan plays, advantage Galaxy. If not, a toss up.
Verdict: Toronto 1-1 LA Galaxy

Houston v New York
Houston will lose two of their best as the Red Bull come to town with their tail between their legs. Pat Onstad and Dwayne De Rosario were both called into the Canada squad, so it will be up to the rest of the Dynamo to hold off Jozy and co., who are out to save face after the 5-1 smashing they received last weekend. Ricardo Clark will also be missing in action, or at least tired from playing against England. Meanwhile, the Red Bulls need to rebound from last week. This is where Juan Carlos Osorio needs to step up and steer the team in the right direction. Some of the parts might be in place, and there is no reason to panic, but a positive result here will do wonders for the Red Bull. And I think they’ll steal a point or three here.
Verdict: Houston 1-2 New York

Real Salt Lake v San Jose
The call ups seem less frequent when reach the lower portion of the league. Chris Seitz is on the 33 man roster for the US national team and he might get called up for the Argentina match, but he isn’t even RSL’s starter, as Nick Rimando continues to hold onto that position. Anyways, San Jose got the best of Houston last week, but they face a tough battle this week, as they head to Rice-Eccles Stadium where RSL hasn’t lost. While the Earthquakes have improved of late, they still continue to struggle with any sort of offensive consistency.
Verdict: RSL 2-0 San Jose

Chivas v Columbus
The Crew had their unbeaten streak snapped last week at the hands of the Revolution. Now they’re heading out to LA and challenge Chivas, who have had a topsy turvy season thus far. The Crew will be out to reclaim their lead at the top of the table, although before kickoff they’ll know what is required of them to do that, since New England plays on Thursday and the Fire aren’t playing. Not sure of the status of Brad Guzan and Frankie Hejduk, although I’m going to assume both are going to travel with the US team to Spain, making them unavailable for this match. Guzan’s form this season hasn’t been as high quality as last year, and while it won’t leave a gaping hole, his presence will be sorely missed. The Crew haven’t scored in two straight games now, and they’ll be in search of offense through Robbie Rogers and Guillermo. I think they’ll find a way to come out on top.
Verdict: Chivas 1-2 Columbus

Colorado v Dallas
I really like Kenny Cooper. And for those of us who witnessed the glaring ineptitude of US forwards against England on Wednesday, he at least gives me a semblance of hope. A big, strong runner like him would be able to give opposing defenders a headache – or at least trouble them more than Eddie Johnson or Josh Wolff. That aside, Dallas blew a chance at three points when they conceded a goal to the Dynamo last night, after bouncing back the previous week for their first win in almost a month. They face a tall task against the Rapids in Commerce City, as Colorado has been fairly solid at home. Omar Cummings and Christian Gomez have kept their attack looking lively, although inconsistency has been their story this season. Bouna Coundoul will miss this game, as he is in Senegal training with the national team in their preparation for World Cup qualifiers. Their starter this weekend? I’m not sure, but they recently added Preston Burpo. That’s right, Burpo. A fine name, I might add. It’s either Burpo or Justin Hughes in the nets. We’ll see what happens, although a draw is a likely result here.
Verdict: Colorado 2-2 Dallas