Week 11 Preview: International Conflicts Looming

By: travis | May 29th, 2009

After two matches during the week, it’s time to take a look at what the weekend has in store for us. Lot’s of action to tell you about, and more importantly, the hope of less draws. I don’t know why I feel disheartened about the league because of so many draws — it is the mark of a tightly contested, competitive organization, with important results. At the same time, I would take a draw over a referee decision resolving match during injury time.

With summer right around the corner, it’s the time of year that usually induces a collective groan from MLS faithful. That’s right — your favorite team’s best player will be forced to miss a game or two for international duty. No sense in pointing fingers, but it’s a debate that seems to have no answer. Here’s hoping MLS can get it right in 2010, when the World Cup will be held. A look at this weekend’s match ups:

Saturday, May 30
New England v D.C. United
There’s always plenty to talk about when these two sides line up against each other and this time around is no different. Things are looking up for the Revolution in the injury department with rumors of Taylor Twellman seeing some playing time. That would be a massive boost for New England, who have resorted to starting Shalrie Joseph up top as a result. For United, the big question facing them is the starting goalie. I’d expect Josh Wicks to get another look in goal after his solid performance shutting out Real Salt Lake last week. It’ll also be important for United’s offense to get back on track after failing to really threaten RSL’s goal. Another draw on the cards in this one.
New England 1-1 D.C. United

New York v Colorado
The Red Bulls are watching their long homestand come to an end without the results they were hoping for. Mired in the bottom of the East, their 1-1-1 record through three games isn’t terrible, but you’d think they would expect a higher return thus far. Still a win over Colorado, which is very possible, could give the Bulls some momentum heading into their next match against D.C. United. The Rapids continue to fly under the radar in 2009, putting together a respectable season thus far. No MLS defense has yet to completely master Conor Casey, and Colin Clark has teamed up well with Omar Cummings providing pace on the wings. Look for Gary Smith to have his charges fired up for this one, enough so to squeak by with a point.
New York 2-2 Colorado

Houston v Toronto
The resurgence of the Dynamo continued last weekend with their 3-1 drubbing of hapless San Jose. They began to prepare for a few weeks without Brian Ching by bringing in Dominic Oduro over from New York. Not sure how much it will help, but Houston is riding high at this time — unbeaten in six games, with four of those wins. As usual, they are back in the thick of things in the Western Conference. Toronto brings Dewayne De Rosario back to town, where he’ll face his old teammates for the very first time all year. It ought to be pretty emotional for the Canuck, considering the number of years he was there and the success enjoyed. While TFC won’t be as hard hit by the international break as last year, they’ll miss Amado Guevara for a week or two as he heads to join the Honduran national team. I like the Dynamo to continue their winning ways in this one.
Houston 2-1 Toronto

San Jose v Real Salt Lake
The oppressive road schedule continues for Real Sale Lake as they head to sunny California to take on the league’s worst team. Jason Kreis will be looking to build on the fact they didn’t lost in their last road outing — though they have yet to break the duck and score on the road. I don’t expect RSL to hunker down in a 4-5-1 like they did in D.C. last week. San Jose is in shambles right now. They blew a 1-0 lead on the road to the Crew, and it looks like Frank Yallop could soon find himself out of work. The Bobby Convey experiment is, at this point, a failure, and outside of Arturo Alvarez, the club lacks an offensive spark. Ryan Johnson is the only Quake with a goal since April 18. That’s a huge problem. Will journeyman Cornell Glen be the answer? I doubt the playoff aspirations of a team making desperate moves like that. I’m going out on a limb here and picking Real to not only score, but also win on the road.
San Jose 1-2 Real Salt Lake

Seattle v Columbus
Bad news for the Crew this week with Brian Carroll separating his shoulder. To make matters worse, Frankie Hejduk and Will Hesmer remain sidelined with injuries — though Hejduk is a game time decision. It’s always exciting to see a home game in Seattle, with the large crowd injecting more passion and increasing the attendance average. The Sounders will hope Freddie Ljungberg’s head feels better, but dealing them a big blow will be the lack of Osvaldo Alonso barring a miraculous healing process. After their fast start at the beginning of the year, it’s going to be interesting to keep an eye on how the new kids handle things like injuries, international absences, and the long schedule. They are without a doubt a playoff caliber team, however. If the Crew were to sneak a win in this one it would catapult them right back into the mix in the East. I just don’t think they’ll be able to muster anything at noisy Qwest Field.
Seattle 2-0 Columbus

Los Angeles v Kansas City
Very bad news this week for the Galaxy when word dropped about Sean Franklin. Last season’s rookie of the year was having a rather uneven sophomore season, but to lose him at this point of the year may have a devastating impact. Throw in Landon Donovan taking off soon for USMNT duty at the Confederations Cup after two World Cup Qualifiers, and June might not be pretty for Galaxy fans. This is a fixture they could actually win, with Santiago Hirsig and Josh Wolff both missing through red card suspension. Kansas City has laid a solid foundation during their first third of the season. A 4-4-3 record isn’t too shabby, and given the number of draws in the league it’s unusual to see a side with more wins than draws. It’ll be a tough ask on the road — though I think the Wizards can get a draw out of this one.
Los Angeles 1-1 Kansas City

Sunday, May 31
Chicago v FC Dallas
Can Chicago be dubbed best in the MLS after vanquishing Chivas last night? I don’t think so, especially with the dubious penalty call that handed them the win. After Nyarko’s pretty equalizer, a draw would have been a fair result. Alas officiating in the league sometimes. It’s hard to think of this game as a challenge for the Fire, considering how much Dallas has struggled this year. Kenny Cooper has yet to recapture the blistering form that was so integral to the Hoops last season; while new acquisition David Ferreira is struggling in his adjustment to MLS. The best thing Dallas has going for them before this game is the fact Chicago played Thursday night and had to flow back from LA. Because of that, I think honors are even at the end.
Chicago 1-1 Dallas

Last week: 4-5
Season so far: 30-47