Week 11 Preview

By: travis | June 5th, 2008

We finally know where Jozy’s going. It was only a matter of time, and while he’ll still be playing for the Red Bulls in tonight’s game, he’s got just under a month of MLS left before traveling to Spain. I think it could be a good fit. It’s a challenging league, and a team that has qualified for the Champions League. Let’s see if he can impress quickly and push Giuseppe Rossi for a starting position - maybe even convince him to play for the US. Gazing ahead to this weekend, the divide in the East remains the same with the rain out in Washington (check out the scene on the left - ugly pitch), while over in the West, five teams are crowding up near the top.

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