Week 26 Preview – Playoff Push

By: travis | September 20th, 2008

It’s unusual business this week as Houston and San Jose see their fixture from this weekend canceled, thanks in part to Hurricane Ike. Best wishes go out to the people of Texas and Houston as they try to piece together their lives and homes.

That aside, it’s another important weekend for just about every club. The Crew are distancing themselves from the rest of the pack, and the Supporter’s Shield is just about theirs. Watching the game on Thursday, it’s clear that even without Schelotto that they are a very strong team. I’m supporting them, at the very least. Who will join them in the playoffs? This weekend will help determine that. Here’s a look at what to expect.

Kansas City v Toronto
A battle of the Eastern Conference cellarmates, the loser could see themselves all but out of playoff competition. For the Wizards, the time is now to step up with a late run, as they did last year, to pull themselves into contention. It’s not without question, as they sit only four points out of the last spot currently held by DC United. For them, it’s a question of new additions Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson providing attack up front, as they’ve kind of given up on DP Claudio Lopez as an out and out forward – he’s been spending some time in the midfield. Toronto just can’t seem to win on the road, and unless that changes today, it’s hard to see them alive in the postseason. I think their woes on the road continue out in KC.
Kansas City 2-1 Toronto

Colorado v New England
The Revolution continue to play second fiddle to the Crew, despite a rash of injuries that could have set them back a great deal. This week they’ll get a lot of players back, and face a Colorado team that all of a sudden is even on points for the last playoff spot with Chivas. A lot of the Rapids success has come at the expense of Christian Gomez and Bouna Coundoul, both whom have been sitting on the bench recently, and Gomez hasn’t even come off the bench. It’s been the work of players like Terry Cooke and Mike Petke who have helped engineered a turn around out in Commerce City. New England is coming off a 4-0 thrashing of Chivas, with the likes of Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston helping carry the attack. The Revs will give the Rapids a real go of it tonight, and I think things will end on equal terms.
Colorado 1-1 New England

Real Salt Lake v Chivas USA
This is a big week for RSL, as they bid farewell to their fortress, Rice Eccles Stadium. They’ve been practically unbeatable there, having yet to taste defeat at home. They’ll look to close that out in style, with a struggling Chivas coming to town. Javier Morales and Yura Movsisyan will need to generate in the attack, with Fabian Espindola’s bird brained celebration on a non goal keeping on the sidelines. It’s a narrow margin for error out West as well, with RSL just one point up on both Chivas and Colorado. Chivas needs Ante Razov to bring something to the attack, or they’ll end up losing out on the road. Which I think will happen. The losing part.
Real Salt Lake 2-0 Chivas USA

Los Angeles v DC United
This one shapes up to be a real shootout, with the league’s second and third highest scoring teams meeting up out in LA. It’s do or die time for the Galaxy, who haven’t won in 12 games. That is just shocking. Bruce Arena has had no luck so far – even with the addition of Eddie Lewis, and the play of Becks and Landycakes, he hasn’t experienced a win back in MLS. United, on the other hand, is unlucky on the injury front, and won’t have Marcelo Gallardo and Jaime Moreno, among other players. They have never been successful on the defensive side of the ball. It’ll be up to Luciano Emilio and Santino Quaranta to provide the scoring they’ll probably need to compete with the Galaxy. Hard to say who will come out on top in this one, but if the Galaxy has a chance to win, this week is one of their best opportunities.
Los Angeles 3-2 DC

Chicago v FC Dallas
Wrapping things up will be the final match of the Brimstone Cup, with Dallas visiting Windy City. Dallas is struggling, fading from the playoff picture. The Fire haven’t had much recent offensive success, with the addition of McBride only leading to one goal in league. Despite their offensive struggles, their defense remains rock solid. Kenny Cooper will have a devil of a time trying to get by the back line of Chicago and Jon Busch. He’ll need a lot of help to get through. Not sure if Dallas can do much, but neither can the Fire.
Chicago 0-0 Dallas