Week Nine Preview

By: travis | May 22nd, 2008

Well, DC already lost this week. No surprise really. If you haven’t seen the goal they conceded, it’s awful enough to sum up United’s dreadful season thus far. If they had some how rattled off two consecutive wins against Toronto, they would have climbed up out of last place. But they didn’t. Anyway, the two sides meet again this weekend. Other interesting match ups include the old (Houston) versus the new (San Jose), Juan Carlos Osorio visiting his old team - although he is suspended for the match, and the Crew try to keep their unbeaten streak intact.

San Jose v Houston
A lot of story lines coming at you with this game. Most importantly, it’s the return of the Dynamo to the San Jose area since the franchise moved to Texas in 2005. It’s the first of three meetings between the two sides this season and should be one to keep an eye on. It’s the Thursday night game of the week on ESPN as well. The recent form of both the Dynamo and the Quakes has been heading in different directions. San Jose has struggled, conceding five times in the past two games, while Houston are starting to re-emerge this season. After a slow start, they have won two games in a row and will look to continue their turnaround this week.
Verdict: San Jose 1-2 Houston

Dallas v Real Salt Lake
Dallas has hit the panic button. Last week’s 5-1 beating at the hands of LA Galaxy led to the firing of coach Steve Morrow. Not too sure if I agree with that move, but someone in the front office thinks it’s the right direction to go. But a closer look shows that Dallas is only three points off the top in the West. Yes, they haven’t managed a win in four games, but surely firing your coach after struggling like that? A bit harsh. Morrow’s replacement is assistant coach Marco Ferruzzi who will serve on an interim basis. Lucky for Dallas, Real Salt Lake is coming to town. And they’ve laid an egg on the road so far this season, going 0-for-4 thus far. Salt Lake couldn’t muster much against the Rapids last weekend, and I think that Dallas will snap out of their funk.
Verdict: Dallas 3-1 Real Salt Lake

Columbus v New England
Well Columbus hit a bit of a road block in Toronto last weekend while the Revolution were practically handed three points by the Quakes. The Crew will have a three point lead at the top of the table, but both New England and Chicago are close on their heels. So far this season, Columbus has a perfect record at home, something that I don’t think will change this week. The Revolution have done well to hang tough so far this season, with the injuries piled on from the beginning. It won’t be the last important Crew-Revolution match this year, but the first round will go to Columbus.
Columbus 1-0 New England

DC United v Toronto
Should United fire Tom Soehn? With Dallas already losing patience with their coach, DC has exercised a bit more, keeping Soehn around despite an atrocious 2-7 start. Wednesday’s loss to Toronto drove another nail in Soehn’s coffin, but can RFK help turn things around? The good news for DC is that the game isn’t played on the road; so far this season United has mustered all of one goal and conceded 12 in five games thus far. Toronto already visited earlier in the year and left with a 4-1 bruising. Only a bone-headed play by United defender Devon McTavish gave Toronto victory this week - I say United begins the turn around. Right now.
Verdict: DC 2-0 Toronto

Colorado v Chivas
The Rapids look to continue their home success when Chivas comes to town this weekend. Aside from a 2-0 loss to San Jose (did that really happen?), Colorado has enjoyed three wins at home so far. The trade for Christian Gomez has paid off already, and Omar Cummings continues to emerge as an offensive threat. The biggest question they face is consistency. They sit at the top of the West, but they struggle to put together back-to-back quality performances. I think that’ll change this week, as Chivas comes to town fresh off a 3-1 win against DC and out to prove that it was no fluke. Well, it probably was.
Verdict: Colorado 1-0 Chivas

Los Angeles v Kansas City
The Wizards’ long journey continues - although the end of the road is near. The latest stop is LA, where they’ll be entertained by the high-scoring LA Galaxy, who looked to have played a bit of defense last week in the 5-1 drubbing of Dallas. LA has the opportunity to push for first place in the West and currently boast the most potent attack in the MLS. Kansas City has struggled finding goals, as defender Jimmy Conrad is leading the team with just three so far. While the Wizards should score a couple of times, they won’t be able to contain the offense of the Galaxy, led by Edson Buddle.
Verdict: Los Angeles 3-2 Kansas City

New York v Chicago
Last but not least, the Sunday game brings us what should be an entertaining match. The Fire have played well all season despite losing to the Dynamo last week. I think they’ll have the upper hand against the Red Bull, who are missing a number of players in the midfield through injury (Reyna) and suspension (Van den bergh). Chicago should bounce back after last week’s loss, although it won’t be easy. First they’ll have to contain Angel and Altidore.
Verdict: New York 1-2 Chicago