After a light schedule last week, MLS dropped the bomb on us in Week 3; eight games, all in one day, making it incredibly tough to follow them all. Nevertheless, here I am, trying to take one thing out of each.


Keep in mind that each match's "The One Thing" is dependent on how much of it I'm was able to see, and in those cases where I couldn't catch any of the action, I'm focusing on the one moment, player, or decision that influenced the match the most (read: highlights).


If you're looking for a more comprehensive match report, I'll link to one in each capsule, and I've added a link to the match highlights as well.


Chivas USA 2, New York Red Bulls 0
Recap - UPI
Highlights

The One Thing: Bouna's Blunder

It was bound to happen eventually; the New York Red Bulls had gone two matches without conceding a goal, played organized and energetic defense, and collected six points in the process. But all good things must come to an end, and Bouna Coundoul was the one responsible for killing the good feelings. New York may have deserved to lose on the road, but the manner in which Chivas the match winner is a crushing blow. Coundoul was beaten by a deflected shot, attempted to recover when he realized the ball had come off the post, then knocked the ball into his own net. Ouch.


Philadelphia Union 3, DC United 2
Recap - MiamiHerald.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Le Toux DOOP's United

It would be unfair to make this about anything other than Sebastian Le Toux's hat trick, even if United were very poor for 45 minutes and Dejan Jakovic put them in a bad position on the game-winning free kick. Credit to the Union for putting on a good show for their home fans in the first ever Philly MLS game, and credit Le Toux for being sharp enough to put away his chances. That was a much improved Union team this week, and while they might still finish at the bottom of the East, they've at least shown that they can compete. One other moment that stands out: Alejandro Moreno's cross-field ball to a streaking Le Toux for Philly's second goal of the game.


New England Revolution 4, Toronto FC 1
Recap - Soccer365
Highlights

The One Thing: The Reds Lay Down

Yes, Zach Schilawski scored a hat trick, a marvelous feat for a rookie. But what stood out at Gillette was TFC's crumbling defense and utter lack of effort or concentration in the second half. TFC had a chance to win that game, and instead rolled over for the Revs. I'm not sure what Preki is doing in Canada, and perhaps more of the blame lies at the feet of Mo Johnston and those constructing the roster; but the TFC fans deserve better, and if there's already dissension in the lockerroom in April (perhaps evidenced by Jim Brennan's retirement), that spells a very long season indeed. Credit the Revs, with Shalrie Joseph returning the the lineup, for showing that they can score without Taylor Twellman or Edgaras Jankauskas.


Kansas City Wizards 1, Colorado Rapids 0
Recap - Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Ryan Smith, the Good and the Bad

Smith has been a bit of a revelation through two games in Kansas City, and is making a mark despite being somewhat of an unknown quantity. Saturday he contributed the free kick that found Kei Kamara's head for the lone goal of the match, but there's a reasonable argument that he shouldn't have even been on the field to take it. Early in the game Smith spiked the ball in the direction of referee Landis Wiley after being called for a foul, and got off with only a warning. I'm not going to judge Smith on one discretion, but it certainly wasn't a smart thing to do. Six points for the Wizards is a great start, and holding down a potent Colorado attack, with the aid of a tiny field, should give them even more confidence going forward.


Houston Dynamo 0, Los Angeles Galaxy 2
Recap - ESPN Soccernet
Highlights

The One Thing: Edson Buddle is (Still) on Fire

Scoring is scoring, no matter how you get it done, and it therefore doesn't matter that Buddle was gifted his first by Pat Onstad's failing to cover the short side on a sharp angle and his second by lax Houston defending. A striker's job is to score goals, and Buddle has done it five times already in 2010. That's a blistering pace, and if the Galaxy can weather the Donovan-less storm in the middle of the season, they will be clear MLS Cup favorites come playoff time. Houston's scoring problems with Brian Ching out injured were only magnified by the performance of Buddle on the other side, and this game might be the first in a troublesome stretch for the Dynamo.


FC Dallas 2, Columbus Crew 2
Recap - Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Avila's Equalizer

By all accounts, this was a slobberknocker of a soccer match; things got chippy in the second half, and the crazy finish that saw an cracking goal from Eric Avila to equalize fit right in. Crew players swarmed the referee in the aftermath, protesting that Avila handled the ball before gaining control and snapping the shot. Those that did show up in Frisco got themselves a show, both with the back and forth nature of the game and the amazing finish to end it. A road point isn't the end of the world for Columbus, but having a win snatched away at the death, and with what they believe was a handball, has to sting. Schelotto is probably still yelling at the ref right now.


Chicago Fire 1, San Jose Earthquakes 2
Recap - OurSportsCentral
Highlights

The One Thing: Jason Hernandez' Save

Big moments in this match made the choice difficult; with Tim Ward's bad back pass that caught Andrew Dykstra out to Ward's failure to mark Ike Opara on the game winning goal also in the mix, I couldn't really have gone wrong. But if Jason Hernandez isn't standing on the line when Collins John's rips a shot towards the Quakes' net in the 73rd minute, San Jose doesn't even have a chance for the win. The game's biggest moments were defensive-blunder related, and unfortunately for Chicago, they couldn't take advantage. On the other end, I'm giving Andrew Dykstra a pass for costly mistake, even if his communication with CJ Brown as lacking; as mentioned, that situation is on Ward, who lazily hit a back pass that ended up in no man's land. On a side note, the Chicago color commentator is terrible.


Real Salt Lake 2, Seattle Sounders 2
Recap - Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Saborio's Last Gasp

Photo Service Fail: None available for this week

By all rights, Seattle should have left Utah with three points in hand; instead, they limped away with one after giving up an added time equalizer to Alvaro Saborio. This was probably the best game of the weekend, living up to its billing as a clash between two Western Conference contenders. To say Saborio's effort came deep into stoppage doesn't do it justice; the header off a RSL corner came almost literally on the last kick of the ball. Saborio was a handful for the Sounders backline from the moment he stepped on the field as a substitute for Robbie Findley, and nearly leveled the match fifteen minutes earlier. A draw seems just about right having seen what I did, and though Seattle will find reason to be disappointed, they can't ultimately complain about getting a point on the road against the defending champs. Now to sort out that set piece defending...

I promised you MLS coverage, and here it is.


Still, Chivas USA and New York kicked off shortly after the start of things in Spain, which means a bit of split focus; doing my best to watch both, but you know how these things go.

***

5 PM UPDATE

Chivas USA-New York

Looks like everyone in LA stayed home to watch Real Madrid and Barecelona. Unfortunate timing, and it is interesting the the only West Coast game of the day actually goes off first.

Santos gets the start for Chivas. Really? That miss last week would seem enough to bench him to me.

No Galindo for Chivas either, which is even more puzzling unless he's picked up an injury during the week. Galindo might be the only offense Chivas have at the moment.

New York came out stronger in the first few minutes, but Chivas picked things up shortly thereafter. Most of the Goats attack came from long balls, and Jonathan Bornstein managed to create a chance inside of 10 minutes that Chijindu put over the bar.

For a team with speed up the flanks, New York played through the middle entirely too much in the early stages. If Juan Pablo Angel was frustrated, I don't blame him.

Telefutura does a terrible job with their replays. I missed a blatant dive from Sacha in the box; that was never going to a penalty, and Kljestan would have been better off trying to continue the play. He might have been able to score had he stayed upright.

New York had a chance to score in the 18th, but couldn't get the ball from a scramble off a corner. Zach Thornton got very lucky.

Johnny Bornstein worked his butt off in that first half, and troubled New York's defense more than any Chivas player. That's fine, but they'll need better contributions from their forward players. Especially Kljestan.

Chivas had a great chance in the 30th, when a nice breakout had Chijindu and Santos all alone behind New York's defense. Offside flag went up, unfortunately. Looked like it was the right call.

Kandji put a well-struck header just over the bar from 15 yards or so out shortly thereafter, New York's best chance since the corner scramble early in the match.

To this point, neither side looked like they were going to create a solid chance, and any goal would come from a defensive mistake or a great individual play.

Ante Jazic was forced to limp off in the 39th minute, stealing any momentum the game had. During the stoppage, we got a nice shot of the Union Ultras tifo. Very nice.

Jazic couldn't continue, and Jesus Padilla entered the match. New York proceeded to streak up the left side through Dane Richards, but the little Jamaican could only weakly tap the ball back to Chivas on an attempted cross.

For some reason, Bornstein decided a 35 yarder was worth a try at the very end of the half, and he didn't miss by much. Chijindu broke in behind just after and should have scored, but missed wide of the far post. Terrible missed chance.

Halftime. Chivas should be leading, but can't finish. New York needs a new idea, and Dane Richards was terrible.

Chivas USA 0 - New York 0

One half of one game down. Back at 6.

***

6 PM UPDATE

Back at it, still with only Chivas-New York to worry about. Oh, and trying to keep an eye on some game in Spain.

Chivas finally got their goal just after half, and wow, what a way to score. Jesus Padilla got a deflection off a long shot, the ball beat Coundoul and came off the post, but the New York keeper put it in himself trying to recover. Ay yi yi.

New York brought on the newly signed Salou Ibrahim in the 54th, pulling Seth Stammler. Chasing a goal, they needed another offensive option; Juan Pablo Angel was ineffective, and Mac Kandji had done little.

Apparently Galindo wasn't hurt, because he comes in for Maicon Santos in the 58th minute. I had completely forgotten Santos was still in the match at this point.

Sacha Kljestan refuses to take a shot with his left when he had time and a angle. Instead, an ineffectual pass into the middle where Galindo was marked by two men was the choice he made. Kljestan hasn't been terrible overall, but that was a terrible moment.

Chijindu with a wicked blast in the 65th. It would be been awesome if it had gone in. Alas, New York remained in the game despite being pretty bad; Richards was still stinking it up on the right, and nothing New York did showed any threat.

A massive wave of disinterest came over humble blogger at this point, and I nearly turned the game off.

Kljestand's dancing with the ball really started to get to me as well. In the box with an angle, space, and on his right foot, he instead choose to cut back. The ball was knocked out for a corner, but the sequence summed up the ineffectual nature of Chivas in the final third.

New York got their best chance of the second half just on the strike of 74 minutes, but Salou Ibrahim couldn't settle the ball enough to get off a good shot. Opportunity wasted, after New York did well keep pressure with a deep cross.

Lahoud entered the match in the 77th after Maykel Galindo came up lame. Can Galindo ever stay healthy for longer than a few games at a time?

A nice stretch of possession by New York yielded nothing, with the best chance coming from a long Jeremy Hall shot that went high and wide. Angel continued to get lost in the Chivas defense, and the Red Bulls found no consistent way to get him the ball. Stretching things wide helped, particularly up the left side with Roy Miller overlapping and hitting a few driven crosses, but those efforts ultimately came up empty.

Backe went for broke in the 83rd, giving rookie Connor Chinn his MLS debut second MLS appearance as a substitute for Roy Miller.

With a New York goal seeming unlikely, Dane Richards decided his energy was better served to smack Chijindu across the face while challenging for the ball.

Telefutura named Chijindu man of the match in the 87th. I guess that's fair, but he certainly should have scored. Points off for being dangerous but not putting the ball in the net when you had a chance, Chukwundi.

Jesus Padilla sealed the deal in the 89th by beating Jeremy Hall to a long ball coming out of the back. Ugly stuff from New York, but calmly done by Padilla.

For a side that played so organized the first two weeks, the New York performance today was extremely disappointing. Chivas was able to find gaps in the Red Bull defense on several occasions, and obviously Coundoul's gaff didn't help; but offensively, New York had literally nothing, and was punished for not taking advantage of the goalmouth scramble in the first half.

Final: Chivas USA 2, New York 0

One game down, Philly-United next. Back at 7 with a halftime report for that game.

***

7 PM UPDATE

Joe Biden slowed things down dramatically in Philly, and it annoyed me. That's nothing against Biden, but it looked like the crowd had trouble getting into the stadium because of the Veep's security detail. Way to help out with the atmosphere, Joe.

It was cool to see Walter Bahr there though.

A much different look for the Union from their Seattle mess, with experienced players all over the field.

The Union came out all sorts of fired up. Even if he frustrated while in DC, Fred clearly makes a difference for Philly. How much of this early push was just adrenaline and how much was improvement over Week 1, was tough to tell.

The Union scored their first ever goal in the 4th minute almost entirely thanks to Roger Torres. Le Toux put the goal in off his head from a Torres cross, and Philadelphia took full advantage of the energy in the building.

Pena was forced to step off the field in the 15th minute, bad news for a United defense that looked supremely shaky. Not to mention over-matched. Against an expansion team.

Even as DC took more control of things towards the middle of the first half, things weren't good. Rodney Wallace still has trouble crossing, and Dejan Jakovic was injured in a collision with teammate Julius James.

It's probably FSC audio, which has never been very good, but the crowd did not come through on TV at all. We should probably just blame Joe Biden.

Wallace picks up the first card of the match with an tackle on Fred that might have been pretty legal in the 35th.

United was just a touch better at this point than in the first stages of the match, but the Union isn't laying back; a goal by either side before the half would have had major implications for the second stanza.

And the Union get it done. A magnificent cross-field ball from Alejandro Moreno put Sebastian LeToux in clear on Troy Perkins, and the Frenchman finishes. United's defense was stretched, and Moreno found the gap with a perfect ball from the halfway line. There were no pictures to confirm it, but the guess here is that the sweat on Curt Onalfo's brow was beginning to flow heavily.

Desperately poor first half from DC United, but give the Union credit for pushing and getting two deserved goals.

Halftime: Union 2, United 0

Back at 8, which means my first update for two matches - New England and Toronto kick off at 7:30.

***

8 PM UPDATE

Union - United

Jaime Moreno replaced Christian Castillo to start the second half. That's fine, and gives United more quality on the ball, but they needed to win the midfield battle for it to make a difference. Pontius on the wing would presumably provide more direct play.

LeToux got through on Perkins AGAIN in the 53rd, but DC keeper managed to cut down the angle quickly and make the save. That would have been the dagger, and given the Union hero a hat trick.

In the 60th, Rodney Wallace surges forward and earns a free kick just outside the box when Arrieta takes him down. Good play from the fullback, and a sign that United still had a way back. Unfortunately, Pontius deposited the ball into the stands on the free kick.

Quaranta pulled one back in the 63nd, firing good shot from a run to the top of the box, and got a little help from a deflection to beat Seitz.

Allsopp almost leveled directly after the Quaranta goal, glancing a nearpost header at Seitz from a corner. United appeared intent on getting something out of the match at this point, good for both the team and head coach Curt Onalfo.

United equalized without warning when Jaime Moreno took the ball off of Union keeper Chris Seitz; Seitz was fooled by Moreno's feint when going to punt the ball. A completely undeserved goal, but smart stuff by the all time league leader in goals.

DC went down to ten men in the 79th minute when Dejan Jakovic pulled down Alejandro Moreno just outside of the 18 yard box.

LeToux completed his hat trick on the resulting free kick, driving a shot low and hard to Perkins right. No chance for Perkins, and the Union home debut celebration looked to be back on.

Frustration clearly showed for United when Adam Cristman, who came on for Allsopp, picked up a late yellow card for dissent/bumping Terry Vaughn.

Attedance for Philly's home opener, despite the problems getting in, was 34k+. Very nice.

Union close it out, winning their first ever home match and making a great first impression on the local. Le Toux is man of the match for me thanks to the hat trick.

United gave the Union lanes to make passes all night, and the loss of Pena in central defense clearly hurt DC. I'm not sure what Peter Nowak did over the past two weeks, but this was a much different Union team than we saw in Seattle. Much more disciplined, and it's clear that the intervening time has allowed Roger Torres to settle in. The kid is the real deal, and can create with his feet in ways that few players in MLS can.

United has to be somewhat happy with their comeback despite their struggles through most of the match. It took two pieces of individual effort to get their goals, but they did fight hard as a team in the second half.

It just wasn't enough.

Final: Union 3, United 2


Revolution - Toronto FC

Julian de Guzman was scratched for TFC, bad news considering Shalire Joseph was back for New England.

Joseph made his presence felt early, heading down a cross that Kheli Dube should have subsequently buried. New England really is a different team with Joseph in the middle.

Toronto's newest player, whose name I can neither spell nor pronounce, picked up a yellow in the 11th minute. With TFC's troubles at left back, starting a brand new signing is must; there's a Jim Brennan-sized hole in that spot.

This is DeRosario's game, clearly. He's chomping at the bit to let a screamer go, and put one over the bar in the early going.

Things were just about as expected through 20 minutes, with neither team getting much attacking momentum. New England at home appears to be the better team, and if there's first half goal to be had (not sure there is), it should be New England that will get it.

As I posted this, Sanyang is down for Toronto.

24th Minute: New England 0, Toronto FC, 0

***

Just a note; the depth of these is probably going to go WAY down as we head into the night, partly due to home life responsibilities and partly due to the pure number of matches. I still haven't decided which one(s) I'm going to focus on.

***

9 PM UPDATE

Okay, so the experiment is over. There is just too much going on, making it impossible to follow any one game in a way that enable me to provide reasonable insights.

Thanks to anyone that read this; I'm glad I did it, even if it didn't come out quite like I hoped.

Eight matches in the span of seven hours will go down in Major League Soccer today, and it's my plan to watch as much of it as possible. That likely means prioritizing the batch of matches that will be taking place from 8:30 PM ET onward, but nevertheless I'll be covering what I can.


Instead of a live blog (too much work, too haphazard for such a crazy day), or a live blog-style post updated every few minutes, I've decided on a hybrid.


The plan is to post each hour on the hour throughout the match day; that means I'll have something up at 5 ET on the first half of Chivas USA-New York, with subsequent posts at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. I'll likely be giving my thoughts on whatever is happening at the moment; if necessary, I'll give a time check for the game in question when I'm posting midstream.


In the spirit of encouraging commentary, I'm considering updating the 5 PM post with each hour check-in; that means you'll be able to give your own commentary on the action as it's happening in that thread.


Today's schedule:

New York Red Bulls at Chivas USA
The Home Depot Center 4:00 PM - TeleFutura

D.C. United at Philadelphia Union
Lincoln Financial Field 6:00 PM - FSC/FSE

Toronto FC at New England Revolution
Gillette Stadium 7:30 PM - MLS Direct Kick

Colorado Rapids at Kansas City Wizards
CommunityAmerica Ballpark 8:30 PM - MLS Direct Kick

Los Angeles Galaxy at Houston Dynamo
Robertson Stadium 8:30 PM - MLS Direct Kick

Columbus Crew at FC Dallas
Pizza Hut Park 8:30 PM - MLS Direct Kick

San Jose Earthquakes at Chicago Fire
Toyota Park 8:30 PM - MLS Direct Kick

Seattle Sounders FC at Real Salt Lake
Rio Tinto Stadium 9:00 PM - MLS Direct Kick


Keep in mind that notes on each match are going to be first-impressions, and that the commentary may be a bit more stream-of-consciousness than my usual style.


Don't forget to get in on the predictions league.


The more dialogue the better, so get your thoughts in as we go.


See you in a new post at 5.

Tomorrow's their big day

Tomorrow, MLS will feature more games in one day than ever before; with sixteen teams, there will be eight matches in one day. While a wonderful milestone for a competition that has grown by leaps and bounds over the last several years, this situation represents a problem for those of us that attempt to take in at least a bit of every game each week; which to watch?


Rather than a preview of Saturday's matches, I've decided to spend a Friday morning avoiding work and ranking tomorrow's games on the must-watch scale. If you don't have a favorite team to put above everyone else, choosing how to prioritize could be a little difficult. Start time aren't nearly staggered enough to allow for taking in multiple games over the course of the day, and that 8:30-10:30 PM window is a mess.


So from eight to one, here my rankings:


8. FC Dallas v. Columbus Crew
8:30 PM ET Direct Kick/Match Day Live

A big fat "eh" for this one. The crowd will be sparse (it is Dallas) and the atmosphere poor. Columbus is good and FC Dallas isn't exactly bad, but if I'm going to watch a game on television or on an Internet stream, I want a little passion in the stands.


7. New England Revolution v. Toronto FC
7:30 PM ET Direct Kick/Match Day Live

Same problem as eight, though I'm sure Gillette will have bigger pure numbers than Pizza Hut Park. Combined with the artificial turf and two teams without much punch, this could be an ugly game in several ways.


6. Chicago Fire v. San Jose Earthquakes
8:30 PM ET Direct Kick/Match Day Live

This is the Fire home opener, so I would expect a good crowd. San Jose isn't very good, so that takes away from the game a little, but the Fire could be on to something with the McBride/John pairing. Should be watchable, but doesn't beat out most of the games on the day.


5. Chivas USA v. New York Red Bulls
4 PM ET Telefutura

I'll be able to watch all of this one simply because it's the only game that doesn't overlap with any others. Chivas doesn't appeal to me for some reason, but I would like to see if New York can turn their win in Seattle into a road winning streak. I would expect a decent atmosphere at the Home Depot Center, and Chivas will be fairly desperate to get their first points of the season.


4. Kansas City Wizards v. Colorado Rapids
8:30 PM ET Direct Kick/Match Day Live

The tiny field is a problem when watching a Wizards game, and the stadium isn't ideal (obviously), but I always enjoy them; there's something about Community America Ballpark that translates well on TV for me. Perhaps the most interesting thing in this match will be Kansas City's offense. Can they repeat their Week 1 performance?


3. Houston Dynamo v. Los Angeles Galaxy
8:30 PM ET Direct Kick/Match Day Live

I'm not really finding a lot to be excited about with this Dynamo team, especially after they lucked their way into a win last week, but the Western Conference rematch angle makes it an interesting game. Houston always has a vibrant crowd, but they might even more jacked up for this one considering the way that semi-final went down last year. The club is even giving out miniature flashlights as a way to make light of the blackouts at the HDC during their last meeting.


2. Real Salt Lake v. Seattle Sounders
9 PM ET Direct Kick/Match Day Live

Two good teams going at each other in a beautiful stadium and in the home opener for the defending champs. I'm hopeful for a good match here, and would expect both teams to push for goals after their disappointing losses last week. Any other week, and this might be the most intriguing game on the schedule. This match would be a clear number if RSL is able to sell out Rio Tinto (and I haven't heard anything, so I don't know what the expected attendance is) and there didn't happen to be an expansion home debut this week.


1. Philadelphia Union v. DC United
6 PM ET Fox Soccer Channel

Number one on the list almost entirely because of the newness factor. Philly should have 30,000 at Lincoln Financial Field for the game, Union fans will have their first chance to prove their supporter chops, and a natural geographic rivalry will see it's first meeting. DC United is taking 1,000 of its own fans to the game, a strong away contingent that should give the match even more bite. I'm ready for this one; just wish I had FSCHD.


At 9 o'clock ET tomorrow, there will be six MLS matches in progress. That's going to be terrible for my productivity.


Give me your rankings, specifically for the matches that will be in direct conflict with each other.

Great day of soccer yesterday, and an equally great day today. Here are my Sunday MLS previews, something I threw together while watching Manchester United complete an epic comeback over Aston Villa.

I don't like them, but they're champions for a reason.

Let's hope MLS can provide us with at least one game half as good as that one was.

Previews after the jump.


Chicago Fire v. New York Red Bulls

The Fire start their 2009 home campaign after a disappointing tie with DC United last week. Four points in two games is a decent enough start, though the Fire's dismantling of FC Dallas seems less impressive after a rather pedestrian performance at RFC Stadium. The Red Bulls come off tie of their own, a 1-1 draw with New England at Giants Stadium. The loss of Dave Van Den Bergh looks to be having a desultory effect on the Red Bulls attack, as they've failed to score in two matches. MVP favorite Juan Pablo Angel hasn't had much help, something that must change if New York is going to be a playoff contender.

Chicago is bound to press hard to start, and I don't know that New York is up to the challenge. New York does have a few key players coming back from injury, which should help them stay in the match for most of the ninety minutes.

More importantly, will New York actually score?

I'll throw them a bone.

Prediction:
Chicago 2 New York 1


Kansas City Wizards v. San Jose Earthquakes

Kansas City two losses on the ledger in 2009, and hosting San Jose might be their chance to breakthrough with a win. Davy Arnaud is still questionable with a neck strain, and his participation would be a major boost for the Wizards. San Jose failed to score in a week one loss to New England, then put three past the Dynamo to get their first win last week. The Earthquakes will obviously need a performance like the latter to beat KC on the road. With the Wizards injury concerns, Hirsig and Lopez will need to carry the attack; I expect a high scoring game in this one, as neither side seem to be settled in the back.

Prediction:
Kansas City 2 San Jose 2


Chivas USA v. Columbus Crew

Chivas has won twice to start the season, and Columbus will be playing for the second time in four days. Smells like disaster brewing for the Crew, who will also be reinserting players back from international duty. Chivas is brimming with confidence, though beating Colorado and Dallas might not be the most impressive resume to this point. Chivas is also dealing with injuries, and may not be able to keep up their form without the influence of Razov and Jazic. Columbus was demoralized at RSL on Thursday, and will certainly be looking to make amends for a poor performance. Expect a lot of energy from Hejduk and company. The Crew may not have looked like it to this point, but their still champions, and my gut says they play well tonight.

Prediction:
Chiva USA 1 Columbus 2

The Sounders take their show to BMO Field

They tell me tomorrow is the third Saturday of the MLS season, and as I am ostensibly a soccer blogger, I feel obligated to give my thoughts on each match.

Forgive my malaise, I've had a bit of a day.

Briefs previews and predictions after the jump.

Toronto FC v. Seattle Sounders

Think the Red Patch Boys and their cohorts won't be a little jacked up for this one? Short of a fun reunion with the Nordecke boys from Columbus, I doubt there is a more anticipated game on the TFC calendar. How dare people say that Seattle has better fans! Anyway, on the field, Seattle is going to be without Fredy Montero. Big blog, and let's hope his troubles are short lived (health and/or criminal). DeRo makes his BMO Field debut, I've heard Ljundberg might actually start, and this is probably the highlight match of the weekend. As much as I would love to say that SSFC is going to rumble into Toronto and take those hosers down a peg, it just ain't happenin'. The road struggles for Seattle start tomorrow; afterward, TFC fans will demand they be given the MLS Cup, $10 million from the city of Columbus, and a new jean jacket for every man, woman, and child in lower Ontario.

Prediction:
Toronto 1 Seattle 0

As a bonus, I've just now suddenly decided out of the blue to include a nice little video of the stadium atmospheres involved in tomorrows matches. It's a little hack, but I love this crap and I'm frustrated at the attendance numbers so here you go:

Atmosphere:
Toronto fans singing in French, because I find it amusing:


New England Revolution v. FC Dallas

Dallas still has a team, though no one in the Metroplex or Hoops' front office seems to care. New England still has a team too, and as usual, they're pretty good. It seems Stevie Nichol knows what he's doing, and the Revs have four points from two matches, both on the road. Unfortunately, their home opener in their abomination of a venue will tell us nothing about how good they actually are, since Dallas est tres terrible (carrying over the French theme). A good stomping, a goal from Cooper, and a few rug burns are all that FC Dallas will get out of this match.

Prediction:
New England 3 FC Dallas 1

Atmosphere:
The "Fort". This video makes me sad.


DC United v. Houston Dynamo

It's starting to look to me like this is the year that the Dynamo finally take step off of the mountain, and come back to the MLS pack. Okay, so may last year was the year, as they did lose the Red Bulls in the playoffs. Houston hasn't shown me much, and I'm still bitter at them for crashing out of the CCL without putting up much of a fight. A week one tie with Columbus at home was a fairly pedestrian effort, though they did score two goals on the road last week. United has tied twice, deserving better in the first, and lucky to escape with a point in the second. Neither side is up to their usual standard, so it's difficult to know how they stack up. Let's just go with the home team, give the DC crazies some love, and call it a preview.

Prediction:
DC United 1 Houston 0

Atmosphere:
Love these people. A throbbing mass of soccer-loving humanity:


LA Galaxy v. Colorado Rapids

LA is still LA, which means that it's generally up to Donovan to make things happen. I'm going to assume that he's playing after coming back from Nats duty (mostly because I haven't seen anywhere that he's not), though I'm not sure how effective he'll be. The Galaxy come into the match after a week off, so the rest of the team should be well rested. Colorado looks improved to me over last year, and for some reason I like Clarke and Casey. On the road in the HDC though, I can't see them winning. No gut either way on this one, but I expect goals to be scored.

Prediction:
Galaxy 2 Colorado 2

Atmosphere:
This.