The opening week of the MLS season lacked for true upsets, and if week two is going to be any different, some Eastern Conference clubs will need to step their game.
New York boasts the highest payroll in MLS and a stacked roster, but they will be major underdogs heading to Real Salt Lake to face a team that has posted three straight home shutout victories against the Red Bulls.
D.C. United will look to shake off the disappointment of last week’s last-second loss to Sporting Kansas City, but they will need to do so against an LA Galaxy side coping with an even greater level of disappointment. The Galaxy opened the MLS season with a loss to RSL before falling to Toronto FC in CONCACAF Champions League action.
This weekend is highlighted by the home debut of the Montreal Impact in front of what should be a record MLS crowd for a match in Canada. Jesse Marsch’s side will need to improve considerably on its flat performance in the season-opening loss to Vancouver. They’ll take on a Chicago Fire side making its own season debut after being off for the opening weekend.
The best match-up of the weekend takes place in Texas, with a pair of 1-0 Western Conference teams clashing. FC Dallas looked good in beating New York to start the season, but not as good as Portland looked in disposing of Philadelphia last Monday.
Here is a look at this weekend’s match-ups, and a look back at last week:
LAST WEEK’S RECORD: 6-2
C.J. Sapong’s stoppage-time header, and Real Salt Lake’s impressive performance in LA kept me from posting a perfect opening weekend, but posting a record as good as last week’s won’t be easy.
THIS WEEK’S MATCHES
SATURDAY
MONTREAL IMPACT vs. CHICAGO FIRE
The Impact offense was non-existent against Vancouver, but you have to expect a boost from the large home crowd. Chicago should have a tough defense, but they may have trouble getting their offense going to start the season.
Donovan Ricketts will get to show his quality, but that won’t be enough to keep the Fire from prevailing and Dom Oduro from using his pace to give Chicago a season-opening victory. Fire 2, Impact 1.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs. HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Earthquakes looked good in last week’s win against New England, but Houston will pose a considerably tougher challenge. Chris Wondolowski takes on Geoff Cameron in one of the weekend’s best individual match-ups. A more intriguing match-up will be physically-imposing Earthquakes center back Victor Bernardez against Brian Ching. Look for this one to be fairly even, with neither side conceding the three points. Earthquakes 1, Dynamo 1.
FC DALLAS vs. PORTLAND TIMBERS
This should wind up being the best match of the weekend, though Dallas will be at a disadvantage without Brek Shea. We should still have fun watching Portland’s wingers battle the Dallas fullbacks. Jair Benitez will have his hands full with Kalif Alhassan, and the FCD center backs will be tested considerably by Kris Boyd’s presence in the penalty area. The key for Dallas will be trying to generate offense without Shea and the injured David Ferreira. If Ferreira can recover from the ankle injury that kept him out of week one, then Dallas has a good chance. Unfortunately it may not be enough to halt a strong Portland attack. Timbers 2, FC Dallas 1
SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Sporting KC may have needed stoppage time to find a goal last week, but they created plenty of chances. They should find even more playing at home against a suspect New England defense. The Revs should find some space to test Sporting on the counter, and Benny Feilhaber and Kelyn Rowe should have some opportunities, but Sporting KC is too strong and should cruise. Sporting KC 3, Revolution 1.
REAL SALT LAKE vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS
This might seem like a great match-up, but it’s more one-sided than some might realize. RSL’s ability to keep possession and move off the ball works perfectly against a Red Bulls team that just doesn’t defend well. It may seem too early to pigeonhole a team that way, but the Red Bulls showed plenty of their 2011 traits in their season-opening loss to FC Dallas. Fabian Espindola's speed will be a handful for New York’s center backs, and Kyle Beckerman should find gaps to get into the attack when he’s not having to deal with Thierry Henry dropping into midfield. RSL rolls at home, and the Red Bulls keep looking for answers. Real Salt Lake 2, Red Bulls 0.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS vs. TORONTO FC
Both these teams played road games mid-week, but it is Seattle that must deal with the disappointment of an embarrassing loss. That should provide plenty of motivation for Seattle, especially playing at home against a Toronto side that should have confidence but just won’t have the defensive quality to stop Seattle. Will Toronto be able to score on a Sounders defense still smarting from its thrashing by Santos Laguna? Danny Koevermans and Ryan Johnson should have some chances, but the Sounders should find more, rebounding in commanding fashion. Sounders 3, Toronto FC 1.
CHIVAS USA vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
The Whitecaps were very impressive in their opening week win, but they will need to prove they can win on the road, which wasn’t easy last year. If there is a place to have some road success, it’s at Home Depot Center against a Chivas USA team that looked pretty weak in its season-opening loss to Houston.
Jay DeMerit will need to contain Juan Pablo Angel, but the Whitecaps should have plenty of the ball and should be able to put enough pressure on the Chivas USA defense to come away with an important road victory. Whitecaps 2, Chivas USA 1.
SUNDAY
PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. COLORADO RAPIDS
The Union didn’t have much to feel good about after Monday’s loss to Portland, but Peter Nowak’s side should open things up a bit and look to attack more at home in front of what should be a sell-out crowd. Colorado looked sharp in beating Columbus but will face a tougher test of their defense from Philly. Jaime Castrillon impressed in his Rapids debut, and Brian Carroll will need to mark him tightly to limit the Rapids attack.
Of greater concern for the Union will be Omar Cummings, who is sure to try and test left back Porfirio Lopez. The Union should rebound from their season-opening loss and Lionard Pajoy should open his account for Philly. Union 1, Rapids 0.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY vs. D.C. UNITED
The Galaxy are struggling at home. That sentence would have been impossible to imagine just a week ago, but consecutive losses to Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC has Home Depot Center looking like a much less intimidating place. That said, the Galaxy are a veteran team that will want to erase the memories of Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League elimination.
It won’t come easy against a D.C. team also coming off a tough season-opening loss. The D.C. attack has the players to test a vulnerable LA defense, but the Galaxy have enough offensive weapons to punish the D.C. defense that won’t have Bill Hamid to bail it out. The Galaxy recover and rebound from a week to forget. Galaxy 2, D.C. United 0.
