RSL only unbeaten team left, Sounders back home

Earthquakes, Chivas USA look for points, Impact visit Philly

Seven rounds gone and Real Salt Lake remains the sole undefeated side, just three points out of the Western Conference summit along with Seattle as FC Dallas enjoys the top overall record early on in the campaign.

Colorado, Vancouver and L.A. Galaxy aren't far off but a negative streak could complicate matters.

In the East, the familiarity of a tightening top-half sets in as Kansas City, Columbus and New York all sit in comfortable settings for now but Toronto, D.C. United, New England and Philadelphia give chase and have the capacities to do so.

Here are some games to look out for:

Colorado at Seattle, 4pm Sat. -- April has been kind to the Sounders as they accumulated seven points this month, all on the road (Portland, Dallas & Chivas USA). Now they come home for a three-match homestand in front of one of the best crowds in the world. But the Rapids also possess the visitors mystique as they took six points at Vancouver and Toronto and have also produced a backline that's produced three shutouts so far.

Philadelphia at Montreal, 4pm Sat. -- Montreal sits in the cellar of the East and need points fast to calm supporters and not let the season slip out of their hands. Panic? Not yet. They now move back home to intimate Saputo Stadium where fans are right on top of the action, compared with the massive Olympic stadium. Philly knows about intensity from the crowd as Union games are packed with rabid fans, as a team in Philly should be. This will be the first match that the two opposing forwards--Jack McInerney and Andrew Wenger--play each other since the sides swapped them in a trade last month.

Chivas USA at San Jose, 10:30pm Sat. -- Injuries plague the Goonies' firepower as Chris Wondolowski is isolated up top with target man Alan Gordon being questionable and Steven Lenhart out for another week or so. Other depth players are out through suspension and injuries as well, making it difficult for the Earthquakes to get their first win. And along comes the Goats, whose striker Erick Torres has more goals than San Jose altogether this year. 

Other matches:

Dallas at D.C. United -- Won't be huge, but Ben Olsen's side can make a statement if it takes three points against a talented Dallas team.

New York at Columbus -- Although the Crew is winless this month, their three wins in March has helped settle nerves, just as Michael Parkhurst has settled down the backline.

Kansas City at New England -- The Revs face a sturdy test when they host the attack-minded defending champions. New England have not allowed a goal at home this year. And they've welcome back Shalrie Joseph.

Vancouver at Salt Lake -- Veteran goalkeeper has a chance to equal the league's shutout record at 112, currently held by the now-retired Kevin Hartman.

Portland at Houston -- The Dynamo got spanked in Red Bull Arena this week; the Timbers are winless. Will be a nervy start to the match.

-Tio Pelotas

@TioPelotas74

Sounders welcome TFC, Union look to build on Week 1 draw

Red Bulls open up at home, Earthquakes hope new signings spark Wondo

The suddenly-glamorous Toronto FC will open up their MLS campaign tomorrow and what better place to introduce the league to Englishman Jermain Defoe and Brazilian Julio Cesar than to the confinements of Seattle's kingdom of loud.

Sure, the turf won't be easy to adjust to--or even like--but Toronto's newly-acquired employees will be impressed by the boisterous enthusiasm for football. Of course, MLS vet Dwayne DeRosario--embarking on his return yet again to this hometown club--and Michael Bradley most likely will have advised the new recruits on not only to the best-attended park in the league but also on the athleticism displayed throughout MLS. Thierry Henry has already attested to this.

Bradley vs Clint Dempsey in front of a packed house. Who would have thought this just a couple of years ago?

Seattle took three points on a last-minute goal by unlikely hero Chad Barrett in its home win last week over defending champions Sporting Kansas City. The affair was what one would expect to be for a first match of a 34-game tournament--scrappy and hesitant until the latter stages of the match.

About 175 miles further south, the Philadelphia Union deployed their shiny new weapons in Argentine Cristian Maidana and Maurice Edu as well as Vincent Nogueira to patrol the midfield. And they looked good in doing so only to be doomed by a last-second goal by Portland Timbers. The Union will surely contend for a playoff spot and--dare we say it--a possible Shield? Maybe a move or two away from that though!

First, the Union welcome a demoralized New England Revolution side that was blanked 0-4 in Houston to the Dynamo last week.

Further up the New Jersey Turnpike, the New York Red Bulls will look to forget its 1-4 walloping to the Whitecaps in Vancouver last week and hope to kick off its defense of its Supporters Shield in style as they host Colorado Rapids. If it ain't broke, why fix it? But in RB's case, it needed a little tweaking. It did not appear to do the trick initially as Harrison's heroes were sliced and diced and thrown away with yesterday's recycling although the Canadians weren't too shabby themselves as they quickly took control of the match after RB sought to do the same early on.

The apparent antidote is a young Rapids team that haven't won at Red Bull Arena in...it's gotta be years now. Although they have some good youth talent on its side, the Rapids' speed won't be enough to off Red Bulls as they need to respond to last week's debacle immediately.

Another home-opened to watch out for is San Jose Earthquakes' tilt in welcoming Real Salt Lake. The Californians made some interesting acquisitions in the offseason in Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and grabbed Yannick Djalo from Portuguese football on loan. Chris Wondolowski is going to need all the help he can get after a top season in 2012 saw him notch 27 goals before his 2013 production fell to just 11 goals. What kind of possession play will San Jose head into now with these new players? Don't forget about Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart. Should be a good mix of touch and physicality.

In other matches: the Dynamo host Montreal Impact, Kansas City celebrates last year's championship with fans before taking on FC Dallas while the Chicago Fire visit the Timbers and Chivas USA takes on the Whitecaps.

-Tio Pelotas

@TioPelotas74

Party just getting started as MLS season concludes

Lots of viable candidates to raise American league trophy

The great Football Geezer is curious to see how the MLS playoffs will come about, come next week, but yours truly has already begun the party in anticipation of Sunday's massive clash at Red Bull Arena, which is apparently sold out ahead of a potential first trophy for not only the big city side but New York's long-suffering supporters as well.

Bias aside (and putting on the bravest journalist face), let's take a peek at the final round of the 2013 regular season:

Four spots are still open for the taking with three in the East up for grabs. Only three points separate third-placed Montreal Impact and seventh-placed Philadelphia Union with 1998 champions Chicago Fire, New England Revolution and two-time champions Houston Dynamo all squeezed in between. The Red Bulls and 2000 champions Sporting Kansas City are in.

In the West, one spot is available but 2010 champions Colorado Rapids are all but assured of that final ticket. Why? Because they'd have to lose and have the San Jose Earthquakes--three points behind them---score 13 goals against FC Dallas. And my boy, the Texans' netminder Raul Fernandez, is not going to let that happen. I think. 

Safe to say the Denver side will join 2009 champions Real Salt Lake, a red-hot Portland Timbers, four-time champions L.A. Galaxy and a Jeckyll-and-Hyde Seattle Sounders team in the postseason.

Out of all of the aforementioned teams in the East, Philly is the only one with a home finale as the Impact travel to Toronto, the Dynamo are in Washington D.C, the Revolution go to Columbus and the Fire will be in beautiful Harrison, N.J. Two of these sides will have their MLS Cup 2013 aspirations crushed at the conclusion of this weekend. 

But the big story is in New York (well, New Jersey) as the Red Bulls are in the driver's seat to clinch the Supporters Shield trophy--its first piece of silverware for the team previously known as the MetroStars that played in the horrendous climates of the old Giants Stadium.

The 2013 campaign is probably the most memorable conclusion to a season in the league's short existence. Hopefully, that continues into the playoffs until the final on Dec. 7.

MLS table tightens as playoffs near

Supporters Shield leader Red Bulls clinch; Sounders, RSL, KC close

                                         (Courtesy of Rob Tringali)

Can't get any better than this.

There were some beauties scored in Vancouver-Portland's draw, a last-minute equalizer in Harrison, N.J. and downright beatings in Los Angeles and Denver.

But Alvaro Saborio could arguably be the hero of the weekend as his Real Salt Lake Side--down to 10 men for much of the match--pulled off a draw at home against FC Dallas that kept its hunt for the Supporters Shield alive with two rounds left. The quiet Costa Rican fought off the Texan club's defenders on his own to work for his 11th goal of the campaign.

The result kept Salt Lake atop of the West, one point above Seattle Sounders and two ahead of Portland Timbers. For Seattle, a 5-1 romp at the hands of Colorado Rapids represents their worst-ever loss in their short-lived MLS history. A goal by Colorado within 15 seconds and two within 10 minutes didn't help matters. Four goals in the first half pretty much sealed it.

The L.A. Galaxy demolished a hapless Chivas U.S.A. 5-0 with braces from--who else?--Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, as both L.A. and Colorado try to lock in their respective playoff tickets, the last two.

In the East, Sporting Kansas City, 1-0 winners in Columbus, did their best to keep up with leaders New York Red Bulls. It wasn't anything spectacular in Ohio but three points is three points, good enough to have them two points behind the Red Bulls and four ahead of Houston Dynamo, where K.C. will visit Wednesday. Should be a fun one in Texas.

And yes, we already saw what Camilo accomplished in an earlier post with that cracker of a goal for Vancouver Whitecaps against Portland but we can't forget what Darlington Nagbe did for the Timbers to open up the match.

@TioPelotas74

Pelotas' Pondering: Deuce, MLS got it right

Clint Dempsey comes home to a 'new league'

Now that we've had time to digest the massive Clint Dempsey signing, it's looking more and more like MLS circles, including hardcore and casual supporters, agree that his capture is a historic signing for the young and growing league.

After reading the excellent Sports Illustrated article by the one and only Grant Wahl that detailed the extraordinary events of the last couple of weeks, I have to agree with Wahl and many other footy writers that this has to rank as the top signing in the 18-year journey of MLS.

You see, Dempsey is only 30 years old. He's made his mark with Fulham, flirted with Liverpool and ended up at Tottenham, where it was expected that--prior to signing with Seattle Sounders--he'd see little time with Spurs as they've been tapping the transfer market for additional reinforcements. 'Deuce' had a decent outing in his six years in England but he definitely has a couple of years left for top-flight competition.

But it's interesting to see that Deuce himself sought out a move back home, according to the SI story. That speaks volumes about the league and its stature. Yes, the money had to be right for him but to even consider that an MLS team would shell out cash for a transfer fee was unfathomable just a decade ago. It also helps that he'll be partnering up with his BFF, Eddie Johnson, and barring an epic collapse by the U.S. national team, both Deuce and EJ should be in Brazil next year.

That gives them ample time for chemistry, ideas and, most importantly, continuous playing time. Sure, Jurgen Klinsmann would've probably preferred his captain and one of the top American players the nation has produced somewhere in the vicinities of European football but Deuce was made here in MLS. The league--with all of its questionable officiating, lack of technical abilities in some matches and an occasional and unnecessary intrusion by the league front office (You Suck, A..hole!)--is growing by leaps and bounds in many aspects that many leagues around the world would strive for.

Deuce believes in MLS, MLS believes in Deuce. Now the world should take notice and believe too.

Wonder if Everton and Roma are interested in talking about bringing home some more of our boys.

-Tio Pelotas