If, at the start of the season, you predicted the Columbus Crew would be hosting the Philadelphia Union with the Eastern Conference lead on the line in August, give yourself a well deserved pat on the back. While opinion was pretty well split on just how much Peter Nowak had managed to improve his second year team, the consensus on the Crew was that they were in for a long hard slog after getting rid of most of their contributors from last year. Perhaps more relevant to the issue was the widely held belief that the New York Red Bulls would be running away with the East by now.
MLS Week 23 Preview, Picks: Crew, Union Battle For Eastern Conference Supremacy
No shortage of interesting matchup this week as FC Dallas hosts the Sounders and the Timbers renew their Cascadia Cup rivalry with the Whitecaps.
To say the East has not played out according to plan is to put it lightly. As we all now, the Red Bulls find themselves in a fight just to make the playoffs. A run for the East’s No. 1 seed might not be out of the realm of possibility, but it doesn’t seem remotely likely for a team that has won just once in its past 11 games.
The Crew and Union, meanwhile, just keeping plugging along. Neither team seems poised to run away with the East, but they are both doing a good job of getting results albeit to differing levels of recent effectiveness.
The Crew have gone 7-4-1 in their past 12, which includes wins over Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids. Of course, it also includes a loss to the lowly Chicago Fire and a tie against the struggling San Jose Earthquakes. In those 12 games, they've registered five shutouts and given up more than one goal just twice.
Curiously enough, this run of form has basically coincided with the insertion of journeyman Josh Gardner as the everyday left back. Gardner is unlikely to be on anyone's short list for Best XI honors, but he's proven reliable and helped mitigate rookie Rich Balchan's injury.
Over roughly the same span of games, the Union have managed to avoid losing many, but have also been developing a frustrating habit of settling for ties. They have gone just 2-2-7 in their past 11 -- dating back to their 6-2 win over Toronto FC curiously enough -- and have surrendered second-half leads in each of their past two games.
After starting the year with what looked to be one of the best defenses in the league, the Union have become significantly more porous recently. After allowing just four goals in their first eight games, the Union have now allowed 18 in their past 15. The trade of Jordan Harvey may not be the sole cause of these struggles, but the insertion of Gabriel Farfan does not seem to have helped the defense which has given up six goals in their past four games.
As counter-intuitive as it may seem, the Union actually seem to be becoming more of an offensive team than a defensive one, especially now that Freddy Adu seems destined to be their central midfielder. With Farfan and Sheanon Williams as the two fullbacks and Danny Mwanga likely getting more playing time, Nowak appears to be making a conscious decision to sacrifice something defensively to get more firepower on the field.
Time: 7:30 p.m.; Day: Saturday; Pick: Union 2-1.
Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
A season which started out with so much promise that RSL fans were openly talking about winning four trophies is suddenly starting to look pretty average. RSL has lost 3 of 4, including a loss to Toronto FC last week. In the same span, the Dynamo have claimed eight points and are back in the thick of the playoff race. RSL is comfortably positioned in the playoff picture, but it’s getting to a point where they need to start stringing some results together just for their psyche. Pick: Tied 1-1.
FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders, 9 p.m., Saturday
The only thing this match is likely to decide is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but it should still be plenty interesting. Since late April, these have been two of the best teams in the league. Just two points separate them in the standings, they are poised to meet in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals and they are both off to strong starts in CONCACAF Champions League. Dallas' homefield advantage is potentially mitigated by the absence of George John and the fact that the Sounders actually got into town a day earlier. One thing worth watching is how much of a runout Sigi Schmid gives Mike Fucito. The forward had a breakout game in the CONCACAF Champions League with two goals against Comunicaciones and another strong showing could make Sounders fans forget all about missing out on the big names during the summer transfer window. The Toros won the first meeting, meaning the Sounders will need a win to avoid losing the tiebreaker, which could very well settle which of these teams hosts the second leg of a potential Western Conference semifinal matchup. Pick: Tied 2-2.
Colorado Rapids vs. Chivas USA, 9 p.m., Saturday
After a fast start a sluggish middle, the Rapids are once again poised to finish strong. They have now won three in a row and 5 of 7 to climb within three points of second place in the Western Conference. Most of this they've done without the services of Conor Casey, who was lost to an Achilles' injury six matches ago. Much of the credit for that should go to the forward pairing of Omar Cummings and Sanna Nyassi, who have combined for five goals and five assists. In fact, all four of Nyassi's goals have been assisted by Cummings and Nyassi assisted on Cummings' goal. Chivas USA is coming off a hard-fought tie in Seattle and have now lost just once in their past eight. They are still looking for their first win over a top 5 team and winning at altitude is never easy. Pick: Rapids 2-1.
Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 10 p.m., Saturday (Fox Soccer)
Neither of these teams are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but the postseason is looking increasingly unlikely for either of them. Of course, there’s still the Cascadia Cup, the three team trophy that is passed between the Timbers, Whitecaps and Sounders. As of right now, both the Timbers and Whitecaps are still very much alive in the race for this mini-tournament. The Sounders currently lead with five points through three matches. The Timbers have one point through two matches and the Whitecaps have one point in one match. Pick: Timbers 3-1.
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30 p.m., Saturday
This was once one of the better rivalries in MLS. Unfortunately, it's also one with lots of peaks and valleys. Right now, with the Earthquakes in danger of becoming entirely irrelevant this season, it's safe to say we're in a valley. On the plus side, this could mark the debut Robbie Keane, easily the biggest name to join MLS since the start of the year. That alone may make this worth watching. Pick: Galaxy 3-1.
Sporting Kansas City vs. DC United, 8:30 p.m., Sunday (Galavision)
Since the beginning of June, these two teams have a combined record of 10-3-14. Mainly because of their slow starts, though, neither have been able solidify their playoff positioning. Both have been doing it mostly with an entertaining brand of soccer that puts a significant emphasis on scoring. Sporting are tied for third in the league with 35 goals and United have 34. Just two points separate these two teams, as United is currently tied with the Red Bulls for the final playoff spot. Pick: Sporting 2-1.
Other games
New England Revolution vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., Saturday: The Red Bulls need a win in the worst way as they are currently teetering on the brink of falling out of playoff position. Pick: Red Bulls 1-0.
Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC, 7 p.m., Sunday: As crazy as it may sound, TFC is actually riding a six-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. Might their season really be turning around? Doubtful. Pick: Tied 2-2.
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