The early season excitement can make even a week of boring matches fun
There aren't a lot of intriguing matches in MLS this week as a lot of good teams take on bad teams. Luckily, it is early enough in the season that any MLS soccer is good MLS soccer. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Montreal Impact vs. Chicago Fire
Saturday, 2:00 p.m. ET, MLS Live
The Impact are really not good and that is being kind. Their central midfield is a mess and they're not particularly strong at the back. For those of you new to soccer, that's a bad combination so it won't take much for the Fire to have their way with the expansion team. Even if Montreal doesn't win, at least they will get a spectacle with as many as 60,000 fans expected at Olympic Stadium for the club's first ever home match.
Pick: Fire, 2-1
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Houston Dynamo
Saturday, 5:00 p.m. ET, MLS Live
The great Dynamo road show apparently continues in MLS circa 2001 because when they head to the Bay Area to play the Quakes, they will be playing at AT&T Park, a baseball stadium, as part of a doubleheader with U-23 national teams following it. Thankfully, the Quakes got their stadium approved and these shenanigans will not have to continue for long. In the meantime, we can find out if the Quakes really have something going because the Dynamo are not awful, aka, are not the Revs.
Pick: Draw, 1-1
FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Live
David Ferreira didn't play for Dallas last week and it didn't matter. George John just came in for garbage time and that didn't matter either. Dallas looked every bit like the team that was surging last summer and not the team that floundered down the stretch and that's not good news for the Timbers.
Pick: Dallas, 2-0
Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Live
The Revolution are good in the midfield. They are bad everywhere else. Sporting are just flat out good.
Pick: Sporting, 3-0
Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls
Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET, MLS Live
It took all of one match for the trouble to brew in New York. The finger pointing started after the Red Bulls' loss last week and Rafael Marquez isn't even back from suspension yet so it is only going to get better. Of course, if you're a Red Bulls fan then it doesn't really get better. It just gets the same.
Pick: Salt Lake, 3-1
Seattle Sounders vs. Toronto FC
Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET, MLS Live
Toronto's Champions League shocked everyone, except for those who realized how good they were at the tail end of last year. The Reds aren't just better than they have ever been. They are legitimately good and the Sounders are still licking their Champions League wounds. Let's see them try to stop Toronto's speed in the counter-attack.
Pick: Toronto, 2-1
Chivas USA vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Live
What is the point of signing Miller Bolanos if he isn't going to play. It was only one week, but he better play every match from now until forever or Chivas should be disbanded. At least the Whitecaps have 12 strikers who happens to be really good and can make the Goats pay if they violate the play Bolanos rule.
Pick: Draw, 1-1
Philadelphia Union vs. Colorado Rapids
Sunday, 4:00 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Peter Nowak has torn apart the Union and left them in tatters, while Gary Smith left the Rapids and left them watchable for the first time in years. Surely, the soccer gods will properly reward the Rapids.
Pick: Rapids, 2-1
LA Galaxy vs. D.C. United
Sunday, 7:00 p.m. ET, Galavision
The Galaxy need a win so playing a DC team that looked awful a week ago and will be without Andy Najar, Perry Kitchen and Bill Hamid (Olympic qualifying) is a gift from the schedule makers.
Pick: Galaxy, 2-0
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