MLS Preview: Crew, Galaxy aim to maintain leads

Posted Jul 10, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jul 10, 2010 at 11:10 AM

Conference-leaders Columbus and Los Angeles hit the road as they try to maintain their leads at the top of the East and West.

COLORADO (6-3-4) AT TORONTO (5-4-4): The Rapids are undefeated in their last six outings and the Reds in their last seven, but both sides enter this afternoon’s game having recorded three draws in a row.

Toronto is undefeated at BMO Field (4-0-3), but will be without Julian de Guzman and Amadou Sayang this afternoon with both serving suspensions for their red cards against Houston, but Brazilian forward Mista, signed earlier in the week, could make his debut alongside Dwayne DeRosario.

The Rapids have lost all three of their previous visits to Toronto, but Connor Casey has found success against the Reds in the past, scoring in each of their last three meetings including a 3-1 victory for the Rapids on April 18.

SAN JOSE (5-4-4) AT PHILADELPHIA (3-7-2): The Union will hope to build on their first game at PPL Park, when they rallied to earn a 3-1 victory against Seattle. They should certainly have a chance to against a San Jose squad that hasn’t won since May, and is 0-2-3 in its last five outings.

At the forefront of the Union’s success has been Sebastian Le Toux, who leads the team in goals and assists. Le Toux’s influence has also helped rookie Danny Mwanga, who has scored five goals in the last six games.

San Jose could see Joey Gjertsen return to the line-up this evening after missing the last four games with a strained left quadriceps. If he is able to go, he should be able to re-establish his partnership with Bobby Convey and help create more scoring chances for the ‘Quakes.

LOS ANGELES (11-1-3) AT NEW ENGLAND (3-9-2): The Galaxy saw a successful return for Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle after their absence due to the World Cup, but Donovan may be rested tonight against the Revolution.

Even with that possibility, though, the Galaxy should still have enough to defeat a Revolution side that has lost three straight and is 1-6-1 in its last eight games. New England is still dealing with a number of injuries and will need a big performance from Shalrie Joseph if it’s to find a way to get a point against the Galaxy.

Buddle scored the only goal when the two sides met in the opening weekend of the season, and could add to his league-leading 10 goals tonight against a defense that gave up five goals to Real Salt Lake in its last outing.

D.C. UNITED (3-9-2) AT NEW YORK (8-5-1): The Red Bulls won’t get to unveil Thierry Henry until Thursday, but they should have enough to keep the pressure on Columbus at the top of the Eastern Conference as they host rival United.

Juan Pablo Angel has played well since the return from the World Cup break, scoring three goals in two games, and he could be set for more against a United defense that has recorded only one shutout this season.  He scored in the two team’s first meeting this season, a 2-0 Red Bulls win at RFK Stadium.

United is now playing better than it was then, having gone 2-1-2 in its last five games, but will likely hand the Atlantic Cup over to its rival for the first time since 2003 tonight.

COLUMBUS (8-2-3) AT HOUSTON (5-7-3): The Crew are coming off back-to-back wins to restore their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference and they could continue that run against a Dynamo side that is struggling to find form, going winless in its last five league contests.

The Dynamo were also knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, falling 3-1 to Chivas USA. The Dynamo did play well in their last league contest at Toronto, but a late goal denied them victory as the Reds earned a 1-1 draw. Houston will be without Joseph Ngwena tonight as he serves a suspension after being ejected in that contest.

Columbus scored twice quickly last weekend to earn a 2-1 victory against Chicago, and is starting to see more names find the scoresheet, with four different players scoring the sides’ last four goals. They may be able to take advantage of a Dynamo defense that has conceded 13 goals in its last five games.

CHIVAS USA (3-9-2) AT KANSAS CITY (3-7-3): Two teams with less points than games played meet at Community American Ballpark with the Wizards hoping they can start converting their chances into goals and make a push to bridge the gap between themselves and fourth-place Chicago.

The Wizards lead MLS with 73 shots on goal, but have only scored 11 goals in 13 games.  Their frustration continued last Saturday as they fell 1-0 to FC Dallas to move to 1-7-3 in their last 11 games.

Chivas USA is coming off a confidence boost with a 3-1 victory against Houston in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, but have had a tough time on the road this season going 1-5-1 away from the Home Depot Center. In order to try and address a lack of goal, the club signed Giancarlo Maldonado from Mexican club Atlante on Thursday, but he won’t be available for tonight’s game.