Week 16: Examiner.com's MLS Preview

July 3, 7:06 PMMLS ExaminerCharlie Corr

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Could there be a new leader in the Eastern Conference this week? The 2008 champion Columbus Crew are definitely making a move.

Will the Western Conference standings tighten up? Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake are narrowing the gap that separates them from the top three teams in both the West and Major League Soccer in the Houston Dynamo, Chivas USA and Seattle Sounders FC. The Los Angeles Galaxy could even creep into the mix.

Those are the many things to look for in Week 16 of the 2009 MLS campaign.

(The Week 16 Examiner.com preview and predictions are written solely by MLS Examiner Charlie Corr and are not a collective opinion among the individual Examiners who cover their respective teams.)

FRIDAY'S MATCH

• San Jose Earthquakes (3-8-3) at Real Salt Lake (5-6-4): RSL has certainly turned the corner of late, and the assorted contributions from their recent 3-0 domination of Toronto is key. Like many MLS squads, the CONCACAF Gold Cup will mean some roster adjustments. Real's main losses are Kyle Beckerman and Will Johnson. But with Yura Movsisyan and Clint Mathis, and goalkeeper Nick Rimando posting clean sheets in two of the last three games, RSL can continue its move in the West standings. Winner: Real Salt Lake (For more, check out Bay Area Soccer Examiner Giovanni Albanese Jr.'s coverage.)

SATURDAY'S MATCHES

• D.C. United (5-3-8) at Columbus Crew (5-3-7): Both teams are missing a pair of players to the Gold Cup, but D.C.'s injury list looks far worse than the Crew's. Jaime Moreno is out (hamstring strain), and Luciano Emilio is questionable (bone bruise). Those are D.C.'s two leading scorers. Combine that with the defending champion Crew on a hot streak (minus the June 20 road loss to FC Dallas) and carrying a 4-0-3 home record, the opportunity is on the table to leapfrog D.C. and wind up in first in the Eastern Conference. Winner: Columbus Crew (For more, check out D.C. United Examiner Ed Morgans' and Columbus Crew Examiner Thomas DelSignore's coverage.)

• Chicago Fire (5-3-6) at Colorado Rapids (5-3-6): The Fire have experimented with their depth at SuperLiga and a brief U.S. Open Cup appearance. But their defense will miss two dependable bodies in Gonzalo Segares and Logan Pause. Colorado also has some key Gold Cup losses in Omar Cummings and Colin Clark. The Rapids' golden ticket rides on the return of Conor Casey, and whether he can pick up where he left off offensively before the Confederations Cup. This should be a close matchup, though Colorado has had the upper hand all season at home. Memo to MLS's Extra Time crew: Goalkeeper Jon Busch is still with the Fire and is an alternate option for the U.S.'s Gold Cup roster. Winner: Colorado Rapids (For more, check out Chicago Fire Examiner Roman Kashuba's and Colorado Rapids Examiner Deron White's coverage.)

• New York Red Bulls (2-12-4) at FC Dallas (3-7-5): Almost 40 percent of Dallas' offense comes from Kenny Cooper, but he will be away for a while in the Gold Cup. That means Jeff Cunningham is going to be Dallas' key man up top, though he only has one goal in 583 minutes. Then there is New York, which goes into each week with every player, coach and fan knowing full well how much the team struggles on the road. Nobody wants to be that first team to surrender the Red Bulls' first road victory. Besides, Dallas has to worry about its own hill to climb in the West. Winner: FC Dallas (For more, check out New York Soccer Examiner Jeff Kassouf's coverage.)

• Houston Dynamo (8-3-4) at Kansas City Wizards (5-5-4): Houston's Kei Kamara better be capable of blocking out what happened last week and start fresh against K.C. When he was taken out of the L.A. loss following a huge missed opportunity to salvage a draw, Kamara spent his time slumped over on the bench. He has to be the go-to man against the Wizards, with the Dynamo's leading goal scorers (Brian Ching, Stuart Holden) on the U.S. MNT roster for the Gold Cup. The Dynamo defense also has to return to the level it had during the team's 11-match undefeated streak. Winner: Houston Dynamo

• New England Revolution (4-4-4) at Los Angeles Galaxy (3-3-9): Landon Donovan is back after a long stint with the U.S. MNT. The Galaxy managed a victory over the Houston Dynamo. And they are playing at home against a Revs team that continues to be a question mark because of its slew of injuries. New England isn't a cakewalk of a match, though. Somehow N.E. manages to stay above water, as showcased in advancing to the semis in SuperLiga. Despite the absence of a different Donovan (goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to Jamaica's Gold Cup team), L.A.'s offense should contain an added boost to make up for Ricketts' absence. They need the offensive punch, big time. The Galaxy have scored two goals only on four occasions this season and have yet to notch a three-goal effort. Winner: Los Angeles Galaxy (For more, check out Boston Soccer Examiner L.E. Eisenmenger's and Los Angeles Galaxy Examiner Richard Manfredi's coverage.)

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(Prediction record last week: 3-2, with one draw. My cumulative record: 19-15, with 17 draws. ***Please note, all draws are actual MLS draws - this forum only decides winners and losers each week.***)

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Send a message: E-mail your comments or thoughts to charliecorr@gmail.com.

Charlie Corr is a freelance sports writer based in Chicago. In addition to his Major League Soccer duties, he is the Chicago Sports Examiner and the creator of a Chicago-based soccer Web site, SlideTackles.net.

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