4/14/07 – ESPN – Ives Galarcep
Columbus Crew at Real Salt Lake
It would be tough to find two goalkeepers coming off more different performances. The Crew’s Andy Gruenebaum was stellar in shutting out the Red Bulls last weekend while Nick Rimando must still be having nightmares about his costly blunder against FC Dallas. Columbus played a strong second half against New York and will look to test RSL’s suspect defense, but it may not be enough to match what should be a good matchup for Jeff Cunningham against a slow Crew back line. Cunningham burns his old club as Real Salt Lake registers its first win of the season. Real Salt Lake 2, Crew 0
Kansas City Wizards at D.C. United
You can find plenty of excuses for why D.C. looked so bad in its season opener, the Champions Cup hangover and Colorado opening its new stadium chief among them, but D.C. is too good to have another performance like last week’s. K.C. answered its need for a playmaker by signing Argentine playmaker Carlos Marinelli, but he won’t be joining the team just yet. That means the Wizards will have to rely on Eddie ”The Scoring Drought” Johnson, who will have his chances against a surprisingly suspect D.C. defense. The Luciano Emilio-Jimmy Conrad matchup will be fun to watch but look for Christian Gomez to deliver the win at RFK. D.C. United 1, Wizards 0
Toronto FC at New England Revolution
Toronto had a rough baptism last week against Chivas USA but will get its first taste of fan support when it travels to Gillette Stadium, where Toronto FC fans are expected to travel to see their new team. Will that be enough to beat the Revs on the road? Don’t bet on it. New England will be without Michael Parkhurst, who is still out, but Shalrie Joseph and Pat Noonan look set to return to the starting lineup. Taylor Twellman schools Toronto’s shaky defense while the Canadians find the net for the first time. Revolution 3, Toronto FC 1
Chivas USA at Houston Dynamo
Talk about a drastic jump in competition. Chivas USA ran roughshod over the newcomers from Toronto last week but will now face a fierce Houston defense that is even tougher at home. The Dynamo has had a chance to fully recover from that wild Champions Cup semifinal loss to Pachuca and should bounce back strongly with its first win of the season as Brian Ching terrorizes the Goats yet again. Dynamo 2, Chivas USA 1.
FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls
The Hoops are enjoying a strong start to the season, posting four points from two matches despite not having outplayed the competition in either match. What is clear about FC Dallas is that its attack will keep pressure on opponents, which should happen against the Red Bulls. Bruce Arena’s men will need Claudio Reyna to recover from a badly bruised left leg in order to have a chance at winning their home opener. The Red Bulls finally find the net but FC Dallas steals another road point and remains unbeaten. Red Bulls 1, FC Dallas 1.
Results:
Columbus Crew 0, Real Salt Lake 0
Toronto FC 0, Revolution 4
KC Wizards 4, DC United 2
Chivas USA 0, Dynamo 1
FC Dallas 0, NY Red Bulls 3
Chicago Fire 1, Rapids 1
Filed under: Ives Galarcep - ESPN