MLS Wednesday Match Previews

Published: Wednesday, 20. June, 2012 in category M.L.S.

Major League Soccer has a full week of games starting with six games on Wednesday night. Check out who your favorite team is playing.

Wednesday, June 20
(Home team listed first; all times Eastern)

Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy, 9 p.m.

  • For Club and Country: Since May 5, Real Salt Lake player Álvaro Saborio has scored eight goals in all competitions, including a hat trick in Costa Rica’s 4-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Guyana on June 12 – the first road hat in CONCACAF’s FIFA World Cup qualifying history.
  • Blanked in the Beehive State: Since a 3-2 win at Rice-Eccles Stadium on April 29, 2006, the Galaxy have not won in Utah. Real have won all three lifetime meetings at Rio Tinto Stadium.
  • Shutout on Shutouts: The Galaxy are coming off their first victory since April 21, recording their first shutout of the season in the 1-0 win against Portland on Sunday. A year ago, LA tied the MLS record with 17 shutouts for the season.

Houston Dynamo vs. Toronto FC, 9 p.m.

  • Dynamo Dynamo: Houston forward Brian Ching is one assist away from tying Brian Mullan for second on the Dynamo’s all-time assists list. With his appearance against Dallas this past weekend, he also moved into second for most regular season games played in a Dynamo jersey.
  • Bruin Finding Balance: Will Bruin scored his first home goal of the season on Saturday against FC Dallas. It was his sixth overall on the year, and first goal in Houston since September 17, 2011.
  • The Mariner’s Revenge: The first game for Toronto FC under Paul Mariner ended the way nine of 10 games had with Aron Winter in charge this season: a loss, falling 2-0 at Sporting Kansas City on Sunday.

Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 9:30 p.m.

  • Ever Moor Minutes: Last week, the Rapids re-signed defender Drew Moor to a multi-year deal (June 12). In 2011, Moor set an MLS record for non-goalkeepers by playing the full 90 minutes in 69 regular season matches, which comes to 6,210 minutes of consecutive action; since joining Colorado in 2009, he has started 85 regular-season matches.
  • Extended Vacation: The Earthquakes are the last team to resume action following the international break, their last league match a 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City on May 27 that ended a three-game unbeaten streak.
  • Bingham’s Breakthrough: Rookie David Bingham will get the start in net for San Jose in place of the suspended Jon Busch. It is the Cal alum’s second career MLS start, the first since a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on October 8, 2011.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 10 p.m.

  • Like Father Like Son: Sporting KC’s Konrad Warzycha became the second son of a former MLS player (current Crew head coach Robert) to appear in a match when he came on as a substitute in the 2-0 win vs. Toronto on June 16. The first was SKC teammate Teal Bunbury (son of Alex).
  • Testing Times: This match-up will be the second of seven games within 22 days for Sounders FC. This follows a stretch from April 28-May 12 in which the club played five matches in 15 days; one week later, from May 19-30, Seattle continued its grueling schedule with four games in just 12 days.
  • Everybody Gets One: Sounders FC have won five consecutive league meetings vs. Sporting Kansas City since a 1-0 KC win in the first meeting ever between the clubs, April 11, 2009 in Seattle.

Chivas USA vs. Montreal Impact, 10:30 p.m.

  • California, Here He Comes: Impact head coach Jesse Marsch returns to the club where he was captain during a four-year span from 2006-09, capping his 14-year MLS playing career. The former midfielder tallied eight goals and 24 assists in his time with the Goats.
  • More Road Games, Please: Chivas USA lost for the sixth time in eight games (with one draw) this season at The Home Depot Center in the 3-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on June 16. The 1-6-1 home start is Chivas’ worst in club history, ‘besting’ a 1-5-2 start in 2005.
  • Warm Welcome: Montreal won their first match in the newly-renovated Stade Saputo on Saturday against Seattle Sounders FC 4-1; the Impact’s home base is one of eight soccer-specific stadia to come to the league since 2007. In MLS history, the hosts are 8-2-4 in inaugural matches at such stadia.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. New York Red Bulls, 11 p.m. (TSN/RDS2)

  • X-Factors: The Red Bulls lost for the first time in nearly two months in Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Chicago, playing without Thierry Henry and Rafa Márquez. Both are also expected to miss the Vancouver game with injuries.
  • Drought Ender: Sebastien Le Toux netted his first goal since April 18 last weekend against Colorado. Le Toux’s was the only goal of the game as Whitecaps FC overcame a man disadvantage for a home win that moved the Caps into third place in the Western Conference.
  • What’s A Mattocks With You: After scoring three goals in the previous two games, and in his his first as a professional, Vancouver’s Darren Mattocks was sent off vs. Colorado on Saturday, receiving two yellow cards in the space of a minute. He will be eligible to return to the lineup for Whitecaps FC’s Saturday match in Los Angeles.