Posted by Heath Harshman

By Heath Harshman- WFD Fan Correspondent

The MLS has another full weekend of matches coming up as well as the welcomed addition of midweek CONCACAF Champions League matches. Over the course of the next seven days there will be five televised matches including MLS teams between FSC, Telefutura and GolTV (CAN). The four MLS teams participating in the CONCACAF Champions League, Seattle, Toronto, Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew, all get midweek television time on FSC.

Up first on Tuesday the Columbus Crew look to solidify their Champions' League group standing. They are currently second in Group B on three points in two games played, behind Santos Laguna (Mexico) who has max points in their two group matches. The Crew takes on Joe Public (5PM PDT on FSC), hailing from Trinidad & Tobago. Joe Public FC is currently bottom of the group along with Municipal of Guatemala, both with just one point earned in their two group matches. Columbus is coming off of a 3-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday night in David Beckham's season debut. The match will be in Columbus where the Crew is unbeaten since a July 14th loss to Kansas City.

Directly after the Columbus match the Sounders will try to get on the board in Champions' League Group C action. The Sounders are yet to earn a point in group play and have scored just one goal in their first two matches. Seattle will try to get back into the thick of things against Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa. Saprissa are three time winners of the CONCACAF Champions League, most recently in 2005. It's a long road trip for the Sounders as they travel over 3,000 miles to Costa Rica. The match is at 7PM PDT on FSC.

The final Champions' League match including MLS teams in an inter-MLS matchup between Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake. Both teams are in the tightest group, Group A, where all four teams are tied on three points. Toronto is also in ninth in the MLS playoff standings, making one wonder how focused they will be for third game in seven days on Wednesday night (7PM PDT on FSC). Salt Lake on the other hand are earning points left and right and did it again over the weekend, earning a hard fought draw away to Seattle on Thursday. They'll have six days between games and should be well rested for match, which will be held in the Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.

In league action for the MLS, the teams holding the eighth through tenth spots, Seattle, Toronto and Kansas City (in that order), in the MLS playoff standings all have tough road matchups. The team that can earn the tough road points this late in the season will likely be the one playing into November.

Seattle has the toughest ask of the three, traveling to Columbus four days after an away trip to Costa Rican side Saprissa in the Champions' League. The Sounders drew with Real Salt Lake last Thursday in a very entertaining 0-0 matchup on ESPN2. Seattle now holds the eighth and final playoff spot with a five point cushion over Toronto and Kansas City.

Toronto, holding the ninth position, travels to Robertson Stadium to take on the always tough Houston Dynamo. Much like the other teams just outside the MLS' top eight, Toronto failed to take advantage of what would have to be considered must have points over the last couple weeks. They drew last Wednesday on the road to Chicago and followed that up with a surprising 1-0 loss at home to bottom of the table D.C. United. Although there is still time for Toronto, it would be hard to imagine them making the playoffs without a win in Houston this weekend.

Kansas City, in the lone Sunday game, will face Chivas USA in the Home Depot Center. Kansas City last played on September 4th, a 1-1 road draw to the expansion Philadelphia Union. The Wizards have made a surprising late season playoff push over the last several weeks. Since their July 14th 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew, Kansas City has taken 15 out of a possible 24 points and have lost just once. Even more impressive is the Jimmy Conrad led Wizards defense has allowed just five goals and earned three shutouts over that same span.

With tough road trips for the playoff hopefuls as well as midweek Champions' League action for four of the teams, the MLS offers plenty of exciting action for the coming week.



In addition to being a weekly blogger for WFD, I write for the Washington State University student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, where I have a weekly sports column. I am also the Washington State University men's basketball beat writer for Jim Basnight's college hoops blog on mynorthwest.com. You can find past pieces and follow my work not only for WFD but for The Daily Evergreen and mynorthwest.com by following me on twitter @heathharshman.