We've decided that it would be best not to dwell on last week's results and just look ahead to this week's upcoming matches. We'd like to blame the unusual weekend weather -- 44 degrees in Kansas City on Saturday, 89 degrees in Carson, Calif. on Sunday -- but there's no excuses. We can't even blame it on the rain (yeah, yeah).
There are seven games on this week's slate (one on Thursday, four on Saturday and two on Sunday) and there's not an easy pick in the bunch. At this point in the season, teams are starting to find out who they are, how their teammates play, what are their strengths and what they need to try and do to correct weaknesses.
As a Survivor Pro player, you're looking for the team that's putting together the most consistent line-up each week. You can ill afford to pick a team whose coach is still feeling out his players and repeatedly expirementing with various line-up and substitution combinations. If you're a coach, this is the time of year that you've got to experiment because if you're trying new things in September and October it means that your season is prematurely over.
Of course, you can never account for injuries. You've just got to hope for the best from the guy who comes off the bench. Take Houston goalkeeper Tony Caig, for example. All-Star 'keeper Pat Onstad gets hurt early in the April 6 match against FC Dallas. While Caig did surrender three goals after entering that match, he followed up that performance with the first clean sheet of his MLS career last week against Kansas City.
It looks like Caig is going to be back in goal this weekend, but that match-up against the Galaxy (a maddeningly inconsistent team) is not one that we want to touch. This week, we looked for the most stable, productive lineup for our Best Bets and Top Choice.
Columbus Crew at D.C. United (8 p.m. ET, Thursday): This match is tougher to pick than one might think at first glance. RFK Stadium is still a tough place to play and D.C. has won its only match at home this season. Overall, though, United is 1-2 on the season and struggling to find consistency. The team has allowed seven goals this season and has yet to find the right combination on offense, scoring four goals in three games. Meanwhile, the Crew earned a solid win against Chivas USA at home last weekend and have a steady goalkeeper in Will Hesmer. If you've watched these two teams play, it should be no surprise that Columbus is also ahead of D.C. in the standings. Go against your gut on this one. Best Bet: Columbus
Real Salt Lake at Toronto FC (12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday): RSL is 1-1-1 on the season. TFC is 1-2-0. RSL stunned D.C. last week in a 4-0 win. Toronto pulled off an equally surprising 3-2 victory in L.A. Tough choice, right? A sold-out crowd at BMO Field for TFC's home opener tips the scales. Not even a plane scare is going to stop the Reds. Best Bet: Toronto
San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids (9:30 p.m. ET, Saturday): San Jose is winless on the season, while Colorado (2-1-0) is atop the Western Conference. The Quakes have yet to score this season, but its evident that their defense could rank as one of the best in the league. The Rapids, thus far, have scored a league-high seven times, so this match appears to pit strength against strength. But until the Quakes actually score, much less win, we have to pick against them. Top Choice: Colorado
Best of luck this week with your Survivor Pro picks. Be sure to check back on Sunday for our Best Bets and Top Choice.