Saturday, July 6
Los Angeles at Kansas City
Location: Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (ET). Television: KTLA-5 Los Angeles. Satellite: .Spacenet 3, Tr. 15
Previous meeting: Jorge Campos saved a Preki penalty kick, and Mauricio Cienfuegos scored the gamewinner on a free kick in L.A.’s 2-0 win May 19.
Injuries: Los Angeles — M Chris Armas (sprained ankle) is probable; M Arash Noamouz (torn knee cartilage) is on injured reserve.
Preview: Just two days after their first home loss, the Galaxy find themselves halfway across the country facing a mostly rested Kansas City club (Wiz reserves played the bulk of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the U.S. Olympic team). Galaxy forward Eduardo Hurtado is still away with Ecuador’s national team, and his absence was felt in Thursday’s game, as Los Angeles created numerous scoring chances, but was never able to finish. Jose Vasquez is still trying to regain match fitness, and Harut Karapetyan must contribute more than he did against the Revolution. Andrew Shue will not play this evening, as his wife is expecting the birth of their first child. Kansas City midfielder Mike Sorber missed the first meeting of the two clubs, but he will be available for the rematch.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Los Angeles — Campos, Calichman, Fraser, Motajo, Semioli, Vanney, Salcedo, Cienfuegos, Jones, Karapetyan, Vasquez.
Kansas City — Lagerwey, Ekeme, Okafor, Bowers, Uderitz, Sorber, Preki, Chung, Gutierrez, Johnston, Takawira.
Prediction: Galaxy losing streak at 3 after Kansas City’s 3-2 win.
New England at San Jose
Location: Spartan Stadium. Kickoff: 10:30 p.m. (ET). Television: WABU-68 Boston. Satellite: SBS 6, Tr. 15.
Previous meeting: Foxboro Stadium, May 4 — Eric Wynalda and Paul Bravo scored, and Ben Iroha cleared a last-second, potential game-tying shot off the goal line in a 2-1 Clash win.
Injuries: New England — D Peter Woodring (strained Achilles) is probable, D Mike Burns (arthroscopic knee surgery) is out; San Jose — M Paul Holocher (torn ACL) is on injured reserve.
Preview: Revolution coach Frank Stapleton took a gamble in benching top playmaker Alberto Naveda for the Galaxy match on Thursday, but his defensive alignment paid off as the Revs stunned L.A. before 63,000 in the Rose Bowl. Expect a similar stratagy from New England in the narrow confines of Spartan Stadium, especially with Alexi Lalas available to play. Lalas filed a protest over the red card he received in Thursday’s game, and his suspension has been postponed pending a review by the league’s disciplinary committee. The Clash should get plenty of scoring opportunities, but will Eric Wynalda and company be able to finish? Jim St. Andre has been sharp in goal for the Revs. A big key for the Clash will be Jeff Baicher in midfield — the Santa Clara graduate’s play has been excellent during San Jose’s three-game winning streak.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
New England — St. Andre, Fraser, Okaroh, Wylie, Lalas, Woodring, Aunger, Sawatzky, Keegan, Kerr, Welton.
San Jose — Salzwedel, Martin, Dayak, Doyle, Draguicevich, Emenalo, Baicher, Iroha, Espinoza, Bravo, Wynalda.
Prediction: No West Coast sweep for Stapleton — Clash win 2-0.
Sunday, July 7
Dallas at D.C. United
Location: RFK Stadium. Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. (ET). Television:
Univision. Satellite: Spacenet 3, Tr. 5.
Previous meeting: July 4 in the Cotton Bowl — Dallas prevailed 2-1 (3-1 in the shootout). The two teams split a pair of games earlier in the season.
Injuries: Dallas — M Washington Rodriguez (strained groin) is questionable, D Tom Soehn (torn ACL) is on injured reserve; D.C. United — G Jeff Causey (slightly separated shoulder), D Jeff Agoos (strained groin), D Mario Gori (strained groin), M Tony Sanneh (sprained ankle), and F Steve Rammel (bruised shin) are probable, D Mike Huwiler (pulled groin) is on injured reserve.
Preview: Dallas continues to have difficulty scoring goals — the Burn has scored just 23 in 17 games. The problems may continue with midfield general Leonel Alvarez still away with the Colombian national team. Jason Kreis and Hugo Sanchez could use some offensive help from Brian Haynes and Ted Eck. The two former Colorado Foxes haven’t put up the numbers Dallas (and former Foxes) coach Dave Dir expected. For United, John Harkes is stepping up his game — he had a potential gamewinning goal called back for offside in the late stages of Thursday’s match. Forwards Raul Diaz Arce (10 goals), and Steve Rammel (nine) are getting the job done up front, but United is still thin at the back without Olympians Eddie Pope and Clint Peay.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Dallas — Dodd, Puskarich, Ibsen, Farrer, Flores, Santel, Lozzano, Sonora, Kreis, Haynes, Sanchez.
D.C. United — Causey or Simpson, Vaudreuil, Imler, Agoos, Gori, Williams, Kelderman, Sanneh, Harkes, Rammel, Diaz Arce.
Prediction: Without Alvarez, the Burn flames out –D.C. 3, Dallas 1.
Columbus at Colorado
Location: Mile High Stadium. Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (ET). Television: WB-53 Columbus. Satellite: Telstar 401, Tr. 7.
Previous meeting: June 19 in Ohio Stadium — Colorado prevailed 3-2 in a shootout. The Rapids won 4-2 (all four goals came in the second half) in Columbus on May 19.
Injuries: Columbus — G Bo Oshoniyi (strained shoulder), D Brian Bliss (strained groin, bruised knee), M Shane Battelle (strained foot tendon) and F Brian McBride (separated shoulder) are all probable; Colorado — F Jean Harbor (broken arm) is probable, D Marcelo Balboa (strained hamstring) is questionable, F Richard Sharpe (stress fracture in right tibia) is out, D Troy Edwards (hernia) is on injured reserve.
Preview: The Columbus defense has been so awful of late that coach Timo Liekoski brought newly arrived Argenine Ricardo Iribarren on as a substitute in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay, although Iribarren had yet to practice with the team! The rugged Iribarren is touted as an excellent man-marker, which means he will probably draw the task of controlling Colorado’s Shaun Bartlett, who scored the winning goal against Los Angeles last weekend and assisted on the winner against the MetroStars on Thursday. Columbus goalie David Winner earned shootout wins in his first two starts, but he has allowed eight goals in his last two games. Colorado’s unsung heroes are Matt Kmosko in defense and Steve Trittschuh (who headed in the winner against the MetroStars) in midfield, and the Rapids must be inspired by the sight of Jean Harbor playing hard up front despite the cast on his broken arm. Marcelo Balboa’s strained hamstring kept him out of Thursday’s game, and his playing status may be a game-time decision for coach Bob Houghton.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Columbus — Winner or Oshoniyi, Clark or Michallik, Iribarren, Caligiuri, Thompson, Warzycha, Bliss, Khumalo, McBride, Paz, Marino.
Colorado — Woods, Kmosko, Hamlett, Butterworth, Henderson, Trittschuh, Kinnear, Benedetti, Wegerle, Harbor, Bartlett.
Prediction: Columbus’ hopes disappear in the thin air — Rapids 2, Crew 1.