Sigi Schmid makes his return to Columbus this weekend in one of the biggest storylines heading into MLS Week 29.
Schmid and his Seattle Sounders head to Crew Stadium to take on the red-hot Columbus Crew in Schmid's first visit since guiding Columbus to the 2008 MLS Cup title and leaving to take the Seattle job. Schmid is sure to receive a warm welcome, but he'd rather take the three points given the Sounders' precarious playoff position.
Two other matches with serious playoff implications include Chivas USA's visit to D.C. United and New England's trip to Colorado. A win in either of those matches would provide a significant boost to the playoff fortunes of the winners, with D.C. the team in most dire need of a victory.
The match of the weekend takes place tonight as the LA Galaxy play host the the Chicago Fire (11pm, ESPN2). The Galaxy dominated the Fire last month in their visit to Chicago, but the Fire is a much stronger road team and will look to secure its hold on second place in the East with a victory.
Here is a rundown of this weekend matches, with the Best XI individual match-ups to watch for:
TONIGHT
11pm- Chicago Fire at Los Angeles Galaxy (ESPN2). No Blanco for Chicago, but the Fire still have enough weapons to cause problems for an LA side that has lost two of its past three matches. We could get treated to a World Cup 2002 reunion as Brian McBride and Gregg Berhalter look set to collide. LA fans will settle for the return of David Beckham, which is expected to take place.
SATURDAY
7:30pm- Chivas USA at D.C. United. With their CONCACAF Champions League hopes looking dim, D.C. absolutely needs a win here to revive its playoff chances. Chivas needs to recover after last week's disappointing draw vs. New York.
7:30pm- Seattle Sounders at Columbus Crew. Sigi Schmid makes his return, and is likely to draw cheers from fans who will acknowledge that he did help build the league's strongest team. Can Seattle get more than just cheers for Sigi's return? A loss here and the Sounders could be in jeopardy of dropping into the playoff danger zone. Crew won't have Chad Marshall or Frankie Hejduk, which bodes well for the likes of Montero and Zakuani.
9pm- New England Revolution at Colorado Rapids. The Revs are reeling after the loss of Steve Ralston, but can the suddenly struggling Rapids capitalize? Colorado needs to take advantage of New England's slump and get all three points, but can the offense recapture its mid-season form?
11pm- New York Red Bulls at San Jose Earthquakes (FSC). These two MLS cellar dwellars have enjoyed strong recent runs, but the Red Bulls are the ones with a record road winless streak to snap. Can Richie Williams lead his team to another win and another step closer to keeping the head coaching job in New York?
SUNDAY
3pm- Kansas City Wizards at Houston Dynamo (Telefutura). The Wizards have been on a good run of late, but Houston is tough at home and will be favored to provide the kill-shot to KC's slim playoff hopes.
SBI MLS Best XI Match-ups to Watch
Brian Ching vs. Luis Angel Landin
Brian McBride vs. Gregg Berhalter
Landon Donovan vs. Wilman Conde
Stuart Holden vs. Jack Jewsbury
Bobby Boswell vs. Josh Wolff
Luciano Emilio vs Jonathan Bornstein
Paulo Nagamura vs. Christian Gomez
Guillermo Barros Schelotto vs. Osvaldo Alonso
Alejandro Moreno vs. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado
Shalrie Joseph vs. Pablo Mastroeni
Conor Casey vs. Darrius Barnes
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Which match are you most looking forward to seeing? Think the Sounders can end the Crew's home winning streak? See D.C. United recording a much-needed victory?
Share your thoughts below.
