2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 15

The United States is on the decline as a soccer powerhouse. That's only because Bob Bradley is managing the team.

The news couldn't be any more true after they side checked out in a 4-2 burro-kicking to the steroid-happy Mexican national team on Saturday in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final.

But while the USA earned its undeserving-yet-more-than-worthy reputation as the region's most overrated national side...Major League Soccer is conducting its own business from sea to shining sea.

So, without further Adu (see what I did there, readers? Wink wink?), here are this week's MLS Power Rankings.

One more thing: that goal by the Mexican Ronaldinho known as Giovani dos Santos was so good, it made Tim Howard look like the abomination that he justifiably is.

18. Portland Timbers

Woe! Woe! Woe be to John Spencer's Portland Timbers, who return to their old friend known as...the cellar after their 4-0 shellacking to FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

“I thought we were very poor," a distraught Spencer said to the media. "From the first moment to the last, we never matched them at all, never got close to them, never tackled them, never ran with them, just a poor, poor performance.”

“It was disappointing, honestly," said a dismayed Kenny Cooper. "It was definitely not the result we were looking for, so it was definitely disappointing.”

Even worse for Portland...those high flyers from Sporting Kansas City are coming...

“We have to quickly turn around and get it out of our heads and try to move on to the Kansas City game," added defender Mamadou "Futty" Danso. "They (Kansas City) came and won here so they are going to have that courage coming in to our place to play well. We should not lose back-to-back games. We haven’t won in five games, so we have to get off to a good start to the second half of the season.”

Kickoff between Portland and Sporting Kansas City at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Ore., is scheduled for Saturday, July 2 at 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by FOX 12 and estrellaTV 8.3.

17. Toronto FC

Aron Winter's Toronto FC dropped another one, this time to Real Salt Lake 3-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Maicon Santos scored a consolation goal in the 66th minute of play.

So what else is new, Dutchie?

“What can you say? We were playing against one of the best teams in MLS," an unbowed Winter admitted to TorontoFC.ca's Asif Hossain. "If you notice, I think about one and a half months ago they were playing in the final for the CONCACAF [Champions League].

"Today, Salt Lake was the best team, for me, that we’ve played against. ... The beauty of the game is that, because of a lot of injuries, you have to use some new players, and it’s normal that it’s going up and down.”

"It was very tough we didn't start well," added defender Richard Eckersley. "We needed to come straight out and get in (Salt Lake's) face but we didn't do that in the first half. Second half was a bit better, but I'm disappointed with the result. ...

"(Henry) has been brilliant in the last few weeks, we have to help each other, there's no 'I' in team, we have to keep sticking together and go at it next game now."

Just when these Reds will be rising is anyone's guess.

Perhaps the tide will finally surge in a couple of matches with the Vancouver Whitecaps at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. 

The first match, which counts in the MLS standings, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised by TSN.

Both sides return to BMO for the second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Could Mother Nature strike again? Or will divine intervention result in a long-sought-after moment of glory for struggling TFC?

Find out on Saturday, July 2. Kickoff for the second match is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Rogers SportsNet.

16. Chivas USA

Robin Fraser's Chivas USA were locked in a goal festival with the Philadelphia Union but in the end, they were doop, doop, dooped by the tune of 3-2 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.

Michael Umana opened the scoring with his first of the season in the 28th minute of play. Justin Braun recorded his fourth of the season in the 77th minute.

Up next for the Goats is a match with the Chicago Fire at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, July 2 at 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Galavision and Fox Sports Prime Ticket. 

15. New England Revolution

Good golly Miss Molly, all Steve Nicol's New England Revolution know how to do is drop games left and right. Seems to be an art form for them.

At the newly-renamed CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Wash., (for all you whippersnappers out there, you know the stadium as Qwest Field, children), the Revolution fell in predictable fashion, 2-1.

Sainey Nyassi opened the scoring with his first of the season in the third minute, but New England could not hold onto the lead.

“We started off as well as we could have hoped for. We did well to get the goal, and weather the storm in the beginning," midfielder Pat Phelan told reporters after the match. "We really didn’t give them anything until the foul on the first goal. The second goal came off our mistake, you can really look at the whole game and they didn’t create a whole lot. We made it easy for them.”

“Losing is not fun," a grim-faced A.J. Soares said. "We started the game really well and kind of got on a high. To give it away, in the first half pretty quickly, is pretty tough.”

“We can’t get a break," said a terse Nicol. "We had a couple of chances where we could have gotten a point but didn’t. I feel disappointed we put ourselves in good position in this match. The referee made a decision that changed the game. All the credit to the guy who made the kick and scored the goal, but the decision was totally wrong and changed the game.”

Really, Steve? It's times like these that the team having a rough year as it is has to cop it on the chin, even when they all feel they are right.

Next up for the Revolution is a match with Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Independence Day: Monday, July 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2.

14. Colorado Rapids

Gary Smith's Colorado Rapids were sent to the slaughterhouse by the Columbus Crew to the tune of 4-1 at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.

Conor Casey scored in the fifth minute for his fourth goal of the season. Ironically, he would be sent off in the 29th minute for a very rough challenge on Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer.

The match marked the return of Brian Mullan from his 10-game suspension.

“I thought both of the (first half) goals from the Columbus point of view were well taken," Smith told reporters after the match. "It’s unusual that A) we concede many goals, and B) were as sloppy as we were for the goals that took Columbus into the lead. It’s five games we have been beaten this season, and we have fallen foul to some decisions.

"The third goal was another bad error on our part. The fourth goal was just salt in the wound, really. At that point I think it was always going to be a long way back and a tough road back, with just 10 actual players. The third goal so (early in) the half was an absolute killer blow, I have to say.”

On Sunday, July 3, the Rapids will host the Houston Dynamo at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN and ESPN2.

13. Chicago Fire

Frank Klopas's Chicago Fire had a decent outing on Sunday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. The Fire held the New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 draw.

Marco Pappa, fresh off of CONCACAF Gold Cup duty, scored his fifth of the season in the 58th minute of play.

Up next for the Fire are a couple of matches.

Chicago will travel to Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y., for a U.S. Open Cup match with the Rochester Rhinos on Tuesday, June 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT/7:35 p.m. ET.

The Fire will then travel to the Home Depot Center for the first of two straight road contests with the Los Angeles teams, starting with Chivas USA.

Kickoff between Chicago and the Goats is scheduled for Saturday, July 2 at 9:00 p.m. CT/10:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Galavision. 

12. D.C. United

Ben Olsen's D.C. United—Charlie "Diving" Davies and all—were consigned to a 2-2 draw against the Houston Dynamo at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Chris Pontius scored his fifth of the season in the 31st minute while Davies made it 2-1 D.C. with his eighth of the season in the 73rd minute of play.

"At halftime we talked about the silly fouls, not giving away cheap ones so they can’t play to their strengths and whip balls into their big guys – we didn’t get that part," a disappointed Olsen told reporters. "Then we come out and we come out flat. 

"I just thought overall our energy wasn’t great tonight. We found a way to be up 2-1, so we should have three points; but we didn’t do enough to finish the game."

"It’s a game where I think we worked extremely hard," Davies said. "We outplayed them and we deserved all three points. We gave up a slack goal with four or five minutes left, so it’s extremely disappointed. At the same time, we have to be a little bit proud of ourselves for how we conducted ourselves throughout the game. 

"We have to learn from these experiences at home, we have to kill off games and it’s something that we really need to harp on – especially when you’re up 2-1 at home."

"We have to be tougher defensively," Pontius added. "You have to know how to handle those situations and it’s unacceptable for us to give away the lead like that." 

D.C. have a chance to fix that when they host the Philadelphia Union at RFK Stadium on Saturday, July 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

11. Houston Dynamo

Dominic Kinnear's Houston Dynamo eked out a 2-2 draw with D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Saturday.
Brad Davis, who is known more for his providing abilities, scored his second of the season on a penalty in the 41st minute of play. Brian Ching opened his scoring account in the 89th minute of play.

“It’s not a position you want to be in—down a goal—but I thought we showed some heart to battle back and not give up,” Ching told MLSSoccer.com's Darrell Lovell. “We came back twice. It shows that the team is fighting.”

As for the Dynamo manager, he was a mixed bag when asked of the team's performance.

“Yes, [I’m happy] because we were down 2-1 with minutes to go, and no [I’m not happy] because, like I said, I think we left some chances out on the field,” Kinnear said.

“All in all, when you are down a goal, all you can do is continue to fight until you get back in [the game], and that’s what the guys did tonight," Davis added "[Coming from behind] has happened a lot this year. We’ve lost games, but we still feel like we definitely need to get on a roll and we need to figure out a way to start winning some games.”

Up next for Houston is a match on Sunday, July 3 with the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET.

10. Vancouver Whitecaps

Tom Soehn's Vancouver Whitecaps fell to the resurgent Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., on Saturday.

Camilo scored his fifth of the season in the 15th minute of play.

“This game was hard to explain,” captain Jay DeMerit told MLSSoccer.com's Brandon Timko. “I thought we started well, that was our goal going out. After that, we got a bit flat.

“The penalty [in the 32nd minute] changed the game. We’ll look at that and hopefully learn from these types of things, and how we can get back into games and continue our energy because we didn’t do that tonight. We have two important games coming up.”

"We came out extremely flat, sat back a little bit too deep and we were second to almost every ball tonight – that’s the equation for losing a game,” added winger Shea Salinas. “We’re a better team than we showed. You’ll definitely see a different team come out Wednesday.  There are no excuses for how we played tonight and we’re going to turn it around for sure.”

Vancouver will look to turn the tide against Toronto FC this week at BMO Field. The first of two matches is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by TSN.

Both sides will meet again on Saturday, July 2 in the second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Rogers SportsNet.

9. San Jose Earthquakes

Frank Yallop's San Jose Earthquakes must be kicking themselves silly for not taking advantage of a man advantage and a forward at goalkeeper for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Quakes settled for a scoreless draw that may as well have been an L in D-isguise.

“We are disappointed that we didn’t get the three points today, especially playing a man up," a disconsolate Yallop told reporters. "We couldn’t break them down the way that we wanted to, and LA really did a good job crushing the space. 

"I can’t fault the guys for their effort, but we couldn’t sustain the good play we had early in the game in the second half.”

“Unfortunately, that’s the game sometimes," defender Bobby Burling added. "A bounce here and there makes all the difference. We had a bunch of chances to score, but to their credit they made some good saves and got some good bounces.

"At the end of the day, a little luck in this game sometimes is what you need and luck seemed to be on their side today. It felt like there was a lid on the goal today.”

Next up for San Jose is a match with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, July 2 at Stanford Stadium on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.

8. Red Bull New York

Hans Backe's New York Red Bulls were in a world of hurt this past week. Their horns were shattered and charred.

On Thursday, the inability to defend set pieces doomed the Red Bulls in their 4-2 defeat to the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field.

Dane Richards scored his third of the season in the 31st minute and Seattle's Zach Scott added an own goal in the 58th minute.

Unfortunately, that was as far as New York would go, as the Sounders scored two unanswered goals after that.

"Conceding three goals on corners hurt us. It's ridiculous. You can't win games that way," an irate Backe told MLSSoccer.com's Kristian Dyer. "The way we defend against corners absolutely has to stop now."

“We were trying to do something different because we’ve conceded too many goals on set pieces,” Jan Gunnar Solli admitted. “A little unlucky to let these in.”

A slightly improved performance gave the Red Bulls a 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire on Sunday. Joel Lindpere scored in the 40th minute for his second of the season.

But again, the defensive ineptitude was there in the result.

"You know, some days those bounces will go your way, others won’t," goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul told Dyer. "I think another day on a ball that makes that bounce, I would catch it easily. But once in a while the ball will take those bounces and you are left just watching the ball go in the net."

“I don’t think we talk enough, I don’t think we communicate enough on the field,” midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy said. “Even if it’s just one or two guys stepping up, leading and talking out there, we need that more.

“I think the team’s psyche right now is disappointed. Everyone is pumped at the half [with the lead] and then we let it go.”

Can the Red Bulls fix this conundrum? The next two matches will tell the story.

On Tuesday, June 28, New York take on FC New York at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.

On Saturday, July 2, the Red Bulls travel to the Bay Area for a match with the San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff at Stanford Stadium is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2.

7. Philadelphia Union

Peter Nowak's Philadelphia Union finally woke up and got right in their 3-2 victory over Chivas USA at PPL Park.

Veljko Paunovic opened his scoring account in the 48th minute of play. Carlos Ruiz recorded his fourth of the season in the 69th minute and Danny Mwanga's fifth of the season was the game-winner in the 82nd minute.

“I think, after my goal, we just said, ‘that’s it, now we can score goals,'” Paunovic told philadelphiaunion.com's Kevin Kinkead. “We just needed that confidence. We were creating so many opportunities to score, but we were unlucky. After the first goal, things opened up.”

“In the first half, I think we were stretched a lot as a team," Ruiz said. "There was a lot of space and that’s why Chivas counterattacked well. We stayed tighter in the second half. We went forward better, the midfield moved up together. We were more compact in the attack.”

“This team doesn’t stop fighting,” Mwanga told MLSSoccer.com's Dave Zeitlin. “We had so many [missed] chances and we were still fighting.”

The Philadelphia Union will next take on D.C. United on Saturday, July 2 at RFK Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

6. Los Angeles Galaxy

Step up to the plate, Mr. Mike Magee.

The magic man himself not only can play forward and midfielder, but he can also hold his own as a goalkeeper.

In his first-ever appearance between the posts, Magee made a series of stops and combined with a desperate back line, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy held the San Jose Earthquakes to a scoreless draw at Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif.

“I think I blacked out," a smug Magee said to reporters after the match. "I looked around after Josh Saunders got the red card, and I nominated myself. I did alright I guess. Looking back I have no idea why I nominated myself. 

"I had no idea that after halftime I would be back out on the field. Then it hit me that I was going back in goal, and that was pretty nerve-wracking. But Bruce gave me all the confidence I needed."

“In retrospect they could have been a little more dangerous, but our two big center backs stepped up and Magee actually did alright in goal," Arena added. "We didn’t believe we were going to win the game. We thought that what we needed was to play for a tie. 

"I think if we got a point out of this game in normal circumstances it would have been good, so we’re elated with the point.”

Next up for the Galaxy are a couple of important matches.

On Tuesday, June 28, the Galaxy take on the Los Angeles Blues in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup at Titan Stadium on the campus of California State University, Fullerton. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.

Los Angeles return to league action on Monday, July 4, Independence Day when they host the Seattle Sounders. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

5. Real Salt Lake

The Monterrey hangover is officially over for Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake, who demolished Toronto FC 3-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Alvaro Saborio scored a brace in the 42nd and 60th minutes. Nat Borchers opened his scoring account in the 39th minute of play.

“[Álvaro Saborío] is part of our family and we support him," Kreis told reporters. "I know it’s been a difficult first stretch of the season for him, I know it’s been a very difficult ending of the Gold Cup for him, but it doesn’t matter – he comes back to open arms here. 

"The very next day after the last match of the Gold Cup, I was a little alarmed to see him in the locker room. He was here doing his regeneration on the bike, taking care of his body with a smile on his face, so credit to him for that … this is the beginning of Alvaro’s season.”

“I work hard and I try to help the team every time," Saborio said. "I'm starting to score goals and I'm happy about that.”

"I think we labeled this one as a must win game, and it definitely was," Borchers added. "If we came out of this game with a tie or a loss, we would really have to look at ourselves in the mirror and question ourselves. I think we're very, very happy with this result and we can move forward with some confidence.”

A couple of contests await RSL as they deal with life after the hangover. Up next is a match with the Wilmington Hammerheads in the U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. MT/9:00 p.m. and can be heard  locally on ESPN 700, ESPN Deportes 1600 AM and Juan 106.1 FM.

Real Salt Lake return to league play on Monday, July 4, Independence Day when they host the New England Revolution. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN and ESPN2.

4. Columbus Crew

Robert Warzycha's Columbus Crew walked all over the Colorado Rapids at Crew Stadium on Sunday.

Oh, Polska Bob, whatever could be the winning formula for America's Hardest Working Team?

“More than anything, it’s consistency," Warzycha said to reporters. "We had a good performance in Houston. We scored two goals and didn’t give up any. We had a good performance tonight against the current MLS champions, and to be able to score four goals and dominate the game is very encouraging going into July.”

Goalkeeper Will Hesmer agreed with the sentiments of the manager.

“I think we are starting to become more consistent," Hesmer said, "and I think we are finding a style of play and guys are putting the ball in the back of the net and that’s really the difference.”

The U.S. Open Cup is next for the Crew, and their opponents are the Richmond Kickers. Kickoff at Crew Stadium is scheduled for June 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET. A broadcast of the match can be heard on TheCrew.com.

Columbus return to league action on Saturday, July 2 when they travel to Frisco to take on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by ONN-TV.

3. Sporting Kansas City

Somebody in Kansas City, Kansas get T-Pain, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and Mr. DJ Khaled on the phone, pronto. 

Why do you ask? Well, all Peter Vermes's Sporting Kansas City does is win, win, win no matter what. Sporting recorded a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Livestrong Sporting Park on Saturday.

Omar Bravo recorded his third of the season in the 32nd minute of play off a penalty. Julio Cesar opened his scoring account in the 40th minute with the eventual game-winner.

“The change is obvious now,” Bravo told SportingKC.com's Andrew Wiebe. “The responsibility, the attitude and the discipline has changed with these games. We’ve been a lot more positive.”

“It’s great,” Sporting's Matt Besler said. “It feels good. It feels good.”

Sporting takes on the Chicago Fire again at Livestrong Park. Wait a minute, am I seeing this right? Again!? That couldn't happen again, right? What happened to history? What happened to the scoreless draw? What happened to the...oh, it's just their PDL side.

Kickoff between Sporting and the Fire Premier in the U.S. Open Cup is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at 7:30 p.m. CT?8:30 p.m. ET.

Sporting will look to continue their attack on the overall standings when they travel to Jeld-Wen Field on Saturday, July 2 to take on the Portland Timbers. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. CT/11:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by KSMO-TV.

2. FC Dallas

Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas routed the cellar-dwelling Portland Timbers 4-0 at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday.

Zach Loyd opened his scoring account in the 33rd minute, George John scored his second in the 38th minute, Brek Shea notched home his seventh of the season in the 58th minute, and Ruben Luna wrapped up the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 85th minute of play.

“I think all of our players really stepped up tonight,” Hyndman told FCDallas.com's Robert Casner. “I think everybody had a good game, and I think we need those type of performances to continue to get those three points.”

“There are dangerous players on set-pieces that we haven’t taken advantage of,” Hernandez said. “I was just glad to get them some services tonight.”

Hernandez was responsible for setting up two of the goals on Saturday.

“There were several guys that had really excellent games tonight,” Hernandez added. “I thought, as a whole, we all played a great game and we just kept putting pressure on Portland. It’s a tough place to play with the heat and I thought everybody that participated did a great job.”

FC Dallas will look to continue their form with a couple of matches this week.

The Hoops take on high-flying USL PRO side Orlando City in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 28 at Pizza Hut Park. Kickoff at the oven is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET.

FC Dallas will then host the Columbus Crew on Saturday, July 2 in Frisco. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

1. Seattle Sounders FC

Sigi Schmid's Seattle Sounders had a solid week, to say the least. A lot of S's, no second-guesses.
Well, maybe if you're on the losing end.

On Wednesday, the Sounders hosted the New York Red Bulls at the newly-renamed CenturyLink Field and routed them, 4-2.

Roger Levesque was the hero, opening his scoring account with a brace in the 67th and 78th minutes. Erik Friberg opened the scoring with his first goal of the season in the 11th minute and Osvaldo Alonso made it 2-0 Seattle with his second of the year in the 12th minute of play.

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller was all smiles when asked of Levesque's performance.

“I’m so proud of him,” Keller told SoundersFC.com's Matt Gaschk.  “Nobody works harder.  He’s a great team player, a great guy in the community.  You love to see great people have success and Rog came on and made a difference for us today, which was tremendous.”

“I got in two good spots and the ball went in.  If you always find yourself in front of the goalie, you give yourself a good chance,” Levesque said.  “He took a little extra touch, and the ball got caught up in his feet.  And then I got a good bounce in behind him.  Hopefully, I don’t miss that one.”

More of the same came from Seattle on Sunday, when they disposed of the New England Revolution 2-1. Tyson Wahl opened his scoring account in the 34th minute while Alvaro Fernandez delivered the game-winner in the 40th minute of play.

“We’re finding different ways to win games.  Today we had to come from behind.  We went down 1-0, maybe we weren’t attentive enough early in the game.  We had a little bit of a mental breakdown and they scored,” Schmid told Gaschk.  “I felt we showed good character.

“The understanding with each other is starting to get better. More so than anything, their belief and confidence in that we’re going to find a way to win.  We’re down 1-0 and we’re two or three minutes into the game, but we’re going to figure it out.  We’re going to figure it out and get it done.  

"It’s a belief that’s starting to come through.  That’s important.  Different guys stepped up and did what they needed to do.”

The possibility of Seattle reprising their U.S. Open Cup success against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the quarterfinals at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash., is a strong possibility. 

Unless the Los Angeles Blues and the Kitsap Pumas have something to say about that...

Kickoff between the Blues and the Pumas in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup at the Starfire Sports Complex is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET.

That match will be a prelude to a blockbuster encounter between the Galaxy and Sounders on Monday, July 4, Independence Day at the Home Depot Center.

The Sounders are going to be buoyed by a lack of depth at goalkeeper for Los Angeles. Will it lead to their first-ever victory over the Galaxy in league play? Stay tuned....

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.