Shootout At The DSG Corral

The two best striker duos in MLS, Donovan and Buddle for LA and Casey and Cummings for Colorado, face off at the Dick tomorrow night. Its a big game for both teams as LA is currently 6 points clear at the top of the West, with Colorado tied for second. A win by LA will make it difficult for them to be caught any time soon, while a win by Colorado puts the Rapids right back into it. Game time is at 7:30pm, and the best tailgate in MLS starts in the East VIP lot at 5:30pm.

Injury Report:

OUT: MID Ciaran O'Brien (L hip sprain), FWD Ross Schunk (R ACL tear)

DOUBTFUL: MID Jamie Smith (R hamstring strain)

LA has 4 players questionable so they're hurting a bit. They also have another game in Seattle on Saturday, while the Rapids are off for a week and a half after this game. I don't expect many changes from Gary Smith:

Pickens

Kimura - Wynne - Moor - Earls

Pablo - Larentowicz

Cummings - Ballouchy - Clark

Casey

The only change I expect is the return of Colin Clark in place of Wells Thompson. Thompson has had a good run, but its time for Clark to get back into the starting XI.

Key To Look For: Edson Buddle. Buddle is on fire, with 9 goals in the first 6 games. The rest of the Galaxy have 1 goal between them. Nobody has been able to stop Buddle yet, and its going to take good team defense for the Rapids to shut him down tomorrow night.

Prediction: 1-1 draw, goal by Conor Casey. I can actually see the Rapids losing this one, with as hot as the Galaxy are. Still I think being at home again will be enough to get the Rapids a point. Buddle will get one goal, but Casey will match his competitor for a World Cup roster spot.