Well it’s the middle of the Major League Soccer season and, now that the Con- federations Cup is over, most clubs are returning to full strength.

Although Landon Donovan played incredibly well in South Africa last month, his LA Galaxy are lingering at the bottom end of the table for a fourth consecutive season. Becks will be heading back to Los Angeles during the middle of July and it can’t seem to come soon enough for the Galaxy. Beckham had a great loan spell at AC Milan last season and, although I think he’s disappointed not to be staying with the Italian giants, he’s enough of a professional to want his club to succeed.

Newcomers Seattle Sounders have had an incredibly good start to their inaugural season, currently sitting third overall. The buying power of the owners has really proven to be a success with former legend Freddie Ljungberg turning on the class every time he takes to the field.

The New York Red Bulls have had a dire first half to their 2009 campaign, currently occupying last place with only two wins from 18 matches. It seems they are destined to follow in the same footsteps as the Galaxy after they purchased David Beckham. The Red Bulls bought Juan Pablo Angel in the hope that the former Aston Villa scoring machine would provide them with some much needed success; and, although they were finalists in last year’s MLS Cup, they have failed to produce any consistent form over the course of each season.

The results from this weekend’s matchups will be a great indicator of who will qualify for the playoffs come November. DC United are top of the Eastern Conference standings and last night progressed to the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup, along with only two other MLS teams. However, tonight was a much better performance for the Major League with Houston and Seattle both taking relatively comfortable victories. It might be a long shot, but I’m predicting that we’ll see at least two of the four lower-division squads in the semis.

BetUS has posted odds on this weekend’s games:

Friday

Real Salt Lake: -140
Draw: +240
San Jose Earthquakes: +330

Saturday

Columbus Crew: +110
Draw: +215
DC United: +215

Colorado Rapids: +120
Draw: +220
Chicago Fire: +190

FC Dallas: -160
Draw: +235
New York Red Bulls: +375

Kansas City Wizards: +160
Draw: +220
Houston Dynamo: +140

Los Angeles Galaxy: Even
Draw: +220
New England Revolution: +230

Dr’s Note: The Kansas City Wizards are fresh off their third round US Open Cup victory and look to be finding some form. They’re playing at home against the Houston Dynamo who were upset by the Galaxy in their last game, and are on the road for four weeks straight. The Wizards are slight underdogs, but I think that with Houston’s tough away schedule and demanding Cup matches, KC will come through with a tight win.