Landon Donovan, Ante Razov, etc. -- the smart money may be on Peter Vagenas.
"Big goal scorer" doesn't exactly appear on the Galaxy midfielder's resume. But he has three in the series, which ties him with Herculez Gomez (now at Colorado) and Razov for most in the rivalry.
ON THE DOCKET: The league's technical committee, assembled last year, in part, to give MLS coaches a louder voice on important matters, will meet within the next month to begin evaluating the league's competition format.
The 16-person committee, which counts Red Bulls manager Bruce Arena, Los Angeles Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas and Columbus head coach Sigi Schmid among its prominent members, was commissioned last year by the league's powerful competition committee to periodically study selected matters and make recommendations.
It hasn't met formally since last November. Any changes in league format would be steered through the competition committee - dominated by league presidents and owners -- then require official approval from the league's board of governors.
MONDAY NIGHT "FOOTBALL":Fans will have to wait until Monday to discover who is starting in goal for Real Salt Lake, where veteran Nick Rimando's hold on the spot seems tenuous at best.
Manager John Ellinger has measured his comments carefully this week, acknowledging only that it's a topical discussion but saying little else.
And about the unusual Monday night appearance: the game was originally to be played on Saturday. But the NCAA Gymnastics Championships are on the University of Utah campus this weekend. A game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, also on the university's campus, would have created too much congestion.
CLOSE CALL IN 'BIG D': FC Dallas goalkeeper Shaka Hislop had an eventful week - and it had nothing to do with the club's loss to the New York Red Bulls.
A large tree fell on Hislop's home in suburban Dallas as strong storms passed through the area earlier in the week. Much of the damage occurred in one of his children's bedrooms. No one was hurt, but Hislop, his wife and their four daughters have had to stay elsewhere while significant repairs are made.
Hislop will start one more match before being challenged for his position by Dario Sala, the club's starter in 2006. Sala is serving a six-match suspension for his part in a brawl following last year's playoff loss to Colorado.
BIG DAY AT BMO: Toronto FC's early struggles might persuade future expansion outfits to reconsider how they arrange a new club's introduction to MLS.
Toronto FC requested the heavy slate of road games to open play. They wanted to ensure that spanking new BMO Field was 100 percent ready to go. But they also wanted a little cushion of two or three regular season matches to get their act together on the field, hopefully making for a better debut in front of the home fans.
And, of course, there are plenty of them, as the 14,000 season tickets have ensured a big turnout not only for the sold-out opener, but for the 14 subsequent home matches.
But the team's slow start - three losses, no goals for and nine against - has put Mo Johnston's men in a slightly awkward position. The team's splashy home debut may be just a little more subdued because of the team's early stumbles.
No team can expect much success in opening with three matches on the road - much less an expansion outfit with a tough hill to climb anyway.
CLOSING WINDOWS: With the league's early transfer window now closed, the next period in which MLS teams may add international talent begins on June 15 and extends through Aug. 15.
That's significantly earlier than past years. In 2006, the window ranged from July 15-August 15. Two years ago, it went from Aug. 15-Sept. 15.
MLS officials say the earlier date helps align the league with the rest of the world. More players are available during an earlier window, as most global player movement happens during June and July.
Plus, MLS gets the added benefit of utilizing any summer acquisitions for a longer period of time. Two years ago a player who joined close to the Sept. 15 deadline had just six weekends to integrate and make an impact prior to the playoffs.
BUSY DAYS IN FRISCO: No stadium crew will be busier than the one at Pizza Hut Park this weekend.
Immediately following Thursday's ESPN2 nationally televised game between FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls, workers began prepping the stadium for a Jimmy Buffett concert on Saturday.
As soon as all the Parrotheads (as the singer's loyal fans are known) vacate late Saturday night, workers will begin the hurried transition from concert venue back to soccer stadium once again. Steve Nicol's New England Revolution meets FC Dallas in a 2 p.m. CT match on Telefutura.
FC Dallas spokesman German Sferra said the tight timetable calls for the field to be ready by noon - two hours prior to kickoff. While that leaves little margin for error, FCD officials are confident they can pull off the quick turnabout, especially given predictions of ideal weather this weekend.
The concerts at Pizza Hut Park are proving quite beneficial to the FC Dallas bottom line. Two weeks ago, an all-day rock show brought more than 28,000 through Pizza Hut Park. (The field is covered during concerts, and the material chosen has generally protected the field so far.) FC Dallas officials expect a similar crowd for Buffett this weekend.
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
