Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy return home to close out the month of April with a match against Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The Galaxy have a 3-3 record (nine points) and sit in the middle of the Western Conference standings, as do Dallas, who are 3-3-1 (10 points).

Kickoff at Victoria Street is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by KDOC and KWHY.

Here are 10 bold predictions for Saturday's important MLS Western Conference encounter between the G's and the Hoops.

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Whatever it was that you were expecting from this weekend's Major League Soccer action was probably blown out of the water by Sunday evening.

We saw possibly everything imaginable occur during Week 7 of the 2012 campaign.

There were several red cards given out there between Real Salt Lake and the Philadelphia Union's matches.

New York Red Bulls' defense was split open by D.C. United, and there were late heroics between the LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids.

Let's not forget Toronto FC's loss—apparently some things don't change.

It was the good, the bad and the ugly for MLS teams, so here's a breakdown trying to make sense of the mess of Week 7.  

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Major League Soccer is entering into the best patch of the league's history. Attendance is up. New teams are thriving. And the quality of play on the field continues to improve. Here are the 10 more surprising storylines so far this year in MLS.

1. The continued growth of MLS 

There was already an established fan base in Montreal before the Impact's home opener, which had the largest crowd for a home opener for an expansion team in MLS history. The Impact, like Vancouver and Seattle before it, was a professional team playing in the lower division of North American soccer. There was no way to know the kind of reception the team would get upon entry to the MLS. Montreal became the 19th team in MLS only 10 years after the league was on the brink of extinction.  

2. The improved style of play

There have been complaints abound about the poor quality of play and players in MLS, but that is starting to change. The names on the back of jerseys may not be the most recognizable, but the players wearing those jerseys are certainly more talented than those in the past. MLS has grown, and the style of play has evolved from kick and chase to more organized and more fluid styles of play. With every passing year, MLS gets better, and more fans come on board.

3. Sporting Kansas City's red hot start

Sporting Kansas City ended last season on a hot streak before the playoffs, where it lost to the Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference finals of the MLS Cup, but no one expected the team to start the season with seven straight wins. In the first half of last season, Kansas City played only road games because Livestrong Park was under construction, and unsurprisingly, the team struggled. Hopefully for Sporting fans, the team doesn't do the opposite and tank the second half. 

4. Los Angeles Galaxy's slow start

The defending champs—regular season and MLS Cup—have looked sluggish out of the gate. Landon Donovan can't seem to stay on the field. David Beckham seems to be struggling. And the absence of Omar Gonzalez in the center of the Galaxy defense has the team on edge. Losing at home to a New England Revolution team in the midst of a complete revamping was almost unimaginable at the beginning of the season. But it happened. 

5. Young coaches continue to succeed

In 2007, Real Salt Lake took a chance. The Royals fired head coach John Ellinger and hired a recently retired Jason Kreis, the first player the team signed, to take over. At the time, Kreis was 34-years-old and had no experience coaching. It was a bold move. But it has paid off. RSL has become the staple franchise in MLS under Kreis.

Since then, D.C. United hired the team's former midfielder and captain Ben Olsen, who has been successful in turning the team around. The New England Revolution hired former defender and color analyst Jay Heaps after a disappointing 2011 season, making him the second youngest coach in league history, behind Olsen. Just like Kreis, Heaps and Olsen have, in their short time leading their teams, found success in turning things around at their clubs. 

6. Sebastian Le Toux to Vancouver

Le Toux was the Philadelphia Union's best player in the team's two seasons in MLS. But that didn't stop Peter Nowak from shipping his leading goalscorer and locker room leader to Vancouver in the hopes of building a brighter future for Philadelphia, instead of focusing on the present. Le Toux wasn't happy about the move. Fans weren't happy about the trade. And Peter Nowak still has a lot of questions to answer as the team he's built hasn't performed thus far.

7. San Jose Earthquakes rolling

For the first time in the team's history since being refounded in 2008, the Quakes sit in first place in the Western Conference. Thanks to Chris Wondolowski's goal scoring and a stingy defense, San Jose has upset the balance in the West.

8. Young blood stepping up

Darlington Nagbe has talent. He has a lot of it. And everyone knew it when the Portland Timbers selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. But he has shown only small glimpses of that talent. Now, he looks like he's getting his chance, is showing what he can do and how he will light up the league in a few years, if he can get his head on straight and work hard.

Kelyn Rowe had his doubters when the New England Revolution selected him with the third pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. But the midfielder from UCLA has fit in nicely with the New England Revolution and made an impact on the league already. 

The number of youngsters like Rowe and Nagbe in MLS is abundant right now. There is plenty of talent coming through the league right now. Hopefully the players all develop like they should and help MLS grow.

9. New York's Defense, again

The New York Red Bulls have allowed 14 goals so far this season, second most in the league, one less than the Montreal Impact. New York's attacking power has not been in question for a few years now, but it's defense has been a different story. It doesn't look like things are getting any better either for Hans Backe's team.

10. MLS All-Stars to take on Chelsea

All-Star Games are an American pastime. People watch them for one reason or another. The MLS All-Star game pits the best players in the league against an elite team from Europe so those best XI can either show off what they're made of or get embarrassed by second-tier players on elite European teams. It's a terrible format and should be done away with (more on that at another time). This year, though, MLS will play Chelsea at PPL Park in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It should be an interesting affair. Just don't look into it too much.

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There are a few surprises this year in Major League Soccer. Sporting Kansas City's great start to the season is one, even though the team's talent was never in question. Injuries have been a major player already this year. And there seems to be one surprising blow out every week.

Some major movement this week in the rankings. San Jose moves up to No. 2 and D.C. United continues to crawl up the ranking with impressive performances. 

1. Sporting Kansas City (7-1-0, 21 pts.) - It was a long week for Sporting Kansas City. SKC had a midweek game in Vancouver, which it won, 3-1, and another game in Portland on Saturday, which it lost, 1-0. To win those two games on the road after playing Real Salt Lake last weekend would have been a miracle. 

2. San Jose Earthquakes (5-1-1, 16 pts.) - Yes, Real Salt Lake was down to nine men, but that's not matter in San Jose right now. Frank Yallop got his 100th win as a manager in MLS, and this put the Quakes in first place in the Western Conference for the first time since being refounded as an expansion team in 2008.

3. Real Salt Lake (5-3-0, 15 pts.) - Two stoppage time goals killed off the nine men Royals. Salt Lake will be without leading goalscorer Fabian Espindola, after he was sent off in 30th minute, and defender Jámison Olave, who was sent packing in the 69th minute, for the rest of its three games-in-eight-days tour.

4. Seattle Sounders (3-1-1, 10 pts.) - The Sounders got the week off, which isn't good for the rest of MLS as Seattle needed sometime to rest and continue to gel on the field.

5. New York Red Bulls (3-2-1, 10 pts.) A crushing loss to D.C. United wasn't in the cards. The loss really exposed—not like we didn't already know it—New York's slack and unorganized defending.

6. D.C. United (3-2-3, 12 pts.) Chris Pontius is on a tear right now. He added three more goals in a convincing 4-1 win over a New York side that previously looked like it had it all figured out.

7. Los Angeles Galaxy (3-3-0, 9 pts.) - It wasn't pretty, but the Galaxy got things done and were able to beat a tough Colorado team that matches up well and can stifle the best teams with its tough play.

8. Houston Dynamo (2-1-2, 8 pts.) - Once Houston can get completely healthy, the Dynamo should jump up the Eastern Conference standings.

9. Vancouver Whitecaps (3-2-2, 10 pts.) - Losing to Kansas City was tough at home for the Whitecaps, but right now, SKC is on a roll. Beating Dallas on short rest was a perfect way to rebound though. Vancouver has a lot of potential; now it's about finding it on a consistent basis.

10. New England Revolution (2-0-3, 6 pts.) - New England needed this week off. Injuries, illness and lots of travel have weighed down the Revs through the first part of the season.

11. Colorado Rapids (3-4-0, 8 pts.) Losing to Los Angeles was tough, but Colorado should be able to rebound. The Rapids need to turn things around because they're falling behind in the very tough Western Conference.

12. FC Dallas (3-2-1, 10 pts.) - Dallas looks like it hasn't settled in yet. Injuries to key players hasn't helped. Right now, the Hoops need someone to take control and put the team on his back. Brek Shea did it last year. David Ferreria did it the year before. Now it's someone else's turn.

13. Chivas USA (3-0-4, 9 pts.) - Chivas has been a road warrior team, but it ran into a Philadelphia Union side that looks like its figuring things out. The question now is whether Chivas win at home anytime soon?

14. Portland Timbers (2-4-1, 7 pts.) - The Timbers got just the lift they might need. After a run of disappointing results, Portland beat the previously undefeated Sporting Kansas City.

15. Philadelphia Union (2-3-1, 7 pts.) - Are the Union figuring this messy puzzle out? Or were the back-to-back wins a fluke? 

16. Chicago Fire (2-2-2, 8 pts.) - The Fire needed to beat Toronto. No team wants to have the privilege of being a winless teams first win of the year.

17. Columbus Crew (2-2-1, 7 pts.) - Columbus is still trying to rebuild, and the project still needs time to come to complete fruition. 

18. Montreal Impact (1-4-1, 4 pts.) - The Impact needed the week off. Now, hopefully Montreal can continue to improve.

19. Toronto FC (0-5-0, 0 pts.) - Another disappointing loss for the Reds. Giving up three goals to Chicago hurts any team, but it really hurts Toronto because something rare happened: Toronto was able to score more than one goal.

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On a rainy Sunday evening in front of a small but lively crowd, DC United cruised to a 4-1 victory over their Eastern Conference rivals, the New York Red Bulls.

United was able to take advantage of three first half goals to secure all three points on the night, leapfrogging the Red Bulls and taking over second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Here are six things we learned from the game.

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In what was a poor performance all around, the Red Bulls fell 4-1 to DC United at RFK Stadium Sunday afternoon.

The Red Bulls' defensive vulnerabilities finally caught up to them, as DC took advantage of numerous defensive lapses and the goals from Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper largely dried up.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Red Bulls are missing Wilman Conde, Roy Miller and even the suspended Rafa Marquez, as the short-handed squad was was ripped apart by a surging DC squad.

Debutantes Connor Lade and Victor Palsson had nightmare performances, but it will be Stephen Keel who will be singled out for his poor performance that allowed DC to build its 3-0 halftime advantage.

Player Ratings

GK Ryan Meara

Meara will look responsible for the bad score line, but truth is it could have been worse. Had some big saves late to deny DC United two goals, showing his shot-stopping ability. The 21-year-old could do nothing about the four goals proving it's the New York defense, not keeper.

Player Rating: 7

RB Jan Gunnar Solli

Was part of a right side that was the only bright spot of the Red Bulls attack for most of the match. Solli had a few good crosses including one Thierry Henry almost buried. He share some responsibility on the third goal for not closing down Nick DeLeon.

Player Rating: 6

CB Stephen Keel

Didn't close down well enough on the first goal, and was bullied by Maicon Santos on the second. Keel was slow and indecisive, and a real defensive liability. Brought off at halftime for Tyler Ruthven.

Player Rating: 3

CB Markus Holgersson

The Swede had his hands full with Chris Pontius all game. Holgersson made to look foolish on the striker's last goal, as he failed to block off the attacker as he bore down on goal.

Player Rating: 5

LB Connor Lade

Lade had a nightmare first half as he set up Pontius' third goal after a Maicon Santos cross got caught under his feet. The rookie out of St. John's was bullied off the ball in the build-up to DC's third goal. Lade's passing was erratic and he didn't really get forward. Got better as the game wore on and DC backed off.

Player Rating: 5

RM Dane Richards

Had a few good runs forward. Found Kenny Cooper in the box a few times, but the former Portland man could do nothing with the service.

Player Rating: 6

CM Dax McCarty

McCarty was part of an unfamiliar partnership with Victor Palsson, and it really showed. The ball didn't move very well through the midfield, and McCarty has to share part of the blame for that. Pressed forward into a more attacking role, he looked threatening at times.

Player Rating: 5.5

CM Victor Palsson

Another nightmare debut for a young Red Bull player. The young Icelander was bullied by Maicon Santos on the second goal and comically knocked the ball into his own box on the third as he lost his footing. Didn't defend particularly well and looked lost going forward.

Player Rating: 4

LM Medhi Ballouchy

Didn't do anything bad, but wasn't really doing anything good either. Ballouchy really drifts inside and shows no threat down the left flank. Looks much better when linking up play coming out of the middle of the park, but without Marquez, there wasn't too much of that type of play.

Player Rating: 5

ST Thierry Henry

Gave the ball away poorly on the first goal, but did his best to make up for it while struggling to spur the Red Bulls attack forward. Almost scored a brilliant goal in the 31st minute that was just deflected wide and scored a late goal off a free kick. But it was too little too late.

Player Rating: 6.5

ST Kenny Cooper

Perhaps his worst game so far as a Red Bull by Kenny Cooper. Had a few good opportunities, but was largely indecisive and ineffective. Was often too cute in the box, looking to link up with teammates instead of going at goal. Cooper's hold-up play is really one dimensional, as he looks to tap back to teammates instead of holding the ball and waiting for a good pass.

Player Rating: 4

Substitutes

Tyler Ruthven (45th minute)

Didn't play as bad as Keel, but that probably had more to do with DC than his hard work. Could have done more on the fourth goal.

Player Rating: 5.5

Joel Lindpere (45th minute)

Stretched the Red Bulls attack along the left flank. Lindpierre looked more attacking, but was unable to find an opening.

Player Rating: 6

Jhonny Arteaga (81st minute)

Didn't have time to make an impact.

Player Rating: INC

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A Chance Myers own goal was all the offense the Portland Timbers needed to knock off Sporting Kansas City 1-0 in Portland on Saturday night. It was Sporting KC's first loss of 2012 and Portland's first home win of the season.

Portland also snapped a four-match losing streak to move to 2-4-1 on the season.

Portland made the most of its domination of possession early. The Timbers earned a corner in the fourth minute. Former Kansas City midfielder Jack Jewsbury took the corner, but the whistle was blown for a foul. Referee Hilario Grajeda called Eric Brunner for a high boot on Kei Kamara.

Sporting KC's first opportunity came five minutes later. Forward C.J. Sapong took the ball down to the endline in the Portland penalty area. Sapong found Kamara near the penalty spot, but Kamara's shot was stopped by Troy Perkins.

The next dangerous chance for Sporting KC came in the 22nd minute. Following a yellow card to Timbers defender Steve Purdy for a foul on Roger Espinoza, Graham Zusi's free kick forced a save from Perkins, tipping it over the bar.

On the ensuing corner kick, Bobby Convey's attempt was gathered by Perkins and when Perkins went to throw the ball out, the whistle was blown. Grajeda tried to say Perkins could not make the throw because either Kamara or Sapong were in his way. Replays showed the ball came off of Portland's Hanyer Mosquera.

Had the whistle not been blown, Sapong would have had a good chance to score.

That lack of a chance would come back to bite Sporting KC approximately 20 minutes later.

Portland forward Kris Boyd got in behind the Sporting KC defense and as he neared the penalty area, he put in what could be considered a poor cross, considering no Timbers players were anywhere near it.

However, Myers and midfielder Julio Cesar were there. A lack of communication between the two led to them colliding as Myers headed the ball into the back of the net. Coming so close to halftime, it was a hard blow to take and led to Sporting KC's first halftime deficit.

To be fair, it cannot have been easy to hear on that end of the field, that close to the Timbers Army supporters section.

Two minutes after the restart, Portland almost doubled its lead. Diego Chara put a through ball in to Boyd who tapped it on net, but Jimmy Nielsen would make a sliding save.

Sporting KC would enjoy better possession in the second half and almost lived in Portland's half of the field for the last 15 minutes of the game. That effort almost paid off with an equalizer in the 90th minute.

A long throw-in from Matt Besler went through the hands of Perkins as he and Sporting KC sub Teal Bunbury made a play for the ball. Mosquera cleared it off the line and Perkins was able to cover up as Aurelien Collin attempted to poke the ball into the net.

After three matches in eight days, Sporting KC will have two weeks until their next game. They will host the expansion Montreal Impact at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday, May 5th at 7:30 p.m. CDT. The game will mark the return of longtime Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud, traded to Montreal to reacquire defender Seth Sinovic. Sinovic had been selected by Montreal in the expansion draft days earlier.

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While Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy did silence the Colorado Rapids 2-1 on Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, it was an average performance for midfielder David Beckham, who only had three free kicks and wasn't much of a factor in the outcome of the contest.

What I will say is that Beckham has stamina. In spite of getting injured in the second half, Beckham was able to see the match off. Beckham started on Saturday while suffering back issues, and should be commended for even being on the pitch. He has stamina.

What he didn't have was the ability to find open teammates to receive the free kicks. Mike Magee came the closest in the second half but failed to connect. To be fair, Beckham wasn't awarded a lot of set-piece opportunities, but he was unsuccessful in making any of them count.

"It was tough. We all felt it in the warm-up and when you go on a long run or things like that during the game, then you feel it as well," Beckham told reporters after the match.

"I think we coped with it pretty well especially in the first half. Because we kept the ball and passed the ball around well. It was easy for us. But a bit tougher in the second half. It’s a tough place to come and win and we’re happy tonight.

In matches where altitude is an issue and the need to conserve energy is a high priority, Beckham has to avoid taking chances on the long ball. Less long balls, more short passing and defending. Create some buildup. Generate some sequences. None of this 50/50 ball nonsense that will backfire on even the most accomplished a player like David Beckham.

If you want to make the final cut and get to London, you need to reduce the open play crosses and force the rest of the team to rely on each other to get results. Also, complaining to the official late in a match is not going to do you any favors.

This was an average effort from David Beckham. Being more of a leader than the hero would have fancied him better.

Rating: 7/10

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Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy were forced to withstand a late and furious comeback from Omar Cummings and the Colorado Rapids en route to a 2-1 victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

With the victory, Los Angeles even their record at 3-3 (nine points) and sit in the middle of the MLS Western Conference standings heading into next week's tilt with FC Dallas.

Every result deserves player ratings, be it positive or not. Here are my player ratings for the Los Angeles Galaxy players following their 2-1 victory.

Josh Saunders: 8.5

He is the man of the match for the penalty-kick save on Omar Cummings in the first minute of stoppage time. Aside from the goal given up in the 63rd minute to Cummings, Saunders was a workhorse in goal, making collections and playing up to his 2011 form.

Sean Franklin: 5.5

Didn't have the speed to acquit himself tonight and was beaten off the ball badly, leading to the Cummings goal. He may be the weakest link in the back line heading into next week, stay tuned.

A.J. DeLaGarza: 8

It feels great to be back. Back to full health, DeLaGarza's speed helped make some last-ditch tackles and helped win the night defensively, along with Saunders.

Todd Dunivant: 7

It was a quiet night for Dunivant, but he did the work, and his stamina was a big plus. It does help knowing that you're from Colorado, as well, so the altitude was not an issue.

David Junior Lopes: 7

An average night for Lopes. Not great, but not bad. Lopes has mobility issues and also needs to make better decisions to help coordinate with the back line. He gets pluses for speed and strength, but a minus for lack of football savvy. If Lopes can improve on the brains aspect of his game, you can expect higher ratings later this year.

Mike Magee: 8

Good chips and open-play crosses, as well as well-timed runs. Magee needs to work on his finishing. A would-be goal to his credit in the first half was ruled as an own goal, but he did have a chance in the last 20 minutes of regulation to head one in without Colorado's assistance.

Juninho: 7.5

He frustrated the Rapids midfield and was in to help create some promising sequences. No explanation necessary for a good performance from this Brazilian out of Sao Paulo.

David Beckham: 7

In spite of suffering a knock, Beckham has great stamina and was able to see the game out. Typical of someone looking to make the final cut and try his once-in-a-lifetime luck in London. Also, some of the deliveries Beckham made were slot-machine worthy. Let's see some more sequence-building, eh Becks?

Robbie Keane: 6.5

Welcome to playing a mile above sea level, Robbie Keane. Keane struggled to cope with playing at a high altitude, and was also trying a little too much to frustrate the Rapids. Someone needs to remind Keane that he is not from Sao Paulo or Rio, but from Dublin, and that he should play the game as such.

Edson Buddle: 7

Buddle was struggling to find his rhythm offensively, but he was able to hold up the play, force fouls and Buddle was instrumental on the Donovan goal. More runs needs to be made, and he needs to play up to the style of football that the rest of the team has established this year.

Landon Donovan: 8

He was the best player in the attack, and had a goal to his credit. The captain of his team with the eventual decider.

Chad Barrett: 5

He needed to chase the players a bit more; the energy and his attempts to win his battles for the ball were not helping him change the dynamics of the game.

Pat Noonan NR
Michael Stephens NR

Both Noonan and Stephens came in late; no grade is given.

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Strong start, furious comeback, tense and thrilling finish. That summed up the 2-1 victory over Oscar Pareja's Colorado Rapids for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. on Saturday.

An own goal from Marvell Wynne combined with a strike from Landon Donovan was more than enough to  hold off a furious second-half rally by Omar Cummings, highlighted by a possible Save of the Week by Galaxy netminder Josh Saunders.

No matter what the outcome, there are lessons to be learned and facts to be realized. Here are six of them.

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