Welcome to the reviews and previews of this week's MLS action — All-Star Edition! And while the game against Roma was a chastening experience for anyone expecting the MLS team to turn into world-beaters within one training session, we did have the Commissioner pull a rabbit out of his hat in suggesting that MLS wanted to add four more teams by the 2020 season. Speaking as someone who spends his Thursday hunting down predictions and weekly summaries from the herd of whimsical cats that is 19 team reps I think the expansion to 24 (counting NYCFC) is a good idea. I'm wholly behind it and it's a good idea. I support it.  Back to the grindstone for 18 of the existing 19 teams this weekend. Not more names in shiny silver lettering for their star played either, just the start of the turn for home now that the All-Star is out of the way and we're into August. There may be some residual firework smoke left lingering at Sporting Park though — and if there isn't, Sporting KC and New York might create some fireworks of their own as they contest the top of the East on Saturday evening. About an hour later, D.C. (not currently contending the top of the East by any stretch of the imagination) will host a Montreal team slowly rounding back into form.  Philadelphia and Chicago welcome their two All-Star talisman of Jack McInerney and Mike Magee back to face each other, while Colorado and RSL look set to play what might be the most competitive Rocky Mountain Cup gem for some time, with the Rapids back in form, and RSL for all that they've lost their last two deep in injury time, welcoming back the likes of Beltran, Rimando and Beckerman. Sorry, did I say this was All-Star Edition? It is, but it's also Gold Cup Edition! A week is a long time in soccer…  The Dynamo will try to squeeze out some goals against the Crew, who are under new ownership, having finally severed their ties with the Hunt family — who'll always have Dallas. Dallas themselves go to Seattle, with both sides looking to get some kind of grip on what currently looks like a greased pole in the West. San Jose host Chivas hoping to keep them firmly at the bottom of that, er, pole, while they themselves carry on their heroic struggle with mathematical probability in trying to make the playoffs again.  The last game on Saturday sees Portland take on the Whitecaps in Cascadia Cup action. Will Johnson and Camilo spent the early part of this week being real friendly like at the All-Star. Now Camilo can get back to the business of trying to score goals, and Johnson can get back to the business of chasing him all over the park to try and stop him. Finally on Sunday, New England and Toronto FC will spend 80 minutes regarding each other warily in the hope that the other scores and they can demonstrate their new-found ability to win by coming from behind late.  Never late, always on time and guaranteed never to spell Ottawa wrong, our cast of fan reps, bloggers, podcasters and writers representing each of this weekend's competing teams. See what they have to say about their teams' fortunes this week below, have your say in the comments section, and then check back in with us on Monday to find out what we learned in our Just After All-Star Week Five Things We Learned Pre-Expansion Special.  All game times are listed as ET  Saturday, 6:30pm, Sporting Park, NBCSN  Malena Barajas, Women United FC, Kansas City:  Sporting Kansas City, now leading the Eastern Conference by one point, face second-place New York Red Bulls at home this weekend. Montreal Impact ended SKC's six-match unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory last weekend at Stade Saputo scoring the winning goal in stoppage time. SKC will see several players return to the pitch after absences due to international duty (Matt Besler and Graham Zusi) and yellow card accumulation (Aurelien Collin).Besler, Collin and Zusi all played in Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game in front of a crowd of 21,175, the largest Sporting Park has yet seen. Zusi left the match in the 24th minute due to a quad injury. Both Zusi and SKC Coach Peter Vermes, who also coached the All-Stars against Serie A side AS Roma, characterized the substitution as precautionary, yet as of this writing, it is questionable whether Zusi will play Saturday.New York Red Bulls is winless in the last five matches against SKC, during which it has netted only one goal. Against Real Salt Lake, its opponent last week, NYRB were forced to make a comeback after leading 2-0 going into the half. That match ended 4-3, with NYRB's third goal resulting from a penalty kick.These two teams have had this fight many times. SKC will have to be aggressive and hold a lead that cannot be lost in the last few minutes of the match. An inspired NYRB Dax McCarty is a dangerous Dax McCarty.  Tim Hall, author of "The View from 101" blog, First Touch:  Just as Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke seemed to have settled on a fairly consistent starting lineup, a horror tackle will sideline Tim Cahill for roughly the next month, and Petke has to rearrange everything yet again. As of now it appears Eric Alexander will slide into the center of the field and give his spot out wide to Lloyd Sam. It may not be the worst change overall, as Sam brings a measure of pace into the lineup, but again New York will have to gel again. It's that lineup that heads now to Kansas City for a battle to lead the Eastern conference. The Metros have never won in the Arena Formerly Known As Livestrong Park. It will be interesting to see how the crowd and Sporting KC players come out after hosting the MLS All Star Game midweek. If the Red Bulls can catch Kansas City in a bit of a hangover and steal all three points, New York would, however temporarily, be in the driver's seat for the number one seed in the East.  Kim Kolb, Screaming Eagles, D.C. United:  While United seems to have lapsed back into the same troubles, midfielder Luis Silva has been delivering in his two games, he's rocketed up the United scoring charts. Sure, you don't need a rocket to do that this year, but he has scored twice and is connecting well in the number 10 role. If United's main weapons ever get healthy this team could produce some potent offence. On the other side of the ledger, goalkeeper Bill Hamid has returned from travelling with the Gold Cup squad where he presumably worked up a sweat in training since he didn't get any playing time. Montreal arrives at RFK this weekend to take on United's defense, but all eyes are on Wednesday as United travels to Chicago for the US Open Cup semi-final, so minutes will be managed in the MLS game.  Sofiane Benzaza, Mount Royal Soccer:  Kansas City was the theme of the week of the Montreal Impact.  Breaking a winless and scoreless drought, the Montreal Impact needed a last-minute goal to beat Sporting Kansas City. In what was the best constructed play of the game and the season, the Impact were dominated for most of the game. Going for a quick counter-attacking style at home, Marco Schallibaum showed respect to a KC team known to impose its style of play home and away.  Getting back to winning was key and as advertised when Schallibaum was brought in: the Impact need to win now and at all costs. Whether it is ugly or as beautiful as a swan, the way the Impact win is not a big concern when making the playoffs is difficult. Still very early in its process of getting better long-term, the signings of Hernan Bernardello and Adrian Lopez are a sign that Montreal is going for experienced but younger players for the now and for the future.  Kansas City was the destination of Patrice Bernier and Marco Di Vaio as both Impact players represented their club at the All Star Game. The 3-1 loss to AS Roma is something to forget as per performances. But, the focus is back on the East coast as the Impact goes to the US capital to face D.C. United.  What looks like an easy game , when you look at the standings, is not of concern for the Impact. Winning is the only objective whehter it is against the top of the league or the bottom.  Dan Walsh, Philly Soccer Page:  Philadelphia Union come back from the short All-Star break on a high note. They picked up a big road win in Vancouver with the benefit of yet another opposition red card, the eighth in the Union's last 14 games. Jack McInerney played in the All-Star game. Midfielder Michael Farfan appears to be regaining solid form. The team sits three points out from having the best record in the entire league. And Union midfielder/defender Matt Kassel wrecked Brek Shea's knee in a friendly against Stoke City.  OK, so that last one isn't exactly a high point. File this one under the stuff happens category. It was a rough tackle, but Shea brushed it off as simply part of the game, crushed as he was emotionally by the play. He and Kassel have played each other before and are on friendly terms. Kassel apologized. Hopefully, Shea recovers quickly.  With this weekend's game against Chicago, the Union face a team on the rise that will likely fight them for a playoff spot. Whereas Chicago has resolved its roster issues with acquisitions of Mike Magee and Bakary Soumare, the Union's cleanup process is slower due to lingering salary issues that will clear next year. Their current midfield, as weak as it has generally been, is the best they will get. But with their forwards and back five in good form and calls continuing to go their way, who knows how far the Union can go? Is the Supporters Shield unrealistic?  Scott Fenwick, Man on the Fire:  If you use the Eastern Conference table as a lone piece of evidence, you might argue the Fire's chances of making the playoffs look pretty good. Chicago sits a mere five points off fifth place and holds a game in hand on current resident New England. Plus, in the coming weeks, the Fire gets a crack at the teams now sitting in 4th, 3rd, 5th, 1st, and 6th, respectively. Theoretically, the Men in Red could launch themselves into the MLS playoff mash-up with a couple wins and draws during their upcoming stretch of games.Indeed, a lot of things could happen during the next month or so. The Fire could start beating winning teams. It could tighten up its defense. Sean Johnson could make world-class saves over and again. Chris Rolfe could score some goals against quality opposition. New DP Juan Luis Anangonó could take the toro by the horns and start scoring at will. Sherjill MacDonald could leave town. The front office could obtain a needed international roster spot and spring for a bona fide central attacking midfielder before the transfer window closes. Et cetera.Problem is, I don't believe enough of these things will happen in order to get Frank Klopas and company where they want to be. With 14 games remaining, I think Fire Nation is in store for a repeat of 2011: an awful start to the season that forced a mad, desperate scramble to the end and saw the club fall just short of postseason play. I hope I'm wrong.  Saturday 8:30pm, Dick's Sporting Goods Park  Is this the weekend the Corporate Sponsor Rocky Mountain Cup returnsto Denver? Many believe so, but most supporters have wretched memoriesof the cup heading to Salt Lake just as it seemed destined for thebeautiful side of the rockies. With the 'Pids are playing well andonly needing a draw, they won't have a better chance than this weekendto take the cup back. As is if this game needed more pressure, theRapids sit just three points behind their neighbors at the top of thetable. While the Rapids seem to be organized on the field, they arethe complete mess off of it. The Rapids front office seems to haveMerritt Paulsen envy and figures the way to generate buzz is to spreadtransfer rumors, botch transfers and get extremely defensive about anycriticism. The front office is so disorganized I'm actually amazedthat the lights in stadium come on. Perhaps the cup and few beers willprovide a distraction.  Matt Montgomery, Under the Crossbar, RSL:  After conceding late goals in consecutive weekends, Real Salt Lake is looking to get back into the swing of things — and, given they somehow have managed to stay atop the league following the two losses, the panic button ought not be pressed yet. But with Colorado looking on Saturday to garner their first Rocky Mountain Cup somewhat-of-a-trophy grab since 2006, they're sitting but three points back in the standings, the going won't exactly be getting less rough.  But those concerns are mitigated by the return of two of RSL's most experienced pieces: Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman, both of whom made their marks on the Gold Cup-winning United States squad in a substantial way. Tony Beltran, who was also away on Gold Cup duty, will sit this one out through suspension. The two returnees, though, come back with plenty of time under their belt and a priority that might make Saturday's rivalry match a no-go: With Real Salt Lake playing a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday, recovery time from a busy international tournament is at a premium and may indeed be necessary. And given both players featured in the MLS All-Star Game this week, they may need it even more.  Room for plenty of encouragement exists, though: Alvaro Saborio is back from international duty and firing on all cylinders, having scored a hat trick last week, and the galvanization that should have taken place after conceding another late winner will toughen the squad for the run ahead. The former, a gain in the short-term, will help on Saturday; the latter, a gain in the longer-term, may not be seen until late in the season.  As one might expect, the lead-in to Saturday presents plenty of questions and woefully few answers.  Saturday 9:00pm, BBVA Compass Stadium  Stephen Eastepp, Dynamo Theory, Houston:  In Houston right now, things are all about keeping pace. The Dynamo went from being a strong contender in the Eastern Conference just a short time ago to a fringe team at the moment. Last week, the Dynamo played a huge game at home against the Chicago Fire but only managed to get a draw in BBVA Compass Stadium.  The sad thing about the performance is how it happened. Cam Weaver broke the scoring drought for not only the Dynamo forwards, but more importantly for himself midway through the second half. How did the Dynamo respond? Two minutes later Mike Magee equalized and the rest is history.  Corey Ashe was back for the Chicago match and now Will Bruin is back in the mix after an inactive Gold Cup campaign. Bruin didn't see minutes in a match under Jürgen Klinsmann, but hopefully a break from his everyday routines in Houston has cleared his mind and he's ready to recapture his early season form.  The Dynamo don't really have a golden opportunity in front of them against Columbus… it has become a must win. Houston can't afford to drop more points (especially at home) to East opponents. You can't control the results around you and last week was unkind to the Dynamo as they got pushed out of the playoff spots and currently sit sixth in the East.  Big game – yes. Must win – yes. Attitude to make it happen – we'll see.  Ian Frasier, Crew Union, Columbus:  This week an unexpected bombshell provided a nice distraction from the on-field dumpster fire that is the Columbus Crew. After owning the club since its inception, the Columbus Crew are no longer owned by the family of the legendary Lamar Hunt. Lamar Hunt will always be revered in Columbus but fans are happy to have a new owner who will be dedicated to one club. There is plenty of optimism for Columbus under Anthony Precourt and PSV. The Crew are their first venture into sports and they seem to be eager to make their mark. PSV will look to increase the stature (and value) of the club so this should bring along changes throughout the organization. After last week's loss, this club seems to be at rock bottom in the current era and a breath of fresh air is needed. With change comes uncertainty. The biggest fear is that the non-local PSV have their sights on moving the team. Are the Crew just another investment or will they be a trophy for Mr. Precourt to take pride in? If they are an investment, unless a new downtown stadium can be achieved, I think people are right to fear a relocation. Without a new stadium, they will be relying on the league to continue to rise with increased interest as the only means to see real appreciation in their investment. Only time will tell how this plays out. For now, Columbus are not a good team so get to work.  Saturday 10:00pm, Buck Shaw Stadium, Unimas  Robert Jonas, Center Line Soccer, San Jose:  The Earthquakes couldn't wait to turn the page on the calendar this week, as a difficult season so far enters the month of August with good news all around (we'll leave the announced delay in opening the new stadium for another time, okay?). With the Gold Cup over, both Chris Wondolowski and Alan Gordon make their way back to San Jose. The new month also brings the introduction of roster reinforcements with the addition of national teamers Clarence Goodson (USA) and Jaime Alas (El Salvador). Finally, the threadbare cupboard from which interim coach Mark Watson has to build his starting eleven presents a pleasant smorgasbord.  July was not the worst of times for the Quakes. In fact, since returning to Buck Shaw Stadium mid month, the team is undefeated. Three point results against Portland and Seattle signified the first time all season San Jose has won consecutive games -- no other stat reveals so clearly the struggles of the defending Supporters' Shield winners. So how to start August? With a visit of cellar dwellers Chivas USA. The sentiment around the club this week is that pushing their winning streak to three is not just likely, but required. Even with Alan Gordon and Marvin Chavez suspended for the match against the Goats -- Wondo and Alas can step in to their roles -- this must-win match seems comfortably in hand.  Alicia Ratteree, The Goat Parade:  I think the mood around Chivas USA this week is of two minds, probably akin to that of the fanbase's split opinions about the ongoing racism and discrimination charges at the club. The Goats lost 2-1 to Seattle last week, a game on the road (where they have never beaten the Sounders) in which they took the lead but could not hold on. On one hand, the play is certainly in the realm of competitive now, which is a great sign, but Chivas just look to have too many holes in the lineup yet to really pose much of a threat to most of the teams in the league.  That makes the San Jose match pretty intriguing, honestly. The Quakes have struggled mightily this season, but they still sit a full 10 points ahead of Chivas in the standings. Attackers Alan Gordon (who has a knack for scoring against his former teams) and Marvin Chavez are suspended, which should help Chivas, but a rejuvenated Chris Wondolowski is back with the team after a month's absence due to the Gold Cup. Chivas are doing better in scoring with Erick Torres now on the field, but sooner or later teams will just focus on shutting him down, and the Goats need to get the other players involved in the scoring. Can Chivas get a win at Buck Shaw? Yes. Will they? Uh...I'm not sure of their prospects.  Sam Chesneau, Gorilla FC, Seattle:  The Sounders are slowly getting their rhythm back after an abysmal month of July. Between national team call ups, red cards and injuries, its been a rough patch of matches for the rave green. With most of that out of the way, they are now facing a team that has plummeted in the standings since the last time they matched up in FC Dallas. Having a full strike force attack in Johnson, Martins & Neagle with Evans headed back to the position he's been accustomed to the previous four seasons should make for interesting matchups against a Dallas backline that conceded 4 goals last time they faced each other at Century Link Field which started their recent tailspin. Eddie Johnson coming back from the Nats isn't the news, nor is DeAndre Yedlin's all-star game appearance.  The biggest news in the Emerald City right now is the restructuring of Shalrie Joesph's contract so that he is no longer considered a designated player. Not even an hour after that news surfaced, the internet went bats**t crazy and incredibly entertaining over the rumor of Clint Dempsey signing with the Sounders. The sheer amusement of the possibility alone would be probably the biggest signing in franchise history, arguably MLS' biggest signing since Thierry Henry. Speak it, write it, tweet it into existence. Make it happen Joe "Money in a duffle bag" Roth! Put that Oz money in the Spurs coffers  Gina Zippilli, The Inferno, Dallas:  Last week's Gold Cup semifinal and bye weekend momentarily lifted the weight of the world off of our shoulders. Things have been light and airy around here, but that is to be expected when a trifecta of wonderful soccer-related things occur. The USA victory, Blas Perez's goal and Mexico's subsequent meltdown were enough to make us momentarily forget about the serious problems that still surround FC Dallas.  Panama's win was bad for FC Dallas because it kept Perez away for one more game. While that game was only the friendly against Stoke City (and it is unlikely that Blas would have played even if he were available), his absence reinforced the notion that without him, our team does not score goals. Forwards Kenny Cooper, Eric Hassli and even homegrowns Jonathan Top and Bradlee Baladez have got to find a way to put the ball into the net soon. If our other forwards don't start acting like forwards, I fear that our summer slump will continue into the fall.  Our next game is at Seattle. We have won there before, but that was (a) when we had Brek Shea and (b) people in FC Dallas jerseys scored goals. The only saving grace here is that Blas Perez is back from international duty. His return might be the one thing that keeps this match from being a complete slaughter.  Roger Anthony, Timbers Army, Portland:  Last weekend's 2-1 loss at San Jose left Timber fans using words not heard since 2012 – adjectives such as "listless," "confused" and "sloppy." The club played hard for the first and final 15 minutes, and got the result they deserved. Had Portland taken care of business against a San Jose side missing both Chris Wondolowski and Alan Gordon, they'd be tied with RSL atop the division and with a game in hand. Instead, they're just six points out of eighth place. So as August begins, the Timbers stand at the top of a ski jump. They play five league matches against divisional rivals this month. There will be two tense Cascadia matches, including a trip to Seattle. Counting the Open Cup semifinal in Utah, they'll face RSL three times in three-and-a-half weeks. They go into this crucial month facing the probability that CDM Diego Chara and CB Futty Danso may miss extensive time due to injuries. Those two will be missed this weekend, when Vancouver and the elusive Camilo Sanvezzo visit Jeld-Wen Field: Portland, after all, couldn't even keep track of San Jose sniper Steven Lenhart on a free kick. Despite that gaffe, the first order of business at practice this week was a set of finishing drills. In both of the club's last two losses – against San Jose and at Philadelphia on 20 July, Portland dominated the first 15 minutes, but failed to score. Playing with a lead might be just the tonic.  Red cards really mess with a team's plans. That's what I've come to realize as I was trying to pick a team that will play this weekend in Portland.  Controversial midfielder Jun Marques Davidson got an early red against Philadelphia, and while the team responded incredibly well, we lost 1-0 in a game that we should have won.  Another midfield starter Gershon Koffie also picked up a suspension due to yellow card accumulation. Which leaves us with a weakened midfield, heading into a game against one of the best midfields in the league. Excellent.  We'll also be missing key man Kenny Miller. Oh good.  I'm not too hopeful about getting any sort of result, and mostly looking forward to sampling the stellar craft beers of Oregon. And the Korean taco joint. And ice cream. A nice shave.  Oh right, soccer... Go Whitecaps!  Julie Kumor, Midnight Riders, New England:  My last piece, caused a stir on my Facebook wall, it was seen as too negative towards the Revs. A couple wins and I am trolling the internet for Rev haters, and couple loses and I am the trolling Revs hater myself. So how can I expect consistency from my team, if I can't be consistent in my fandom? I have to love these guys good or bad, win or lose. So when a friend asked me after the Galaxy win, "will you be upset if the Revs don't make the playoffs?" At the time, I said no because they are a young team, and if they can keep the core, group Diego, Agudelo, Rowe, Goncalves , etc, I would forgive this season, but have high expectations for the 2014 season. They have a couple hard fought wins going into a game I expect them to win on Sunday. With August setting up to be a very difficult month of playoff contention teams, I want to see the Revs play consistently. I would forgive them for the loss to Houston at home if they beat KC at Sporting Park. I want them to look like a team that wants to make it very difficult for the other teams in the Eastern Conference to get points from us. I don't expect win them all, or even make the playoffs this year, but I am happy we are still in the playoff race.  Duncan Fletcher, Waking the Red, Toronto:  The big story this week? TFC win! TFC win! TFC win! It was looking bleak for a while, after not winning a league game at BMO Field in over a year, after only winning two league games all season and after never ever having beaten 'rivals' Columbus Crew at home, they went into the 85th minute trailing 1-0. With the rain having turned from steady to torrential, a good portion of what was already a weak crowd had abandoned their seats, and then it got weird. Jonathan Osorio equalised, Steven Caldwell headed against the post and then in the 4th minute of injury time, Andrew Wiedeman poked a winner just inside the post. It means nothing in the grand scheme of things of course, but it's a rare bit of joy for the fans, and being able to put that annoying 'haven't won at BMO in a year' stat to bed is a blessed relief.Now it's off to New England and again, it will be without significant improvements to the squad as another week of the transfer window has come and gone with nothing to justify management's hype, left back Jonas Elmer from Swiss second division club FC Winterthur is the latest name through the rumour mill. It's been an underwhelming month so far for preseason 2014.
Graham Parker: After the Gold Cup and the All-Star Game, the focus returns to Major League Soccer's regular season