San Jose coach Frank Yallop had to think as to whether he had ever used a 3-5-2 formation – like to the one he implemented in the second half of the Quakes’ eventual 1-1 tie with Chivas USA last weekend – for a similar length of time at any point last season.

“Not with the thought of really going out to win the game [with a late comeback],” Yallop told MLSsoccer.com by phone on Friday. “I think that now, I have confidence in our ability to do anything in a game.”

CARSON, Calif. – Neither wanted it to be this way. But after tumultuous endings with their former clubs, Juan Agudelo and Danny Califf now get a fresh start with Chivas USA, and they’re looking to make the most of their new opportunity.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As Sporting Kansas City look to jump-start their offense and halt a three-game skid, help could be forthcoming from a streaky striker who’s beginning to find his form again.

Teal Bunbury, who led the club with 12 goals in all competitions last year but hasn’t yet found the net in league play in 2012, is coming off a two-goal performance in last weekend’s 3-1 Reserve League win over Chicago.

And while Bunbury insists his confidence wasn’t down before that brace, manager Peter Vermes has noticed a difference.

PORTLAND TIMBERS vs CHICAGO FIRE
JELD-WEN FIELD, Portland, Ore.
May 20, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #107)
4 p.m. PT (Galavision; ROOT NW)

The Portland Timbers return home looking for goals when they play host to the Chicago Fire on Sunday afternoon at Jeld-Wen Field. The Timbers have played to back-to-back scoreless draws, coming off a 0-0 result in Houston at midweek. The Fire are coming off dramatic back-to-back wins, coming back for a 2-1 win against Sporting Kansas City last weekend in their last match.

WASHINGTON – At this point of the season, most Designated Players in MLS are not playing for their contracts. But that is exactly the situation Branko Boskovic finds himself in, with just six weeks left on his original two-year deal with D.C. United.

“The darkest secret of this country, I am afraid, is that too many of its citizens imagine that they belong to a much higher civilization somewhere else.”
– Rabo Karabekian

Rabo Karabekian wasn’t a soccer analyst lamenting the “Eurosnob” fan phenomenon in American soccer. He’s not a BigSoccer commenter, or a Redditor or even a Twitter handle.

PORTLAND, Ore. – While the Portland Timbers haven’t exactly started the 2012 season how they wanted, there has been one positive to hang their hats on lately: defense.

The Timbers have kept clean sheets in three of their last four games, including scoreless draws in their last two. Veteran goalkeeper Troy Perkins hasn’t allowed a goal since Portland’s 3-1 loss to the LA Galaxy on April 14 – he came out with an injury in Portland’s 2-0 loss to Montreal on April 28 before the Impact were able to score.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Sébastien Le Toux has some fond memories of his time as a member of the Seattle Sounders.

The Vancouver Whitecaps attacker has some pretty good ones against them, too.

TORONTO – D.C. United can expect to see a different team when they face Toronto FC Saturday at RFK Stadium (7:30 pm ET, TSN2/watch LIVE online).

TFC won't be so laid back, so to speak, as they were on May 5 when D.C. United won 2-0 at BMO Field.

There is no question FC Dallas are struggling.

After all, the team has gone six games without recording a victory. The constant lineup changes and mental errors such as red cards, suspensions and missing key opportunities have left FCD with mush for brains.

So this week, reinforcements arrived in the form of renowned sports psychologist Bill Beswick, who met with the team on Wednesday after FCD players had a venting session with technical director Fernando Clavijo and again on Thursday to discuss the terrible funk everyone has been going through.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England midfielder Clyde Simms will miss Saturday night's match with Houston with tendonitis in his left ankle.

Simms sat out Friday morning's training session and the Revs confirmed he will not play against the Dynamo (7:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online) by listing him as out on the Friday afternoon injury report.

Each week, the MLSsoccer.com editors will share their picks ahead of the league matches. Here are their picks for this weekend's slate of games.

Make your picks and compete against your friends for prizes in MLSsoccer.com's newest fantasy game – MLS Fantasy: Pick 'Em.

UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Heath Pearce was getting treatment prior to training with Chivas USA on Thursday when he was told to go see head coach Robin Fraser.

As he walked into Fraser’s office, Pearce knew immediately something was brewing. Normally, several members of the coaching staff would occupy the room. But that was not the case this time.

MONTREAL – When the Montreal Impact twice took a deserved lead at Red Bull Arena back in March, they didn't think that it would all slip away in a resounding turn of events.

With a 2-1 advantage at the end of the first half, center back Matteo Ferrari clumsily conceded a penalty which Kenny Cooper duly converted. The second half belonged to New York, with Thierry Henry scoring twice to complete his hat trick on each side of a Mehdi Ballouchy goal for a 5-2 triumph.

CHIVAS USA vs LA GALAXY
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #105)
7:30 p.m. PT (ESPN2/Deportes; TSN2)

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Patrick Nyarko doesn’t think the Chicago Fire have been horrible.

But the Fire midfielder wouldn’t say his team has turned a corner, either, after climbing into fourth place in the Eastern Conference by gaining seven points in their last three games.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Herculez Gomez’s Santos Laguna are 90 minutes away from glory going into Sunday’s conclusive second leg of Mexico’s Clausura 2012 final.

The first leg finished 1-1 on Thursday, with Los Guerreros coming within two minutes of winning in Monterrey’s Estadio Tecnológico for the first time in 10 years. But Humberto Suazo won and converted a last-minute penalty to tie the game, narrowing Santos' slim edge.

TUKWILA, Wash. — The rivalry between the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps is already one of the most storied in North American soccer. It dates back to 1974 when both clubs joined the original NASL, continued through the minor leagues, and finally came to MLS in 2011.

UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Luke Rodgers was the reason Juan Agudelo was unable to get more playing time with the New York Red Bulls in 2011, and he may be part of the reason why the club deemed Agudelo dispensable.

A day after trading the 19-year-old forward to Chivas USA, Red Bulls general manager Erik Solér revealed that New York are once again in discussions to see if Rodgers is able to earn a visa to play in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security twice denied Rodgers a visa earlier this year due to undisclosed incidences.

COLORADO RAPIDS vs SPORTING KANSAS CITY
DICK'S SPORTING GOODS PARK, Commerce City, Colo.
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #104)
7 p.m. MT (Altitude; KSMO)

The refrain was admirable, if not entirely predictable.

Upon introducing Oscar Pareja as Gary Smith’s replacement in January, the Colorado Rapids declared the hire a transition away from the Englishman’s pragmatic approach to a flowing, possession-oriented style of play, one with some attacking panache that would be built upon a 4-3-3 foundation.   

Pareja preaches possession in Colorado

AMSTERDAM – The Champions League final isn't the only game going on across the pond this weekend, with American exports set to take aim at cup glory, a league penthouse and a long-awaited promotion.

All times listed in ET.

PORTUGUESE CUP

Sporting CP vs. Académica (Sunday, noon on Sport TV Americas)

CARSON, Calif. – Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan each have duties beyond the day-to-day grind of the LA Galaxy, and each will have different obligations to tend to after Saturday’s match against Chivas USA (10:30 pm ET, ESPN2, LIVE CHAT on MLSsoccer.com).

But both international standouts insist they are focused on the SuperClásico and helping the Galaxy snap a four-game winless streak.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs COLUMBUS CREW
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #106)
7:30 p.m. PT (CSN-CA; FS-OH)

D.C. UNITED vs TORONTO FC
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #102)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-MA; TSN2)

OBETZ, Ohio – Buoyed by the return of several players and with a modest two-game unbeaten streak, the Crew flew to San Jose on Thursday vowing to change their luck in the Pacific time zone in the next two matches. The Crew play the Earthquakes on Saturday (10:30pm ET) and at Seattle on Wednesday (10pm ET) carrying the baggage of a 2-7-6 record on the West Coast since 2009. 

Or, maybe not.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC vs SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
BC PLACE, Vancouver, B.C.
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #99)
2 p.m. PT (TSN/RDS2; KONG/KOMO2)

CHESTER, Pa. – Fresh off their best offensive game of the season, the Philadelphia Union aren’t planning on taking their foot off the gas pedal.

Hoping to snap a three-game losing skid, Philly manager Peter Nowak said he plans on starting two “or maybe three” strikers for Saturday’s road tilt against FC Dallas (8:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online) in an attempt to apply sustained pressure in the offensive third.

HOUSTON – Matt Reis seems to always bring his “A” game when he faces the Houston Dynamo.

In their opening 11 matches of the 2012 season, the Colorado Rapids have employed eight different starting lineups, mostly a reflection of a laundry list of injuries that have bombarded the team so far this year. But for Saturday’s critical home test against Sporting Kansas City (9 pm ET, watch LIVE online), head coach Oscar Pareja might be the one ringing in the changes.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs HOUSTON DYNAMO
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #101)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-NE; KPRC-2)

The following MLSsoccer.com Q&A is an interview with a member of the Emerald City Supporters (ECS) leadership, who chose to remain anonymous. Build the mystery!

As part of our continued Supporters Week coverage, Rob Jerand, a member of the Timbers Army since 2005, tackles this exclusive MLSsoccer.com Q&A. 

FC DALLAS vs PHILADELPHIA UNION
FC DALLAS STADIUM, Frisco, Texas
May 19, 2012 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #103)
7:30 p.m. CT (FS-SW; TCN-Phi)

The Impact’s defensive wall wasn’t the only thing David Beckham bent around this week.

The English legend unleashed his trademark free kick in front of more than 60,000 fans in Montreal – as well as edged out runner-up Lee Nguyen of New England on the final day of voting – en route to winning the AT&T Goal of the Week for Week 10. 

CHESTER, PA – Fresh off their best offensive game of the season, the Philadelphia Union aren’t planning on taking their foot off the gas pedal.

Hoping to snap a three-game losing skid, Philly manager Peter Nowak said he plans on starting two “or maybe three” strikers for Saturday’s road tilt against FC Dallas (8:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online) in an attempt to apply sustained pressure in the offensive third.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Chicago Fire defender Jalil Anibaba didn’t have time to sulk when he was taken out of the Fire’s starting lineup for rookie Austin Berry last week against Real Salt Lake. The second-year defender ended up entering the game in the 50th minute for Dan Gargan, who was bothered by a foot injury.

But Anibaba’s place on the bench served as a reminder of the nature of his job.

The CONCACAF Champions League has provided a wealth of new opportunities for MLS teams to cut their teeth on the international stage since its 2008 inception, but as fans of teams lucky enough to be in the tournament will tell you, those opportunities are not the only benefits North America’s premier club competition offers.

Along with the added exposure for the teams, the greatly expanded competition (from eight to 24 teams, including preliminary rounds), has offered MLS fans a new way to travel to places they might otherwise never consider going.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With Chris Wondolowski sitting on an MLS-best 11 goals in as many matches, there’s irony in the fact that perhaps the only thing that can cool off the San Jose Earthquakes’ biggest star is another famous scorer: Jurgen Klinsmann.

CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy wrapped up training on Thursday to the news that Chivas USA, their opponents in Saturday’s SuperClásico (10:30 pm ET, ESPN2), were in the process of completing a blockbuster trade for defender Danny Califf and striker Juan Agudelo.