Picking The Winners: Week 12

Another new segment making its debut on MLS Daily today is the 'Picking The Winners' challenge. That's where I choose one unlucky soul (from the soccer blogosphere) to be my opponent in a challenge to see who can correctly predict more outcomes of games from the upcoming week of MLS action.

Each correct prediction is worth one point; one pick will be designated as the 'no brainer' and will be worth two points. After the last game of the week is in the books on Sunday night, I'll total up the points from our predictions, declare myself the winner, do a victory lap around my living room and dump Gatorade on my head... or at least that's the idea.

So let's get things underway by meeting this week's first opponent. George Tanner fell in love with the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the North American Soccer League while living in the Tampa, Fla., area in the mid-1970s. He got his first taste of newspapering while following the Rowdies every day in the Tampa Tribune, and from there grew the seeds of a journalism career in which he has worked at the Colorado Springs Sun; the Daily Camera in Boulder; the Durango Herald; The Daily Independent in Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Greeley Tribune; and the Rocky Mountain News, where he was the co-author of a soccer blog by the name of FC Rocky. When Scripps-Howard closed the Rocky Mountain news in February of this year, Tanner decided to set out on his own by creating Colorado Soccer Now, a soccer blog covering everything from the U.S. men's and women's national teams to the Rapids and on down to the local college soccer scene. Every time a soccer ball is kicked in the state of Colorado, George Tanner knows about it. And you will too, when you check out Colorado Soccer Now.

Without any further ado, let's get to my winning picks (and that other guy's choices too):

New York Red Bulls @ D.C. United
George's pick: D.C. United (**NO BRAINER**)
TJ's pick: D.C. United

Houston Dynamo @ Chicago Fire
George's pick: Chicago Fire
TJ's pick: Tie

Columbus Crew @ Kansas City Wizards
George's pick: Tie
TJ's pick: Kansas City Wizards (**NO BRAINER**)

Los Angeles Galaxy @ Toronto FC
George's pick: Tie
TJ's pick: Toronto FC

Colorado Rapids @ Real Salt Lake
George's pick: Tie
TJ's pick: Real Salt Lake

Seattle Sounders FC @ Chivas USA
George's pick: Chivas USA
TJ's pick: Tie

San Jose Earthquakes @ FC Dallas
George's pick: FC Dallas
TJ's pick: FC Dallas

New York Red Bulls @ New England Revolution
George's pick: New England Revolution
TJ's pick: New England Revolution


Check back here for the final totals on Sunday; best of luck to my opponent - he's gonna need it. In the meantime, go check out Colorado Soccer Now! NOW!