The MLS 2010 season came to a close with Colorado Rapids winning the MLS Cup and LA Galaxy winning the Supporters’ Shield. Now that league and cup competitions are approaching their climax, Major League Soccer has gone on a break and waiting for the 16th season to start on March 15th, 2011.

Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC will make their MLS debut – taking the total number of clubs to 18. Both the Timbers and the Whitecaps will join the Western Conference and Houston Dynamo will move into the Eastern Conference.

As far as the kits are concerned, adidas is the lone supplier of the kits for all the clubs playing in the league. Because of that, questions are raised about the amount of involvement by the club in the final decision of the kits. For example, when Seattle Sounders’ third kit for 2011 was unveiled, fans and media personnel wondered whether the Sounders actually opted for electric yellow or was it forced upon them.

The general consensus is that, clubs do have a final nod in the decision of the kits they will wear. So yes, Seattle Sounders did opt for electric yellow as their third color only after joining MLS in November 2007.

You can see the 2011 MLS jerseys here for all the 18 clubs participating.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

31 weeks down, just one to go. Major League Soccer’s 14th season has had its ups and downs, goalkeeping errors and bad refereeing taking the shine off a year which gave us a superb rookie class, some wonderful goals and more surprises than Portsmouth’s directors’ box. The Beckham Experiment threw the focus on David Beckham’s return from Milan and the Red Bulls…well, they sucked.

The season has been characterised by great goals, stoppage time drama and Garber-bashing, often deserved. While it would be a stretch to declare the opinion that strides have been made by MLS in 2009 to be consensual, I think credit is due and the future is bright.

The play on the field has been exciting. It’s quick and physical, but the league has enough skillful players to give games an technical edge. This is a good league, and its continued progress is encouraging. It just feels like football, perhaps the legacy of Ivan Gazidis.

It’s not perfect. FC Dallas supporters are still highly critical of its owners – the same owners who have, in Columbus, threatened the hardcore supporters with sanctions because of their bad language. But, in general, the league seems to be pulling in the right direction. 2010 and 2011 expansion can only further that effect.

When tonight’s match between Chicago Fire and Chivas USA reaches its conclusion, the Fire’s 30 games will be complete and everyone else will be staring down the barrel of their last match of the regular season. Columbus Crew’s squad depth has seen them to the top of the table and home advantage in the playoffs. Houston Dynamo have been in touch all season and join them, while a resurgent LA Galaxy have benefited from improved squad balance and a blossoming on-field partnership between Beckham and Landon Donovan.

In their debut season, Seattle Sounders FC have been inconsistent but more hit than miss, riding the abilities of Fredy Montero all the way to the post-season. Chivas USA have gone about their business quietly but efficiently and currently top the West.

Chicago can book their place this evening but have missed several opportunities to strengthen their position. With Chivas hunting home-field advantage and even the Supporters Shield, it won’t be an easy task. Colorado Rapids are also currently in a playoff position but have been too reliant on Conor Casey’s last minute penalties of late. At this stage both should make it.

But spanning the dotted line is a cluster of four teams on 39 points. Toronto FC currently sit in pole position, but along with Colorado are vulnerable to the three teams below: New England Revolution, DC United and FC Dallas. So who’s going to triumph this weekend and top The 39 Club?

Toronto FC

TFC started the season well and coped admirably with the loss of their head coach early on to keep themselves in touch with the leaders. The inevitable plateau did arrive, but the Canadian team have plugged away and kept the positive results piling up. They go into their final game in a playoff spot, meaning their destiny is in their own hands. The same is true of Chicago and Colorado, but if you asked the Revs, DC or Dallas I’m sure they’d swap.

The supporters have said an emotional goodbye to Danny Dichio and there can be no more fitting tribute to their first ever goalscorer than to embark upon a playoff campaign.

Ordinarily, one would argue that Toronto have the easiest task of all the clubs chasing playoff spots. A trip to New York Red Bulls has promised three points for most visitors this season, but it’s always foolhardy to underestimate the power of a sense of occasion. Saturday’s tie will be the Red Bulls’ final game at Giants Stadium before the Red Bull Arena opens its doors in 2010. And who knows, maybe Thierry Henry will be the star attraction.

New England Revolution

Having written off the Revolution early in the season, I’m delighted to see them in with a shout of post-season qualification. The coaching set up at the club has been something of a double act, with head coach Steve Nicol and his right-hand man Paul Mariner steering the Revs through a much-improved second half of the 2009 season. Mariner has now departed, returning to work with Paul Sturrock as the new first team coach at Plymouth Argyle after a long stay in North America.

The long-term injury problems of Taylor Twellman have slightly taken the bite out of the Revs attack but several key players have made themselves indispensable. Shalrie Joseph is the club’s most dominant player, while Kheli Dube and Steve Ralston have contributed vital goals all season long. Kevin Alston has been particularly impressive getting up and down the right wing.

The Revs do have the advantage of playing the final game of the weekend and will know exactly what they need to do. But they have the toughest task of all the teams on 39 points, travelling to the almost impenetrable fortress of Crew Stadium to face Columbus, who – depending on Chivas USA’s results – could still need a result to win the Supporters Shield.

DC United

United are a really interesting case. Major League Soccer’s most storied club, the legends remain but their powers are on the wane. The squad is a mix of aging stars and promising youngsters, and the blend has been used badly by coach Tom Soehn in a season which promised much. That’s not to say the players haven’t let him down, but United have been undone this year by teams that have power and pace and have exposed DC’s possession-based, slower football. Ben Olsen’s best days are behind him, but Jaime Moreno has another season in him from the substitutes’ bench. The younger players, like Chris Pontius, Danny Szetela and Santino Quaranta, should have the opportunity to quicken up the side and return them to glory. Under Soehn, it seems a distant dream.

United’s ambition at the start of the season was to challenge on three fronts. Their MLS form has struggled and has not been made easier by a constant run of games through the late summer in CONCACAF Champions League action and their attempt to retain the US Open Cup. The latter reached the last obstacle but Seattle Sounders swaggered into RFK for the final and took a deserved and dramatic victory. At the time of writing, United’s CCL draw with Toluca leaves them needing a favour from San Juan Jabloteh to make the quarter finals.

United have a challenging final fixture. Travelling to Kansas City is rarely easy and the Wizards are playing with a certain freedom at the moment and dangermen like Josh Wolff, Davy Arnaud and the intriguing Zoltan Hercegfalvi have the potential to play spoiler for DC. But a win puts DC in a strong position and it’s time for the team to stand up and be counted.

FC Dallas

In the early days of the season FC Dallas looked like one of the weakest teams in the league. But when Kenny Cooper went on Gold Cup duty with the US and sealed a move to 2.Bundesliga before his return, the team rallied. Their form in the second half of the season has been a huge improvement on the first, and while their surge into playoff contention has been carried out quietly it has been punctuated by a few spectacular, high-scoring games.

Striker Jeff Cunningham has been scoring for fun since Cooper’s departure and, with Dave van den Bergh supplying the ammunition and Dax McCarty buzzing around the midfield to allow David Ferreira to flourish, FCD have been an exciting team to watch in the last few months. They’ve put six past both Kansas City Wizards and LA Galaxy and are currently on a four-game winning streak which has included key wins over playoff rivals Real Salt Lake, New England Revolution and Colorado Rapids.

Unfortunately for FCD their final fixture couldn’t be much more difficult. They travel to Qwest Field to face Seattle Sounders, a team which will be celebrating playoff qualification at the first attempt in front of its home supporters. The fact that there will be no pressure on the boys in rave green may or may not work in the Texans’ favour, but either way they’ll need to be right on top of their game to keep alive the impossible dream.

The situation is sure to be fascinating. TFC are in the box seat and play New York, but the Revs will not be relishing a trip to Columbus. DC and FCD are both capable of winning their games. With the possibility five teams battling it out for two spots, the MLS weekend should be a real cracker.

Chris Nee writes at twofootedtackle and co-hosts The twofootedtackle Football Podcast.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The glorious days of preseason football are wrapping up (thank GOD) which means that days and days of meaningless games and cups will no longer have to be ignored by fans of the beautiful game.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand the necessities of preseason football; the players have been off for an entire two months and they need to get back into shape and gain their match fitness again. The problem, though, is that no one cares.

Case in point: The Peace Cup, where literally dozens of people showed up to watch Aston Villa beat out Juventus on penalty kicks (there’s nothing quite like seeing a sea of empty yellow seats…it’s the same feeling I get when I see Florida Marlins highlights; “really?” followed by sheer pity for a team that is actually decent).

I seem to be complaining quite a bit, but that’s not what I’m getting at here. Preseason friendlies are actually a great opportunity for fans in cities around the world to see the teams that they would never have an opportunity to see unless they came to town to play in the useless and meaningless cup match. Case in point (you try and find another word for ‘case in point’): Real Madrid vs. Toronto FC.

The boys from Spain were in town these past few days to put their skill on display and boy oh boy, did they ever. They crushed Toronto 5-1 in a match that put on display the reason why MLS is never taken seriously and the vast difference in class between the two sides (but hey at least Gabe Gala has a memory for the rest of his life at 7:07). It was truly a joy to behold and made me understand why I enjoy European football more than the MLS; because it’s better…a lot better.

And yet I still digress from the point I’m trying to make. The city was in havoc over the past three days as Real Madrid’s arrival, open practice and of course the match were the centerpiece of many newscasts. And I watched in agony and disgust as all the newscasters did the same thing:

“Ree-Al Madrid are in town to take on the FC”

“FC are set to show off their skills to Los Galacticos”

One sportscaster even made the mistake of calling Alvaro Arbeloa, “ArLEBOA” (and he did it more than once) All of these things just made me cringe and writhe in agony. Although the name pronounciation is forgivable (because who really cares about Alvaro Arbeloa anyways? Sergio Ramos, that’s who; he’ll need someone to keep the bench warm) something that people don’t seem to understand here is the fact the “FC” is not a term that should be used to refer to a football club. In fact, I don’t even think that half the people in this town know what “FC” actually stands for, but that is an argument for another day.

Now if you’re reading this rant in Europe, you’re probably laughing at our North American backwardness. Not once have I ever heard Liverpool referred to as simply “FC” or Manchester United referred to “United FC.” Can you imagine that? “Hey, we’re going to Anfield to see FC take on AC in the Champions League.” It’s ridiculous! The only exception that comes to mind is the fact that “United” generally produces the image of those guys who play in red and come from Manchester in my mind. Never once has someone said “United” and I thought of Newcastle or Leeds. That may be the only exception to the rule for Europe, but if they had it their way over here, FC would have been taking on CF in a preseason friendly match. I repeat, it’s ridiculous!

I hope that the people reading this in North America are laughing as well, but I am certain that there are some out there who don’t see what the big deal is. Certainly, I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, but at the end of the day, ”FC” is not a nickname for the team, something that people have become accustomed to in North America with all these sports teams adopting nicknames (i.e. the Maple Leafs and the Blue Jays).

In Europe, from what I’ve noticed, teams do not pride themselves in their nicknames, but rather their city names. They don’t play for the Red Devils, they play for Manchester United. Over here, for some reason, you don’t play for Toronto, you play for the Maple Leafs. It’s a silly (and yet ever so cool) tradition here to give nicknames to teams (even gramatically incorrect ones) and it is an equally cool tradition to not have nicknames in European sports.

The problem, though, if you’ve ever watched a sportscast in Toronto, is the fact that no one seems to understand this. Not once have I heard them referred to as simply “Toronto.” They always feel the need to tack on the ”FC” or “TFC” or “The Reds” and it becomes slightly annoying that nobody seems to have adapted the culture of football over here. It seems as though they want the European game with North American culture, but to me that’s like feeding a dog cat food. It won’t work and until the MLS realizes this (and of course takes away that silly salary cap) it never will.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Is the MLS the most balanced football league in the world? Why does the Galaxy insist on building teams around a single player? Will Seattle recover their grove? All this and more in our MLS weekly review.

1.) Parity like no other league

I cannot think of one league in the world that has the level of parity of MLS.  The salary cap keeps teams in check, and for it, on any given day, event he worst team in the league can win a game nobody would expect them to win.  We saw that this week.  

Winless in four, FC Dallas laid into Toronto, and on the back of the do it all Kenny Cooper, grabbed a win.  The win saw them climb out of the basement of the Western Conference, one point ahead of LA.  Houston, also collected their first win of the campaign topping an inform Colorado side to move from seventh to fifth in the standings.  

In the eastern conference, New York finally got in the win column by thoroughly dismantling a strong Real Salt Lake side.  If you’re planning on placing a bet, I’d peg New York to have a good stretch coming up.  Mac Kandji and Juan Pablo Angel are finally hitting their stride.

This just goes to show that disparity between any two teams is negligent.  It’s just about which team can consistently grind out results, and put fill up the win and draw columns in the standings.

2.) Where oh where is David Beckham?

Those who said the league did not need Beckham were right and wrong.  The league didn’t need him to add to the quality of play, but they sure do need him for his media presence and the butts he puts in the seats.  The average attendance this week was 11,019, and that does not even factor in the unannounced attendance in Dallas.  Based on what I saw in the broadcast, I would say there were no more than 5,000 fans in attendance.  Yikes!  

3.) Seattle learns why MLS is so tough

Seattle jumped off to a 3-0 start, but since has lost two in a row.  They fought an uphill battle courageously after Kasey Keller was red carded last week for a hand ball outside the box, and lost on a late goal, 1-0.  This week, they faced first place Chivas USA on the road and were beaten 2-0.  They didn’t play particularly poorly, but were not the same team that dominated their opponents in the first three games.  Kasey Keller will return this week from a one game suspension, and I’m sure they will welcome him back with open arms.

4.) I’ve heard this before

I initially thought the hiring of Bruce Arena was a good move, and in all honesty, Bruce is a great coach, but the guys he has to work with are dross.  Last year the team was carried by two players, David Beckham and Landon Donovan.  This year, the team is being carried by one player, Landon Donovan.  He’s scored two and assisted on three for a grand total of five goals that he has been involved in.  That’s great production, but the LA Galaxy have only scored six goals on the season.  Credit to the man after returning from a less than inspiring stint in Germany, but really, get him some help LA!

5.) 41 and counting…

Pat Onstad came up big again this weekend.  He pulled off a miraculous penalty save with his trailing hand against Conor Casey, then had the where with all to get up and make an instinctual save on the subsequent header.  Bravo!  Not to mention he was kicked in the face by Omar Cummings as well.  At 41, you begin to wonder how long Pat can go?  I’d bet that he’ll stay in the game until Vancouver enters in 2011, and try to play his final season in his home town.  

That’s about it for the weekend’s news and notes.  Share your thoughts and comments below.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Our last column, inspired at 2AM, carefully selected winners for MLS season openers. Some were slightly off, and today we discuss why these results went topsy and what to expect down the road.

1) NY Red Bulls @ Seattle Sounders

Result: Seattle 3-0 New York
Prediction: New York 3-2 Seattle
Excuse: Seattle is a strong team, Sigi Schmid a champion coach, the fans passionate, the owners pulled the stops, but this result was better than chemistry. Hot young striker Fredy Montero triggered the magic and joyfully scored two goals and an assist. Even the glib announcers were blinded by the polish in this playoff bound team. They ate New York for lunch.

There is no excuse for New York. This was appalling. New Yorkers are heartless and largely responsible for the global economic collapse, borne of greed and corruption. They deserve this hopeless team. Learn from it.

2) Columbus Crew @ Houston Dynamo

Result: 1-1
Prediction: Columbus 3-1 Houston
Excuse: Loss of faith in virtue (see above). In a well-played game, it came down to the classic battle of two kings facing off. Brian Ching scored for Dynamo, Guillermo Barros Schelloto for Columbus. See them both in the playoffs.

2) Chicago Fire @ FC Dallas

Result: Chicago 3-1 Dallas
Prediction: 2-2
Excuse: 2AM, tequila. Cuautehmoc Blanco and Brian McBride are older, but not heading to pasture anytime soon. They both scored, Blanco ten minutes after entering the field at 79 minutes. Justin Mapp left his mark, Chris Rolfe will, and Chicago will be in the playoffs.

Dallas will struggle again this year, but Kenny Cooper’s blast from 60 yards distinguishes him from other MLS players – he’s the #1 reason to watch Dallas play. It might have been only one goal, but it was worth two.

3) Toronto FC @ Kansas City Wizards

Result: Toronto 3—2 Kansas City
Prediction: Toronto 3-1 Kansas City
Excuse: None, pretty much called it. Amado Guevara scored 2, Jim Brennan the other, and Toronto won its first season opener in its three-year history and it’s fifth away win. Expect to see more and their first trip to the playoffs. As predicted, the Wizard’s Davy Arnoud made the difference with two goals, but wins will be few and far between for KC.

4) New England Revolution @ San Jose Earthquakes

Result: New England 1-0 San Jose
Prediction: San Jose 2-1 New England
Excuse: Quakes were disorganized and should have done better, unable to tally even though three of the four Revs defenders were rookies. The replacements kept it simple and persevered, but their future depends on the fitness of sidelined Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, Gabriel Badilla, Mauricio Castro, and two incoming players from Ghana. That’s a lot of X factors for the Revs and a thumbs-down for the Quakes.

5) Colorado Rapids @ Chivas USA

Result: Chivas USA 2-1 Colorado
Prediction: Colorado 2-0 Chivas
Excuse: Paulo Nagamura not on radar. He is now, after scoring two second-half goals for Chivas in an ugly, physical match. Omar Cummings scored for the Rapids, but both these teams must improve to reach sea level.

6) DC United @ LA Galaxy

Results: 2-2
Prediction: Galaxy 3-2 United
Excuse: None. Donovan comes from behind with a header and a penalty. LA will prosper this year, DC will not. See LA in the playoffs with David Beckham. Put money on it.

7) Real Salt Lake @ Seattle Sounders — to be played March 28

New Prediction: Sounders 3-1 Salt Lake
Old Prediction: Salt Lake 2-1 Sounders
Excuse: See above. Still looking forward to the Javi and Kyle show.

USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders blow past MLS in CONCACAF tournament.

March 17, the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders trounced five-time CONCACAF champion Cruz Azul 2-0 in the CONCACAF semifinals with goals by Nicholas Addlery and Sandy Gbandi and clutch saves by Bill Gaudette. The Islanders face Santos Laguna (2-1 Atlante) April 28 in the return leg and could earn a berth in the FIFA World Championship.

They USL-1 Islanders danced past last MLS hold-out Houston Dynamo (3-0 loss to Atlante) and long outlived New England Revolution, DC United, and Chivas USA in the tournament. USL-1 Montreal Impact, cut down in the semi-finals, also went beyond every MLS squad but Houston.

How did this happen? How did these players fly under MLS radar? Coach Colin Clarke previously coached FC Dallas, keeper Bill Gaudette played for Columbus Crew, and striker Nicholas Addlery was a DC United reject. How did two teams from a lower league accomplish this with so little fanfare?

Revolution coach and former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol shared his thoughts with us.

LE: How do you explain how USL went beyond MLS in the CONCACAF tournament?

Nicol: I think it’s a fantastic result. For them to be where there are and get the results they are, it’s fantastic. The coach they have in [Colin] Clark — he’s been around, he was smart as a player and he’s smart as a coach, he has them well organized. Clearly their opponents are better paid, supposedly better qualified to win matches, but it shows you that some heart and good organization — and some ability as well — can take you a long way.

LE: Did the packed schedule hold MLS back last year or are Montreal and the Islanders really talented?

Nicol: I don’t think the MLS schedule had anything to do with it. They did well in their own right, shown that they’ve got ability, they’re well-organized and they’ve got heart. You put all these things together and it takes some beating.

MLS awards franchises to Vancouver and Portland in 2011, promises two more in 2012

After awarding contenders Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon MLS franchises, MLS Commissioner Don Garber promised two more clubs in 2012, mentioning St. Louis and Ottawa by name.

The proximity and fanbase of these northwest cities may have played into the decision, but more likely the deep pockets of investors and the likelihood of soccer specific stadiums in uncertain financial times factored heavily in the equation.

The Vancouver Whitecaps investors are by Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash. Nash is a two-time NBA MVP and like Mallet, (former president of Yahoo!) is an investor in Women’s Professional Soccer. Vancouver is hosting the 2010 winter Olympics and contracted to renovate the BC Place stadium from 60,000 to a 20,000 seat soccer specific stadium at a cost of $360 milion for the event. The stadium will have a retractable roof and a centrally hung scoreboard, the first in MLS.

Montreal was favored over Vancouver earlier this winter, but Montreal proposed the 13,000 seat Stade Saputo, which doesn’t line-up with the more ambitious MLS plans. The Vancouver deal went through at $35 million, not the $40 million fee. Saturday the Whitecaps sold four thousand season tickets out of 16,500 in just three hours.

Portland agreed to renovate PGE Park to the satisfaction of MLS, and has the wherewithal to do it. Owner Merritt Paulson and his father former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, that currently own USL Timbers, are well-heeled and have the background. Merritt Paulson was previously the Senior Director of Marketing and Business Development at NBA Entertainment.

“The Portland City Council’s recent approval of the framework for the renovations of PGE Park was a key factor in Portland becoming our 18th team,” said Commissioner Garber.

Photo Credits: Traynor, KB Hall via Flickr.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The MLS season opens with fireworks Thursday night for the Seattle Sounders inaugural game at Qwest field against New York Red Bulls.

The Seattle Sounders management did everything right to create a model club, including stealing 2008 MLS Cup Champion coach Sigi Schmid from Columbus Crew.

The supporters group, FC Alliance can vote out the general manager, currently Adrian Hanauer, every four years if 20% of the members sign a petition, an idea lifted from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Comedian/owner Drew Carey put full media spin behind the club, which sold 22,000 season tickets and 32,400 seats for the opening game. “We’ll have this big drunken march down to the stadium before the game begins,” said Carey.

The inevitable and highly suspect predictions:

In a league where parity is king, it’s pointless to discuss MLS Cup at this point, so without further ado, here are the predictions for the season openers:

Thursday, March 19

New York Red Bulls @ Seattle Sounders
Prediction: Red Bulls 3-2

The Sounders have Kasey Keller in net, but designated player Freddie Ljungberg, recovering from hip surgery, might not take the field. Young Columbian Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua are the strike force, and with central defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, this team could be a threat on short notice.

Juan Carlos Osorio reinvented the Red Bulls with 15 foreign-born players to support Juan Pablo Angel, the top MLS goal scorer (14), who is fit and re-signed. Dynamic midfielder Dane Richards will be assisted by 33 year-old Albert Celades, former Barca and Real Madrid midfielder.

Danny Cepero, who scored the first goal by an MLS goalkeeper in his very first game, will continue his own fairy tale by substituting for Jon Conway, still suspended. The Bulls won their last preseason match 2-0 with Crystal Palace, with goals by Khano Smith and Mathew Mboto.

Saturday, March 21

Columbus Crew @ Houston Dynamo
Prediction: Columbus Crew 3-1

The Crew remain intact with 2008 MLS assist leader (19) and league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelloto, Robbie Rogers, and defenders Frankie Hejduk and Gino Padula.

Although Houston coach Dominic Kinnear still has national team striker Brian Ching, he lost goal scorer Dwayne DeRosario, recently suffered a humiliating defeat in CONCACAF, and striker Kai Kamara was just suspended for the first two matches for inappropriate comments. Midfielder Stuart Holden is expected to make miracles happen.

Chicago Fire @ FC Dallas
Prediction 2-2

The Chicago Fire will succeed as expected with Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Brian McBride and Chris Rolfe, but the individual efforts of Dallas Kenny Cooper, Dave van den Bergh, and Dax McCarty will throw off their game.

Toronto FC @ Kansas City Wizards
Prediction: Toronto 3-1

Toronto has a team set on scoring and Captain Jim Brennan and Dwayne DeRosario will make it happen along with Pablo Vitti, Chad Barrett and Danny Dichio. The fans want goals and the fans will get goals with this roster.

Jimmy Conrad, Davy Arnoud, and the rest of Kansas City will be hard pressed to keep TFC from running up the score.

New England Revolution @ San Jose Earthquakes
Prediction: San Jose 2-1

San Jose has a versatile midfield of Bobby Convey, Arturo Alvarez, Darren Huckerby, and Ramiro Coralles, and Cam Weaver can tally goals.

The Revolution lost three big players over the winter and replaced them with untested rookies while dealing with serious injuries to goal scorers Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman. Shalrie Joseph, Jay Heaps and Chris Albright will control the back, but this team needs attacking players. Although the Revolution have troubles, they keep their spirits up by humiliating their coaches.

Colorado Rapids @ Chivas USA
Prediction: Rapids 2-0

Jason Kreis kept the Rapids intact with linchpins Omar Cummings, Conor Casey, Colin Clark, and Pablo Mastroeni, and beat the Sounders in preseason. Sasha Kljestan, Jonathan Bornstein, and Ante Razov will toil for Chivas but it may not be enough.

Sunday, March 22

DC United @ LA Galaxy
Prediction LA 3-2

LA will come off solid, thanks to Bruce Arena, who shook the team up top to bottom. Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan, and Dema Kovalenko will score goals without David Beckham, but still need to solidify a backline, particularly with the absence of new keeper Donovan Ricketts due to injury. DC also may be handicapped by the absence of their keeper Louis Crayton due to injury, but Francis Doe, Thabiso Khumalo, and Santino Quaranta will provide a show in the top half of the field.

Saturday, March 28

Real Salt Lake @ Seattle Sounders
Prediction: Real Salt Lake 2-1

Javier Morales, Yura Movsisyan, and Kyle Beckerman give Real Salt Lake the stability and creativity to challenge the new Seattle Sounders, while still producing episodes of the Kyle and Javi show.

National teams drop in the clutch

The women’s national team failed to win their third straight Algarve Cup, handing it over to Sweden in penalty kicks after the 1-1 tie. Shannon Boxx scored for the US in the 90th minute.

The men’s U-20s fell 3-0 to Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Championship final, but secured a spot in the U-20 World Cup in Egypt with their 2-0 win over El Salvador.

FC Barca resurfaces near 2010 Philadelphia franchise

A few days before bowing out of the proposed Barca Miami franchise, Barca president Joan Laporta toured the site of the stadium being constructed for the approved 2010 Philadephia MLS franchise. Don Garber told Sports Business Journal, “the team has secured more than 6,000 season ticket deposits and two sponsors a year before kicking off,” but Philadephia is looking for partners. MLS Philadelphia CEO Nick Sakiewicz said that Delaware County and Pennsylvannia put up $77 million and expects Jay Sugarman, the majority owner-operator, and his fellow investors to produce the $38 million balance.

“FC Barcelona has expressed for some time an interest in Major League Soccer financially and strategically,” said Don Garber. “They spent a great deal of time with us looking at Miami and are continuing to look at opportunities around the league.”

Photo Credits: W. Jarrett Campbell/Triangle Soccer Fanatics

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When the Columbus Crew won the 2008 MLS Supporters Shield (the award given to a club with the highest point total in the regular season) and subsequently their coach Sigi Schmid won the MLS Coach of the Year award, it eloquently summarized the very odd and unusual MLS season.

For starters, the Crew didn’t even make the play-offs in 2007 despite a very liberal – some may say ridiculously high number of teams, then eight out of thirteen – qualifying standard.

Second of all, in the off-season, the Crew made only minor modifications to their roster, with the only significant addition being a journeyman holding midfielder Brian Carroll, obtained via a trade from the expansion San Jose Earthquakes.

Third, given the dismal results in the two previous years, Sigi Schmid’s hold on the job appeared tenuous, as Columbus finished dead last in 2006 and his coaching acumen was constantly questioned by the whatever dwindling fan base the franchise retained.

Former Boca Juniors Legend Schelotto Leads the Crew

Instead, the Crew proved its critics wrong and stormed out of the gate, led on and arguably off the field by an Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The thirty five year old Boca Juniors legend, with a haircut harking all the way back to the British Invasion of the mid-60′s, became a general on the pitch, presiding and directing over the much younger Crew attackers, a pair of the 21-year old wingers Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven and a veteran center forward Alejandro Moreno. As the result, Columbus scored eleven more goals and improved its goal differential from minus-five to plus-fourteen.

But whereas pre-season expectations of the heartland team were tempered, the opposite was the case on both coasts.

Red Bulls Change Matadors

In New York, an experienced Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio, took over the New York Red Bulls squad that did make the play-offs in 2007 but was knocked out in the first round under the guidance of the recently fired USA national team coach Bruce Arena.

Living off his reputation earned at the 2002 World Cup, Arena was given a fat contract and virtually unlimited, by the American soccer measurements. funds to establish a power house deserving of its hometown in the capital of the world. Never the one to turn down lucrative donations, Arena spent close to $3 million to bring in two free agent stars, an ex Aston Villa and River Plate striker Juan Pablo Angel and a well-traveled ex Manchester City-Sunderland-Rangers-Wolfsburg-Leverkusen midfielder Claudio Reyna. In the league where an entire team was officially operating under a $2.3M budget, Angel and Reyna came under a special exception called the “Designated Player” provision, something colloquially known as the “Beckham Rule”. (Each MLS team was allotted one DP but could trade with another team for the additional second spot)

Armed with a higher payroll than any MLS team at that point, Arena was expected to dominate the league but only managed 43 points (the 2007 Supporter Shield winner DC United had 55 on a much smaller budget) and a plus-2 goal differential.

When the oft-injured Reyna proved to be a colossal bust, NYRB was knocked out of the play-offs by a much more cheaply assembled New England team, managed by an 1980′s Liverpool stalwart Steve Nicol. Under fire for his performance and for the waste of approximately $2.5M on his old University of Virginia player Reyna, Arena’s was the first head that rolled and, for a small compensation, Osorio was brought in from the Chicago Fire.

Juan Carlos leaped an opportunity twice in the span of six months, as he only came to the Fire from Colombia’s Millionarios half-way into 2007. In Chicago, his half-season reign was considered an achievement and New York jumped at a chance to recruit its former assistant.

Sexy Football but Same Results for LA Galaxy

The West Coast was similarly bristling with anticipation. As the MLS propaganda never got tired of saying, in 2007 the LA Galaxy and its owner Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) have indeed managed a major coup – they have signed the most famous footballer in the world, the Posh Boy himself, David Beckham. The only problem was that Becks arrived with a bum ankle and missed a number of crucial games in the final stretch of the 2007 campaign. He was available for the very last contest in Chicago but LA went down by a 1:0 score and the AEG forced out its coach Frank Yallop, who was himself brought in only a year earlier.

(The coaching carousel continued with Yallop going to the San Jose Earthquakes, opening for business that very month).

Under a bombastically fatuous General Manager (Director of Football) Alexi Lalas, another major coup was launched. Seeking “sexy football”, AEG has hired a former two-time World Player of the Year Dutchman Ruud Gullit. Beside once having been a truly great pro, Gullit has managed a number of European clubs such as Chelsea, Newcastle and Feyenoord and was fluent in English.

Given the glitz and the glamour of the two metropolitan giants, far less attention was being given to the 2007 finalist, the two far less glamorous but two very hardworking squads – Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution.

Houston was returning most of his line-up, sans a temporarily departed Nate Jaqua (7 goals in 2007) while Revolution’s only name loss was a released veteran forward Pat Noonan.

Once the play on the pitch commenced, however, the expectations weren’t always met.

While Columbus, Chicago and New England got off to a good start in the East, New York tumbled out of the gate. Reyna reverted to his oft-injured self and Angel must have received the same contagion, coming down with all sorts of maladies. Osorio’s juggling of players and line-ups didn’t produce either and New York had a rough going in the spring of 2008. early injuries and the eventual $10M transfer of Josmer Altidore to Spain’s Villarreal was another shock to New York’s system.

In the West, Gullit’s Galaxy began to assert itself a few weeks into the season and became the most exciting team on the field. Unfortunately for LA, the excitement had good and bad components. Its offense was averaging an almost unheard-of three goals per game but its defense was nearly as porous.

Still, a couple of months in, LA was seen in first place, a drastic departure from its previous MLS annuals.

New York was languishing in the standings. Looking at it in their rear-view mirrors were the aforementioned Columbus, Chicago and New England.

Out with Gullit, in with Arena

Then something snapped in LA. Its offense continued to be scoring reasonably well, but its defense was proving to be incapable of stopping anyone. The team went on a long winless streak. Its players began to rumble about Gullit’s coaching methods and, finally, the damage became irreparable. Gullit was pushed out of the door and replaced by Bruce Arena. So high was the admiration of Arena’s by the AEG’s head Tim Leiweke that Leiweke gushed about the former US gaffer in the most glorious terms possible when appearing on the national telecast shortly after Gullit’s departure.

With the Galz slipped out of the first place by then, they were still very much in the play-off picture, had the season ended at that moment. Arena, of course, was expected to push for the top spot that the Galaxy only recently vacated. For that, he received additional reinforcement in the form of a 34-year old US international winger Eddie Lewis, who had spent the previous season with Derby County of the English Premiership.

Nonetheless, showing repeated ineptitude, Arena coached Galaxy to less than one point per game and, when the 2008 was over, the Galaxy was back to its usual last place, even losing the goal differential to the expansion San Jose.

As noted prior, San Jose’s coach was one Frank Yallop, a former man in charge of the Galaxy.

As, once upon a time, was Sigi Schmid.

Returning to the East Coast : for a while, Osorio’s job seemed in as much jeopardy as of his West Coast counterpart. In New York’s last match at Chicago, Juan Carlos’s club needed a win to insure itself of the last play-off spot in the East but instead his men were hammered 5:2 by the in-form Chicago Fire. Only a last day defeat of the DC United at the hands of the league leaders Columbus Crew pushed the Red Bulls into that last spot. Backing into the play-off didn’t stop calls for Osorio’s firing but he was given a euphemistic chance to prove himself again in the playoffs.

Playoff Contenders

Chicago, New England and Kansas City were three other East Conference contenders.

There were a few more surprises. With the Galaxy self-destruction, the fourth year franchise Real Salt Lake scored on the last minute of its last match and made the knock-out stage for the first time ever.

Without much drama, the two time defending MLS champion Houston topped the West in the points total.

Chivas USA, a team ravaged by injuries throughout the season, still managed to finish a respectable second.

The league was gearing for the MLS Cup and the LA Galaxy, by then having gotten rid of Lalas as well, was gearing for its never ending rebuilding.

Three coaches (Gullit, plus Colorado’s Fernando Clavijo and Dallas’s Steve Morrow) lost their jobs.

Landon Donovan won the scoring title.

Columbus’s Chad Marshall won the Defender of the Year.

Chicago’s Jon Busch won the same award for top Goalkeeper.

The MVP vote is to be announced later with Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, Fire’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto the three finalists.

Also See:

The 2008 MLS Season Preview (Liviu Bird)

MLS, LA Galaxy and Ruud Gullit – A Very Long Way from ‘Sexy Football’ (Marco Pantanella)

Youth Football in the US (Dan Leo)

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It’s a pretty short day in transfer tidbits, since most of the focus today is on the international action going on everywhere, but there is still a decent amount of news to report on, so let’s hop to it, shall we?

England

Thanks to Real Madrid’s insistence on not wanting to even entertain the possibility of selling Robinho, something they were all too willing to do not that long ago, it looks like the Brazilian star won’t be getting his desired move to Chelsea, at least not right now.

Rumo Rating: 2 – I’m sure he’ll be sold eventually, once he’s dispensable again, but he can’t possibly be too happy about how things have turned out. Chelsea still have plenty of time to try to get Real to think about it, but it doesn’t look good at this point.

Arsenal are being linked with a £750k move for Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.

Rumor Rating: 3 – This might merit a little discussion for a few minutes since it’s so rare that the two rivals swap players, but Silvestre’s not nearly as important a player at United as he once was. That being said, he could be a valuable mentor to Arsenal’s younger players and help add quality depth to Arsenal’s back line.

West Brom are all set to sign Mallorca midfielder Borja Valero for a club-record fee of £4.9m.

Rumor Rating: 5 – The Baggies haven’t been shy about the spending this summer, and they may well sign at least one more player before the window closes, as they’re supposedly after Valero’s teammate, striker Oscar Trejo.

Stoke City have completed the signing of Southampton defender Andrew Davies for £1.2m.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Stoke’s focus for much of the summer was on trying to add to their front line, and Saturday showed that it wouldn’t hurt to beef up the back line a little more, as they let in three in a half against Bolton.

Hull City have made a £1.5m bid for Rapid Vienna’s giant striker Stefan Maierhofer.

Rumor Rating: 5 – The 6’8 Maierhofer, who was a part of Bayern Munich’s setup a few years ago and made a couple of appearances for the first team, was a key part of Rapid Vienna’s title triumph last season, as he scored seven goals in 11 appearances during a loan spell.

Shola Ameobi’s £2.5m move from Newcastle to Ipswich is off after the striker failed the medical due to a hamstring injury that Ameobi picked up in the preseason.

Rumor Rating: 1 – Ameobi should still be on the move before the window closes, as Norwich are reportedly still very much interested in him.

France

Mateja Kezman has finally completed his move from Fenerbahce to PSG.

Rumor Rating: 5 – PSG have finally gotten the striker that they needed, and they didn’t have to break the bank to do it.

Major League Soccer

Veteran striker Carlos Ruiz has moved from L.A. to Toronto. The 28-year old Guatemalan, who has scored 82 MLS regular-season goals, 15 playoff goals, and 39 goals in 77 appearances for his country, scored only one goal for the Galaxy this season.

Rumor Rating: 5 – If Ruiz is healthy and at the top of his game, he could be just the thing that ignites TFC’s late-season push to secure a playoff berth.

Well, that’s it for the day in transfer news and rumors. Hopefully there’ll be plenty to report on tomorrow, but until then, chime in with your thoughts on today’s tidbits, and chip in with ones that you’ve read and heard.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

There’s not a lot to report on in today’s transfer roundup, and nothing in the way of major rumors, but given early results in England and elsewhere, several clubs could be looking to move quickly to make some vital reinforcements before it gets too late.

England

Blackburn are set to sign Torino midfielder Vince Grella sometime this week.

Rumor Rating: 5 – The 28-year old Australian international has been linked with Blackburn for a while, and with his experience both in Serie A and internationally, this is a good signing for Paul Ince.

Sunderland have reportedly had an £8m bid for West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand accepted.

Rumor Rating: 5 – After being linked with Tottenham and Aston Villa earlier in the summer, it looked like Ferdinand could remain a Hammer after neither of those clubs were able to strike a deal, but the fee Sunderland offered is about what the club were looking to get for him.

West Brom are reportedly going to pay the necessary £4.7m release clause to nab Mallorca midfielder Borja Valero.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Valero had an impressive debut season at Mallorca last term, but unfortunately for the club, they didn’t put a ridiculously huge release clause on him like many a Spanish club does.

Stoke are closing in on the signing of Southampton defender Andrew Davies after agreeing a fee with the club.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Davies, who only moved to Southampton from Middlesbrough last season, has had some injury issues over recent months, but if healthy, he will bring a lot to the Potters.

Ipswich have agreed a fee of £500k with Fulham for defender Moritz Volz..

Rumor Rating: 5 – The 25-year old right back hasn’t really been a factor at Fulham since Roy Hodgson took over, and while he may not be a fan of the step down right away, the move to a Championship contender offers up the chance for a swift return to the Premier League.

Germany

Hamburg SV have bolstered their front line by signing Borussia Dortmund striker Mladen Petric in a cash-plus-player swap.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Petric’s signing will replace a lot of the production lost by Rafael Van der Vaart’s move to Real Madrid. Petric scored 13 league goals for Dortmund last season, and he’ll be counted on to replicate (and improve upon) those numbers at his new club.

Scotland

Rangers have completed the £2.6m signing of American international Maurice Edu, subject to a work permit. The 22-year old Toronto FC man and 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year has signed a five-year contract with his new club.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Edu has six caps for the U.S. national team, with all of them coming in the last 10 months, and he was also a regular for the U.S. at the Olympics, so he may be able to get the work permit without an issue.

Well, that’s it for a short day in transfer news and rumors. But, until then, chime in with your thoughts on today’s tidbits, chip in with ones that you’ve read and heard, and make sure you check out the updated summer transfer lists.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

There’s not a great deal to report in today’s transfer roundup, since it’s Sunday, but with the Premier League season having kicked off, it’s about as clear an indicator that the transfer window is getting closer and closer to its end.

England

Middlesbrough have completed the 3m signing of Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte. The 23-year old has inked a four-year deal with his new club.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Boro did just fine without Hoyte against Tottenham, but Gareth Southgate will no doubt be looking forward to having him in the mix as soon as Wednesday’s match against Liverpool.

Newcastle are reportedly trying to make a loan move for Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola.

Rumor Rating: 3 – Saviola has fallen off the map in recent times, and his move to Real Madrid hasn’t been nearly as profitable as he or Real may have thought it would be, but a move to Newcastle could help him return to top form.

Scotland

Rangers have been very busy in the market lately, and they are closing in on a 2.7m deal for Toronto FC midfielder Maurice Edu. The 22-year old American international would be their third signing in quick succession, as they signed Pedro Mendes and Aaron Niguez Esclapez in the last few days.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Edu could very well be a replacement for Carlos Cuellar in the center of defense, as he played that position for the U.S. at the Olympics.

Rangers are also nearing a deal for Fulham midfielder Steven Davis, as they’ve agreed a fee with the Cottagers for the 23-year old Northern Ireland international.

Rumor Rating: 5 – I suppose Roy Hodgson was just trying to squeeze a few more mil out of Rangers when he said that they wouldn’t accept bids of less than 6m-8m, as the bid accepted is around the 3m that it looked like Rangers wanted to spend on him.

Meanwhile, former Rangers target Glenn Loovens has sealed his move to Celtic for a fee believed to be around 3m. The 24-year old Dutch center back has signed a four-year contract.

Rumor Rating: 5 – The difference between Loovens playing for Celtic and not Rangers? Champions League football, which Rangers could have had without having to worry about getting upset by a Lithuanian team if they had just wrapped up the SPL title down the stretch last season.

Holland

PSV have agreed personal terms with Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic. There is, however, still the issue of reaching a fee with his club, Belgian champions Standard Liege.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Jovanovic, who scored 16 league goals for Standard last season, isn’t cup-tied, as he didn’t take part in their draw against Liverpool on Wednesday, so that doesn’t hurt his value.

Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar are interested in Costa Rican striker Bryan Ruiz. The 22-year old plays for Belgian side K.A.A. Gent and has three goals in 12 appearances for his country.

Rumor Rating: 5 – Feyenoord are a little short on depth at striker, thanks in part to a recent injury suffered by Roy Makaay at the Olympics, and besides that, a little youth would add something to their attack, as Makaay (33), Jon Dahl Tomasson (31), and Michael Mols (37) aren’t exactly spry youngsters anymore.

Well, that’s it for the day in transfer news and rumors. It should be much more active come the next few days, especially because of the ‘surprise’ that Fergie apparently has in store for us all.

But, until I return tomorrow, chime in with your thoughts on today’s tidbits, chip in with ones that you’ve read and heard, and make sure you check out the updated summer transfer lists.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News