Author Archives: Ridge Mahoney

Major League Soccer may never set up shop in San Antonio, but for the next week, four league teams will spread the word while training and playing a round-robin mini-tournament that suits their various preseason needs.

[MLS] Compliance day has come and gone. What is the aftermath, if any, will be known Tuesday, after MLS conducts a waiver draft at 3 p.m. ET. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains the significance.

[MLS] New England ran its warm-weather record to 3-0 Monday by beating Pioneros de Cancun 4-1 with two goals by Khano Smith and one apiece from Taylor Twellman and Kenny Mansally.

[MLS] The Los Angeles Galaxy shipped one of the two Canadians on its roster to Toronto FC Friday as it trims down its roster to the 18-man limit mandated by MLS. All teams must be roster and salary-cap complaint by the end of business Monday.

[MLS] FC Dallas is in Brazil, but forward Roberto Mina is not.

[MLS] While several MLS rivals scramble to sign pricey foreign strikers, the defending champion Houston Dynamo – whose needs in that position may be more pressing – are sticking to a low-key approach. Franco Caraccio, 21, has experience with Argentina’s under-20 team but has played only three professional seasons for Arsenal de Sarandi.

[MLS] Make no mistake, no matter how much better RSL 2008 is compared to the 2007 version, it will be tougher. And more experienced. Defender Nat Borchers, midfielder Dema Kovalenko and Colombian defender Jamilson Olave are just a few examples of the players added by Coach Jason Kreis and general manager Garth Lagerwey to upgrade guile as well as tenacity.

[MLS] The league is adding two heavy-hitters to its lineup of operator-investors and in one case, the pun is intended. Houston Dynamo president and general manager Oliver Luck is meeting the media Tuesday to officially announce a partnership by which two companies will purchase 50 percent of the team. Boxer Oscar De La Hoya and his company, Golden Boy Productions, and one of its shareholders, Brener International Group, LLC, are joining MLS.

[PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP] An Aloha Stadium less than half-full seemed less than ideal for a rather remarkable final day of play of the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship Saturday. Brazilian striker Bare embarrassed MLS champion Houston – which featured the league’s stingiest defense last year — by scoring four goals as Japanese club Gamba Osaka crushed the Dynamo, 6-1, in the PPC final. The Galaxy and David Beckham had a better day in the third-place game.

[MLS WATCH] Midfielder Christian Gomez got his first taste of the Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry since being traded to the Rapids by D.C. United; he played the last 30 minutes of a 2-2 tie in Lauderhill, Fla. on Friday.

[MLS WATCH] Don Garber is about to get his wish. Oliver Luck is hopeful. Kevin Payne is probably as confused as the rest of us. That’s how the stadium game goes in MLS. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains.

[MLS] It only took a few preseason games for Polish striker Tomasz Frankowski to land an MLS contract, giving the Fire what it lacked last season: a box striker capable of consistently putting away chances. That’s the theory, anyway.

Ridge Mahoney examines the Pan-Pacific Championship
For a tournament set in a fabulous Hawaiian setting, there’s much of the Pan Pacific Championship that’s not to like.

[PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP] Many of the players will be rusty but each team has its own motivation. The Houston Dynamo is two-time defending league champion; the Los Angeles Galaxy has missed the playoffs both of those years. Gamba Osaka, like Houston, will play in a regional club competition next month; Sydney FC thumped the Galaxy, 5-3, in a friendly a few months ago that featured a classic Beckham goal from a free kick, and now gets a chance to take on the American champ. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney sizes up the field.

[MLS WATCH] Not many Latino players have flourished in New England since Steve Nicol took over as head coach six years ago, yet he’s always been on the lookout for the right player to fit into his system. A scouting trip he took last month to Central America has yielded one new player.

The new San Jose Earthquakes played a pair of games against defending champ Houston, the team created out of the old Quakes. Toronto is getting goals from its young star of 2007, while the Red Bulls’ new Colombian saw action against Swedish club Hammarby. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney examines MLS preseason developments and looks at more possible foreign siginings.

Former Rapids defender Nat Borchers is coming back, if not home, to a part of the country not far from home. Real Salt Lake exercised an allocation to acquire Borchers, 26, who left MLS two seasons ago in a $365,000 transfer to Norwegian club Odd Grenland, which was relegated last fall.