Category: Soccer America Daily

[MLS] The first tangible result of a marketing partnership announced between MLS and the German Bundesliga last year has come to light.Borussia Moenchengladbach, which has won the league title five times and is leading the second division in its bid to earn promotion, will train for 10 days in the United States this summer and according to Associated Press is to play Colorado and FC Dallas during its visit.

To varying degrees of fanfare, more than two dozen foreign products — including two Designated Players — arrived in time for the start of the MLS season. Some have been in the lineup since the first weekend, a few others debuted last weekend or a week prior. Perhaps not until, say mid-June, will all of them have played at least a handful of games. Funnily enough, that’s when the USA/MLS secondary window opens, which could trigger at least one or two “major signings” and a few lesser ones. But with four weekends in the books, there’s enough data to highlight those imports who have adjusted most quickly to the demands of MLS and the roles given to them by their head coaches. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney ranks the MLS’s foreign newcomers. …

[NAMES & NUMBERS] The Los Angeles Galaxy rallied twice from one-goal deficits to tie defending champion Houston, 2-2. Landon Donovan scored both Galaxy goals, including a spectacular diving header set up by a David Beckham cross. For the weekend’s MLS developments …

Four weeks into the MLS season, FC Dallas remains the only undefeated team and defending champ Houston is still winless. For all the MLS summaries, standings, leading scorers and next week’s schedule …

The weekend’s slate has four games on Saturday and two on Sunday, when undefeated FC Dallas travels to Chivas USA. The only other undefeated team, Chicago, hosts Kansas City on Sunday.Two teams are looking for their first win: San Jose, which travels to Colorado, and defending champ Houston, which visits Los Angeles, where Beckham and Co., will try to rebound from last week’s embrassing home home loss to Toronto FC.

MLS, somewhat artificially, is promoting a few of its games along the lines of “Rivalry Week.” In the case of the Red Bulls playing the Revs, OK, why not, though both teams have fiercer histories against D.C. United and Chicago, respectively. The D.C.-Crew matchup Thursday night pitted former Argentine club rivals Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Boca Juniors) and Marcelo Gallardo (River Plate) in the “Yankee Superclasico,” a term that hopefully will be buried and forgotten by the next time they play, if not sooner.