Tag: mls

MLS teams may not have spent wildly on the summer transfer market, but they sure dealt wildly.

It’s been an excellent year for rookies in MLS. Expansion has meant increased opportunities for young players. With smaller rosters, most teams demand more from their college products then they’ve done in the past.

Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden has parlayed a solid performance at the Gold Cup and a greater role with the MLS team into contention for a spot on the U.S. World Cup roster.

Of the many soccer players who have taken on the risks of defection, forward Maykel Galindo and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso have established themselves as valuable MLS players and done their nation proud.

The eight-time MLS All-Star is in his third season as head coach of Chivas USA, where he draws on his playing experiences in Europe and the United States to aid his quest for an MLS Cup title.

Conor Casey’s career has come full circle. Recruited out of Denver to play for the University of Portland, Casey moved on to Germany, where a six-year stint was marred by major knee injuries. Following a short stay in Toronto, the former U.S. Olympian landed in Colorado, for which he scored 11 goals last year and is among the MLS leaders this season.

Former Argentine international Claudio Lopez played all but two games last year in his MLS debut season. For 2009, he agreed to a much smaller salary while retaining a major role in the Wizards’ attempt to win its first MLS title since 2000.

A stunning start to the 2009 season by Chivas USA has featured the return to prominence of goalkeeper Zach Thornton, a five-time All-Star during his years with Chicago.

Sharp moves pushed Chivas USA to the top of the Major League Soccer standings – a remarkable achievement for a team battered by injuries.

Clint Mathis, Bobby Convey and Eddie Lewis all have played in the World Cup and lived the ups and downs of European soccer. For different reasons, they have returned home to settle down. They are discovering new roles on their MLS teams.

The mind of Christopher Sullivan works in myriad ways, and dozens of times a year, during telecasts of MLS matches or international games, viewers of Fox Soccer Channel hear the views and ideas of a former U.S. international steeped in many facets of the game. He played collegiately at the University of Tampa and professionally […]

As MLS expands so does its need for players. Five players in MLS this year typify categories of players on which the league must depend because of financial constraints and other factors. Each carries a heavy responsibility in his team’s fortunes.

1 – Salt LakeTeam on the rise has eye on the big prize Clint Mathis says he’s healthier and fitter than he’s been the past few years, and that could be bad news for the rest of MLS. “I feel good,” said Mathis after scoring both goals in a 2-1 Real Salt Lake win over […]

1 – ColumbusWarzycha takes over top job at top team One might forgive fans of the Columbus Crew if they feel somewhat aggrieved despite celebrating their first MLS Cup triumph just four months ago. Head coach Sigi Schmid, who in three seasons transformed the Crew from bottom-feeder to top dog, bolted for Seattle, and in […]

MLS’s remarkable run of success with its expansion teams will be put to a test when two new teams join.

In picking Seattle to be its 15th team, MLS hopes to repeat its fabulous luck with a 13th team in Toronto. Both are major international cities with diverse populations, a downtown stadium well serviced by public transport, strong ownership groups steeped in professional sports and robust season-ticket sales.

A new team in Seattle, the fifth expansion franchise added by MLS in the past five seasons, added drama to the MLS SuperDraft. As the teams prepared to start preseason training, most of them are facing further personnel moves based on their selections.

Just about any MLS head coach or assistant coach will respond to a question about the offseason succinctly by saying: “What offseason?”