Tag: mls

New England, Columbus and Colorado started the MLS season with impressive wins …

The first MLS opener for David Beckham turned into the worst drubbing of his brief Galaxy career, two young Gambians led the Revs to a spanking of Houston in a rematch of MLS Cup 2007, and the ballyhooed offseason FC Dallas signing turned victory into disappointment. For the first week of MLS 2008, we’ll examine how much impact was wielded by some of the players signed for that purpose.

[MLS] The new season starts off without its newest team, as San Jose — and the New York Red Bulls – don’t commence league play until next weekend, but the slate includes a rematch of MLS Cup 2007. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews Week 1 games.

For the second straight year, MLS has welcomed a good number of exciting players from abroad — and the league expects more signings within the next few months. In an exclusive interview with Soccer America, MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis explains how the league has altered its approach as it enters its 13th season, which kicks off this weekend.

[MAKING A LIST] While nearly 65 percent of MLS’s 2008 player pool is U.S.-born, the league’s 14 teams are fielding players born in 46 other nations. The foreign-born players are led by 19 players from Argentina. For a list of the most represented nations …

[MLS COUNTDOWN] Only three Western Conference teams qualified for the playoffs last year and only one made it through the first round, but again it was Houston that went all the way and repeated as MLS Cup champion. Counting Kansas City’s triumph in 2000 before it changed conferences, seven of the last eight titles have been won by western teams. The Dynamo has lost a few players from last year’s squad, yet faced the same situation in 2007 and still prevailed.

[MLS COUNTDOWN] Parity may reign in MLS, at least theoretically, but in the past three seasons D.C. and New England have finished one-two atop the Eastern Conference, in either order. The Revs have reached MLS Cup in each of those seasons, only to lose each time. D.C. – which finished second to the Crew in 2004 yet prevailed in the playoffs to win its fourth championship – hasn’t returned to the final despite posting the best regular-season record in two of those three seasons. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney offers a team-by-team preview of the Eastern Conference

[MLS COUNTDOWN] Last year, Kansas City pounded D.C. United, 4-2, to start a season that eventually produced the Wizards first postseason appearance in three years. The Wizards will open against D.C. again when the 2008 season kicks off this weekend, and tuned up for their repeat performance by beating Real Salt Lake, 1-0, Saturday at the Saturn Cup in Norman, Okla.

San Jose and Red Bull New York were supposed to meet Saturday on the opening day of the season but renovations to the Quakes’ temporary home, Buck Shaw Stadium, couldn’t be completed in time, and so both teams instead will have a bye this weekend. They did meet in late March regardless.

Building depth is one of Toronto FC’s tenets for its second MLS season but based on results and the comments of Coach John Carver at the Carolina Challenge Cup just having enough bodies doesn’t mean you have a deep squad.

[MLS] Four different players scored for Chivas USA in their preseason finale, a 4-1 triumph over Honduran club Real Espana at Cal State Fullerton Saturday, and all four, in a way, were newcomers.

[TV] The MLS Direct Kick Television Package, available on DIRECTV and DISH Network and digital cable provider iN DEMAND Networks, will offer up to 115 games for $79.

The new Quakes may be shorthanded but they aren’t short on ability, at least in preseason. San Jose fell behind its host of the Carolina Challenge Cup, the USL Charleston Battery, Wednesday but rallied to score two goals and clinch first place in the competition with a 2-1 win.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP] Stymied in the first half, which like the entire first leg was goalless, Houston faced a possibly tricky second half of the second leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against Municipal of Guatemala Wednesday at Robertson Stadium before a crowd of 14,348 .

[MLS] Real Salt Lake ended its two-week training stint in Argentina by tying the reserve team of Rosario Central, 2-2, on Wednesday in Rosario.

For two MLS clubs, the preseason preparations include official competition. D.C. United and Houston not only came away from their away legs of their Concacaf Champions’ Cup quarterfinals with ties, both teams also glimpsed a preview of what they may encounter as the season unfolds.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP] After stopping in San Antonio to play MLS opposition, including each other, in the Texas Pro Soccer Festival last week, Houston and D.C. United begin play Wednesday in the CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinals sporting very different lineups than they did last year. In United’s case, the look is drastically new.

[OLYMPIC QUALIFYING] What gives latest American teen phenom Jozy Altidore an excellent chance to avoid the pitfalls that have befallen predecessors Eddie Johnson and Freddy Adu? Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains.

[MLS] When Kansas City hired Curt Onalfo as head coach a year and a half ago, he promised to implement at least two elements not always present in past Wizards’ teams: a commitment to attack and score goals, and Latin flair. Kansas City scored 45 goals last year, fifth-best in MLS, and unveiled Argentine playmaker Carlos Marinelli and Colombian winger Eloy Colombano. Long before the move of Eddie Johnson to English Premier League club Fulham became official in January, Onalfo and technical director Peter Vermes had begun work on landing replacements. They officially announced the signing of Colombian striker Ivan Trujillo last week but for months had been chasing a much bigger prize.

The preseason has yet to end, but FC Dallas Coach Steve Morrow is already in midseason form, at least in regards to the officiating. He’s not happy. Good fields, good weather and good competition are the elements most sought for proper preseason training, yet a fair shake from the officials doesn’t hurt, and Morrow felt so strongly his team was wronged in a 3-1 loss to Brazilian club Avai FC Sunday in Florianoplis he nearly pulled his players off the field Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney explains.

With keeper Brad Guzan back in Southern California tending to an MCL sprain, Chivas USA lost to Houston, 1-0, on Friday and Toronto FC, 3-2, on Sunday in its last two matches of the Texas Pro Soccer Festival.

For the second time in three games on the western-most leg of its Asian tour, the Galaxy ended regulation tied but lost on penalty kicks. Not to be blamed, though, is David Beckham, whose excellent play created numerous chances his teammates failed to convert.

[MLS] Adam Moffat scored the lone goal as Columbus beat the Blackburn reserve team, 1-0, at the Blackburn training grounds on Thursday while Crew coach Sigi Schmid continues the search for reinforcements.