Tag: mls

[TV PREVIEW] Four days after picking up its first win and scoring its first goals in five games expansion Toronto FC is back in MLS action at raucous BMO Field against the defending champion Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo had last weekend off, after finally breaking out of an offensive slump in its last match, a 3-1 win at Colorado.

Los Angeles (24,437) and Toronto FC (20,095) are the only MLS teams averaging more than 20,000 fans a game. Two teams — New York (9,716) and Kansas City (8,335) — are drawing less than 10,000 a game. For up-to-date MLS standings, schedules, leading scorers, attendance and goal-scoring averages …

The makeover of MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy, which Coach Frank Yallop began nearly a year ago when he replaced Steve Sampson, continues with one of the more exotic signings in league history. Portuguese defender Abel Xavier, whose dyed-blond beard and curly hair once earned him the nickname ‘King Neptune’ has joined the Galaxy after being released by English Premier League club Middlesbrough. He will be eligible to play once the U.S. secondary transfer window opens June 15.

[MLS VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS] Early goals livened up MLS play as Toronto FC broke onto the scoresheet and into the win column with a 3-1 victory over Chicago. Landon Donovan (two assists) and Taylor Twellman (two goals) slugged it out at Home Depot Center, but TT’s supporting cast overran that of LD as the New England rallied twice to pull out a 3-2 win over Los Angeles. Colorado spoiled the debut of Juan Pablo Angel by beating the Red Bulls, 1-0, and dumping them from the unbeaten ranks. FC Dallas went to Kansas City, where it hadn’t won since 1998, and beat the Wizards, 2-1, with goals by Kenny Cooper and Juan Toja.

[TV PREVIEW] The goal watch in Toronto continues as the Fire goes north of the border. Expected to make their MLS debuts are Pablo Richetti for FC Dallas in Kansas City and Juan Pablo Angel for the New York Red Bulls hosts Colorado. Alejandro Moreno reunites with Sigi Schmid. What’s up with Carlos Ruiz? Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews all of the weekend’s MLS action.

Well, Freddy Adu used his touches well, but Nicolas Hernandez and Jeff Cunningham usually didn’t, and Atiba Harris treated the ball as he would a bucket of snakes: avoid it if at all possible.

[TV PREVIEW] What does a stirring comeback in the debut of Jason Kreis as head coach bode for the future of Real Salt Lake? Real scored more goals in its first game under Kreis than it had in its first four games of the season when Coach John Ellinger, was still in charge. On Thursday, against Colorado (9 pm ET, ESPN2), upbeat Real hopes to continue its progress with by winning its first game of the season. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews the “Rocky Mountain Cup” clash.

“I was scared — scared for him,” Real Salt Lake forward Jamie Watson told KSL TV after he witnessed teammate Freddy Adu get pegged in the head by a 300-yard drive on hole 9 at Sandy’s Old Mill golf course. “I didn’t want to be the guy who was with Freddy when he died. That’s what I was worried about mostly. I was like ‘Freddy please be all right.'” In fact, Adu continued golfing and shot 39 on the back nine.

Just about one month into the season several prominent players are missing from MLS rosters, some by design, some not. Ridge Mahoney reports on new Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis’ prompt dismissal of its Panamanian striker and how MLS should treat Amado Guevara’s flight from Chivas USA.

The MLS Players Union’s publication of the league’s players’ salaries for the 2007 season reveals that after Englishman David Beckham‘s $6.5 million in guaranteed annual income, the league’s top earners are Chicago’s Mexican forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco $2.7 million, New York’s Colombian forward Juan Pablo Angel $1.6 million, and New York’s Claudio Reyna, who is the highest paid American in the league at $1.25 million.

[VIDEO] Goals by Dwayne DeRosario, Jose Burciaga, Jeff Larentowicz, Christian Gomez and Chris Brown are this week’s MLS Sierra Mist Goal of the Week candidates.

MLS STATISTICS (through May 6) STANDINGS Eastern Conference Team W-L-T PTS Kansas City 4-1-0 12 New England 3-1-2 11 New York 3-0-2 11 Chicago 3-1-1 10 Columbus 1-1-3 6 D.C. United 1-3-1 4 Toronto FC 0-4-0 0 Western Conference Team W-L-T PTS Houston 2-2-1 7 Colorado 2-2-1 7 FC Dallas 2-3-1 7 Chivas USA 2-3-0 […]

D.C. United finally got its first win of the season and its first under Coach Tom Soehn. Defending champion Houston awoke at the expense of Colorado. New England repaid the only team to beat it this season, and Jason Kreis‘ debut as Real Salt Lake head coach was a thriller with the Red Bulls. Soehn had raised some eyebrows, especially the bushy ones of Jaime Moreno, by benching the Bolivian star for the first half of Thursday’s 1-1 tie with the Revs. Soehn invoked further changes for the visit of Chivas USA (2-3-0) Sunday and United (1-3-1) won 2-1 with goals by Moreno and Christian Gomez.

[TV PREVIEW] Jason Kreis, the man who has scored a league record 108 goals, retired on Thursday and immediately launched a new career. He’s leaving the Real Salt Lake captaincy and replacing his boss, John Ellinger, after RSL started the 2007 season with an 0-2-2 record. Ellinger, who failed to guide Real Salt Lake to the playoffs in its first two seasons, lasted longer than any other coach in MLS history who had gone that distance without taking a team to the playoffs. When the 34-year-old Kreis steps on the sidelines Saturday against the New York Red Bulls, he will become the youngest person in MLS history to serve as head coach of a team. Real is keeping Ellinger, who was credited for Freddy Adu‘s arrival to Real this season, as Technical Director/Director of Soccer Operations. But General Manager Steve Pastorino has resigned.

In the run-up to Thursday night’s D.C. United-New England tussle, Revs coach Steve Nicol said whether or not it was a great match, it would be passionate and fierce and rugged. Was it? As Nicol might have replied if asked, “Aye.” Scuffles, hard tackles, aerial duels, a controversial penalty, a hotly disputed ejection, and an ESPN2 audience fueled a intense if inelegant 1-1 tie. The Revs struck just seconds into the second half when Andy Dorman slotted the rebound of a Taylor Twellman shot, and D.C. equalized five minutes later with a Jaime Moreno penalty kick.

Last season, MLS averaged 2.62 goals per game, its lowest besides the 2.61 its teams mustered in 2004. Fans are seeing even fewer goals in early going of the 2007 season. The first 26 games have an average of 2.27 goals. Kansas City leads the league in scoring, having notched nine goals in its first four games for a 2.25 average. New England’s Taylor Twellman leads the league in scoring with four strikes in four games, followed by Eddie Johnson, who’s notched three goals, which exceeds his output of the 2006 season.