MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

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IT'S THE 'CAPS

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I went to the MLS All Star game the other night. It was a ton of fun and a great crowd. MLS team played very sloppy defense and handed ManU a couple gifts.

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New group acquires Cosmos, hopes to be part of MLS


NEW YORK (AP) -- A new group has acquired the name of the old Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League and made Pele its honorary president.

The Cosmos said Sunday they have acquired the Copa NYC tournament and said their goal is to re-establish the team as "a part of Major League Soccer."

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/s ... z0vUdebiQo



http://www.nycosmos.com/announcement/

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Marquez relishes MLS challenge


HARRISON, N.J. -- Why now? Why would 31-year-old Rafael Márquez --captain of Mexico, Barcelona veteran, a player who can still compete at the highest level -- turn down interest from clubs all over Europe to join MLS's New York Red Bulls? That was the question I put to Márquez on Tuesday during a quiet moment after his presentation as the newest member of MLS's most upwardly mobile team.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/w ... z0vkSTmU7a

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Monarcas Move On'

Monarcas fend off Dynamo's late surge, advance to final

HOUSTON – Morelia traveled to Houston and secured a 1-0 semifinal victory against the Dynamo to secure a spot in the SuperLiga final in a spirited battle on Thursday night.

Morelia had several chances early to get out to an early lead, but forward Miguel Sabah failed to convert any of the chances.

In the 14th minute, after a Brian Mullan turnover, the ball quickly found Sabah just inside the penalty spot, but his effort went over the bar.

Revs bounce Puebla in shootout, head to final

New England want to carry momentum into final

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Most teams would have folded when presented with the obstacles placed in front of New England in Wednesday night's SuperLiga semifinal victory over Puebla.

Between the initial onslaught from the Mexican visitors, the injuries incurred by Kevin Alston and Marko Perovic and the chances spurned in the second half, there were plenty of reasons to fold instead of fight.

Instead of allowing the circumstances to dictate the outcome, the Revolution persevered to emerge with a 5-3 win on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw and seal a date with either the Houston Dynamo or Monarcas Morelia in the SuperLiga final on August 24, 25 or 26 at Gillette Stadium.

“I think that's a lot to do with the fact that we haven't lost for five games,” New England coach Steve Nicol told MLSsoccer.com after the game. “The guys feel as though, even when things go against them, they can just keep going and going. That's what we did

http://www.superliga2010.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Copa NYC is an annual soccer tournament consisting of 16 "National Teams" assembled from a selection of participating communities from the New York area, representing their diverse cultural heritages.

Each "Nation" will be represented by a team president, coach (or coaches), and a roster of 25 players, whose heritage they represent.

Qualifying Knockout Round
The 8 qualifying teams will be drawn at random to compete in a knockout round.

Finals Weekend One
The first weekend begins with a 24 game "round robin" tournament that will run throughout the first day (full details of the tournament will follow below).

The second day of the tournament will involve the 8 winning teams from Matchday 1.

Finals Weekend Two
The first day of Weekend 2 will be the semi-final matches, consisting of the 4 winning teams from the first weekend of the tournament.


The final match will determine the Copa NYC champion. A trophy presentation will commence.

http://www.copanyc.us/tournament.php

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The rumors finally became reality on Tuesday as the Portland Timbers named former Houston Dynamo assistant John Spencer as their new manager ahead of their first MLS expansion season in 2011. He will be officially introduced at a press event on Wednesday.

His first order of business will come in a couple of weeks as he works with Timbers technical director Gavin Wilkinson to select the MLS player-selection mechanisms in which the club will seek priority over fellow expansion club Vancouver Whitecaps.

The 39-year-old former Scotland international is keenly familiar with MLS after playing four seasons with the Colorado Rapids. Spencer, an ex-MLS All-Star, then joined the Dynamo in 2006 as an assistant and helped the club to back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007.

Before arriving in MLS, Spencer played 14 seasons of professional soccer in Scotland and England with clubs like Chelsea, Everton and Rangers.

Spencer left the Dynamo on July 13 with rumors swirling that he was set to be named Portland’s first MLS head coach. In the meantime, his post with the Dynamo was assumed by MLS veteran Steve Ralston.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/p ... head-coach" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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SPENCER PRESSER


http://www.portlandtimbers.com/live/#oo ... Bhf73Ne5a4

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Chivas USA and Chivas de Guadalajara set for second ChivaClásico


Losing to your older brother in anything burns deeper than most losses. But Chivas USA will get a chance to avenge their 2009 loss to their Mexican hermano, Chivas de Guadalajara, when the two sides face off in a friendly next month.

Announced on Thursday, the second ChivaClásico will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at San Diego’s PETCO Park, home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres.

Chivas de Guadalajara are Mexico’s most successful club. They have won 11 league titles and boast a roster of stars, including Mexican internationals Omar Bravo (recently signed to join the Kansas City Wizards in January), Jonny Magallón, Adolfo “Bofo” Bautista and Alberto Medina.

The last time the two Chivas sides squared off, last year at the Rose Bowl, the Mexican club walked away 2-0 winners, thanks to a brace from Omar Arellano. For the Americans, revenge is in order. The friendly will be the second on Chivas de Guadalajara’s tour of the US.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/c ... %C3%A1sico" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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[QUOTE=EPJr;1441119]ESPN2 to air expansion coin flip at All-Star

Portland and Vancouver to find out who picks No. 1 in SuperDraft

HOUSTON -- The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps may be several months away from officially joining MLS, but the expansion clubs will be right in the middle of the action at the All-Star Game festivities on Wednesday -- during halftime of the match between the MLS All-Stars and Manchester United.

That's when a coin toss will take place to determine which of the two clubs gets the first pick among eight different MLS player acquisition procedures.

ESPN2 will carry the coin toss during halftime of its All-Star coverage. Timbers head coach and general manager Gavin Wilkinson and Whitecaps director of professional teams Greg Anderson will join MLS Executive Vice President Todd Durbin for the event.

On August 11, the two clubs will then take turns picking among the eight player mechanisms below, with each team claiming the No. 1 ranking in the specific player acquisition method they select. The winner of Wednesday's coin toss goes first. [/QUOTE]

The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps took part in an Expansion Priority Draft on Monday and the result saw the Whitecaps choose the option of having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 MLS Draft.

Portland will pick second in the MLS Draft and will have the second pick in each round of the draft while the Whitecaps will have the top pick.

Vancouver chose having the top pick in the 2011 draft over a variety of other roster building mechanisms, including having the top pick in the MLS expansion draft. The Portland Timbers will have that distinction, giving Timbers head coach John Spencer the first crack at players left available by the existing 16 MLS teams.

VANCOUVER- First pick in the MLS SuperDraft
PORTLAND- First pick in the Expansion Draft
VANCOUVER- USSF Division- 2 Pro Player Priority on opening of signing period
PORTLAND- Designated Player Ranking
VANCOUVER- Allocation Ranking
PORTLAND- Discovery Ranking
VANCOUVER- Waiver/Re-entry Draft Ranking
PORTLAND- Lottery Ranking

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b]MLS and Adidas ink new eight-year sponsorship deal, enhances youth development[/b]

Major League Soccer and Adidas have agreed to a new eight-year sponsorship deal that officials believe solidify and validate the increased growth of the league and calls for significant investment in youth development.

The new deal replaces a 10-year, US$150-million contract between the two organizations that started with the 2005 season. The new agreement will begin with the 2011 season and continue through 2018 — when the league will be in its 22nd season.



http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadi ... 80GywFiZIQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Timbers gain sponsor for jerseys

PORTLAND, Ore. -- When the Portland Timbers join Major league Soccer next season, their jerseys will be sponsored by Alaska Airlines.

The Timbers announced the new title sponsor for their MLS kits on Thursday at Portland International Airport. Terms of the multiyear deal were not revealed.

The Alaska Airlines logo will be displayed prominently on the jerseys, much like the Seattle Sounders have "XBOX 360" on their kits.

The airline will also partner with the Timbers' community fund on youth-based fitness and educational initiatives, as well as donate 25 tickets to each game to area kids. The company will also be the presenting sponsor for all MLS Timbers youth soccer camps.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_ ... rs-jerseys

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Pore Gives Timbers Victory
15th Goal Earns 1-0 Win Against Islanders
Portland Timbers News Release -- http://www.portlandtimbers.com

Last night's 1-0 win over Puerto Rico was an end of an era at PGE Park, as the stadium will be renovated for MLS next year, and will have a new name. Construction on the stadium will start next week, so Timbers home playoff games will be at Merlo Field at the University of Portland, or at Hillsboro Stadium.

Here are some photos, which was a very memorable evening with another sold out crowd of over 15,000. The sunflower theme was the idea of Timber Jim, which goes back to the Timbers Army singing of "You are my sunshine" which is in honor of his daughter who was killed in an auto accident several years ago, the theme was used to honor the team for this event.

http://www.soccercityusa.com/timbers/pr090210-pics.htm
http://www.soccercityusa.com/timbers/pr ... repics.htm
http://www.soccercityusa.com/timbers/pr090210.htm

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Toronto FC fires Preki and Johnston

Major League Soccer's Toronto FC fired coach Preki Radosavljevic and director of soccer Mo Johnston on Tueday.

Toronto is third in the East at 7-10-7 and appears likely to miss the playoffs following Saturday's 1-0 home loss to D.C. United, which has the poorest record in the league.

Preki, inducted last month into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, was in his first season with Toronto after earning coach of the year honors at ChivasUSA. Johnson had been with the team since its inception, and Toronto has never made the playoffs.


http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/mls/ ... d-johnston" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Portland Timbers sign first MLS players


The first official signing is forward Bright Dike, who scored 10 goals for the 2010 USSF Timbers. Drafted by Columbus and cut during camp, Dike was a pleasant surprise for the Timbers and provided a wonderful compliment up top.

The second signing is goalkeeper Steve Cronin, who joined the club in 2009 and helped solidify the Timbers backline defense. Cronin had a solid season statistically for the Timbers, and his play improved immensely after a challenging stretch in May and June.

The third signing is the 2010 Golden Boot winner for most goals in 2010 in USSF Division 2, midfielder Ryan Pore. Pore was simply outstanding in May and June, single handedly carrying the Timbers offense. While he struggled during the summer months, he resumed his form late and partnered with d**e to give the Timbers a solid one-two scoring punch.

The fourth signing has some familiarity with the Timbers, and was chasing Pore for the most goals scored in 2010, but came up just short. Former Austin Aztex forward Eddie Johnson will join the MLS Timbers, and has an impressive scoring resume as the Aztex’s franchise leader in goals scored, total points and assists. Johnson has also played overseas, appearing in matches for Belgian club Royal Antwerp, English club Coventry City and legendary English football club Manchester United. The Timbers have made some solid choices with their first signings, combining experience with scoring flair, and I love this early approach to filling the roster


http://blog.oregonlive.com/timbers/2010 ... st_ml.html

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Columbus v. Colorado
Oct 28 9pm ET
at Colorado, 1st leg
Dick's Sporting Goods Park
ESPN2

Nov 6 4pm ET
at Columbus, 2nd leg
Columbus Crew Stadium
TeleFutura/Regional TV


Real Salt Lake v. Dallas
Oct 30 5pm ET
Real Salt Lake at Dallas, 1st leg
Pizza Hut Park
FSC

Nov 6 10pm ET
at Real Salt Lake, 2nd leg
Rio Tinto Stadium
FSC


New York v. San Jose
Oct 30 10pm ET
at San Jose, 1st leg
Buck Shaw Stadium
TeleFutura/Regional TV

Nov 4 8pm ET
at New York, 2nd leg
Red Bull Arena
ESPN2


LA Galaxy v. Seattle
Oct 31 8pm ET
at Seattle, 1st leg
Qwest Field
ESPN2

Nov 7 9pm ET
at LA Galaxy, 2nd leg
The Home Depot Center
ESPN

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RULES!!!!!!

NEW YORK – Details have been released regarding the MLS Expansion Draft that will take place on Wed., Nov. 24.

Existing MLS clubs can protect 11 players, which must include any Designated Players with no-trade clauses. Generation adidas players and Home Grown players are automatically excluded from the Expansion Draft and do not need to be protected.

Also, MLS teams cannot dump all their international players into the Expansion Draft. A team with more than three internationals can only leave three fewer than their total of international players unprotected. Teams with three or fewer international players cannot leave more than one international player unprotected. American players are not considered internationals for Toronto FC. Canadians are considered internationals for American clubs.

The final list of unprotected “available” players will be distributed to the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps two days before the Expansion Draft.

Portland and Vancouver will then alternate Expansion Draft picks over 10 rounds, with the Timbers getting things started with the first overall pick.

The rules say that no existing MLS club can lose more than two players in the Expansion Draft. After a team has one player claimed by Portland or Vancouver, that team has the right to protect another player and pull his name off the Expansion Draft list.

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Columbus 2:2 Colorado
penalty kicks 4:5

1st leg - Columbus 0:1 Colorado
2nd leg - Columbus 2:1 Colorado

New York 2:3 San Jose

1st leg - New York 1:0 San Jose
2nd leg - New York 1:3 San Jose

Real Salt Lake 2:3 FC Dallas

1st leg - Real Salt Lake 1:2 FC Dallas
2nd leg - Real Salt Lake 1:1 FC Dallas

LA Galaxy 3:1 Seattle

1st leg - LA Galaxy 1:0 Seattle
2nd leg - LA Galaxy 2:1 Seattle

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FCD slam Galaxy for West crown, book ticket to MLS Cup

CARSON, Calif. – David Ferreira had won praise from teammates and coaches – his own as well as opponents’ – throughout the season, and on Sunday showed that he is indeed worth the hype.

Ferreira scored a goal and had an assist as FC Dallas thoroughly defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0 in the Western Conference Championship at The Home Depot Center.

The victory sends FCD to MLS Cup for the first time in their history, while the Galaxy failed to reach their seventh MLS Cup and will no longer be able to atone for last season’s final loss to Real Salt Lake.

Kevin Hartman made several strong early saves to keep the Galaxy from breaking through. Just seven minutes in, Mike Magee tested Hartman with a long-distance blast that the FCD 'keeper stretched to parry away.

and will no longer be able to atone for last season’s final loss to Real Salt Lake.

Kevin Hartman made several strong early saves to keep the Galaxy from breaking through. Just seven minutes in, Mike Magee tested Hartman with a long-distance blast that the FCD 'keeper stretched to parry away.



Unlikely goal good enough for Rapids

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Everyone all week had been talking about the Colorado Rapids' Conor Casey and Omar Cummings combination, but tonight’s Eastern Conference Championship was decided by a Rapids defender with a speculative cross.

Kosuke Kimura’s cross in the 42nd minute was the only goal of the game. Some may say it was a lucky goal, but the Japanese player works on delivering dangerous balls into dangerous areas every day at training and all that hard work paid off in Colorado's 1-0 defeat of San Jose.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/u ... ugh-rapids

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Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps Fans Unite on Derbies

The lead supporters groups for all three Pacific Northwest MLS 2011 clubs have united to oppose plans to impose an artificial restriction of 150 tickets for away fans in the local derbies next season.

The threats to do so have been emanating mostly from Sounders FC's Front Office but it appears that all three groups have resisted the temptation to turn this into a club v club battle and decided that fans of the sport need to stay united to protect its integrity.

The issue was first raised in the media by our article on the issue on September 30th (It’s Our Game. Fans Must be Allowed to Attend Derbies – Prost Amerika Special Comment), with the mainstream media being reluctant to ever air the issue, far less support fans' demands.

Since then, the weight of public support in all three cities for the concept of a vibrant traveling fan culture in the Pacific Northwest has forced the issue beyond the normal smaller circles of local fan discussion.

To their credit, years of cool relationships between the fan groups have been put to one side for the greater good of the game, and leaders of all three are to be commended.

http://www.sounderatheart.com/2010/10/2 ... -solutions

This a large look, at a complex issue. It reviews how an issue has gone from simmer to nearly boiling, but ideally will include new data, new opinions, and a way that we in this region of over 10 Million people can continue to move forward in our love of sport.

About a month ago an article was published which claimed that Away fans would be forbidden from attending matches amongst the Cascadian teams in MLS beyond the MLS-mandated 150 tickets. It clearly laid the blame upon the Seattle Sounders FC front office and heavily leveraged statements that Joe Roth and Gary Wright made to myself and other members of the Alliance Council at our last two live face-to-face meetings to create a bit of controversy.

While that original story referenced the abbreviated recap provided by Matt Gaschk on the team's website, Matt's story was about events weeks before the second of two meetings with the Alliance Council and representatives of the Front Office. His statements were condensed, and only a partial view of a discussion that has taken place over multiple meetings and hours of talk.

For four weeks things have simmered. I have received emails, facebook messages, tweets and phone calls from around both countries concerning this issue, an issue that largely exists because of one site's story. It continues to simmer, and has even led to the Southsiders of Vancouver to issue a Press Release regarding their opinion on the upcoming Cascadia Derbies.

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MLS expands rosters, relaunches Reserve Division
Moves are designed to continue to incentivize player development


YORK – The 2010 season is the first in which homegrown players have left their mark in MLS.

D.C. United’s Andy Najar became the youngest Rookie of the Year in US pro sports history, New York’s Juan Agudelo earned a US national team call-up at 17, and 19-year-old Tristan Bowen made an important contribution to the LA Galaxy’s Supporters’ Shield run.

Now the league's player development movement is poised for an even more aggressive push with the launch of the Reserve Division and the unveiling of new roster rules by MLS.

Teams can now sign an unlimited number of homegrown players per season while rosters sizes will expand to 30 players beginning in 2011.

Six spots of those roster spots will be reserved for players 24 and under, and they will not count against a team’s salary budget, which for 2011 will be $2.67 million per team.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber also announced the relaunch of the Reserve Division, where young players will be able to cut their teeth in competitive matches while continuing to train with the first team squad

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/m ... e-division" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Galaxy, who had the best record in Major League Soccer, unsurprisingly dominate the MLS Best XI announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon.

The Supporters’ Shield winners boast four players—winger Landon Donovan, center back Omar Gonzalez, striker Edson Buddle and MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Donovan Ricketts—on the list of the top 11 players, as voted by the media and their peers.

Donovan and Toronto FC midfielder Dwayne De Rosario are the only players on the list who have ever been named to the Best XI before.

Defending MLS Cup champions Real Salt Lake have the second most names on the list. Three RSL players—Visa Defender of the Year Jamison Olave, defender Nat Borchers and midfielder Javier Morales—were named to the Best XI.

The only member of the Best XI still playing is David Ferreira, the attacking leader of FC Dallas, who will take on the Colorado Rapids in MLS Cup (Sunday, Nov. 21, 8:30 pm ET, ESPN, Galavisión)

The 2010 MLS Best XI

Donovan Ricketts, LA Galaxy: The Jamaican goalkeeper started 29 matches in 2010, posting a 18-7-4 record with 11 shutouts and a .90 goals-against average, good for third best in the league.

Jámison Olave, Real Salt Lake: The big Colombian center back led the RSL defense to a new record for fewest goals scored in a season (20), and he added three goals at the other end.

Nat Borchers, Real Salt Lake: The American missed only 27 minutes all season long. He also scored two goals, including a stoppage-time header to save a point against rivals Colorado.

Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy: Last year’s Rookie of the Year was even better in 2010, leading the league’s second-stingiest defense (26 goals against). He also notched two goals.

Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: The US international led the league in assists (16) for the first time in his career. He also hit seven goals of his own. This is his fourth Best XI nod.

David Ferreira, FC Dallas: The Colombian playmaker scored eight goals and dished out 13 assists, second-most in the league. Despite being the most fouled player in MLS, he played all but one minute of the regular season.

Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake: The Argentine No. 10 had another balanced season, hitting seven goals and posting nine assists, leading the league’s most prolific attack.

Sebastien Le Toux, Philadelphia Union: A breakout season by the French attacker made the expansion side competitive from the start. Winner of the Fair Play Award, he finished with 14 goals and 11 assists, accounting for 71 percent of Philadelphia’s scoring.

Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto FC: Always dangerous, the Canadian international hit 15 goals for the Reds, including five match-winners. This is his fifth Best XI nod, tying him with Chris Armas and Jaime Moreno for most all-time.

Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes: The previously unheralded striker exploded for six goals in the final four games to take the Golden Boot with 18 total goals. Nine of them were game-winning goals, helping the Quakes reach the playoffs for the first time since reforming in 2008.

Edson Buddle, LA Galaxy: The US international scored nine goals in the first six games, earning himself a spot on the World Cup team. He finished with 17 goals, good for second in the Golden Boot race.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/d ... ls-best-xi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

NEW MLS WEBSITES


http://www.whitecapsfc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


http://www.portlandmls2011.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;