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Learn more about the efforts of MLS clubs to make a difference in their communities:
Sporting KC Join Braden's Hope For Photo Shoot
Heard through the Vine: Thanks to the troops!
Sporting KC presents Summer Beer Festival
Give Big is under way in Seattle
Colorado Rapids players' donations make it all the way to Haiti
Matt Lampson named local spokesperson for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central Ohio
Revolution teams up with Midnight Riders for trivia fundraiser
Dynamo Academy defender Alex Ochoa awarded Statoil Heroes of Tomorrow Award
ADVISORY: Chicago Fire Host Third Annual Art of Futbol Events
Beckie, Barson, & Hyland visit Ronald McDonald House of Central Ohio
D.C. United surprises Pentagon Soccer Club
2013 Stand Together Community Fund Grants
2013 Give Big Seattle Campaign
Vancouver Whitecaps FC launch Lower Mainland Summer Camps
Philadelphia Union Pennsylvania License Plates Now Available for Purchase
Ihemelu & Top kicking off Albertsons Gear Up Project
Lamar Hunt, Jr and Frankie Hejduk inspire secong graders
Portland Timbers: Don't Cross The Line
D.C. United at the Capital Soccer Classic
For more community news from around the League, visit the MLS WORKS news section.

Le choc sportif du week-end opposera deux équipes invincibles depuis plusieurs semaines. Battu trois fois lors de ses quatre premières rencontres, Seattle vient d’enchaîner cinq duels sans défaite. Sigi Schmid commence même à avoir des problèmes de luxe. De son côté, Dallas sera en quête de son dixième match consécutif sans être battu. Une série à laquelle a beaucoup contribué Michel Garbini, ancien joueur du Standard de Liège. Ne manquez rien de ce sommet retransmis gratuitement sur MLSsoccer.com.
Également invaincu depuis 9 rencontres, Portland se déplacera à Vancouver en prenant bien garde d’éviter tout excès de confiance. Houston, où le gardien Hall s’est ajouté à la liste des internationaux, devra en faire autant face à New England pour renouer avec la victoire devant ses supporters.
La journée s’ouvrira samedi après-midi sur Univison Deportes avec un duel entre Toronto, qui vient de se renforcer avec Bobby Convey, et Columbus, touché par de nombreuses blessures dans son axe défensif.
Dimanche, on suivra de près le choc entre New York et le LA Galaxy diffusé par ESPN2 et ESPN Deportes. Deux équipes de haut de classement ambitieuses, qui offriront aussi leur habituelle opposition de vedettes. Plus déséquilibré sur le papier, DC United - Kansas City (direct Univision Deportes) sera un affrontement entre deux clubs que tout oppose en ce moment… sauf peut-être les annonces de bière. Et si Nielsen passe une après-midi tranquille, il pourra toujours montrer son nouveau livre aux supporters derrière son but.
LE PROGRAMME COMPLET
Samedi 18 mai
17h00 : Toronto - Columbus
19h00 : Vancouver - Portland
19h30 : Philadelphie - Chicago
20h30 : Houston - New England
22h30 : San José - Colorado
22h30 : Seattle - Dallas
Dimanche 19 mai
13h00 : New York - LA Galaxy
17h00 : DC United - Kansas City
22h30 : Chivas USA - Salt Lake
Classement général
Toutes les heures HE (heure de New York et Montréal)
Rendez-vous ici pour la disponibilité des matchs sur MLS Live et les diffuseurs locaux
Hors États-Unis et Canada, vous pouvez voir des matchs de MLS via ces diffuseurs

Le match aller de la finale du Championnat canadien Amway, entre Montréal et Vancouver, s’est terminé sur le score de 0-0 (résumé vidéo), logique au vu du piètre spectacle offert par les acteurs sur le terrain. Les Québécois n’ont pas sorti l’excuse de la fatigue, même s’ils disputaient leur 7e match en 22 jours. Ils ne se sont toutefois créé quasiment aucune occasion mais sont heureux de ne pas avoir encaissé.
L’objectif des hommes de Martin Rennie était le même : tenir le zéro au marquoir. Avec un tel état d’esprit, le scénario de la soirée est facile à comprendre. L’entraîneur visiteur avait complètement remanié son équipe, ce qui a même surpris ses joueurs, mais son mur a tenu bon et son gardien Knighton a été impérial dans les airs. Tout se décidera donc lors du match retour, le 29 mai en Colombie-Britannique.
Le duel entre Philadelphie et le LA Galaxy a été plus animé, avec une victoire 1-4 (résumé vidéo) du champion en titre emmené par un Landon Donovan des grands soirs, bien épaulé par Robbie Keane, sans oublier l’aide de MacMath qui a inscrit un incroyable but contre son camp. Malgré les chiffres, l’équipe locale estime avoir poussé son adversaire dans les cordes. Mais celui-ci l’a quand même mise KO au cours des 20 dernières minutes.
On Tuesday, I noted that Uri Rosell has done superb work cleaning up messes in the central midfield for Sporting KC which, in all honesty, was one of the big questions for that team headed into the season.
Thanks to his work (and Paolo Nagamura, and Benny Feilhaber, and Peterson Joseph, and even a little bit of Lawrence Olum), attacking KC up the gut is still a no-go. But attacking from out wide doesn't work so great, either:
| Team | Headed Clearances |
| Sporting Kansas City | 268 |
| San Jose Earthquakes | 221 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 213 |
| New York Red Bulls | 208 |
| Portland Timbers | 201 |
| Houston Dynamo | 198 |
| FC Dallas | 197 |
| Colorado Rapids | 189 |
| Real Salt Lake | 189 |
| D.C. United | 182 |
| Montreal Impact | 179 |
| New England Revolution | 175 |
| Chivas USA | 175 |
| Columbus Crew | 167 |
| LA Galaxy | 162 |
| Toronto FC | 162 |
| Seattle Sounders FC | 148 |
| Philadelphia Union | 141 |
| Chicago Fire | 118 |
Obviously, this doesn't mean SKC are unbeatable. They can be had, especially in transition, and their attack still isn't clicking the way Peter Vermes must have hoped it would heading into the season.
But they still get the basics right. And that's why they'll be at or near the top of the Eastern Conference through the rest of the season.
The Philadelphia Union are one of the Eastern Conference's early season surprise contenders, and a lot of that comes down to the goal scoring exploits of Jack McInerney. The 20-year old forward leads Major League Soccer with seven goals from just 10 games played, winning the league's Player of the Month award for April in the process. McInerney has played to such a level in 2013 that he is beginning to draw early comparisons to Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
MLSsoccer.com's Samantha Yarock caught up with McInerney and teammate Amobi Okugo at a recent post-training visit, and picked up some pointers on how to replicate McInerney's recent scoring ventures inside the penalty area.
And don't worry about Jack; he recovered from Samantha's rocket shot to the chest just fine, by scoring the only goal of the game in the Union's 1-0 victory at Chicago this weekend.

Deux rencontres occuperont la scène ce soir : le match aller de la finale du Championnat canadien Amway, entre Montréal et Vancouver, et la rencontre de championnat opposant Philadelphie au LA Galaxy. Toutes deux commenceront à 19h30 HE.
Après quatre ans d’hégémonie torontoise, la Coupe des Voyageurs changera de propriétaire. Montréal l’a déjà soulevée de 2002 (année de sa création) à 2008, alors que Vancouver attend toujours de la remporter. À deux semaines du match retour, le duel de ce soir (longuement évoqué dans l’émission Coup Franc de la semaine) donnera déjà quelques indications intéressantes.
« On peut compter sur les doigts d’une main le nombre de finales qu’on joue dans une carrière », a déclaré Patrice Bernier. Les Québécois voudront faire preuve du même état d’esprit que lors de la demi-finale retour, remportée 6-0 contre Toronto. Celui de Vancouver est plus incertain : timorée à l’extérieur, l’équipe de Martin Rennie va-t-elle vouloir se regrouper en défense afin de préserver le résultat en pensant faire la différence chez elle le 29 mai ?
À moins que sa récente victoire contre le LA Galaxy ne lui donne des ailes… À Philadelphie, le champion en titre aura à cœur d’effacer cette contre-performance, tout en vivant avec ses « problèmes de riche » : à quelle position faire jouer Landon Donovan ? L’équipe de Pennsylvanie, qui vient de laisser partir Gabriel Farfan à Chivas USA, sera pour sa part en quête de respect car elle estime que ses bons résultats ne sont pas reconnus à leur juste valeur.
Welcome to a new series on MLSsoccer.com, where each week we'll take a look at some of the best images from the week that was in Major League Soccer. Here's a look back at the best shots from May 11-12, and check back every Monday as the series continues.

Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath (center) skies to take the ball off the head of Chicago's Gonzalo Segares during the Union's 1-0 win at Toyota Park.

Felipe's 39th minute goal wasn't the game-winner for Montreal against Real Salt Lake last weekend - far from it, in fact, in what turned out to be a 3-2 thriller - but the Brazilian celebrated in style, playing up to Impact fans behind the corner flag.

The backflip goal celebration is nothing new to the world of soccer, but it's always spectacular when it gets thrown out on the field. Seattle Sounders forward Obafemi Martins broke out the celebration during Seattle's 4-0 romp over San Jose.

We already knew Vancouver Whitecaps forward Darren Mattocks (right) could jump over the top of MLS defenders, but we had yet to see him jump chest high on Omar Gonzalez and throw a freeze frame pose at us. Now we have.

Don't lose focus of that ball, Bobby Shuttlesworth. Stare right on down that tunnel and don't break eye contact.

I'm just praying that Columbus Crew midfielder Matias Sanchez stuck the landing on this splitting dismount, and didn't rip the seat of his pants.

Well, see what had happened was.... FC Dallas midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson (left) really wanted to win the ball, but then Dwayne De Rosario told him, "Shoulder ride's over, pal," and dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

Portland Timbers midfielder Rodney Wallace (right) is in the form of his life of late. So much so, that he's carrying the entire Timbers team on his back right now. Literally, and figuratively.

This is Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City in a nutshell, right here. Mechack Jerome (left) wins the ball in the air, gets upended and slams heavily to the ground. Sporting got slammed to the ground a few times, but won, 1-0.

When I was a 10-year-old boy growing up on the east side (of the suburbs) of Kansas City, I had as many of the latest NFL player cards by Topps as I could con my poor mother into buying for me. She couldn't walk me down a checkout lane without my begging mercilessly in hopes I'd land my latest prized Barry Sanders or Dan Marino card.
Well, beginning in July, it'll be Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane gracing the latest set of Topps player cards, as the Sports Business Journal reported on Monday that Major League Soccer and the trading-card company have signed a six-year deal that is set to launch at or around the 2013 MLS All-Star Game in Kansas City.
MLS makes Topps its official card ... first #MLS collection to debut in July - sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues… via @sbjsbd twitter.com/courtemancheML…
— Dan Courtemanche (@courtemancheMLS) May 13, 2013
I think the biggest question on everyone's mind, though, is this: Who will headline the "Designated Player Flops" special collectors series to debut a couple years down the road? Denílson? Jéferson? Luis Ángel Landín? Or the most recent, Kris Boyd?
You'll obviously want to load your kids' stockings and birthday cards with pack after pack of these hot, new MLS Topps player cards. The actual cards haven't yet found their way onto eBay as of yet – as everything does ahead of release these days – but be sure to snag your 2013 MLS Team Checklist for the low, low price of one American dollar today!



What do you think? Will you be tempted to buy your soccer-playing child a pack or two, in hopes that it will increase their level of knowledge and interest in MLS?

Jurgen Klinsmann dropped an intriguing tweet into the Twitter timelines of US soccer fans on Tuesday morning, announcing that he had made the 6,000-plus-mile journey from Southern California to São Paulo, Brazil.
The US national team boss flew south to catch Tuesday's pivotal Copa Libertadores match between Palmeiras and reigning Mexican champions Club Tijuana (9 pm ET, Fox Deportes), where US internationals Joe Corona and Edgar Castillo are likely to feature for Los Xolos as they seek to advance to the quarterfinals of South America's most prestigious club tournament.
Here in Sao Paulo, Brazil to watch @joecorona15 @edgarcastillo40 and @xolosoficial take on Palmerias in the Copa Libertadores. #USMNT
— Jürgen Klinsmann (@J_Klinsmann) May 14, 2013
With Tijuana facing an uphill battle far from home thanks to last month's 0-0 first-leg stalemate in Mexico, the big match at Estádio Pacaembú should provide Klinsmann with a useful perspective on the gringo duo's form and mentality as he prepares his roster for the USA's upcoming slate of friendlies and World Cup qualifiers.
READ: American Exports: Klinsmann attends Tijuana's Copa Libertadores game, Yanks fail to shine
Yet that's surely not the only reason the German-American coach has made the draining voyage across five time zones and many, many miles.
The USMNT's place in World Cup 2014 is far from assured and their destinations will not be known until next year's draw. But Klinsmann is a meticulous planner and he is probably taking this opportunity to scout the lay of the land where his team will – should their ship stay on course in the next few months – spend a month or more next summer.
São Paulo is one of 12 host cities for next summer's tournament, with both group-round and knockout matches scheduled to take place at the new Arena Corinthians, the future home of Palmeiras' cross-town rivals Corinthians, which is scheduled for completion later this year.
READ: Report: Klinsmann to leave Landon Donovan off USMNT roster for June WCQs
With the sprawling metropolis located in relative proximity to fellow host cities Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre, it would offer a decent home base for the Yanks should they receive a southern Brazilian posting from FIFA. However, Brazil's somewhat controversial decision to make World Cup venues out of several distant northern and interior destinations means that it's likely too early to start reserving hotels and training grounds just yet.
São Paulo sits just far enough from the Atlantic Ocean for Klinsmann to miss out on the nation's famous beach culture on this trip. The chopper pilot-in-training might have been tempted to take his flight log with him, though – because epic density and congestion has made it one of the most helicopter-friendly cities on earth, with many well-to-do Paulistas avoiding horrendous traffic jams by commuting via rotary-wing aircraft.
It's something of a transition year for Sporting KC, as they commit a little more fully to building chances from possession, rather than forcing chances via turnover.
That said, forcing midfield turnovers is still a huge part of their game, their high pressure still works, and someone still needs to do the dirty work in the midfield. Uri Rosell, the Barcelona product, has been more than happy to do that particular job:
| Player | Recoveries | Touches |
| Rosell, Oriol | 102 | 865 |
| McCarty, Dax | 94 | 699 |
| Chará, Diego | 90 | 825 |
| Bernier, Patrice | 90 | 707 |
| Reo-Coker, Nigel | 88 | 687 |
| Cronin, Sam | 87 | 762 |
| Baca, Rafael | 84 | 592 |
| Michel | 82 | 717 |
| Gonçalves, José | 81 | 569 |
| Johnson, Will | 80 | 778 |
| Ashe, Corey | 80 | 742 |
| Holgersson, Markus | 80 | 596 |
| Beckerman, Kyle | 79 | 799 |
| Sarvas, Marcelo | 79 | 612 |
| Alonso, Osvaldo | 78 | 580 |
Leading the league in recoveries is no small thing – Ozzie Alonso's done it each of the last two years, and is rightly regarded as one of the two best d-mids in the league. But Rosell could push himself into that conversation if he keeps playing at this level.
Dax McCarty, by the way, probably already belongs in that conversation. He was second in recoveries to Alonso last season, and would be leading the league this year if he hadn't missed the past couple of games through injury. It's fairly amazing that the Red Bulls have coped so well without him.