an MLS record -- and knows it should withhold a certain number of seats for individual game sales and multi-game packs.
(NFL teams learned long ago that capping season tickets creates waiting lists and therefore more demand, allowing packages to be sold at a premium.)
On the team side, Mo Johnston remains busy looking for more players to fill out that roster, especially with a rash of midfield injuries. Most aren't serious, although Maurice Edu will need another 3-5 weeks to rest a pelvic injury that has kept him out of most preseason workouts. Edu was the No. 1 pick in January's SuperDraft and seemed to have a decent shot at making the opening day starting 11 before the injury.
NEW STARS IN GALAXY? At least one of the two trialists that made it through the recent Los Angeles Galaxy cattle call remains a pretty good story in the making.
Laurent Merlin, a 22-year-old forward who spent some time with French international youth teams, has made something of an impression. He scored the second goal last week as Frank Yallop's rebuilt club beat Loyola Marymount 2-0 in a scrimmage.
Merlin, in fact, left with the team late last week for five days in Bermuda.
Rui Fortes, 24, a midfielder from Portugal, also made it past the 800-player, two-day tryouts at The Home Depot Center. He hasn't made the same impression but will continue to train with the Galaxy when it returns.
WEARING IT ON YOUR SLEEVE: Not every team has a Claudio Reyna, a natural to wear the captain's armband.
Several teams have important choices to make as they seek the right ceremonial leader, locker room cop and on-field emotional fulcrum. For instance, who will be the guy on this youngish Toronto FC team? Welsh international Carl Robinson has the experience, but Mo Johnston may want a Canadian to lead the locker room.
(There's even talk that Johnston may appoint two captains, one Canadian and one from elsewhere.)
What about in Los Angeles? David Beckham wore the captain's armband for storied England just eight months ago. What will national media say if a $250 million package isn't appointed captain? On the other hand, Landon Donovan or Peter Vagenas have been Galaxy captains before and would certainly be up for the job again.
Also in The Home Depot Center, does debuting coach Preki give the honor to Amado Guevara, who wasn't always the consummate team guy in New York? Brad Guzan wore the armband at South Carolina. Claudio Suarez certainly has the soccer cred, but his English remains limited.
Juan Francisco Palencia, who has moved on to Pumas UNAM in Mexico, wore the band last year when Bob Bradley generally selected captains on a game-by-game basis.
Due east of there, Jason Kreis has been the man at Real Salt Lake. He's 34 now, but did make 27 starts last year. Still, the league's all-time leading scorer has had two ACL surgeries and may not have a full season of starts in him this year, especially on the Rice-Eccles artificial turf. It would be tough being captain if he isn't playing regularly.
There's no obvious choice in Dallas, where veterans Simo Valakari (last year's captain) and Greg Vanney left in cost-cutting maneuvers. Dario Sala is well-liked and a charismatic locker room presence. But he's also sitting out the first six games for brawling after last year's playoff loss to Colorado. Richard Mulrooney may be the logical choice there.
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
