NEW YORK - Nearly a month into the Major League Soccer preseason, teams are taking shape and gearing up for opening day. The 12th Major League Soccer season kicks off on Saturday, April 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET (live on ABC) when the Colorado Rapids host D.C. United in the opening of their new stadium - Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Four more MLS matches take place on April 7, and the opening weekend rounds out with one match on Sunday, April 8 as the defending MLS Cup Champions Houston Dynamo face the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Today marks a key date for all 13 MLS teams as they must be roster and budget compliant. In order to be compliant teams must be inline with the following:
Toronto FC may have three (3) additional Senior International players as long as those three players qualify as domestic for US-based teams.
Toronto FC may have five (5) Youth Internationals
Already during preseason many MLS teams have participated in matches against each other and against formidable international competition. D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo are competing in the quarterfinal stage of the CONCACAF Champions Cup versus CD Olimpia of Honduras and Puntarenas FC of Costa Rica respectively. The second legs of the home-and-home contest are today as United host CD Olimpia at RFK Stadium at 7 p.m. ET and the Dynamo host Puntarenas FC at the Texas A&M University Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas at 9 p.m. ET. D.C. United hold a large advantage after defeating CD Olimpia 4-1 in Honduras on Feb. 21. Houston lost their away match 1-0 to Puntarenas FC and is looking to come out victorious and move on to the semifinal stage. Both matches will be carried live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol.
Elsewhere in MLS teams are participating in international trips to prepare for the upcoming regular season. Real Salt Lake will play matches on a 10-day trip to Spain, during which they will also take in a match at the famed Estadio Santiago Bernabeau as partner club Real Madrid face Getafe on Saturday, March 3. The Chicago Fire are currently in Spain where they will play at least three matches during a 12-day trip. FC Dallas, currently in Brazil, will play four matches and train at Brazilian-partner Club Atletico Paranaense's training center. The Colorado Rapids recently returned from a trip to Mexico where they went 3-0-1, the only blemish coming in a 2-2 tie against famed Mexican club Cruz Azul. The Rapids travel to Europe on March 8 and will train in London for five days at partner-club Arsenal FC's training center before heading to Spain on March 14 to play a series of friendly matches that will culminate in a game versus Valencia FC who currently sit in fourth place in La Liga, Spain's first division. For up-to-date preseason news log onto www.mlsnet.com.
The following is the 2007 MLS Competition Calendar and 2007 Key Dates. Schedule subject to change.
MLS COMPETITION CALENDAR - 2007
March 1, 2007:
28-player Roster Deadline
Teams must be at 18 players on senior roster, 10 on developmental roster, 4 senior internationals, 3 youth internationals
March 5, 2007:
Waiver Draft
April 9, 2007:
First date Senior Roster players may be waived without financial charge to team salary budget
April 13, 2007:
Primary Transfer Window closes
June 1, 2007:
College Protected list finalized (all college players from 2007 SuperDraft either on roster or waived)
June 15, 2007:
Secondary Transfer Window opens
August 15, 2007:
Secondary Transfer Window closes
September 14, 2007:
Roster Freeze Date / Trade and Discovery Deadline
KEY DATES - 2007 SEASON
February 21, 2007:
CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals
Houston Dynamo at Puntarenas FC, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
D.C. United at CD Olimpia, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
March 1, 2007:
CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals
Puntarenas FC at Houston Dynamo, College Station, Texas
CD Olimpia at D.C. United, Washington, D.C.
March 13-15, 2007:
CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals - 1st leg
April 3-5, 2007:
CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals - 2nd leg
April 7-8, 2007:
MLS First Kick - Opening Weekend
April 12, 2007:
MLS Primetime Thursday debuts on ESPN2
FC Dallas @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00 p.m. ET
April 17-19, 2007:
CONCACAF Champions Cup Finals - 1st leg
April 24-26, 2007:
CONCACAF Champions Cup Finals - 2nd leg
June 6-24, 2007:
CONCACAF Gold Cup
June 30-July 22, 2007:
FIFA U-20 World Cup (Canada)
June 26-July 15, 2007:
Copa America (Venezuela)
July 10, 2007:
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date (round-of-16) - 8 MLS teams enter tournament
July 19, 2007:
2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, ESPN2, Telefutura
MLS All-Stars vs. Celtic FC, 9 p.m. ET
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Denver
July 24, 2007:
SuperLiga begins
August 7, 2007:
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date (quarterfinals)
August 14-15 2007:
SuperLiga semifinal matches
August 18-September 9, 2007:
FIFA U-17 World Cup (Korea)
August 29, 2007:
SuperLiga final
September 4, 2007:
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date (semifinals)
October 2, 2007:
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final
October 21, 2007:
MLS Regular Season concludes
November 18, 2007:
MLS Cup 2007
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
