Here are the Top 15 soccer stories we’re following today.
1. UNION VS. CREW KICKS OFF WEEK 15 SLATE: MLS top scorer Jack McInerney will have the national spotlight all to himself tonight when the Philadelphia Union host the Columbus Crew (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE) at PPL Park, where it's '80s night. All you need to know ahead of the match is in the game preview. Philadelphia manager John Hackworth calls it "massive" in his weekly press conference. Here's the perspective from Crew camp where it looks like Dominic Oduro will get the start up top.
2. JUST HOURS REMAIN TO SET YOUR FANTASY LINEUP: The early start to the week of MLS matches means your MLS Fantasy: Manager lineups have to be in before tonight's game. And since it's a thin schedule this week, so you're going to need all the help you can get. That's where Jason Saghini and Andrew Wiebe come in with their Starting Lineup video, chock full of tips.
3. MORE THAN 50,000 TICKETS SOLD FOR CASCADIA CUP CLASH: Saturday night's clash between the Sounders and Whitecaps at CenturyLink Field has reportedly broken the 50,000 mark and is already in the Top 5 biggest attendances in Sounders MLS history. But Vancouver's "good luck charm," Kenny Miller, thinks the Whitecaps can spoil the party.
4. USMNT ARRIVES IN JAMAICA: Jurgen Klinsmann brought his squad into Jamaica a day early (here's why he did it) ahead of Friday's World Cup qualifier at The Office. Not only did Klinsmann and his coaching staff want to take in Tuesday's Jamaica-Mexico qualifier, but the team also went through a light training session. MLSsoccer.com's own Charles Boehm is in Jamaica with the squad and filed this report.
5. GOMEZ, BEASLEY ON THE MOVE: Boehm says that Herculez Gomez won't confirm it, but Santos Laguna have confirmed that they've sent him to the Xolos of Club Tijuana, where he'll feature in the CONCACAF Champions League again. USMNT starting left back DaMarcus Beasley has also been transfer-listed at Puebla. Could a move to MLS be in the cards for him?
6. MEXICO MOVE TO TOP OF HEXAGONAL STANDINGS: Klinsmann watched El Tri leap into the top spot of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying after last night's 1-0 win in Jamaica. It wasn't the prettiest of matches with a header goal by Aldo de Nigris proving the difference. (WATCH IT HERE)
7. USA'S TOULON FINALE: Tab Ramos and his Under-20 squad face South Korea at 11 am ET (beIN Sport) in France as they close they look to close out their participation in the Toulon tournament on a positive note ahead of the upcoming FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
8. PELÉ COMES TO TOWN: The soccer legend was in New York City for the announcement of a new jersey sponsor deal for the New York Cosmos, as the second-division NASL club made headlines by joining the "Emirates" family. The Guardian's Graham Parker offers his perspective on the event where Pelé revealed he tried to bring Freddy Adu to Santos.
9. PERUVIAN IN D.C. UNITED'S CROSSHAIRS: Reports from Peru say that the MLS club is hot on the heels of Mario Tajima, an Universitario player who was apparently on the verge of retiring early to continue studying in the USA. But now that the D.C. interest has surfaced, the Peruvian club reportedly doesn't want to give Tajima his release from a contract that runs until 2015.
10. TORONTO FC CLEARED TO FIND NEXT DAVID BECKHAM: That's confirmed by Tim Leiweke, president of Toronto FC owners MLSE, who brought Beckham to the LA Galaxy and watched the club win two league titles. Leiweke believes signing players with his personality and experience will take TFC over the top.
11. RANGERS EXPECT BOCANEGRA'S RETURN: Manager Ally McCoist expressed his desire to see the return of US defender Carlos Bocanegra to play out the last year of his contract with the club, which will be stuck in the Scottish second division during 2013-'14. The club's preseason training kicks off on June 24.
12. AMERICANS ON TRIAL AT WERDER BREMEN: Find out the names of the two US Under-17 rising stars who could be landing in Germany. After a trial at Hoffenheim, they are now trying out at another Bundesliga club.
13. WHAT WOULD YOU DO? If you found a UEFA Champions League medal in an empty stadium following the final? An SI.com reporter was faced with this dilemma following Bayern Munich's triumph over Borussia Dortmund and he went all out to return it to its rightful owner. But it took some investigative work to do it.
14. WHAT'S ON THE TUBE TODAY: In addition to MLS and Toulon action, you can catch the international friendly between Uruguay and France (3 pm ET, beIN Sport) and beginning at 12ET, ESPN Deportes will carry a Euro Under-21 Championship doubleheader highlighted by the succulent England vs. Italy clash (2:15 pm ET).
15. YOUR MLS HIP-HOP ANTHEM: If you know your hip-hop you'll appreciate this Bleacher Report list that assigns a song for each of the 19 MLS clubs. How spot on are they?
MLSsoccer.com Musts
Team of the Week: Hail to the heroes from Impact and Revs
Between the Lines: The evolution of the playmaker (Part 3)
Central Winger: Does the aerial game really help a team win games?
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