Preseason is officially under way, and so begins the long, slow burn toward first kick. The games will start coming fast and furious soon enough, but in the meantime you can catch all the other news and updates from MLS training camps below. And for the entire preseason schedule, click here.
CAT SCRATCH FEVER: GATO, TIMBERS TOP SPORTING KC
That quiet Saturday night at home was livened up by the Timbers' Gaston "la Gata" Fernandez and Michael Nanchoff, who scored to side's two goals in a 2-0 win over Sporting KC in Tucson (Watch the HIGHLIGHTS | MATCH REPLAY). Fernandez struck a first-half penalty kick after a handball was whistled in the box, and Nanchoff scored off a direct freekick from just outside the box. And even in Arizona, it wouldn't be a Timbers game with a little green smoke.
AVAYA STADIUM BY NIGHT
The San Jose Earthquakes finished up their first week of training on Friday, which is all well and good. That goes for pretty much everyone in the league. But not every team was touring their new stadium at the same time, getting a feel for what 2015 will bring in a sparkling new soccer-specific venue. Check out the video below ... and that photo of Avaya under the moonlight. Imagine that scene with fans packing the terraces.
D.C. UNITED, ORLANDO CITY PLAY TO DRAW IN FLORIDA
Orlando City SC and D.C. United played in preseason action Friday night at Bradenton, Fla., and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. D.C. took a lead through Chris Pontius in the 14th minute, when he headed in a cross from Taylor Kemp, while Orlando City waited until the second half to knot up the score. Carlos Rivas hit a free kick in the 67th minute that got a little help from a goalkeeping error to level the score.
