Take the survey and rank MLS' best rivalries 1-10!
Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. IMPACT HOLD OUT FOR DRAW
In the first competitive action of 2015, the Montreal Impact may have squandered a two-goal lead, but they still came away with a very impressive 2-2 draw on the road in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Pachuca (HIGHLIGHTS) on Tuesday night. With the second leg at Olympic Stadium just one week away, the Impact are now turning their attention to improving team cohesion.
2. SKY'S NO LIMIT
As global awareness of and appreciation for Major League Soccer continues to expand, fans in the United Kingdom are going to be getting more exposure to MLS with the announcement of a new, four-year agreement that will see Sky Sports broadcast at least two MLS games per week, as well as the AT&T MLS All-Star Game and every playoff game. Check out this video teasing the 20th MLS season.
3. HAMID HUNGRY FOR MORE
In Tuesday’s other Champions League quarterfinal, Olimpia drew 1-1 with Herediano. Wednesday sees Deportivo Saprissa take on Club America (9 pm ET, FOX Sports 2), while Thursday marks D.C. United’s clash with Alajuelense (Thursday, 8 pm ET, FOX Sports 2) and, as United goalkeeper Bill Hamid looks to build on a successful 2014, a strong CCL showing would certainly be the ideal start.
4. WHITECAPS STILL BUILDING
Carl Robinson may be quietly building one of the most exciting teams in MLS, and on Tuesday the Vancouver Whitecaps added another piece to their squad by securing the services of Deybi Flores, an 18-year-old Honduran midfielder who helped his country qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, on a year-long loan from Honduran side Motagua.
5. ANOTHER OPTION FOR ORLANDO
Orlando City’s central defense has some depth after the Lions finalized a loan move for English-American defender Seb Hines. The 26-year-old joins Orlando from Middlesbrough in the English Championship and apparently took some advice from former teammate Kei Kamara over the move to MLS.
6. MOVING TO MANHATTAN
As the New York Red Bulls start to trim down their trialists, there is also a report that the club's USL side, New York Red Bulls II, will spend the second half of their inaugural season playing at Columbia University.
7. XAVI STILL WELCOME
While it may appear as though the ship has sailed on a possible Xavi Hernandez move to New York City FC, that’s apparently not the case, as NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna stated, “next year we will need new Designated Players, and that door remains open to him.”
8. SKC PART WAYS WITH TWO
As Sporting Kansas City’s players look to move on from a disappointing end to 2014, the club parted ways with both Jorge Claros and James Marcelin on Tuesday.
9. IMPROVING LUIS GIL
Real Salt Lake finally confirmed the signing of Guatemalan defender Elias Vasquez on Tuesday. New teammate Luis Gil recently talked about his past and his future with both RSL and the US national team, so is there one thing Gil needs to improve to push his team over the edge?
10. CAN THE SOUNDERS BREAK A RECORD?
CenturyLink Field is getting 1,000 new seats this year, and while that news will not affect the Seattle Sounders on weekly basis, the increased capacity could allow them to break the longstanding MLS single-game attendance record. One player who won’t be there for that, though, is Sean Okoli, who explains why he had to leave the Sounders.
11. BERRY HEADING HALFWAY AROUND THE WORLD
Austin Berry’s search for a new club might be over, with the former MLS Rookie of the Year apparently set to join South Korean side FC Anyang on loan from the Philadelphia Union.
12. US QUESTIONS
As the question remains over what formation best suits the US national team, it seems Robbie Rogers could still have a place in that squad, as he and Jurgen Klinsmann are once again on speaking terms. Meanwhile, with the CONCACAF U-17 Championship set to begin on Friday, can Richie Williams guide his US squad to a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup?
13. WINTER IS COMING
As a FIFA taskforce officially backed the 2022 World Cup moving to November-December of that year, some in world football are not happy with the decision. However, CONCACAF has released a statement in full support of the move, citing player and fan safety as their primary reason.
14. PICK YOUR SQUAD
With less than two weeks until the 2015 season kicks off, you'd better be preparing your own squad for the season, and that means the MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager season. 18 players, a $120 million salary cap, and more than $10,000 (real money) in prizes? Count us in.
15. THE FORGOTTEN SUPERSTAR
Now that Landon Donovan’s retired, Clint Dempsey is probably US Soccer’s biggest star. However, once upon a time, that honor belonged to a man you may never have heard of: Kyle Rote Jr.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
MLS Now: Get the inside scoop with Snapchat takeovers
Mr Personality: Owen Coyle already leaving his mark on the Houston Dynamo
WATCH: Erick “Cubo” Torres scores again for Chivas in Copa MX
Get the Kick Off delivered to you!
Enter your email address and favorite team below to sign up for The Kick-Off mailing list and get it delivered to your inbox every morning.
Email:
Favorite Team:
SELECT YOUR FAVORITE TEAM
Atlanta
Chicago Fire
Colorado Rapids
Columbus Crew
D.C. United
FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo
LAFC
LA Galaxy
Montreal Impact
New England Revolution
New York City FC
New York Red Bulls
Orlando City SC
Philadelphia Union
Portland Timbers
Real Salt Lake
San Jose Earthquakes
Seattle Sounders FC
Sporting KC
Toronto FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
I don't have a favorite team
