Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. SKC TO BE TESTED TONIGHT
Sporting Kansas City host the New England Revolution tonight (8 pm ET, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada) with a squad running low on numbers and, to that end, SKC have recalled Saad Abdul-Salaam from his loan with the San Antonio Scorpions. The Revolution, meanwhile, are looking to extend their nine-game unbeaten run.
2. HOW THINGS CHANGE
Tonight’s game will also see Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies square off against each other. Both players spent time in Europe before joining MLS in 2011, although Davies would briefly depart again, and both have reflected on the changes they’ve seen in the league over that time.
3. GOALS NEEDED
As the Vancouver Whitecaps get set to play the rearranged second leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal against FC Edmonton (10 pm ET, Sportsnet One in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US and Mexico), head coach Carl Robinson has broken down the task ahead of them pretty simply: “If we don’t score, we’re out."
4. READY FOR ROUND 2
The US Open Cup's second round kicked off Tuesday night with the Portland Timbers 2 earning a 2-0 victory over the Michigan Bucks. The action continues with 20 more games tonight (you can check out streaming options right here) and, once again, there are plenty of great stories to keep an eye on, including that of Harpo's FC, the lowest ranked team still in the competition.
5. MEET ME IN ST LOUIS
On Tuesday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber met with city officials and business leaders in St Louis as they explore the possibility of bringing an MLS expansion club to a proposed downtown NFL stadium. From there, the commissioner is set to move on to Miami to meet with David Beckham’s group as they look for a way to move their stadium bid forward.
6. ATLANTA LAYS OUT A ROADMAP
One city that has already secured its place in MLS is Atlanta and, as the new team puts its off-the-field staff together and gets ready to unveil an official name in July, it is also busy laying out a roadmap to hopefully ensure a successful launch in 2017.
7. ALTIDORE SUFFERS A STRAIN
Bad news for Toronto FC and, potentially, US national team fans: Following Jozy Altidore’s early exit during last weekend's 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution, the striker has been ruled out for 4-5 weeks with a hamstring strain, leaving TFC to make plans for how they’ll cope with his absence.
8. SUITABLE SUBSTITUTE
It looks like another MLS star striker, Obafemi Martins, is set to miss another match for the Seattle Sounders as he continues to recover from injury. However, with Chad Barrett just named MLS Player of the Week, at least fans know the team is in safe hands during his absence.
9. DC DEPTH WILL BE CALLED UPON
A successful team is often determined more by the strength of their depth than the starting XI. As such, D.C. United’s decision to sign Facundo Coria is already looking like a smart bit of business, as the club announced on Tuesday that Luis Silva is set to miss 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain.
10. BUILDING FOR A CENTURY
Down 2-0 and down a man, last Friday could have been a frustrating night for New York City FC fans, but some late heroics left everyone celebrating once more. However, head coach Jason Kreis wants fans to know that prolonged success will take time, stating, “We are building a club here for the next 100 years.”
11. CEREN’S SUCCESS
Results have been hit and miss for Orlando City so far, but one constant has been the steady performances of Darwin Cerén. He certainly impressed against the LA Galaxy, but how did the Salvadoran international arrive at this point?
12. RESCHEDULED FOR THE RAIN
Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids did not end up playing at the weekend due to inclement weather, and we now know when they'll be making it up. The two sides will have a second crack at playing the match roughly five months from now on October 21.
13. WEBB WANTS MORE
Following the recent report that CONMEBOL could be set to lose its World Cup playoff spot, CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb has expressed his belief that his own confederation deserves more spots at the tournament, but that they should come from Europe’s disproportionate allocation.
14. U-20s GETTING READY
The US Under-20 national team got their World Cup preparations off to a good start with a 2-1 friendly victory over Australia early on Tuesday morning (HIGHLIGHTS). The game was also significant, as it marked Gedion Zelalem’s first appearance at any level for the US.
15. THE COACH WHO CRIED WOLF
The LA Galaxy may have been mauled by Orlando City's lions on Sunday, but things got worse for assistant coach Dave Sarachan on Tuesday after he was attacked at training by a “wolf.”
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