Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. HAVE THE UNION GOT IT TOGETHER?
After the Philadelphia Union grabbed a 3-0 victory vs. Columbus Crew SC (HIGHLIGHTS) on Wednesday night, head coach Jim Curtin hopes his side is on the verge of “something special” following a performance in which even Curtin’s counterpart, Gregg Berhalter, praised the Union’s dominant performance.
2. ARRIETA REWARDS DC'S FAITH
Jairo Arrieta continued his fine form on Wednesday night, grabbing two goals in D.C. United’s 3-1 victory against the Chicago Fire (HIGHLIGHTS) as he continues to repay his coach’s faith in him. Meanwhile, the Fire were winning at halftime, leaving Frank Yallop troubled by his side's drop-off in performance.
3. IMPACT TAKE DOWN THE WHITECAPS
The Vancouver Whitecaps thought they played well against the Montreal Impact, which made it harder for them to understand how they lost 2-1 (HIGHLIGHTS) in what was to key win for the Impact following a recent defeat at the hands of the Chicago Fire.
4. SPECULATION OVER PIRLO
Andrea Pirlo will compete in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, but yesterday reports emerged claiming the Italian had agreed a deal to join New York City FC. However, additional sources have since claimed that those reports are just speculation. Reports on reports ... silly season begins.
5. ORLANDO PICK UP THE PACE
As Orlando City start to find their feet in MLS, the intensity of their training sessions is starting to ramp up a level. For Rafael Ramos, the league has had a learning curve, but despite some errors along the way, the club continue to have confidence in their young right back.
6. INTERNATIONAL ACTION
One player Orlando City won’t be able to call on for their next match is Darwin Cerén, as the midfielder joined the ever-growing list of players on international duty this June, having been called up to El Salvador for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
7. RED BULLS SET FOR DEFENSIVE HIT
Despite just one win in their last seven games, the New York Red Bulls continue to believe in head coach Jesse Marsch’s new system. While the Red Bulls should be at almost full strength for their game against the Houston Dynamo (Friday, 9pm ET, UniMás, match preview), June will see them lose several of their key defenders to international duty.
8. DOYLE STARTING TO SETTLE IN
Kevin Doyle hasn’t been with the Colorado Rapids for very long, but the Irish striker has already experienced enough that he’s starting to adjust to life in MLS, describing what he’s experienced so far as “intense.”
9. INJURY ABSENCES
Diego Valeri could be set to miss another week of action for the Portland Timbers, as head coach Caleb Porter stated the Argentine DP was “still not ready to train yet.” The Timbers face the New England Revolution on Saturday, but the Revs could be missing their own superstar. The LA Galaxy are also preparing for an injury absence this weekend, as Bruce Arena revealed that Jose Villarreal is most likely out of the team’s game against the Vancouver Whitecaps with what he described as a “short-term” injury.
11. CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
Ashtone Morgan and Jonathan Osorio have developed a strong partnership with each other on the left side of Toronto FC’s new-look lineup, and the two will be hoping to translate that fine form to the Canadian national team. Back with Toronto, though, does Tim Lieweke deserves a lot more credit for what he’s achieved over the past two years with MLSE?
12. HAS MORRIS MOVED BACK UP?
Jordan Morris traded Toulon and the U-23s for the US national team ahead of Friday's friendly against the Netherlands (3pm ET; ESPN2, WatchESPN, UniMás, UDN, match preview). However, given the fine form he’s currently in, some are questioning how there was no place for Benny Feilhaber in the latest squad.
13. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR U-20S
The US Under-20 national team head into their final game at the FIFA U-20 World Cup group stage against Ukraine late Thursday night/Friday morning (3am ET; FOX Sports 1, NBC Universo) knowing they’ve already qualified for the knockout round. That knowledge, combined with the performance against New Zealand, has the team high on confidence.
14. MEXICO GRAB A DRAW
Despite Rafael Marquez's return to the starting lineup, Mexico had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Peru on Wednesday – and by many accounts were lucky to do so – in the first of El Tri’s two tune-ups before the Copa América.
15. WHO’S GOT YOUR VOTE?
With fan voting for this year’s AT&T MLS All-Star Game well underway, here’s a quick update on who’s leading the pack, as Nick Rimando, Omar Gonzalez, Kaká and Clint Dempsey are all pulling away from the competition.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
Skills of the Month | Kaka, Villa & Giovinco dazzle in May
With De Rosario retired, Canadian national team turns to MLS youngsters Larin and Akindele
A year on from his goal against Ghana, John Anthony Brooks ready for bigger role with USMNT
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