Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. GERRARD DEBUTS IN STYLE
Quincy Amarikwa tried his hardest, but – despite scoring two early goals – he and the Quakes couldn’t spoil Steven Gerrard’s MLS debut on Friday night, with the new Galaxy DP notching a goal and an assist in LA’s 5-2 win against San Jose (HIGHLIGHTS). The Liverpool legend showed an instant chemistry with Galaxy captain Robbie Keane, who bagged a hat trick to move to nine goals on the season.
2. HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL-STAR
The 22-man gameday roster for the MLS All-Star game was revealed on Saturday, with Sebastian Giovinco, Kei Kamara and an emotional Drew Moor among those on Pablo Mastroeni's final squad.
3. US BREEZE INTO GOLD CUP SEMIS
The US rolled over Cuba in the Gold Cup quarters on Saturday, with Clint Dempsey scoring his first USMNT hat trick as the Americans strolled to a 6-0 win in Baltimore. It was a tough night for defection-depleted Cuba, who admitted after the match just how overpowered they were by the US. While the scoreline was a joy for US fans, it’s probably best not to get used to such things.
4. NO ERA PENAL?
The quarterfinals weren't quite as easy for Mexico, who eeked out a 1-0 win against Costa Rica on Sunday after Andres Guardado buried a controversial 124th-minute penalty kick. Los Ticos were furious about the penalty decision, which saw an assistant referee flag New York Red Bulls defender Roy Miller for a dubious foul on Mexico's Oribe Peralta.
5. SEMIFINALS ARE SET
Having eased their way into the semifinals, the US will now play Jamaica in Atlanta on Wednesday after the Reggae Boyz secured a 1-0 win over Haiti on Saturday. Mexico will take on Panama, who topped Trinidad and Tobago 6-5 on penalties thanks to some heroics from Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.
6. GIOVINCO PUNISHES UNION
The Philadelphia Union became the latest team to be punished for failing to contain Sebastian Giovinco, with the Italian maestro scoring and assisting in Toronto FC's 2-1 victory at BMO Field on Saturday (HIGHLIGHTS). While Giovinco did his thing, the real story may have been the strong performance of US youth international Marky Delgado.
7. ORLANDO SEE RED… AGAIN
Orlando City’s third straight game without a win was also their third straight game with a red card, with Cyle Larin getting sent off in the Lions' 2-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday (HIGHLIGHTS). Sacha Kljestan led the way for the Red Bulls, opening the scoring with a bullet of a shot. Down to 10 men, OCSC threatened but ultimately failed to score and they now plan to appeal Larin's dismissal.
8. REVS SNAP THEIR SLIDE
The New England Revolution know their 1-0 win against New York City FC (HIGHLIGHTS) wasn’t pretty, but, with the result breaking a five-game losing streak, they don’t much care. While the result didn’t go NYCFC’s way, Jason Kreis has no problem with the effort his players put in, especially after they played with 10 men for much of the game.
9. DWYER REACHES A LANDMARK
Dom Dwyer joined some elite company on Saturday night, tying Thierry Henry as the only two players to score seven career goals against the Montreal Impact after he tallied in Sporting KC’s 2-1 win over the Canadian side (HIGHLIGHTS). The result leaves the Impact looking for a new away game strategy following their latest road defeat.
10. SOUNDERS STILL STRUGGLING
The Seattle Sounders' struggles without Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins continued on Saturday, with the team falling 1-0 at home to the Colorado Rapids to lose for the fifth time in six games (HIGHLIGHTS). It was the first-ever win in Seattle for the streaking Rapids, who look like they're finally getting their act together.
11. REJUVENATED RSL TAKE DOWN HOUSTON
A players-only meeting seems to have cleared the air in Utah, as Real Salt Lake looked like a brand new team in their 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday (HIGHLIGHTS). The result left the Dynamo questioning both their own first-half performance as well as a crucial decision by the referee.
12. CASTILLO’S CAREER NIGHT
Saturday turned out to be a pretty great evening for FC Dallas’ Fabian Castillo, who not only earned a place on the MLS All-Star roster but also scored a last-minute goal to secure a 2-1 win over D.C. United (HIGHLIGHTS). While United were unhappy with the manner of the defeat, head coach Ben Olsen accepted that his team was second best on the night.
13. MISSED OPPORTUNITY
They had no qualms about the fairness of the result, but the Portland Timbers did lament a missed opportunity to take all three points following a 1-1 home draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps (HIGHLIGHTS). The 'Caps fought from behind to earn the draw, with Matias Laba garnering huge praise for his individual performance.
14. CREW SC STAYING CALM
For the second time in five days, Columbus Crew SC came out on top against their midwestern rivals, topping the Chicago Fire 3-1 on Sunday (HIGHLIGHTS). The Columbus players certainly enjoyed the victory, but they're not taking it for granted, vowing not to get complacent. It was another disappointing result for the Fire, who were upset by what they considered a “phantom red card” to Jason Johnson.
15. HAS MLS MIAMI FOUND A LOCATION?
Have David Beckham’s plans for an MLS franchise in Miami taken a step in the right direction? Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado announced on Friday that a tentative deal is in place for the group to build a stadium on the site of the former Orange bowl, near Marlins Park.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
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Chicago Fire & FC Dallas win 2014-15 Development Academy titles
Road to the HomeGrown Game – Matt Miazga has Olympic dreams
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