Here are the 15 stories we're talking about this morning:
1. UNITED TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS
D.C. United made it two wins from two in the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League following a comfortable 3-0 victory over Jamaican side Montego Bay. Rookie Miguel Aguilar played a big part in the success for the second game in a row, as a businesslike United got the job done.
2. SOUNDERS LOOK BEYOND CCL MATCH
The Seattle Sounders survived the usual harrowing landing in Honduras ahead of their CCL game against CD Olimpia (10 pm ET, Fox Soccer Plus). While the MLS side is seeking a second win of the campaign, they do have one eye on Sunday's league game against the Portland Timbers (5 pm ET, ESPN).
3. CAN THE FIRE BURN THE RED BULLS?
The Chicago Fire will likely turn to Harry Shipp to lead their midfield when the New York Red Bulls come to town tonight (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), and may take comfort knowing the visitors don’t have a great record in the Windy City. With a busy schedule, the Red Bulls are balancing their roster, while young centerback Matt Miazga is delivering on his potential.
4. BRUIN UP A STORM VS. COLORADO
With his Colorado Rapids coming off a big win, Pablo Mastroeni are aiming for another one tonight against the Houston Dynamo (9 pm ET, MLS LIVE) to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. The Dynamo also need three points and will once again look to Will Bruin to provide the difference.
5. WHO WILL BE CANADIAN CHAMPIONS?
The Vancouver Whitecaps host the Montreal Impact tonight in the second and decisive leg of the Amway Canadian Championship (10 pm ET, Sportsnet One in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US). One of the two teams is going home with the trophy and the Whitecaps are keen to put talk of their ACC curse behind them. The Impact will try to claim the trophy for the second year running, but can a depleted squad get the job done?
6. ORLANDO CITY FRIENDLY VS. LOUISVILLE
If Orlando City were looking for something positive from their midweek friendly, especially following last weekend's drubbing in Toronto, then it may have been hard to find. The Lions fell 3-1 to USL affiliates Louisville City FC.
7. KARMA FOR KAMARA
Kei Kamara, the current leader in the race for the MLS Golden Boot, has taken a winding path to get to this point in his life, and he says wouldn’t change a thing.
8. GIOVINCO PLAYING HIS BEST SOCCER YET
Sebastian Giovinco has taken MLS by storm since his arrival and easily stands out as a leading contender for this season’s MVP award. Yet, while Giovinco has been a huge boost for Toronto FC, he says the move to MLS
has been a big positive for his career
.
9. THE GREAT GODOY
With the San Jose Earthquakes now on a three-game winning streak, the playoffs are certainly within their reach despite an indifferent start to the year. Could the reason for the good form be the arrival of Panamanian winger Anibal Godoy?
10. OLAVE OFFERS A BOOST TO RSL
Real Salt Lake got a big win over the Sounders over the weekend, and now the club might get an additional boost, as Jamison Olave is set to return from injury.
11. LA TEAMS ANCHOR OLYMPIC BID
Los Angeles is bidding to host the 2024 Olympics, and on Tuesday revealed exactly what that would involve, with interesting details concerning both the LA Galaxy’s StubHub Center and LAFC’s future stadium.
12. CUBO TORRES CALLED UP
With CONCACAF nations preparing for for Olympic qualifying in October, Mexico and the USA are holding training camps next month. Houston Dynamo forward Erick "Cubo" Torres has been called into Mexico’s U-22 training camp, along with former RSL defender Carlos Salcedo. And it seems we know at least one of the USA’s U-23 call-ups.
13. A GOOD NIGHT FOR YANKS IN EUROPE
Several American Exports enjoyed Tuesday. Julian Green scored a goal for Bayern Munich’s U-23 team, and Geoff Cameron scored a game-winning penalty for Stoke City in the English League Cup. The Stoke City crowd even struck up a "U-S-A!" chant.
- DUNIVANT TO HANG THEM UP
He's had one of the greatest careers of any left back in MLS history and he has the MLS Cup trophies to back them up: LA Galaxy veteran Todd Dunivant announced on Wednesday that he will be retiring from the game after the 2015 season.
15. BEHIND THE SCENES IN PORTLAND
Want to know more about how the Portland Timbers, along with their NWSL counterpart the Portland Thorns, operate on a day-to-day basis? Check out this documentary.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
Heineken Rivalry Week returns: A look at this week’s grudge matches
Fantasy Doctor: Which top scorer is the best option for Round 27?
Power Rankings: How high did the white-hot Earthquakes climb?
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