Here is everything you need to know about MLS and North American soccer this morning:
Valeri, Dallas make power moves
Portland skipper Diego Valeri bagged the Alcatel Player of the Week prize for his two-goal, one-assist performance in their opening day rout of Minnesota United. READ MORE
And while Valeri's Timbers made the biggest jump in our MLSsoccer.com Power Rankings following Week 1, it was FC Dallas that vaulted to the top of the chart. READ MORE
Youth is served in Week 1
Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle couldn't help but notice how the kids were alright all over the league on opening day. READ MORE
David Villa, MLS ambassador
NYCFC star man David Villa sang the praises of Major League Soccer in a wide-ranging CNN feature, where the reigning league MVP declared: "I've been here, I've seen the league for a long time and it deserves respect from everybody for how good it is." READ MORE
Injury bay: Glad, Chala & Goossens
The Salt Lake Tribune's Chris Kamrani got word from RSL coach Jeff Cassar that defender Justen Glad is in doubt for Saturday's visit to Chicago. The youngster suffered a knee knock in the US Under-20 national team's CONCACAF Championship final victory over the weekend. READ MORE
The news is worse for FC Dallas, who expect to be without young left back Anibal Chala for about a month. The new recruit underwent sports hernia surgery last Tuesday. READ MORE
The worst injury news of all, however, was received by the Fire. Midfielder John Goossens is set to miss 5-6 months when he undergoes an operation to repair ankle ligament damage. READ MORE
MLS confidential
For the third year in a row, ESPN has released the results of their MLS player survey. With 140 players providing confidential answers, the poll found (among other things) that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the most popular choice for a Designated Player chase, Portland has the rowdiest fans and the majority surveyed feel league officiating has improved. READ MORE
Garber impressed by Union academy
MLS commish Don Garber had high praise indeed following a Monday visit to the Philadelphia Union academy, rating it among the world's best. READ MORE
America's most wanted: Walker Zimmerman edition
According to Metro's Kristian Dyer, Bundesliga promotion hopefuls Hannover 96 and Stuttgart are monitoring the situation of FC Dallas defender Walker Zimmerman. READ MORE
USMNT: Arena on status of Dempsey, Howard
With a pair of vital World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, US boss Bruce Arena has revealed that he plans to exercise caution on the issue of whether or not to call up stars Clint Dempsey (who is just back after a long layoff) and Tim Howard (who's still on the recovery road). On the other hand, he does expect Stoke defensive handyman Geoff Cameron to be available when they tackle Honduras on March 24. READ MORE
Gold Cup groups and schedule announced
In other CONCACAF news, the groups and schedules for the 2017 Gold Cup have been revealed: Canada are in Group A and the US national team are in Group B together with a budding rival and a playoff winner. READ MORE
Food, drink prices slashed in KC
In a world of seemingly perpetual inflation, we have some good news out of Sporting KC's Children's Mercy Park: the stadium has dropped concession prices on five popular food items and a dozen beverage options for the entire 2017 season. READ MORE
MLSsoccer.com Musts:
Cast your Save of the Week ballot
Armchair Analyst: What this week's Power Rankings got wrong
Will Parchman: How will Orlando City cope without Kaka?
