Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. DO IT FOR THE ‘DILLO
There were plenty of preseason games over a weekend in which D.C. United may have won possibly the greatest trophy ever created. There’s plenty more action still to come before the season starts for real and you can watch the entire Desert Diamond Cup, which starts on Wednesday, right here on MLSsoccer.com.
2. LEAVING ON LOAN
It looks like Gilberto’s future may be sorted, in the short term at least. The Brazilian media are reporting that Toronto FC will loan their excess DP to Vasco da Gama on a six-month loan with an option to buy.
- SKC’S NEW DM
Sporting Kansas City have added a new player to their roster, signing Haitian defensive midfielder Soni Mustivar. While SKC head coach Peter Vermes seems pleased with his new signing, he was far less impressed with Jurgen Klinsmann’s recent comments concerning player fitness.
4. RECOVERING, ONE TV SHOW AT A TIME
Portland Timbers star Will Johnson talks us through his rehab process, one that apparently involved plenty of Sons of Anarchy. PTFC are set to start the year with some key absences in the midfield; could this be the year that Darlington Nagbe re-establishes himself as a potential superstar?
5. CAN THE LIONS FILL THE BOWL?
Can Orlando City sell 65,000 tickets to their opening game against New York City FC and #FillTheBowl? With the news that they’ve now surpassed 40,000 tickets sold, they’re certainly getting closer. Meanwhile, as preseason progresses, how is Brek Shea finding his move to left back?
6. LAST IN, FIRST OUT
When Dan Metzger was drafted by D.C. United with the 42nd pick of this year's MLS SuperDraft, he joked that they’d saved the best 'til last. That could yet be true, albeit outside the nation's capital, as Metzger has since been released. However, recent United signing Markus Halsti seems to be adapting well to life in the US.
7. RAPIDS STILL LOOKING FOR REINFORCEMENTS?
As the new season draws near, the Colorado Rapids seem to have worked out who they want to be this year. While the club has admitted they had “a conversation” about Diego Forlan as a possible player, are they hoping for a couple of Arsenal loanees to help round out their squad?
8. DEVELOPED BY THE DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo coolly turned over their own academy side in the annual preseason meeting between the two teams over the weekend. Although the result itself was of little importance in this game, with eight years gone by since the start of their youth development program, what does the future hold for the Dynamo academy?
9. RED BULLS REALIGN
Keeping in line with their new development pathway following the official announcement of their USL side, the New York Red Bulls U-23 team is moving from the NPSL to the PDL. Sadly for Eric Stevenson, even the formation of New York Red Bulls II wasn’t enough to save him from being waived.
- NEW YORK’S FINEST
Big news involving two of last season's Red Bulls players: Kosuke Kimura looks to be heading to Poland, while Ibrahim Sekagya has confirmed his retirement and simultaneously joined the RBNY coaching staff. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, could Kwadwo Poku be New York City FC’s answer to Yaya Toure?
11. SAN ANTONIO SELL-OUT
If you’re planning to go see the US national team take on Mexico in San Antonio, you'd better have your tickets already. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati confirmed that the April 15 game is officially a sell-out of 65,000. Gulati also made it clear just how important he thinks the Olympics are to U.S. Soccer.
12. THE BEST OF THE BEST
In what was arguably the strongest class of entrants to date, Brian McBride, Bob Bradley and Kristine Lilly were all inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Saturday. All three are still building their US Soccer legacy and, speaking during his induction, Brian McBride’s selflessness shone through once again.
13. WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT
Following a move to 2.Bundesliga outfit Erzgebirge Aue, Bobby Wood has wasted no time putting his 1860 Munich nightmare behind him, scoring two goals at the weekend to help guide his new side away from the relegation zone. Yet, while Wood's attitude deserves commending, it seems the same can’t be said for Julian Green.
14. IT’S A FIX
Way back in September 2013, El Salvador issued life bans to 14 of their own national team players over suspected match-fixing in the 2011 Gold Cup. Now, with the investigation approaching a potential court hearing, more details have emerged on just how the possible fixing was discovered.
- THE DWYERS
Saturday was, of course, Valentine’s Day. While love was in the air for a great many people, perhaps none more so than Sydney Leroux and Dom Dwyer, with the pair revealing that they’ve tied the knot.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
MLS Now: Should players party after a loss? Simon Borg weighs in
Seattle Sounders winger Lamar Neagle confirms interest from Irish national team
Bradford Jameson IV gunning for a starting role with the LA Galaxy
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