Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. DONOVAN'S USMNT GOODBYE
Landon Donovan will lead the USMNT out on the field against Ecuador tonight to close out a legendary career in red, white and blue (7 pm ET ESPN and UniMas). He'll be captaining a young squad in which, Alejandro Bedoya is one of the veterans in his new role on the squad. However, one player who won’t play a part tonight is Julian Green, whose bruised ribs have seen him fly back to Hamburg.
2. REMEMBERING DONOVAN
With Donovan’s final US match upon us, a number of his former international teammates have been reflecting on their memories of the superstar and Donovan himself has been talking about some of his own highlights (check out an in-depth look at all 57 of Donovan’s international goals right here). However, Jurgen Klinsmann's take on Donovan's career is causing the greatest stir.
3. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, CASCADIA
With both clubs celebrating their 40th anniversaries, the Seattle Sounders are planning a special event tonight ahead of their decisive Cascadia Cup clash against the Vancouver Whitecaps (10 pm ET, NBCSN in the US, TSN in Canada). The Sounders, who claim the Cascadia Cup with a win or tie, have also put together a nice video marking the occasion and, somewhat appropriately, Mauro Rosales will be in the house to take on his former team.
4. BURYING THE HATCHET
With the Portland Timbers having already played this week, all they can do is watch as their two Cascadia rivals battle it out. A win by the rival Sounders would benefit the Timbers and so owner Merritt Paulson has given written permission for fans to cheer on Seattle. Meanwhile, good news for Portland supporters: It seems Diego Valeri isn’t going anywhere.
5. CHAMPS ON THE BRINK
Sporting Kansas City have a chance to secure their place in the MLS Cup playoffs tonight when they take on the Chicago Fire (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE) and Andy Grunenbaum wants to be the goalkeeper who leads them there. As for the Fire, what do they need to do to draw less and win more next season?
6. INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM
Joey Saputo is on the verge of owning two soccer teams and, although it won’t make any difference to the Montreal Impact when they face the New England Revolution (Saturday, 4 pm ET, UDN) what might it mean for the Canadian side going forward? Meanwhile, according to one British paper, the Revs have one of the most promising young talents on the planet in Diego Fagundez. With him, plus versatile defender Andrew Farrell, the Revolution will look to tie up their own playoff berth this weekend.
7. UNION RELOADED
The Philadelphia Union could welcome back Conor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux just in time for an all-important game against the Columbus Crew on Saturday (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE). It's been a big week for Columbus, whose rebrand has proven a massive success and it seems owner Anthony Precourt isn’t done yet. Also, for those wondering how Kei Kamara and Bernardo Anor will get on after the former tore the latter’s ACL, it seems the past is behind them.
8. RED BULLS DOWN ANOTHER MAN
While Toronto FC’s playoff hopes don’t look great following Wednesday's home loss, a win against the New York Red Bulls (7 pm ET, UDN) would leave things looking a lot more promising. The Red Bulls squad has gotten even lighter ahead of that game following a suspension issued to Peguy Luyindula and while Tim Cahill is away with Australia, the Socceroo star says the recent Red Bulls drama is behind him.
9. CAN RSL STOP THE SLIDE?
Depending on the Sounders vs Whitecaps result, Real Salt Lake may be able to secure their playoff spot with just a point against the San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday, 9:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE). RSL’s squad is certainly depleted, but with Chris Schuler ruled out, Aaron Maund is ready to step up. It’ll be his job to try and stop the Quakes' promising youngster, Tommy Thompson.
10. RAPIDS STAR GETS US CALL
Their season may be over in so far as the playoffs are concerned, but Colorado manager Pablo Mastroeni is looking to spark his team's competitive edge in their remaining fixtures, starting against Chivas USA (Saturday, 10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE). However, he’ll have to make do without Shane O’Neill, after the defender was called into the US Under-23 camp.
11. A HOUSTON MIRACLE?
Following their 1-0 win over Toronto FC, there’s renewed hope around the Houston Dynamo’s own playoff hopes, but D.C. United will look to end that when they travel to BBVA Compass stadium this Sunday (3 pm ET, MLS LIVE) and attempt to move one step closer to sealing the No. 1 seed in the East.
12. CALLING CASTILLO
Following a strong season with FC Dallas there’s a lot of buzz around Fabian Castillo right now and the Colombian player has suggested he is open to playing for the US national team. However, in the more immediate future, Castillo’s side need to deal with the LA Galaxy (Sunday, 7 pm ET, ESPN2).
13. THE WOLF AMONGST US
Is Juan Agudelo joining New York City FC? Although the rumors have him entertaining a move, it seems the US international still has his heart set on Europe and will be going on trial with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Championship.
14. EL TRI MARCH ON
Mexico played the first of their two international games during the international break and ‘El Tri’ remain undefeated since the World Cup thanks to goals from Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Oswaldo Alanis in their side’s 2-0 win over upcoming US opponent Honduras. Next up: Panama (Sunday, 5 pm ET, ESPN2).
15. EXPANDING THE FIELD
After Brazil 2014, did CONCACAF prove it deserves an extra guaranteed spot at the World Cup? The confederation’s president Jeffrey Webb has no doubt and he's proposing that the fourth best team in CONCACAF should avoid a continental playoff entirely.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
MLS Insider Classic: Rock and Rolinga with the Crew’s Higuain
ExtraTime Radio: Columbus Crew – The Green Bay Packers of MLS?
MLS Now: How Donovan inspired Yedlin, Gyau and Corona
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