Kick Off: MLS doubleheader on UniMas tonight | Magee stokes LA vs. Seattle

Greg Seltzer

Here are the top soccer stories everyone’s talking about this morning:

Cushion Attempt

New Supporters' Shield leaders FC Dallas will get the chance to go clear at the top of the league standings when they travel to San Jose on Friday night (10:30 pm ET on UniMás in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada). The team is openly searching for a forward, and a Brazilian report claims they are in talks with former Sao Paulo target Getterson.

Dynamic Date

Fresh off the firing of manager Adrian Heath, Orlando City will try to quickly pick up the pieces when Houston comes calling on Friday night (8 pm ET on UniMás in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada). While Lions star Kaka has been ruled out for the Dynamo visit, he declared it time for the team to answer the wake-up call.

What Now?

With assistant coach Bobby Murphy and reserve coach Anthony Pulis temporarily in charge of the Lions, our Simon Borg argues that the season is not yet lost for Orlando City. To illustrate that point further, Sam Stejskal examines how MLS teams have responded to midseason coaching changes in recent years.

Rival Switch

The New York Red Bulls swung a deal on Thursday, trading winger Lloyd Sam to rivals D.C. United, which compelled Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle to ask three questions about the move. As for the 5th-place Black-and-Red, they invade rivals Philadelphia on Saturday (7 pm ET on MLS LIVE).

Sunday Specials

As for the Red Bulls, they're involved in one of the two Sunday national TV matches when they host the MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers (6 pm ET on ESPN2). The other New York team, currently at the top of the Eastern Conference, will be traveling for a tricky encounter against Sporting Kansas City (8 pm ET on FS1).

Fightin' Words

LA Galaxy forward Mike Magee has added some spice to Saturday's nationally televised matinee against the visiting Seattle Sounders (3 pm ET on ESPN in USA; MLS LIVE in Canada) by claiming that the Sounders are jealous of his side's success. However the visitors may or may not feel toward the Galaxy, they are delighted to return star man Clint Dempsey from Copa America duty.

All-Star Announcement

At halftime of that Seattle vs. LA match, ESPN's Adrian Healey and Brian Dunseth will unveil the first 11 names on the MLS All-Star squad -- the Fan XI selections as voted on by supporters -- ahead of the AT&T MLS All-Star Game vs. Arsenal on July 28.

Management Accounting

Speaking of the Sounders, Seattle boss Sigi Schmid and Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena stand tall as the godfathers of MLS coaching. You can watch an MLS Insider special on the two sideline legends and then check out our interactive coaching tree to see how their influence has spread around the league.

Facing The Past

Revs striker Kei Kamara admits there is likely to be some smack talk traded around when New England host his old employers Columbus Crew SC on Saturday (7:30 pm ET on MLS LIVE).

Fresh Impact

Ahead of Saturday night's visit to Real Salt Lake (10 pm ET on MLS LIVE), Montreal have bolstered their strike stable by acquiring Matteo Mancosu from Bologna on a year-long loan.

Light My Fire

One columnist wonders whether the Vancouver Whitecaps' benching of Kekuta Manneh for their last game will fire up the attacker ahead of Saturday's visit from West leaders Colorado (10 pm ET on TSN in Canada; MLS LIVE in USA).

Mount Olympics

Houston attacker Erick "Cubo" Torres has been named to Mexico's roster for the Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Columbus Crew SC winger Justin Meram is hoping to earn an Iraq squad place for the same tourney.

Breaking Away

After this week's friendly with the Red Bulls, Club America star midfielder Rubens Sambueza expressed hope that he can play in MLS when his Eagles deal expires this year.

Boy Scouts

Top Drawer Soccer's J.R. Eskilson has a couple of scoops about foreign teams chasing US Under-20 aces. He reports that 17-year-old FC Dallas Academy midfielder has a Bundesliga offer on the table, and that Galaxy youth defender Hugo Arellano is wanted by Liga MX side Pumas.

Export Exploits

Former Columbus Crew SC striker Aaron Schoenfeld enjoying the adventure of a lifetime scoring goals for fun in Israel. Over in England, fellow American export Duane Holmes has joined Scunthorpe United, who are aiming for promotion to the Championship.