As Real Salt Lake get set to play another home game at Rio Tinto Stadium in one of the big matches of the weekend vs. FC Dallas (Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live), one of the club’s owner is not just forgetting about the controversial July 4 tie vs. New England, which featured a disputed ejection of RSL defender Nat Borchers.
RSL co-owner Dave Checketts continues his push to bring instant replay to soccer, as he explains at the end of this article: “I have been screaming about it frankly for the last couple of years.”
They may be soccer clubs from two different cities and located in two different states, but that doesn’t prevent new Seattle star Mauro Rosales from calling Sunday afternoon’s Portland vs. Seattle match a “derby” (4 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN Deportes).
The Argentine puts it on the same level of the most renowned derbies he’s been part of: “Like with Boca-River or Ajax-Feyenoord, we know it's a derby. … You have to give a 110 percent."
The Sounders have a busy summer to look forward to. CONCACAF Champions League matches, a US Open Cup quarterfinal, a friendly against Manchester United and an MLS home game on grass. What? You heard right, CenturyLink Field will feature a grass surface for an MLS match this July.
In preparation for Sunday’s match, the Portland Timbers faced Mexican giants Club América on Thursday night but fell to a 1-0 defeat. Here are the highlights of the match, in which Mexican soccer fans took over JELD-WEN Field. These are some of the best photos from the exhibition. (VIDEO and PHOTOS)
As the New York Red Bulls get set to host D.C. United on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live), the storylines surround the recent trade involving Dwayne De Rosario and Dax McCarty. The way McCarty speaks about it, there’s a distinct feeling that he felt he was miscast in DC: “Two games in New York, I already feel like I’ve played more like myself in the past two games than I did all season with DC.”
Meanwhile, the name of a starting goalkeeper in the Bundesliga has surfaced as a possible reinforcement for the Red Bulls’ goalkeeping corps. He’s 38 years old. (GERMAN)
You won’t guess which New York Red Bulls player is Steve Davis’ choice for Newcomer of the Year as he dishes out his midseason awards on SI.com.
Will David Beckham be around for the LA Galaxy’s home match against the Chicago Fire on Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer)? Reports are that his wife, Victoria, is set to give birth at an LA hospital this weekend. Beckham apparently posted a photo of his wife on Facebook which he himself took, only for his wife to get back at him. (PHOTO)
With or without Beckham, the Galaxy are going to have to deal with the speed of Chicago Fire forward Dominic Oduro, who despite receiving criticism for missing a few chances, says, “I still think I’ve been doing great.”
Should Chicago Fire fans be concerned? Winger Marco Pappa declares that he wants to play in Spain when his contract is up with Chicago. (SPANISH)
One of the stories that Houston Dynamo fans will be looking at as their team hosts Toronto FC on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live), is whether rookie Kofi Sarkodie will start an unprecedented third consecutive game at right back for the club. Here’s the story of how he’s been able to keep afloat during a difficult rookie season.
Another national TV game on Saturday is Sporting Kansas City vs. Chivas USA from Livestrong Sporting Park (7:30 p.m. ET, Galavisión). SKC received some good news on Thursday that their stadium will also host a potential US Open Cup semifinal should they get by the Richmond Kickers in the quarterfinals. Here are the other possible semifinal hosts.
The Philadelphia Union travel to San Jose to face the Earthquakes on Saturday night (10:30 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live) on the heels of receiving a midseason grade “A” by a local Philly beat writer. While the accolades are nice, there is one thing that gets under the skin of manager Peter Nowak: “I am angry with the whole assessment of when Carlos [Ruiz] isn't scoring that he isn't working. … If you don't see what he brings to the table, then it's not fair.”
One Philadelphia journalist speculates whether the trade of Union left back Jordan Harvey to Vancouver could signify a major arrival in the coming days. Specifically, he tosses out the name Jonathan Spector.
Harvey will definitely be on the Whitecaps’ 18-man roster for Vancouver’s match on Saturday against Colorado, the club that originally drafted him (9 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live). As far as the Rapids are concerned, they will likely have this article pegged on their bulletin board on gameday. A Denver Post columnist writes: “How long can fans pat them on the back for winning a title? The Rapids are nearly the exact definition of mediocre this season.”
The Columbus Crew don’t play this weekend but that doesn’t mean that people are still not talking about forward Jeff Cunningham matching Jaime Moreno’s all-time MLS scoring record with 133 goals. One columnist in Columbus calls it “Ruthian.” Meanwhile, Cunningham’s off to enjoy some time with his mother, a housekeeper in a Tampa, Fla., nursing home.
The Montreal Impact are busy preparing for their debut MLS season in 2012 and it will start with the naming of a new head coach in the next couple of weeks. They are down to the final three candidates, according to one report.
The earliest that Salvadoran Gold Cup star Rodolfo “Fito” Zelaya could play in MLS is 2012 after news emerged that he has signed on with a Russian club for the next six months. (SPANISH).
Here’s another name for the MLS summer transfer rumors. A report indicates that Panamanian midfielder Nelson Barahona might be heading stateside after declining a return to his Colombian club. (SPANISH)
US Soccer has announced its Development Academy best XI, including a conference-by-conference breakdown, and the names of future MLS academy prospects dominate the lists.
If you’re a young player, it doesn’t get any better than this: a game-winning bicycle-kick goal in the 90th minute of a World Cup semifinal. That’s the dream that one Mexican player is living today after achieving the feat against Germany on home soil. But was that better than his teammate’s goal off a direct corner kick? The Mexicans play Uruguay in the final at the Azteca. (VIDEO)
Yesterday we read about how the Honduran Olympic team had an interest in calling up MLS Rookie of the Year Andy Najar to an Olympic team camp at the end of July. They probably shouldn’t even bother. D.C. United won’t be releasing him.
A midseason knee injury to US national team midfielder Stuart Holden, while he played with Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League, kept him out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In this article we find out why that gash on his knee cost him six months of rehab.
Tonight there is some Copa América and USL soccer action to keep you entertained. Uruguay face Chile (6 p.m. ET, TeleFutura) and Mexico battle Peru (8 p.m. ET, Univisión) in the second matchday in Group C. Also, Sporting Kansas City fans can get a good look at the Richmond Kickers (8 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer), who will be Tuesday’s opponent in the US Open Cup quarterfinals at Livestrong Sporting Park.
Lastly, find out why most of D.C. United forward Joseph Ngwenya’s belongings lie half a world away. His international travels make for a great story.
MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:
The latest edition of ExtraTime Radio with Seattle’s Rogers Levesque and FC Dallas star Brek Shea
The Throw-In: Are the Sounders a victim of their own expectations?
Chivas USA in discussions on potential move from the Home Depot Center
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