We’ve got a busy day of preseason action on tap, highlighted by the start of the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson, Ariz. and the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic in Bradenton, Fla.
- Montreal Impact 6, FC Cuautla 0 | RECAP
- Columbus Crew SC 7, London United 0 (IMG Suncoast Pro Classic) | RECAP
- Houston Dynamo 0, Austin Aztex 1 | RECAP
- San Jose Earthquakes 4, Fresno Fuego 0 | RECAP
- Philadelphia Union 3, Costa Rica U-23s 0 (IMG Suncoast Pro Classic) | RECAP
- New York Red Bulls 1, HB Koge (IMG Suncoast Pro Classic) | RECAP
- Toronto FC 0, Oklahoma City Energy 1, IMG Suncoast Pro Classic | RECAP
- Colorado Rapids 2, Sporting Kansas City 2, Desert Diamond Cup | RECAP (SKC)
- New England Revolution 0, Real Salt Lake 1, Desert Diamond Cup
- Seattle Sounders 6, FC Tucson 0, Desert Diamond Cup
Follow all of today's news and updates from MLS training camps below, and for the entire preseason schedule, click here.
SOUNDERS CRUSH DESERT DIAMOND CUP HOSTS
The Seattle Sounders opened their Desert Diamond Cup slate in Arizona on Wednesday evening with a commanding 6-0 win over tournament hosts FC Tucson. The Sounders had three goal scorers on the night, with Lamar Neagle and Clint Dempsey scoring two goals each in the first half, while second half substitute Kevin Parsemain scored a pair of goals late in the game. Though Tucson had a few good looks on goal, they were unable to convert their chances.
RSL TOP REVS IN DESERT DIAMOND CUP ACTION
Real Salt Lake beat the New England Revolution 1-0 in Desert Diamond Cup play on Wednesday. RSL forward Devon Sandoval notched the game's goal, on a penalty in the 6th minute. Though both sides had chances throughout the rest of the game, neither team could find a goal from open play.
TFC FALL IN BRADENTON
Toronto FC opened IMG Suncoast Pro Soccer Classic tournament action on Wednesday in Bradenton, Fla. against USL side OKC Energy FC, and lost 1-0. Kyle Greig scored the game's lone goal in the 50th minute. Although TFC had a golden opportunity to tie the game, Luke Moore missed a second half penalty wide left, and despite various efforts, could not find the back of the net on the night.
TALE OF TWO HALVES IN DESERT DIAMOND CUP
The Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City played to a 2-2 draw to open up Desert Diamond Cup play in Tucson on Wednesday evening. The Rapids charged out to a 2-0 first half lead, courtesy of Gabriel Torres and Dominique Badji. But after both sides completely altered their lineups at the half, Sporting ended up knotting the score, with Krisztian Nemeth scoring a penalty and Bernardo Anor equalizing a couple minutes later. In addition, Colorado trialist Francisco Flores was sent off in the second half after picking up his second yellow card.
GRELLA GOAL
A day after signing a contract with the New York Red Bulls
,
Mike Grella
gave a glimpse as to why.
Grella opened the scoring in the Red Bulls' preseason match against Danish side HB Koge, getting on the end of a ball from Roy Miller and doing well to strike it into the back of the net with a half-volley. Unfortunately for Grella and New York, the goal would be canceled out in the second half and the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic match ended in a 1-1 draw.
SPORTING INK FIRST ROUND PICK DIA
Sporting KC also got in on the draft pick signing tip on Wednesday, announcing they have locked up defender Amadou Dia to a deal. The 21-year-old, was selected at No. 20 overall by SKC in January's MLS SuperDraft, and played collegiately at Clemson. He is also a former US youth international.
"Amadou is a player we feel has a very good future," Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said in a club statement. "He's got a great instinct around the game. For him, like most players when they come, it will be about taking advantage of the opportunities when he gets them. He has a really good mentality, is extremely coachable and I think he has a huge upside if he continues on this path."
"I am really excited to officially be a part of this organization," Dia said. "I am prepared to do whatever it takes and play any role I can in order to make us a better team and help us to accomplish our goals."
D.C. SIGN FIRST ROUND PICK
D.C. United have officially inked their top SuperDraft pick, announcing Wednesday that Miguel Aguilar had signed a contract. Aguilar, a midfielder out of the University of San Francisco, was picked 17th overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.
“We are pleased to have signed Miguel,” said D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper in a statement. “He’s a player with very good attacking qualities, and he has a very strong desire to make an impact in Major League Soccer.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM IMPACT'S WIN OVER CRUZ AZUL
On Tuesday the Impact faced off against Cruz Azul in Mexico City, defeating the Mexican giants 1-0 behind a Dominic Oduro goal.
Frank Klopas' played a Cruz Azul side that featured a mix of the first team, reserves, and the team's U-20 squad.
Here are the highlights from Tuesday's match:
They followed that performance up on Wednesday, defeating 3rd division side FC Cuautla 6-0.
TICOS SPYING ON DC
There’s no shortage of international intrigue in D.C. United’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against Costa Rican club Alajuelense.
According to a report out of Costa Rica on Wednesday, Alajuelense is sending a member of its staff to the US to “spy” on D.C. ahead of the CCL quarters, which will kick off with the first leg in Costa Rica on February 26.
TFC, RBNY MATCHES TO BE STREAMED FROM BRADENTON
The New York Red Bulls’ and Toronto FC’s IMG Suncoast Classic matches will be streamed live tonight, with New York set to take on Danish club HB Koge at 5 pm ET and TFC facing off against USL club Oklahoma City Energy at 7:30 ET.
Both matches will be streamed live on IMG’s website; the streams will also be embedded here on MLSsoccer.com.
A full rundown of all the matches that will be streamed from Bradenton can be found here.
