There's just one preseason game on Friday, but the action picks up again over the weekend with a whopping 11 matches across the US (and beyond) on Saturday, and two more on Sunday as the Simple Invitational kicks off on Portland.
- Feb. 20: FC Dallas 3, D.C. United 1
Follow all of today's news and updates from MLS training camps below, and for the entire preseason schedule, click here.
DALLAS GET REVENGE OVER D.C. IN FRONT OF HOME CROWD
FC Dallas and D.C. United met at Toyota Stadium on Friday evening, less than a week after meeting in the final of the ATX Pro Challenge in Austin, a game DCU won 1-0 to earn the now-famous Armadillo trophy. In Friday's rematch, FCD beat their visitors 3-1. After Michel was sent off in the first half for a two-footed challenge in midfield, Ryan Hollingshead game the hosts the lead. D.C. did manage to tie the game midway through the second half, behind Jairo Arrieta's equalizer, but Fabian Castillo restored the lead before Tesho Akindele iced the win by converting a penalty kick.
Dallas have another friendly scheduled, Feb. 28 vs. the San Antonio Scorpions in San Antonio, but D.C. will be gearing up for their first competitive game of 2015, their Champions League knockout stage tie against Alajuelense, which begins Feb. 26.
ATOMIC ANT TRACKER
It’s safe to say that Sebastian Giovinco’s acquisition by Toronto FC has been a huge hit. And judging by the size and passion of the welcome committee that greeted him at the Toronto airport upon his arrival from Italy, there are more than a few Giovinco obsessed.
Toronto FC released a video on their Youtube channel just for those who need their Giovinco fix. It’s six minutes of tracking only the Italian forward’s moves from TFC's 1-0 loss Wednesday to Oklahoma City Energy FC, Giovinco's Reds debut.
ZUSI NEARING RETURN
One very important piece of the puzzle for Sporting Kansas City may be on the field for the first time this preseason in Sporting’s second game of the Desert Diamond Classic on Saturday against the Seattle Sounders.
Graham Zusi, who has been sidelined this offseason with a foot injury, which plagued him for the final few weeks of the 2014 season and kept him out of the US national team’s recent January camp, said during the broadcast of Sporting’s opener from Tucscon, Ariz., on Wednesday against the Colorado Rapids that he expects to see some minutes Saturday.
“I'm getting that base fitness back up,” Zusi told Rapids play-by-play man Richard Fleming. “It's been so exciting to get back on the field with the guys the last couple of days."
Sporting head coach Peter Vermes confirmed in a postgame conference call that Zusi is likely to play against Seattle.
"He’s been training the last couple days full-on with no problem, so we’re going to try to give him some minutes over here," Vermes said. "Hopefully he feels good and we’ll take it game-to-game."
IBARR-IFIC
We noted yesterday that the Seattle Sounder and Minnesota United played to a 1-1 draw in a non-Desert Diamond Cup game in Tucson, Arizona, with recent USMNT call-up Miguel Ibarra scoring for Minnesota. Now, footage of that goal has surfaced, and let's just say Ibarra shows us exactly why he's seen as a national-team prospect despite playing in the second division:
STATESIDE RETURN
Former USMNT coach Bob Bradley and his Stabaek side are Stateside for the Simple Invitational in Portland, where they open play against Bradley's former team, the Chicago Fire on Sunday (5:30 pm ET, live stream on Chicago-Fire.com). After arriving and putting his team through the paces, Bradley spoke about the trip to Portland and how he's guiding his team through a week in the Northwest:
SWAG DADDY
Juan Agudelo has gone to Europe and back again, only to wind up at the MLS club he left a year ago, returning to the New England Revolution at the end of last month.
He says the Revs are where he felt most comfortable, and if that wasn't reason enough to put down a few roots, he's been blessed with another one this month. Looks like some congratulations are in order:
FEELING PRESIDENTIAL
Fresh off their White House visit, the LA Galaxy made yet another visit to a world leader, paying a visit to the home of Irish president Michael Higgins after arriving back in that country following a friendly in Sweden. Check out the inside look at their visit here:
The Galaxy wrap up their European stay with a Saturday morning friendly against Shamrock Rovers (11 am ET).
GRANA GONE
Columbus Crew SC's new Argentine defender Hernan Grana has apparently proved a quick study in coach Gregg Berhalter's system, which emphasizes plenty of attacking play from the fullback positions.
But Grana has departed the club's training camp for the remainder of the month to be present for the birth of his child back in Argentina, leaving the door open for Chris Klute, his main competitor for the starting right back spot, to make his own case.
Klute admits that he has faced a learning curve as he adapts to Berhalter's system, but his teammates believe the former Colorado Rapids standout is well-suited to Crew SC's style. The Columbus Dispatch's Adam Jardy delves into the right back situation here.
VITORIA SPEAKS
Canadian defender Steven Vitoria has returned from Europe to join MLS for the first time this winter, but wound up with the Philadelphia Union instead of one of the clubs in his homeland.
That hasn't stopped him from sharing some interesting perspectives about his move, and the wider state of the beautiful game in Canada, in an interview with "Red Card," an Ontario-based radio show:
ACCAM COMIN'
The Chicago Fire's new Designated Player signing David Accam has been in action this winter, but his club has been forced to watch from a great distance.
That's because Accam has been on Ghana national team duty at the African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, where the Black Stars finished as runners-up to Ivory Coast.
Now Accam has finally linked up with his new teammates as they jet to Portland for the Simple Invitational at Providence Park:
NEW LOOK FOR BIRDMAN
Ex-Fire attacker Dominic Oduro and the rest of the Montreal Impact are still in Mexico, preparing for the first leg of their tough CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal meeting with Pachuca on Tuesday (10 pm ET, Fox Sports 2). Oduro, of course, is known for his speed, his love of Papa John's pizza and his eye-catching custom hairstyles, among other things.
(Occasionally Oduro even manages to combine more than one of these things, occasions for which we are blessed and grateful.)
But "Birdman" hasn't yet rolled out a new 'do to commemorate the colors of his new club, with the red shade of his former employers Toronto FC still visible on his fast-moving scalp. Fear not, Impact fans – he's got something in the works:
