MLS preseason action ebbs a bit on Presidents' Day, with LA the only team involved in match play as several clubs transition to new camps and destinations.
- LA Galaxy 1, Hammarby 2 (Stockholm, Sweden) | RECAP
Follow all of today's news and updates from MLS training camps below, and for the entire preseason schedule, click here.
ARENA SPEAKS
LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena shared his thoughts with media following his team’s 2-1 loss Monday to their Swedish sister club Hammarby.
Even though they came out on the wrong end of the scoreline, despite netting the opener on a seventh-minute penalty kick from Robbie Keane, Arena was mostly pleased.
“In the first half we played well, created some good chances and did well on the last pass or finish,” he said. “But I think we could have gotten out of the first half with another goal, perhaps two more.”
He said the second half was a bit choppy with a number of substitutes coming in.
“I thought our young players did well,” he said.
Check out the rest of his comments in the video below:
HURTADO, RICHARDS ON TRIAL AT RBNY
Jhon Kennedy Hurtado may be in line to fill the hole at center back left by Jamison Olave’s departure from the New York Red Bulls.
BigAppleSoccer.com reported Monday that Hurtado, who split time last season with the Chicago Fire and then Chivas USA, is set to join the Red Bulls on a trial. Hurtado, an MLS All-Star and Defender of the Year finalist as a rookie with the Seattle Sounders in 2009, has been without a team since Chivas USA disbanded at the end of last season.
He played with the Sounders from 2009 to 2013 and made a combined 25 appearances, all starts, with Chivas and Chicago last year.
The club later confirmed that Hurtado is on trial in an article on their website, along with a few other familiar names, most notably Dane Richards, who played for the Red Bulls from 2007-12 and was a fan favorite. Richards was traded to Vancouver in July 2012 then went to Europe, spending part of 2013 with English side Burnley before moving to Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt.
Along with Hurtado and Richards, other trialists announced by the club include former Montreal Impact defender Karl Ouimette, Jamaican international defender Kemar Lawrence, and former FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids defender Anthony Wallace.
ONE FINE DAY
The Portland Timbers started in earnest Monday preparation for the Simple Invitational preseason tournament, which kicks off Sunday at Providence Park and also includes the Vancouver Whitecaps, Chicago Fire and former US national team head coach Bob Bradley’s Stabaek.
And, according to Timbers head coach Caleb Porter, Monday’s session at the team training facility was “one of our best days” of the preseason. Check out his comments to the media in the video below:
THEY'RE BACK
Real Salt Lake welcomed back Nick Rimando and Luis Gil on Monday following their absence from preseason training while with the US national team’s January camp.
Rimando started in goal in both of the USMNT’s friendlies, a 3-2 loss in Chile and 2-0 win over Panama. He subbed off at halftime in the Panama match.
Gil only saw nine minutes of action, coming on for Clint Dempsey in midfield against Panama.
The duo joined RSL in Tuscson, Ariz., where they kicked off training Monday as they get set to play in the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. They spoke about returning to their club in the video below:
FC DALLAS TALK ATX
It was a mixed bag for FC Dallas in the ATX Pro Challenge in Austin, Texas over the weekend.
FCD won their opening match Friday, 3-1 over Columbus Crew SC, before dropping the finale on Sunday, 1-0 to D.C. United. You can check out the highlights of the DCU match – which includes a rather nifty goal from DC’s Chris Rolfe – and listen to FCD head coach Oscar Pareja and a handful of players speak about the weekend’s results before they transition back home to take on D.C. United again on Friday.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
New York City FC lost for the first time on Sunday, falling 2-0 to Danish club Brondby in Manchester, England.
Miss NYCFC’s live stream of the contest? No worries – we’ve got highlights for you below.
STOCKHOLM BOYS
The defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy met their Swedish sister club Hammarby -- who've employed a few Yanks over the years -- in chilly Scandinavia and came up on the losing end of a 2-1 result..
Reigning MLS MVP Robbie Keane gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead via a 7th-minute PK, only for Hammarby to equalize just four minutes later after a failed defensive clearance. The Hammarby winner came from Linus Hallenius two minutes after the break when he beat Robbie Rogers to head home a cross from the left.
LA spent most of the second half playing a man down after Juninho was shown a red card for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the 55th minute.
WHEN PARKIE MET POGI
Columbus Crew SC didn't secure top honors in the ATX Pro Challenge tournament in Austin over the weekend, but preseason prep nonetheless appears to be proceeding on course for the Ohioans.
A new central defense partnership is taking shape for Gregg Berhalter's side, and while the duo's nicknames aren't particular imposing, their combined skills might be.
Austrian Emanuel Pogatetz is eager to secure a pivotal role alongside Michael Parkhurst at the heart of the Crew SC back line, and his teammates say they're glad to have the big man's "force" and "anger" on their side.
QUAKES TAKE VEGAS
Las Vegas welcomed the San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids to Cashman Field for a preseason friendly late Sunday night, and the Californians triumphed 2-0 on this occasion as Chris Wondolowski and JJ Koval struck on either side of halftime.
Obviously this result only means so much: Both teams fielded plenty of likely starters, but made myriad lineup changes in the second half.
Fans may find a few noteworthy tidbits all the same, however -- such as, which newcomer is taking corner kicks for the Quakes, which trialists got some playing time and what formations are being tried out.
The Rapids move on to the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson, Arizona for the next phase of their preseason, while San Jose visit their NorCal neighbors Sacramento Republic FC for a friendly on Saturday.
LESSONS LEARNED
New York City FC lost their second-ever match by the same margin they won their first, but head coach Jason Kreis says he's learned a great deal from both games.
NYCFC fell 2-0 to Danish club Brondby IF in a friendly on Sunday as the expansion club continued their preseason camp in Manchester, England. USMNT star Mix Diskerud made his debut in what one report said was a diamond midfield like the one that Kreis made famous at Real Salt Lake, while David Villa and Adam Nemec started up top but could make little headway.
“It's interesting, because you come out of the first game winning 2-0, you come out of the second game losing 2-0 and I think I thought basically the same thing. That neither one was anywhere near perfect," Kreis told hereisthecity.com.
AGENT ARRIETA, ROLFE RIPS
D.C. United's preseason results might mean a bit more than most MLS clubs, because the Black-and-Red are barely a week away from their rugged-looking CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal visit to Costa Rican side Alajuelense on Thursday, Feb. 26.
That match, the first of a two-legged home-and-home series with Los Manudos, should pose a severe early test for D.C. But as CONCACAF.com reported from United's camp in Austin last week, Ben Olsen & Co. do have one useful tool for coping: Their new striker Jairo Arrieta is a Costa Rican with years of experience at Alajuelense's domestic rivals Saprissa, and thus ample experience of what awaits the team in Central America.
“I am sure Jairo has been talking to the guys about what it’s like playing there,” Olsen said. “But I think our guys know what to expect and they will embrace it.”
Also, if you haven't seen the Chris Rolfe wonderstrike that earned D.C. their 1-0 ATX Pro Challenge championship win over FC Dallas on Sunday, we've GIF-ed it to give you a small glimpse (full game video can be found here):
