Preseason is officially under way, and so begins the long, slow burn toward first kick. The games will start coming fast and furious soon enough, but in the meantime you can catch all the other news and updates from MLS training camps below. And for the entire preseason schedule, click here.
NEW SIGNING IN SEATTLE?
Jonas Kemper, a winger with the Danish side Randers FC, is headed stateside to give MLS a shot.
Announced on the Randers FC website and reported by SoundersAtHeart.com, Kemper is set to train with the Seattle Sounders. The 31-year-old winger has been with Randers since 2010, having scored 14 goals in 107 appearances, and has also spent time with German club Armina Bielefeld and Denmark’s Brøndby.
He has also represented Denmark through the youth ranks and was capped once by the senior team, in 2006.
Danish journalist Kenneth Jensen reported that the two sides haven't come to terms on a deal yet, but talks are ongoing.
BIG IN JAPAN:
Another trialist incoming for the New England Revolution:
Tashiro is a 32-year-old striker who has played exclusively in the Japanese leagues and has three caps for the Japanese senior national team. He has scored 55 goals in 207 league appearances, and also boasts experience in the Asian Champions League.
NEW TEAM, NEW TOURNAMENT:
Dominic Oduro
was on the move again this week, joining his seventh different MLS team when
he was traded
from Toronto FC up the 401 to the Montreal Impact. This also means he will be able to compete in the CONCACAF Champions League, where the Impact play a two-legged quarterfinal series against Pachuca on Feb. 24 and March 3. The speedy Ghanaian offered his thoughts on the competition here:
LET'S ADU IT AGAIN: American soccer's prodigal son could get another shot at MLS, the Washington Post's Steven Goff reported Wednesday:
A story to keep an eye on in the next couple weeks, no doubt. During his most recent stint, a six-month run in Serbia, Sweden was rumored as a potential destination while the NASL has also been mentioned. So, it's anyone's guess as to what the 25-year-old has up his sleeve, but a potential MLS return will certainly pique the interest of American soccer fans.
ROAD TO REPEAT:
The defending champs started the long road to a repeat on a winning note Wednesday:
Buddle, back with the Galaxy after an inconsistent spell in Colorado, will be one to keep an eye on throughout the preseason. He is yet to sign, and there are certainly questions regarding his durability. On the other hand, he enjoyed a fine spell with the Galaxy from 2007-2010 and if healthy could provide the physical presence and scoring touch up top the Galaxy have often missed in the past few years.
MORE REINFORCEMENTS:
The Colorado Rapids have had a pretty busy offseason beefing up their central midfield after a hapless end to 2014.
Marcelo Sarvas
and
Sam Cronin
are MLS veterans who should fit in the same midfield together, providing defensive coverage for the backline while giving playmaker
Dillon Powers
room to roam wherever his heart takes him.
And now it looks very much like they're getting some more help. Colorado's own website reports that the team is in the process of finalizing the long-simmering deal to bring in Argentine youngster Lucas Pittinari on loan from Belgrano. The 23-year-old Pittinari is a Cronin-esque player who's comfortable anywhere in central midfield, but is probably at his best in more of a destroyer role.
Watch this fan-made 15-minute highlight video and judge for yourself.
WIZARD OF OZ: Tim Cahill had a disappointing 2014 for the Red Bulls, and recent reports have him with one foot out the door.
Wherever he plays, though, it looks like he'll continue to have an integral role with Australia. Cahill started and went 67 minutes on Wednesday's 2-0 win over the United Arab Emirates, a result that pushes the Socceroos into the Asian Cup final against South Korea.
Cahill has scored three goals in five games in the tournament thus far – one better than his 2014 regular season total for RBNY.
There were no bicycle kick goals in this one, but since we said "bicycle kick" we're going to take the opportunity to drop in a replay of Cahill's golazo against China from last week:
IS THIS A GOOD OMEN, OR BAD?: Ok, so this is from a few days ago. It's not entirely relevant for a Daily Tracker.
But still... it's the first goal of the first preseason in New York City FC history. That's noteworthy.
Also noteworthy? It came after – if you're a glass half empty fan – a blown PK. If you're a glass half full kind of supporter, then you'll see it as a great save from veteran 'keeper Josh Saunders, followed by good poacher's instincts from second-year forward Patrick Mullins on the rebound.
TRAINING TIDBITS: Greg Vanney is taking it slow in his first preseason in charge of Toronto FC. In the video below he details a bit of the thought processes behind the team's early training, stressing the importance of building a base of fitness that'll hopefully keep the team injury-free over the course of the MLS season.
He also answers some questions about the Dominic Oduro trade that happened on Tuesday – "It's about us building a bit of salary cap space" Vanney explains, with an eye toward addressing some other spots on the field.
Mixed in with all of that is a bit of news: striker Luke Moore is back, and with a restructured contract.
There are a few other tidbits to dig out as well:
