Kick Off: Reports from Chicago claim new DP on his way

Are the DPs returning to the Windy City?

Reports out of Chicago this morning claim that the move to transfer Gastón Puerari to Mexico’s Atlas has opened the door for the Fire to acquire their next Designated Player: Mexican midfielder Pável Pardo.

However, this article from Argentina indicates that the Puerari replacement is Sebastián Grazzini, who last played with All Boys in Argentina. (SPANISH)

In addition to Puerari’s acquisition by Guadalajara-based Atlas, there are also reports of the club’s interest in Sporting Kansas City winger Ryan Smith and that he will even be going on trial with the rojinegros.

Could there be another Mexican club looking to splurge on an MLS player? Reports say that Puebla are looking to bring the Philadelphia Union’s Carlos Ruiz back into the fold.

The Philadelphia Union have already made one move, making official the hiring of a former player of Peter Nowak’s as the new youth technical director for the club.

Meanwhile, Ruiz tells media at his first practice in New Jersey ahead of Guatemala’s Gold Cup quarterfinal against Mexico on Saturday, that El Tri may be the favorites, but the Central Americans have a plan they hope will go down as one of the great achievements in the sport. (SPANISH)

Let the summer hot stove continue to heat up. The names of players released by their clubs in Europe are beginning to surface, including those of Owen Hargreaves and Patrick Vieira, who have previously been linked to MLS. The list also reportedly features American Jonathan Spector, who is currently with the US national team in the Gold Cup.

When it comes to action on the field, the New England Revolution hoped that using the same anthem singer employed by the NHL Stanley Cup champions Boston Bruins would help end their winless streak. But they came up short at home in a 0-0 tie on Wednesday night against Toronto FC.

The Revolution are kicking themselves at the missed opportunity because they feel that with “a couple bounces, a couple goals, we could be second, first place” of the Eastern Conference, according to goalkeeper Matt Reis.

Toronto FC take hope from the star performance of 18-year-old central defender Doneil Henry as well as the chances created in attack with forward Alan Gordon back in the starting XI.

The match did not see the New England debut for new acquisition Ryan Guy, who made it on the Revolution’s radar thanks to a recommendation from FOX Soccer color analyst Warren Barton.

Vancouver Whitecaps fans will wake up in a somber mood today and not just because the Canucks lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Bruins. More importantly, their city was infested, looted and vandalized by hockey riots which took place in the aftermath. (PHOTOS)

On a happier note, with Father’s Day approaching, here’s a look at one Vancouver player who will look at the occasion as an opportunity to forget the frustrations of an injury-riddled MLS season.

It was frustrating for Gershon Koffie when his dad would hide his soccer cleats because he wanted him to focus on school instead of soccer. Now here he is playing soccer in a foreign country as a 19-year-old.

He may be called “the little bulldog” by his teammates, but the Seattle Sounders are looking for big-time production from this forward. Strikers have failed to find the back of the net for Seattle in 623 minutes.

Speaking of Seattle, they will host their third-round match in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup after the USSF unveiled the schedule of matches and venues.

As international defender Andre Hainault rejoins the Houston Dynamo after bowing out of the Gold Cup with Canada, he admits that his Canucks teammates have still not discussed the stoppage-time goal that ended their dreams of a continental trophy: “You don't sit there and talk about it, because everybody is so gutted from the way it happened.”

The USA’s victory over Guadeloupe is what technically eliminated Canada and the USMNT advance to face Jamaica in the quarterfinals. When they do so, their star players — Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan — will be coming off traveling to attend their sister’s wedding. They’ll miss Friday and Saturday training according to this report.

After the doping scandal which rocked the Mexican national team during the current edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Costa Rica are also dealing with issues. Reports have surfaced of eight players who were seen at a social event at 1 a.m. in the morning on Wednesday by Costa Rican media. The federation says that the players had permission with curfew running until 1 a.m. (SPANISH)

In other international news, the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final between Peñarol and Santos ended in a draw, giving the edge to the Brazilian side. Meanwhile, 2014 World Cup qualifying is officially underway. See the result here of the match between Belize and Montserrat.

Lastly, Xolos of Tijuana, the newly promoted team to the Mexican first division, have reportedly been kicking around the idea of playing their bigger home matches against the likes of Guadalajara and Club América at Qualcomm Stadium in nearby San Diego.

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