Good news for Montreal Impact fans this morning. Owner Joey Saputo, who was on a trip to Europe in search of a designated player tweeted the following just hours ago: “We may have found our guy.”
While the Impact scour the globe, MLS preseason marches along with a weekend full of highlights. We start with Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 defeat of D.C. United with DC scoring their lone goal in the closing stages. Here are the highlights along with reactions. SKC manager Peter Vermes reveals that the game was scheduled to go 120 minutes and DC “had to back out of the last 30 minutes because they have some injuries on their team.” (VIDEO)
The Portland Timbers are looking strong early this preseason, downing the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on goals by Jack Jewsbury and James Marcelin (watch highlights here). “We’ve scored six goals in three games, which I’m pretty happy with,” says manager John Spencer, who still wants his team to be even more ruthless in front of goal. (VIDEO)
Despite the loss, Dynamo draftee Eder Arreola, who started against the Timbers, has apparently impressed head coach Dominic Kinnear thus far in preseason: “He's put himself in a good position to be talked about in a good way.”
The New York Red Bulls tied Mexican side Mérida 1-1 on Saturday. Manager Hans Backe says his team was “a little bit fatigued and you could see it.” Watch Victor Palsson speaking for the first time in a Red Bulls uniform. (VIDEO)
The Chicago Fire registered another victory, this time a 1-0 win over Chivas USA on a blast by midfielder Daniel Paladini. Watch the highlights here. (VIDEO)
Chivas USA’s first-round SuperDraft pick Casey Townsend made his preseason debut in the loss and he’s a forward who reminds veteran Alejandro Moreno of someone in particular: “He’s a guy that in many ways is very similar to what I was back at his age,” Moreno says.
The hard work of the preseason won’t faze aspiring rookie Cyprian Hedrick, who was one of the surprise picks in the SuperDraft by Sporting KC. He has faced a fair share adversity as it is with his move to the USA from Cameroon, including some bouts with racism and the passing of his mother six years ago: “I don’t expect or want people to feel bad for me in any way, because things work out the way they work out. I just hope I can be one of those under-the-radar guys who comes in and makes a name for himself.”
Get used to this name: Gyasi Zardes. Many have labeled him the best prospect in college soccer and he’s considered a Home Grown player for the LA Galaxy. But his college coach reveals that playing time was a major reason he decided to stay at Cal State Bakersfield this year: “The Galaxy has David Beckham and Robbie Keane so it would have been hard for him to get a lot of playing time in the early time of his [pro] career. It probably helps his development playing one more college year.”
Montreal Impact fans have exactly one week to go to submit a design for the club’s captain’s armband. Fans create it and fans get to vote for it. Find out the details here.
Details are still coming in about the New England Revolution and the José “Pepe” Moreno case, and reports from Colombia say the Revs are taking legal action against the player and reporting the matter to FIFA.
If it were up to the Seattle Sounders, they would have had Danish midfielder Christian Sivebaek two years ago when they first laid eyes on him. “We liked what we saw, knew he was young and had interest in him then, but it was something couldn't be worked out with the club,” says manager Sigi Schmid. “You have to be patient sometimes.”
Patience is a virtue that David Ferreira is exercising lately. He still hasn’t returned to full-contact drills and is playing the waiting game: “I’m not really ready,” he told the Dallas Morning News. “I can’t tell you how quickly that’s going to happen. I’m waiting for my foot to react well. That’s what I’m working on.”
Could 19-year-old Whitecaps prospect Russell Teibert, who was used as an attacking winger as a rookie last year, make the move to left back and become Vancouver’s version of Manchester United’s French left back? “He is quick enough and has good balance to be a sort of modern fullback,” says ‘Caps assistant Collin Miller. “If you look at a player like Patrice Evra -- he is strong, but not a particularly big guy.”
Evra was involved in the chief topic of discussion this weekend from England as another pregame handshake controversy erupted. This one occurred after Luis Suárez and Evra failed to shake hands in the Manchester United vs. Liverpool pregame ceremony. Suárez was the subject of all the criticism after the incident and has since apologized. (VIDEO)
Here’s the real question American soccer fans are pondering: Why would the English Premier League rule this shot by Fulham’s Clint Dempsey to be an own goal by Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen? They botched this one. Watch it here. (VIDEO)
While Landon Donovan registered another assist for Everton, New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry had a storybook ending to his loan spell at Arsenal as far EPL play is concerned, scoring the stoppage time game-winner at Sunderland. Watch it here. Is anything left for the Champions League match vs. AC Milan? (VIDEO)
Ex-D.C. United forward Charlie Davies, sporting a new mohawk, made his first appearance for Sochaux in Ligue 1 since the auto accident that nearly claimed his life. Watch him enter the field at the 4:34 mark of this highlight package. (VIDEO)
It was a dream finish for Zambia in the African Cup of Nations final against favored Ivory Coast (read this commentary by soccer columnist Rob Hughes). Zambia won their first continental trophy on penalty kicks in the same area where a 1993 plane crash claimed the lives of virtually the entire national team.They were helped on Sunday by a Didier Drogba penalty kick miss during regulation. (VIDEO)
US midfielder Michael Bradley and Chievo Verona travel to face Napoli in Serie A action today (2:30 pm ET, Fox Soccer Plus), while Fox Soccer will show Siena vs. Roma (2:30 pm ET). There’s also a La Liga match between Real Sociedad and Sevilla (3 pm ET, ESPN Deportes)
In an extensive interview with the Yorkshire Post, former Columbus Crew winger Robbie Rogers reveals that he was destined to play for the Portland Timbers if he had not decided to make the move to England.
The Las Vegas sports complex that is projected to include a soccer stadium, is moving full-steam ahead after developers struck a “memorandum of understanding” with Chinese investors regarding part of the planned construction.
Lastly, what a way for US women’s soccer star Alex Morgan to celebrate her posing in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue (check out the sneak peek here), than by scoring two late goals to overturn what was shaping up to be an embarrassing loss to New Zealand. (VIDEO)
MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:
The roster of players MLSsoccer.com believes should be heading to the 2012 Olympics
27 days until First Kick: Will opening day in 2012 live up to last year’s goal barrage?
Philadelphia Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz pens open letter to club’s supporters
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