The Official Major League Soccer Thread

and1GS · Post #21 » by **and1GS** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:18 am

BlackMamba wrote:Which well known European are they getting this season?

Nothing on the horizon so far, but NY Red Bulls are apparently pursuing Miroslav Klose.

Munchlaxatives · Post #22 » by **Munchlaxatives** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:26 pm

BlackMamba wrote:Which well known European are they getting this season?

Anelka's a possibility.

and1GS · Post #23 » by **and1GS** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 2:04 am

I don't think there will be a big Euro transfer this season, but there will be a handful of solid talents coming to/back to the MLS. Charlie Davies and Carlos Ruiz are two of them.

and1GS · Post #24 » by **and1GS** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:14 am

DC United chose to keep Davies on after his trial. Good move by him and United.

Post #25 » by **LittleOzzy** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:58 pm

Columbus moved into the quarterfinals for the second straight season by finishing second to Santos of Mexico in Group B with four wins in six matches. They've been in this position before, earning a 1-1 draw against Toluca in the first game of the 2010 quarterfinals before losing 3-2 in the series finale and bowing out of the tournament.

Real Salt Lake are in the quarterfinals for the first time after they became the first MLS team to win a group stage last fall. They won four of six games in the group stage, including two wins over Toronto FC and one over runners-up Cruz Azul.

The winner of the series becomes the first MLS team to advance to the two-leg CCL semifinals and will play either Olimpia (Honduras) or Saprissa (Costa Rica) from March 15-17 and April 5-7. The finals will be played from April 19-21 with the second match April 26-28.

These teams will meet in the return leg on March 1 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

Just a reminder about the game tonight.

edfmx86 · Post #26 » by **edfmx86** » Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:43 pm

Im very excited for this

im hoping to clear my schedule up and go to the game and the RioT. Its going to be an ugly game tonight, bad weather and all

GO RSL

and1GS · Post #27 » by **and1GS** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:24 am

Is that Robbie Rogers on the left!?

Post #28 » by **LittleOzzy** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:15 pm

and1GS wrote:Is that Robbie Rogers on the left!?

Yes it is.

As for the game, horrible to watch with the game ending in a 0-0 draw. Looks like it will all come down to the second game and hopefully by then both teams will be better conditioned and better on the ball.

I guess I shouldn't really expect much as it's really still preseason for both teams, but that was some horrible soccer last night.

edfmx86 · Post #29 » by **edfmx86** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 12:18 am

For a team with a completely new look from last season, Columbus was not bad at all. Real Salt Lake is better than what they showed on Tuesday, hopefully the home field will get them up for the next one. Can't wait to see Alvarez play, hopefully he does on game 2

Post #30 » by **LittleOzzy** » Tue Mar 1, 2011 6:27 pm

Game Two is tonight to see who moves on.

Boognish · Post #31 » by **Boognish** » Wed Mar 2, 2011 2:30 am

Wooo Andy Iro!

edfmx86 · Post #32 » by **edfmx86** » Wed Mar 2, 2011 5:56 am

RSL!!!!

Post #33 » by **LittleOzzy** » Wed Mar 2, 2011 6:24 pm

Fantastic game yesterday, the quality of soccer being played was like night and day compared to last week.

Really impressed how RSL set the tone early and I thought they looked like the much better side. I can't wait to see them play in the Semifinals.

Here are the highlights for anyone who missed the game.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXyDZGrqgQo&feature=feedu[/youtube]

Post #34 » by **LittleOzzy** » Wed Mar 2, 2011 11:15 pm

Cann leaves TFC training camp over contract dispute

Canadian defender Adrian Cann, named Toronto FC's most valuable player last season, has left the team's pre-season training camp over a contract dispute.

The team said the 30-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., had turned down the club's offer of a new contract and returned to Toronto. Cann, who made 26 appearances last season in his first year with TFC, had asked to renegotiate his deal.

"We are disappointed that Adrian has decided to return home at this time," Toronto FC coach and technical director Aron Winter said in a statement Wednesday. "Adrian is heading into the secondyear of a four-year contract.

"We are currently in discussions with the league regarding the situation and are assessing the options available to us."

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2 ... n-tfc.html

More TFC drama... I hope they can fine him and make him sit out the season. Leaving a team in the middle of a 4 year contract with just two weeks to go until the season starts, what a bum.

I have lost all respect for him.

BC_ · Post #35 » by **BC_** » Thu Mar 3, 2011 4:28 am

Australian looking to find an MLS franchise... who ya got?

Post #36 » by **LittleOzzy** » Mon Mar 7, 2011 9:23 pm

FC Dallas acquires forward Fabian Castillo from Deportivo Cali

FC Dallas has acquired 18-year-old Colombian striker Fabian Castillo from Deportivo Cali, the club announced today. Terms of the deal will not be disclosed per league and team policy, and are subject to receipt of the player’s visa, International Transfer Certificate and a medical exam.

“Fabian is a talented, young player who has shown considerable potential in his time with Deportivo Cali and the Colombian U-20 National Team,” FC Dallas Head Coach Schellas Hyndman said. “He’s very athletic, quick, explosive and capable of beating opponents with the ball, and we think he has a chance to be a key contributor for us in the future.”

A member of the Colombian U-20 National Team, Castillo began his career in the Deportivo Cali youth ranks before making his first team professional debut during the 2010 season. He appeared in 10 games during the 2010 campaign, notching three goals and logging 768 minutes.

http://www.fcdallas.com/news/2011/03/fc ... rtivo-cali

Timbers Sign Colombian Forward Jorge Perlaza

The Portland Timbers today announced the signing of Colombian forward Jorge Perlaza. He signs with the club after four seasons with Colombian first-division side Deportes Tolima. Timbers general manager/technical director Gavin Wilkinson made the announcement.

Perlaza, 26, compiled 15 goals in 31 matches with Tolima in 2010. As one of the club’s top scorers, Perlaza led Tolima to the overall first-place position in the Liga Postobón standings last season, which qualified the club for the 2011 Copa Libertadores tournament. He also scored a goal in five starts during the 2010 Copa Sudamericana, guiding Tolima to the quarterfinal of one of South America’s top tournaments.

Perlaza has been in camp with the Timbers as a non-roster player and scored his first goal in Friday’s 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the Cascadia Summit.

“With his athleticism and how tough he plays, we think he is a great fit for the Timbers,” said Wilkinson. “He was a tremendous goal scorer last year for Tolima, and he already has shown he has the ability to be the same with Portland this season.”

A native of Guapi, Colombia, Perlaza was a dependable scorer for Tolima over the past two seasons, netting a combined 23 goals in 78 games. His 10 goals during the Finalización tournament of the 2010 season placed him among the league’s top scorers over the second part of the campaign.

http://portlandtimbers.com/news/2011/01 ... ge-perlaza

Two very promising and young Colombians joined MLS today. The league is really starting to attract some good young talent.

It used to be players would join MLS before retirement, but now it seems to have shifted to players using the league as a stepping stone to possibly bigger clubs in Europe.

Soon enough I hope MLS can actually hold onto it's players into their prime.

Boognish · Post #37 » by **Boognish** » Mon Mar 7, 2011 9:37 pm

That's great news, the MLS is really coming along

Post #38 » by **LittleOzzy** » Wed Mar 9, 2011 9:32 pm

TFC Inks Dutch Trio

Toronto FC announced Wednesday that the club has signed Javier Martina, Nick Soolsma and Elbekay Bouchiba. The three players all joined the team on trial at training camp in Antalya, Turkey last month and are currently with the squad in Charleston, South Carolina.

“It is very important for us to bring in players who fit into the system that we want to play,” said Toronto FC Head Coach and Technical Director Aron Winter. “The three players were with us in Turkey and their performance was very good. We have signed them because we are convinced they will make a difference for us during the season.”

Martina, 24, is reunited with Winter and First Assistant Coach Bob de Klerk who both coached at Ajax during the Dutch forward’s time with the Amsterdam based club. Martina joined the Ajax youth system in 2005 and was promoted to the First Team in 2008. He made his Eredivise debut in a 2-0 win over FC Twente during the 2008 season. In 2010 he spent time on loan with HFC Haarlem.

Soolsma, 23, began his soccer career in the youth system of FC Volendam. He signed for HFC Haarlem in 2007 and made seven appearances in the Dutch Eerste Divisie (second highest division in Netherlands). Soolsma left Haarlem in 2008 and spent a year with FC Chabab. Prior to his move across the Atlantic, he played with amateur team VV Young Boys and helped the side gain promotion to the Hoofdklasse (fourth tier of soccer in Netherlands). He started the 2010/2011 season scoring six goals in the team’s first 11 matches.

Bouchiba, 32, started his career in his native Netherlands with Willem II and made his professional debut in 1998 with Alkmaar Zaanstreek (AZ) in the Dutch top division. After three seasons with AZ, the midfielder moved to Sparta Rotterdam in 2001, FC Twente in 2004 and Roda JC in 2006. After making over 100 league appearances in the Eredivise, Bouchiba decided to leave the Netherlands and head to play in Qatar where he spent two years with Al-Wakrah and Al-Shamal in the Qatar Stars League before joining Toronto FC.

http://www.torontofc.ca/news/2011/03/tf ... dutch-trio

If you like the Dutch/Ajax style of football you'll love TFC this season. I'm so happy we finally have a system in place that our players can build on.

Post #39 » by **LittleOzzy** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 7:50 pm

The MLS season is just five days away!

I'll be adding the weekly schedule every Monday normally, but I thought with first kick just around the corner that it's better to get it up early for week one.

So any predictions for the season?

edfmx86 · Post #40 » by **edfmx86** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:56 pm

RSL is taking it all this year :king:

I'm hoping Javier Morales has an MVP season.

Supporters Shield, MLS Cup or CCL

Id be really disappointed if we didnt get at least one of those three cups