The Official Major League Soccer Thread

[EArl]

I would go after Ronaldinho if I was Galaxy. If you thought Beckham was big, Dihno will make them rich.
Kaka would also be pretty good.

[Ado05]

Not a huge soccer fan, but Im looking to get into it. Can anyone tell me about the trade TFC made? They traded forward Ryan Johnson and goalkeeper Milos Kocic in exchange for goalkeeper Joe Bendik, 3rd overall pick in the SuperDraft and allocation money. Is this a good deal for them? Is the SuperDraft a weak or strong one?

[LittleOzzy]

Red Bulls sign Brazilian dead ball wizard Juninho

The New York Red Bulls announced Monday that they have signed Brazilian star midfielder Juninho, and that the 37-year-old will be officially added to the team’s roster pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate.

Juninho, a former Brazilian international who was a member of the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad, comes to New York from Brazilian first-division side Vasco da Gama.

“Juninho is a world-class player who our global sporting director, Gérard Houllier, and I have known and admired for many years,” Red Bull New York sporting director Andy Roxburgh said in a statement. “Aside from being a top dead-ball specialist and a tremendous talent, Juninho is a fantastic professional both on and off the field. He is in great physical shape and we think he can make a positive impact for us in 2013.”

In his second and recent stint at Vasco da Gama, Juninho played 50 games since 2011 and recorded 14 goals. Prior to that, Juninho was with Qatari club Al-Gharafa, helping his team take home the league title and winning the Player of the Year honors.

Juninho had a storied career playing for French first-division club Olympique Lyonnais from 2001-09. With Lyon, he helped win seven-straight Ligue 1 titles from 2002-08 while recording 100 goals in 344 matches in all competitions. His goal mark is fourth all-time in Lyon history.

A veteran of the UEFA Champions League competition, Juninho, who played under Houllier from 2005-07, was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year in the 2005-06 season and was a three-time member of the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2 ... rd-juninho

[LittleOzzy]

Garber to invite FIFA chief Blatter to MLS opening weekend

MLS Commissioner Don Garber is taking Sepp Blatter’s recent comments about the growth of soccer in America with a grain of salt. But he does have a message for the FIFA president:

Come see for yourself.

“I look forward to having the president and other FIFA executives attend an MLS game,” Garber told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday evening. “I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how far the league has come.”

In an interview with Al Jazeera TV last week, Blatter said there is “no very strong professional league” in the United States and suggested that MLS should have grown to the stature of the National Football League and Major League Baseball in the 18 years since it was first founded in the lead-up to the 1994 World Cup.

Garber said he plans to invite Blatter – who has never attended an MLS match outside of the 1996 All-Star Game – to any of the nine matches of First Kick weekend on March 2-3. And if that doesn’t fit the FIFA boss’ schedule, to any game during the upcoming 2013 season.

“If he were to come to a game – whether it be in Seattle, Portland, Toronto, LA, Philadelphia, New York or any of our MLS markets ­– I think he would be very pleasantly surprised to see the passion that exists in our fan base and the high level of soccer IQ that exists in our fan base,” Garber said.

“He would be impressed by the quality of play and the quality of the stadiums, and the knowledge and commitment of our local media and national press. We here all should feel good about what has happened in America.”

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2 ... ng-weekend

If MLS and FIFA was smart they would time the games so that he could attend four matches opening weekend to show his support to the league.

Saturday
Toronto @ Vancouver
Montreal @ Seattle

Sunday
New York @ Portland
Chicago @ L.A. Galaxy

That way he stays right along the West coast and sees teams from both Canada and the USA from the East and West. Gets to see the big crowds and the premier teams from MLS.

[ForeverTFC]

TFC to name Nelsen (Yes, the current QPR defender!) as head coach, fire Mariner.

Toronto FC is set to relieve Paul Mariner of his duties as head coach, and will replace him with New Zealand international and former D.C. United defender Ryan Nelsen, multiple sources confirmed to SBI on Monday. Nelsen is expected to be introduced as the team’s new head coach.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/2013/01/bre ... coach.html

I have no idea what this means for TFC, but for the time being, let's celebrate the departure of Paul Mariner and his shorts!

[LittleOzzy]

Another year, another TFC manager...

This one with no experience. I wonder how long he will last?

Not that I'm totally down on the move, just that is scary that the carrousel has continued.

[ForeverTFC]

Another year, another TFC manager...

This one with no experience. I wonder how long he will last?

Not that I'm totally down on the move, just that is scary that the carrousel has continued.

Mariner had to go. The most inept manager I've ever seen.

The lack of experience is worrying as well, but Payne has done this twice before, with pretty good results.

[LittleOzzy]

Another year, another TFC manager...

This one with no experience. I wonder how long he will last?

Not that I'm totally down on the move, just that is scary that the carrousel has continued.

Mariner had to go. The most inept manager I've ever seen.

The lack of experience is worrying as well, but Payne has done this twice before, with pretty good results.

I agree, it's just scary the number of Managers we have been through already.

[LittleOzzy]

The hiring has already started off strangely knowing he will continue to play for QPR and will miss the draft/combine over the next two weeks.

No word when he will actually join the team. Sounds like he will remain with QPR until June?

Weird.

[and1GS]

Nelsen's a good dude, very strong leader. You'll like him.

[LittleOzzy]

MLS SuperDraft: Revs take defender Farrell with No. 1 pick

One day after pulling a surprise trade that landed them at the front of the line for the MLS SuperDraft, the New England Revolution went the safe route with their prized pick.

The Revs selected Louisville center back Andrew Farrell with the top overall pick in the draft on Thursday, giving the club an athletic and proven defender that most experts expect to contribute in MLS right away this season.

New England swapped the No. 4 overall draft pick and an undisclosed amount of allocation money to Toronto FC on Wednesday evening to land the top pick, marking the first time in franchise history that the Revs picked first in the draft.

And they didn’t disappoint with their selection, opting to go with the 20-year-old Farrell, a Generation adidas signee who was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year during his junior year in 2012. A first-team NSCAA All-American and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist last year, Farrell started all 23 games for the Cardinals and played in the midfield before moving to the back line the final nine games of the season.

Farrell won out in a two-headed race for the best defender in the draft, with the Revs passing on Furman defender and MLS Combine no-show Walker Zimmerman. The Paladins star was nursing an injury last week and did not get the opportunity to work out in front of Revs coaches in South Florida.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/201 ... -no-1-pick

[ForeverTFC]

TFC with a pretty good haul out of the draft. Tons of allocation money, and 2 Canadians - both local guys.

Kyle Bekker, 3rd pick in the draft and TFC's first pick, was named to the National squad as well. Good week for him.

[LittleOzzy]

TSN announces 41-game Canadian MLS broadcast schedule

As the home of soccer and the official broadcaster of Major League Soccer (MLS) in Canada, TSN today announced its 41-game national broadcast package that features at least one Canadian team in action – the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, and/or Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

TSN's 41-game package includes 30 games from its national broadcast deal with MLS and an additional slate of Toronto FC match-ups (11 in total) as part of its partnership with the team.

TSN will announce additional games featuring two U.S.-based teams in the coming weeks.

"Headlined by international and homegrown superstars, Major League Soccer has developed an intense level of play across the league that translates into some incredibly entertaining soccer for fans," said Shawn Redmond, Vice-President of Programming, TSN. "On the heels of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC becoming the country's first team to make it to the playoffs and the Montreal Impact's exciting league debut, we are proud to kick off another season of MLS ON TSN including expanded coverage of a reinvigorated Toronto FC."

As the official French-language broadcaster of MLS in Canada, RDS will broadcast more than 30 games, including 12 match-ups featuring the Montreal Impact.

TSN and RDS' national broadcast package is complemented by exclusive Canadian coverage of the MLS ALL-STAR GAME, MLS CUP Playoffs, and MLS CUP 2013.

All games broadcast on TSN and TSN2 are available live on TSN Mobile TV, while all games broadcast on RDS and RDS2 are available live on Télé Mobile RDS.

TSN kicks off its coverage with an all-Canadian match-up, as the Vancouver Whitecaps host the Toronto FC at BC Place during the Whitecaps FC's home opener – and both teams' season opener – on Saturday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET. TSN has also coverage of Toronto FC's home opener vs. Sporting Kansas City (March 9) and Montreal Impact's home opener vs. Toronto FC (March 16).

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/mls/story/?id=415302

Awesome news considering once they announce the American match ups TSN/TSN2 will have well over 50 MLS games this season.

[LittleOzzy]

MLS returns to Sportsnet for 2013 season

Sportsnet announced Tuesday its broadcast schedule for the 2013 Major League Soccer season.

Sportsnet will air 34 regular season matches in total - 11 Toronto FC and 23 Vancouver Whitecaps - starting on March 9 with the Whitecaps' home game against the Columbus Crew.

The first TFC match on Sportsnet will air on April 12 when the Reds visit the Philadelphia Union.

All games on the broadcast schedule are subject to change.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2013/02/ ... oronto_fc/

Another 34 games added to the Canadian schedule. That's about 85 MLS games now available in Canada this year.

[PANDEMONEUM]

anyone order MLS Live ?

any comments good/bad about it ?

i see it listed for 60$
im not really worried about blackout games, i am in Milwaukee, WI

hows the quality ?
does it ever have issues playing ?
is 60$ an increase from last season, or about the same ?
is it Only available on the net ? no xbox ?

thanks in advance

[trwi7]

In an interview with Al Jazeera TV last week, Blatter said there is “no very strong professional league” in the United States and suggested that MLS should have grown to the stature of the National Football League and Major League Baseball in the 18 years since it was first founded in the lead-up to the 1994 World Cup.

Was this guy on crack during the interview?

[LittleOzzy]

Here is the schedule for opening weekend.

[Mr. E]

I was offered tickets for the Dynamo on the 2nd, but had to turn them down. I will try to get to one of the games later that month.

[nghedman]

Almost forgot about this forum, thanks ozzy.

I'm a Real Salt Lake fan, and love talking about them. It looks like I will have to follow the Red Bulls too being they have all the toss-aways from Real .

I wonder what the teams teams are going to be like this year; Better or Worse ?

Let us all know what you think about your team. How about some points of interest.
Defense in general
Offense in general
shooting or finishing
countering
possession or long ball? , defense first or offense first strategy?
Contending for a title this year? Which ones?
Bench

Here is Real's. I'm no expert but from what I've gathered here is what I would say. Ratings 1-10 respective to MLS teams.

Defense: 9. Same as last year. They lost their top defender (Olave)to the Red Bulls in a trade but he was injuried for a lot of his play, and they did fine despite that. Their strength last year was the bench and the strongest part of that was the defensive backs. So look for Real to play tough here, BUT, the other mid d player in Borchards will be nursing a quad for the first few weeks of the season. so that will be something to watch.

Offense: 7. Strong as ever. They lost their highest goal scorer to the Red Bulls but they resigned their highest goal scorer from two years ago that thought he would like a tour of Europe. Findley came to find out the grass is not always green on the other side and came back for a run with ReAL. Findley is still in his prime age and so look for great things there. It isn't like he is a veteran coming of age and wanted something more. Real also picked up some speed up top so they now have the option to opening up on collasping defenses. They can send the ball for a forward run whenever the midfield is too crowded.

Shooting: 6-7 Judged as just as good as last year, but they arn't as experienced as a team yet so probably a bit worse

Countering: 7. Better than last year as they picked up some major speed this year over last. They lost some height up top so that may hinder some in gaining possessions on the outlet but really shouldn't be much of an issue.

Possession first, long ball second. This is my favorite catagory. Possession is the stategy ReAL plays. They love it and they live and die by it. But not to harp on the new speed, they saw that need in their roster and got it for neccesarily opening up the midfield if defenses try to push up too much. Look for the midfield to do very well in the diamond they play with all returning players from last year. Beckerman, does well with his one touches and sees the field very well on the defensive back of the diamond, and Morales does well at the top of the diamond. He had many assists last year and deemed by many to be one of the best on the team.
How good are they .....ummm I'd say an 8. Very good at their game here.
Real plays to control the ball so I'd say offense first. Sometimes they do go into a defensive fort though to control the game.

Title contender? Yes! They were last year and they broke up the team so some will not think so. But they filled in their holes of lost players very nicely. So don't take ReAL off your radar this year. This past year when they lost in the playoffs it was a big downer and it was said all around that it was a major failure for ReAL.

Bench: 6. Worse than last year definitely But their bench from last year is used to fill in a rotation forward spot and a wing midfielder. The midfielder is deemed as a future all star and one who is leading the U20 to the World Cup this year. It will be nice to watch how this plays out with ReAL.

I guess that's about it. Looking forward to reading your takes on your teams.

[edfmx86]

Nice write up nghed, here's my view on it.

Defense, I agree with you, we are just about the same as we were last year despite losing our top defender. Kwame Watson-Seriboe is an excellent replacement for the injury prone Jamison Olave. We'll be without Borchers and Wingert at the start of the season but shouldn't be for more than 3-4 weeks. Once they get back, our back line of Beltran-KWS-Borchers-Wingert is a solid 8 in MLS.

Offense, the same as last year. Saborio will be the top dog and I expect Findley to start along side him. Losing Espindola and bringing back Findley didn't solve our goal scoring trouble, he is just as inconsistent as Fabi but I'm hoping that the couple years he spent in England might help bring that spark Eddie Johnson brought back when he came back to MLS. Joao Plata, Olmes Garcia, and Devon Sandoval will compete for minutes off the bench at the striker position, they'll probably go to the more experienced Plata. Our attacking midfield will be Morales, Gil and Velasquez (who is having a pretty good pre-season). With those guy, I imagine we won't miss Will Johnson much. I give our offense a 7.

Whether we're title contenders or not really depends on the health of our vets. We're starting the season off with injuries in Wingert, Morales and Borchers which isn't to great, but I'll be excited to see some of the young talent get some burn early in the season. Lets just say I wont get my hopes up this early.

Incase anyone missed it, RSL is coming into the season under new ownership. Dave Checketts sold his shares to minority owner Dell Loy Hansen. Checketts had a passion for seeing RSL succeed, I'm not sure i see the same in Hansen, but we'll see.

Overall, I don't see RSL competing for a supporters shield this year. We'll probably struggle reaching the playoffs but we'll get there. Im predicting break out seasons from Luis Gil and Sebastian Velasquez. The future of RSL starts this season.

Also, I'm RSL's brand new season ticket holder. This season cant start soon enough......