It was a difficult year for the Bay Area boot squad, but an easy choice on who to ask for some answers. Sorting through the Earthquakes rubble for us is ESPN & Center Line Soccer all-star Jeff Carlisle.NSC: What went wrong?JC: Just about everything. Players like Francisco Lima and Scott Sealy werent adequately replaced at the start of the season. Click to continue reading...

For the second straight season, the Columbus Crew's Chad Marshall was selected as the league's best defender. Marshall was named as the MLS 2009 Defender of the Year Thursday, joining Carlos Bocanegra and Robin Fraser as the award's only two-time winners.

2009 has been a tremendous success for Marshall, named in July as an All-Star, and earning five caps with the U.

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For the second straight season, the Columbus Crew's Chad Marshall was selected as the league's best defender. Marshall was named as the MLS 2009 Defender of the Year Thursday, joining Carlos Bocanegra and Robin Fraser as the award's only two-time winners.

2009 has been a tremendous success for Marshall, named in July as an All-Star, and earning five caps with the U.

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Tonight on 30 Rock, Liz and jack visit Kenneth's hometown. Oh my, this should be good...#1 - Via Columbus Dispatch all-star Shawn Mitchell, Crew defender Chad Marshall has been suddenly upgraded all the way to probable. Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake have picked up a few small knocks here and there.An upset course diverted? Click to continue reading...

Ryan Johnson was one of the few bright spots for San Jose in 2009. (Getty Images)

It's hard to decline as a club after being an expansion team in 2008 but the 2009 version of the San Jose Earthquakes did just that. They became the first team to lose more in their second season than in their expansion season.

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"The Damned United" is a movie that has been much talked about in the soccer community but hardly marketed within the soccer community, which will surly be their most interested group in a soccer hungry nation as the United States.

The film profiling the legendary Brian Clough� will be opening tonight October, 23 at the Uptown Theaters with multiple play times and will continue through Thursday October, 29.

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"The Damned United" is a movie that has been much talked about in the soccer community but hardly marketed within the soccer community, which will surly be their most interested group in a soccer hungry nation as the United States.

The film profiling the legendary Brian Clough� will be opening tonight October, 23 at the Uptown Theaters with multiple play times and will continue through Thursday October, 29.

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But only if you vote for him to win!

I'm still miffed that he was left off the All-Star team at least the one that suited up. I seem to recall that he made the All-Star roster that counts for salary incentives. Yet one more bit of byzantine MLS rules and regulation implementation for you there.

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Last night on the Jimmy Conrad Show, Robb Heineman spoke candidly about the Wizards stadium complex out in Kansas. There's some good information about the complex and some vague details of the amenities at the stadium as well. During the discussion, Heineman states that they are hopeful to have the stadium open just after the All Star break during the 2011 season. Click to continue reading...

Jeff Cunningham will have to continue his MVP form tonight in San Jose.

You want some playoff type drama? Good because tonight's midweek clash between San Jose and Dallas offers just that. Win and continue on in a the little hope of reaching the playoffs, lose or tie and you season is pretty much over.

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The MLS playoffs don't begin for another three weeks but tonight will offer us an elimination game with some playoff-like drama.

FC Dallas visits San Jose tonight (10pm,� Direct Kick)� in a match both teams need to win in order to maintain any realistic chance in the MLS playoff race.

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The MLS playoffs don't begin for another three weeks but tonight will offer us an elimination game with some playoff-like drama.

FC Dallas visits San Jose tonight (10pm,� Direct Kick)� in a match both teams need to win in order to maintain any realistic chance in the MLS playoff race.

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With J Hutcherson -- Leave it to the Premier League for potentially changing the face of European soccer. If their adoption of the "home-grown rule" becomes the norm across Europe, this could be the last year we see the Champions League as a de facto World All-Star League. Well, at least with so many of the World's elite concentrated among a small group of clubs. Click to continue reading...

Monday's announcement that FC Dallas' longest-tenured player, Drew Moor, had been shipped off to Colorado was jarring to say the least. Now the Dallas native is not one of the top defenders in the league and has never been an all-star, but Moor's veteran leadership and respect he commanded from his teammates will be hard if not impossible to replace. Click to continue reading...

Monday's announcement that FC Dallas' longest-tenured player, Drew Moor, had been shipped off to Colorado was jarring to say the least. Now the Dallas native is not one of the top defenders in the league and has never been an all-star, but Moor's veteran leadership and respect he commanded from his teammates will be hard if not impossible to replace. Click to continue reading...

Editor's Note: Chicago Red Stars President and CEO Peter Wilt returns for his third weekly column on Pitch Invasion, pulling no punches as he grades the first season of the league his own team plays in.

Sunday's Women's Professional Soccer All-Star victory over Swedish powerhouse Umea ended WPS' first season and that makes this a good time to reflect on the inaugural year and analyze WPS' progress.

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It can't possibly be true, can it? Peppe Pinton finally found a buyer for the Cosmos' name...but it's not someone who wants to put a new MLS or USL team in New York?

Not that you can always believe The Daily Mail ("It is believed they will be built up as an all-star touring team before attempting to gain an MSL franchise", it says), so take that arsenic with a grain of salt, New Yorkers.

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The Chicago Red Stars' Cristiane, Brittany Klein and Megan Rapinoe are participating in Sunday's first-ever Women's Professional Soccer All-Star Game at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo. I'm on the road covering the festivities. Check out these links to my Chicago Sports Examiner page at Examiner. Click to continue reading...

Bakary Soumare and the Chicago Fire have officially parted ways as of this afternoon, with the Eastern Conference club confirming the transfer of the All-Star defender to French club US Boulogne (full name: Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale) in a press release. Several reports put the transfer fee for the Mali international at €1. Click to continue reading...

Looks like the locker-room issue in Chicago surrounding defender Bakary Soumare and manager Denis Hamlett is resolved today. Reports from France say the Fire have sold the All-Star defender to French club Boulogne for a little over $2 million.

For a club struggling for consistent play at home, losing their best defender in this manner is going to be a bigger blow than some people will be willing to admit.

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Of course, the appeal against Los Andes went in our favor, and though I'd much rather have beaten them on the pitch - it's a small victory to have been awarded the points.
Los Andes were also handed a $50 fine.
I've been able to edit the Futbol Mania episode that was about the All Star Event of the Union Football League. Click to continue reading...

Of course, the appeal against Los Andes went in our favor, and though I'd much rather have beaten them on the pitch - it's a small victory to have been awarded the points.
Los Andes were also handed a $50 fine.
I've been able to edit the Futbol Mania episode that was about the All Star Event of the Union Football League. Click to continue reading...

I typically become a bit discombobulated between seasons, it's not the lack of structure per se - it's just loss, absence.
That hasn't heppened to the same degree this year, because of the joy of my beloved Torquay United returning to the football league. The new League 2 starts tomorrow - and the lads are at Plainmoor hosting Chesterfield. Click to continue reading...

I typically become a bit discombobulated between seasons, it's not the lack of structure per se - it's just loss, absence.
That hasn't happened to the same degree this year, because of the joy of my beloved Torquay United returning to the football league. The new League 2 starts tomorrow - and the lads are at Plainmoor hosting Chesterfield. Click to continue reading...

You can watch Kenny Cooper's 1860 Munich unveiling here. And after that, he got to work.For more on the move, ESPN all-star Steve Davis (a very nice fellow I inexplicably called "Mark" a few times at World Cup 2006) talks to Kenny Sr.By the way, Steve, FC Gang Green has finished 5th, 8th and 6th the last three seasons. Click to continue reading...

Two main points learned from this match: 1) Houston is really good. 2) The DC defense isn't.
Can you imagine how great this team would be if Dwayne De Rosario was still on the roster? This is already an all-star midfield, with Stuart Holden, Brad Davis, and Ricardo Clark all playing the best of their careers. Click to continue reading...

I don't, but you know that's because I'm here in sunny Virginia.

But if you are going I'd love to hear from you. Post a comment before or after the game and give us a feel for the game. How was the atmosphere? How was the play? Who were the stand out players for the Galaxy? Who would you rather see in the line up?

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Here is the Major League Soccer single table at the all star break. � It isn't uncommon to see Houston on the top along with FC Dallas and San Jose near the bottom.

This table doesn't take into effect any of the games that will be taking place today. � Ten teams will be seeing action later today while there is only one game tomorrow.

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MLS Commissioner Don Garber in person did an interview on FORBES.COM and announced that Montreal should have the 19th spot into the MLS by 2011. You guy's can check out, click on the clip of the interview, he talked about it after the All-Star break.

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Five games this Saturday. All-star game over, champions league kicking in, 0-2-1 for MLS to start. YA, Red Bulls don't stand a chance, tonight.
Toronto at New England, NE
KC at Dallas, Dallas
RSL at Chicago, Chicago
DC at Houston, on FSC. Houston
Columbus at Colorado, Colorado
Sunday
Seattle at San Jose, Seattle
Enjoy the games, Madrid is here next week. Click to continue reading...

Everton managed a dramatic 4-3 shootout win over the host Major League Soccer All-Star squad in a match that wasn't a fluid one, but created much interest among the sellout crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
Davis: Howard's star shines brightest Click to continue reading...

Tonight's MLS All Star game was a thrilling affair between the All Stars (who were carrying a 5 game win streak against European teams into the match..) and Everton FC of the English Premier League....

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Hey y'all. I took a few days off for an impromptu family road trip sans MacBook but I'm back home and back online just in time for tonight's All-Star game. Did you miss me? Did I miss anything of note? I noticed that the Press Pass posse took it upon themselves to have round table on the state of MLS. Click to continue reading...

Dominic Kinnear is excited for tonight, are you? (photo via MLS)

It is that time once again, the MLS All-Stars take on a club from the other side of the pond. Feel the excitement? Yeah I honestly don't. Just like every year I get less and less excited about this game, mostly because of the set up of the league taking on a club in preseason mode.

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Davy at All-Star training.
Davy Arnaud is getting props for his hard work and determination on the way to making his 1st MLS All-Star team for tonight's contest against Everton FC of the EPL. The game is at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and we're hosting a Budweiser watch party at Fox and Hound in OP. Click to continue reading...