Can you believe Week 29 is here? Seems like only yesterday that we were all up in the all-star game and waiting for the return of Circus Beckham. Where has the time gone... Click to continue reading...

With J Hutcherson -- Allow me to revisit a previous point and invite everybody to wonder what I was thinking picking Chivas USA to be a prime mover over the month of August. Not a lot of games leading into August, ample recovery, and no thought of a fluke injury at the All-Star Game costing them their keeper. Click to continue reading...

Last Saturday was a historic day. It was the date of the first ever WPS Playoff Game. It was also the first WPS game I ever watched with my wife. She is not a huge soccer fan, but we were killing time in a hotel room before meeting friends, and I got her to watch the 2nd half. Now she is hooked.

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The All-Star game is done and dusted, the mid-season friendlies with European clubs are at an end and the business half of Major League Soccer's 14th season is underway. So what better time to have a look at the movers and shakers and find out where the big stories will lead in the second half of the campaign?

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Related posts:

1. It's Time For MLS To End The All-Star Game Beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. A suburb...
2. 2006 MLS All Star Game Photos In 2006, the MLS All Stars took down mighty...
3. 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Schedule: Watch Every Game Online Every single game of the 2009 Gold Cup tournament.

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Apparently Nottingham Forest team photo sessions are a riot.
Let's get to the links:

• Crazy Arshavin pic. [Futbolita]
• Quotes o' the week. [SSN]
• Osorio likely out in N.Y. [Post]
• UEFA eases up on Porto. [SI]
• The summer of the USMNT. [ESPN]
• ESPN and Premiership?

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Your inaugural WPS All-Star Team:
Karina LeBlanc GK - Los Angeles Sol, Canada
Tina Ellertson D - Saint Louis Athletica, United States
Amy LePeilbet D - Boston Breakers, United States
Alex Scott D - Boston Breakers, England
Camille Abily M - Los Angeles Sol, France
Sonia Bompastor M - Washington Freedom, France
Shannon Boxx M - Los Angeles Sol, United States
Lori Chalupny M - Saint Louis Athletica, United States
Kelly Smith M - Boston Breakers, England
Eniola Aluko F - Saint Louis Athletica, England
Marta F - Los Angeles Sol, Brazil
The first order of comedy, of course, is that half of this team won't be available for the All-Star game itself, or for the WPS championship, thanks to the UEFA Women's Championship. Click to continue reading...

After Major League Soccer's regular season took a brief hiatus to participate in its All-Star Game spectical against English Premier League's Everton in which Everton won 2-1 in PKs after the game ended in a 1-1 draw, teams resumed their play over the weekend with some jaw-dropping results.

In one weekend, MLS fans across the country saw the second-worst team in MLS (San Jose Earthquakes) shutout a playoff-bound team (Seattle Sounders FC), 4-0; a six-goal game between FC Dallas and Kansas City Wizards in which all six goals went to Dallas, leading to the dismissal of Wizards Head Coach Curt Onalfo; and two teams improving their vying to improve their playoff position totalled seven goals in a 4-3 Houston Dynamo win over DC United.

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Today's Talking Point

Shootouts after regular season ties seemed to have been confined to MLS' bad-ideas-graveyard, but when an owner of a successful MLS expansion franchise wants to bring them back, you have to wonder what is going on his head.

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Pretty entertaining game tonight from the Rose Bowl where the Galaxy played Barcelona in the first game of the new phase of Euro preseason in USA. Barcelona won 2-1 in front of a 93,200+ person crowd.

The biggest story out of this game has to be David Beckham winning some support from fans (albeit, not in their home stadium) through an impressive free kick goal and a good all around effort.

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Computer issues and a too fast push on a button sent last night's post into the ether, but I am over that now and the *&^!@*** computer is behaving itself. Too bad that post went traveling to parts unknown because it was amusing. At least I thought so. Here are the highlights:

Lip reading 101 - Having watched the RSL and Dallas game I wondered about why Jason Kreis was ejected from the game for enthusiastically encouraging the officials go get a "Truck" after Nick Rimando made an amazing stop on a Dallas PK.

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For those of you (like me) who missed the All-Star game this past Wednesday, here are the highlights. Everton beat the All-Stars in penalties after the two teams drew 1-1 over 90 minutes of play. Tim Howard saved Freddie Ljungberg's penalty to give the Toffees the win.

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It's been a busy week, so I am finally getting my weekly crystal ball readings posted after a few thoughts about the spectacle at Rio Tinto earlier this week.
As for the All-Star Game, I have read so many blogs and comments dissing the existence of the game and, to be honest, I just don't get the objection. Click to continue reading...

Some didn't like the All-Star jerseys but AT&T is a mega sponsor. (Getty Images)

You know it has been a couple days since this all went down in Sandy, Utah, but still never to late to talk about it since it is a big deal for Major League Soccer. No I am not talking about the loss in the All-Star Game to EPL side Everton.

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As amazing as that sounds, it appears to be true.
Courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune (thanks to RSLFM for the tip):

Having watched two of the greatest goalkeepers the United States has ever produced square off in the final chapter of the annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game, the man whose team and stadium hosted the dramatic duel in front of a record crowd came to an unorthodox conclusion:

He loves the shootout.

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He's back in Seattle after the crazy migraine attack that blindsided him after/during the MLS all-star game Wednesday night.
Word is it's not as serious as the attack that sidelined the Swede for a couple games earlier in the season.
If ever there was a game to be suspended for a red card, it's the same game (Sunday at San Jose) that you're recovering from freaky massive headaches. Click to continue reading...

Is it just me or is halftime the most interesting thing about the All Star game? I'm sure that changes if you are actually there, but siting at home I find the pre-game and half-time shows to be the most interesting part of the show. That's probably just because I am a big nerd for things like the CBA, expansion and other topics that are typically only fit for message boards and conversations with the league's Business & Legal Affairs dept. Click to continue reading...

2009 MLS All-Stars (Getty Images)

A lot of folks this morning are calling for the end of the MLS All-Star game, or at least the current format of it. While I am more in the ladder part of the calling I do not see this current game going away at any point in the near future after what we saw last night.

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FIRE KINNEAR NOW.
I told you this was going to be a blowout Everton victory, and I was right. American soccer has proven once again that it does not belong on the world stage. But that's not news - how long has it been since the United States national team hasn't beaten a highly-ranked opponent? Click to continue reading...

Daily Talking Point

There's considerable debate about the value of the MLS All-Star game going around today. A sold-out Rio Tinto stadium in Salt Lake looked impressive last night, but the tepid match and the penalty kicks to determine the result seemed rather pointless does anyone actually care that Everton won?

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First the good news: The All-Star Game was a delight to watch for many reasons, well stated by Bill Archer. The game may not be a technical tour de force, and perhaps some players could use a rest. But the game is free from gamesmanship and cynical defense, and it's a great platform for segments such as an interview with Andy Williams, who told ESPN2's audience that his wife is improving in her bout with leukemia. Click to continue reading...

In another moment of fine journalism for ESPN and Soccernet, they sent out Steve Davis to do player ratings for the MLS All Star Game.
That's right he did player ratings for an All Star game.
That's like trying to rate the attractiveness of women at Case Western University* - useless, pointless, and utterly futile. Click to continue reading...

By Graig Carbino - ALBANY, NY (July 29, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Coming to you live from the land of perpetual downpours (aka upstate NY), this is Graig Carbino with follow along commentary of the 2009 Major League Soccer All-Star Game. Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear will lead the MLS contingent against English Premier League side Everton. Click to continue reading...

Beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. A suburb of Salt Lake City was the host for this years All-Star Game which was a fantastic display of Goalkeeping we haven't seen in a while. Both Kasey Keller & Tim Howard making diving save, after diving save to keep their sides alive for the eventual match winner that never came and all credit to Everton's Manager David Moyes for taking this event seriously and having a little fun.

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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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The MLS All Stars loss to a foreign opponent for the first time tonight in Salt Lake as Everton defeated in penalty kicks. After Everton took the lead through Louis Saha, Brad Davis tied the game for All Stars. The second half stayed 1-1 and went into PKs. Tim Howard saved 3 PKs, including one by Wizards midfielder, Davy Arnaud, while Kasey Keller saved one and had one go wide. Click to continue reading...

Tim Howard showed why he is the #1 goalkeeper for the U.S. national team as his inspired performance helped Everton beat the MLS All-Stars 4-3 in penalties.

Howard made six saves in regulation and stopped three shots on penalty kicks. Howard kept the MLS team, at bay throughout the game with a serious of saves, a performance that earned him the games most valuable player award.

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So, I'm sitting inside this lovely stadium outside Salt Lake City a couple of hours before the All-Star game, considering the Wasatch mountains in the background, thinking about stadium development in MLS and generally just taking in the blessed splendor of life when I find myself suddenly thinking about . Click to continue reading...

Does anyone have it?
Okay, Steve Pastorino. Anyone else?
Used to be I would at least turn and look at the thing. It was cute, once. Just a bunch of our favorite players goofing off on a sunny afternoon.
Then...geez, I dunno, it got all dark and pretentious on us. Click to continue reading...

I'm not enthused about writing this post. I'm not overly excited to break down the MLS All Stars or their Premier League opponents. I'm not particularly keen on the All Star game, and while I...

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by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller has done it all in his career except for play in an MLS All-Star game, but that will change Wednesday night.

Keller was among the first 11 players named to the MLS All-Star team, and his six shutouts and .

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by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller has done it all in his career except for play in an MLS All-Star game, but that will change Wednesday night.

Keller was among the first 11 players named to the MLS All-Star team, and his six shutouts and .

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With J Hutcherson -- I'm not one of those who dismisses Major League Soccer's All-Star game along with the club friendly schedule as not quite worth the intelligent soccer fan's time. Done right, those games can be a lot of fun to watch on TV or in person. However, I am of the opinion that the All-Star Game should be about the fans. Click to continue reading...

Everton is playing the MLS All-Stars tonight in Salt Lake City at 9:30pm Eastern time live on ESPN2 and Galavision. I thought a little video about them would be fitting. English soccer fans can come up with some songs I tell ya! I love how the producer of this video only shows Everton scoring goals against their biggest rival Liverpool.

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As part of our series called "10 v 11" interviews with MLS players, MLS Rumors was fortunate enough today to talk with MLS All Star and Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden regarding his brand new customized boots, thanks to Adidas,.
Here is what he had to say:
MLSR: Stuart as a player, how was it to work with Adidas knowing they have worked with players like Zidane and Messi? Click to continue reading...