With the Don's latest state of the league comments about the importance of the Concacaf Champions League (CCL) and the extra load that it puts on teams that do well in the MLS standings, I've been thinking about what the league could do. Let's start out with the commissioner's problem description:

We need to prove that we can be among the best teams in the region, and that means beating Mexico.

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Salt Lake v. Chivas USA
Salt Lake OWES the Eastern Conference. And oh by the way, they've been playing better than anyone actually in the Eastern Conference. They didn't back in to the playoffs either, like last year's Western Conference champs. This isn't out of the realm of possibility. Click to continue reading...

Just getting this out there, no time for extensive thoughts.

24thMinute and CBC on Vancouver and Montreal pulling out of USL.

Inside MN Soccer on the fuller situation.

The TOA is clearly now the 2nd tier of the sport. Not just due to market size, but also due to the quality of the organizations involved.

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This is why I don't subscribe to 24th Minute. Every time I go over there I see something that makes me want to stab my eyes out. Most of the Canadian blogs, actually. Which is kind of sad. I mean, most of them can write. It's just what's going on up their heads that's the problem.
Anyway, BA Duane with a rumination on the follies of the New York franchise, with commentary by yours truly:

Just as Canadians hate that everything here is Toronto focused (and, say, that USL-1 championship final is overshadowed by TFC's attempt to sneak into the playoffs), Americans don't much like to have it pointed out that it's important to have a presence in the New York market.

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Earlier this morning, none other than Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber tweeted the following:
Great games last night. Tightest MLS Playoff race ever. 7 MLS teams vying for last 3 playoff spots!
I love MLS. I've watched it since the beginning. I've gone to games since the very first year - even driving through the remnants of a hurricane to get to one in '96. Click to continue reading...

To paraphrase somebody or other, sports rivalries are born, not made. Or at least the good ones.
Which is why I have ahard time getting in line with the "MLS Needs Montreal NOW!.. (because of course all serious ideas from truly sincere BigSoccer posters who, you know, [i[really mean it[/i] are punctuated with lots of exclamation points and the word "NOW") ". Click to continue reading...

I'd like to address U.S.-based TOR readers for a moment if I could...everybody else go get a tall, decaf, skinny mocha-chino or something for a minute. Cool? OK.
Now (as I channel my inner Bernie Mac) listen to me America. I'm no financial expert and I don't claim to be. But if our nation's large and small businesses would "buy American, hire American" with the frequency that Mo Johnston is buying Canadian, hiring Canadian we could fix this whole economic freakshow that we are currently sack-deep in by MLS Cup weekend. Click to continue reading...

Hopes were unusually high at the start of this season out at Hougang Stadium as the SLeague's perennial under achievers did something unheard of. They started splashing the cash. In came new coach Jorg Steinbrunner from Woodlands Wellington and with him a few star names.
Players like Aide Iskander, Jerry Batholomeusz, Noh Rahman and Indra Sahdan Daud. Click to continue reading...

Here's a link to the press release.

I know, this is MLS Talk, not USL Talk. But given recent events, this is newsworthy.

This has been rumored for awhile, not always the Fury, but that a party in Ottawa was interested in entering the USL First Division. But they picked a really strange time to do it, didn't they?

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As Giuseppe Rossi became, officially, Giuseppe Rossi this summer - you know, finally fulfilled that enormous hype on the international scene - Jonathan de Guzman is officially becoming Jonathan de Guzman, man hated by Canadians - though for a better reason than Americans hate Beppe. For those naive to Dutch and/or Canadian football matters, Jonathan de [. Click to continue reading...

In an effort to expand St Leo University's recruiting into both Canada and internationally, the school has added Quebec native Annie Hamel. A graduate of the University of Maine, Hamel has also served as a graduate assistant at her Alma mater for a season after her 2004 graduation. Her other coaching experience includes a stint with the W-League's Ottawa Fury U-20 team. Click to continue reading...

Tom Dunmore quotes some Canadian blog when he asks whether Quaranta's pre-CCL quotes indicate some kind of "isolationism" on the part of MLS and its fans.
"It stands to reason that a 24-year-old from Baltimore that has played his entire professional career in the United States would share the viewpoint of most of the people that watch him. Click to continue reading...

Busy day here in the office for me, not only are there lots of links to discuss tonight but just lots going on in the world in general. We have a few MLS items up tonight, one USL thought, some USMNT thoughts and thoughts on a Euro-Super League.

MLS Interested In Buying USL

Link

By now a lot of you have probably already read this.

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News is slowing down right now due to tomorrow's big international clash between US and Mexico. I have another list of links hyping that game. Aside from that I only have a couple things of note that are worth a look tonight.

Montreal Expansion Too Quick?

Link

I have to agree with Duane Rollins on this matter, Montreal may be at a big disadvantage when it comes to their expansion bid into the league.

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Si, ugly peoples from Canada come back to Miami to lose again! If it not enough these pinches Canadians can't even get along with themselves and fight between each other! Why? Maybe it's too cold in Canada? Maybe they tired of being called America's Hat? Burrito don't know and no care.
All Burrito know is that the Blues need to wins and get the three points. Click to continue reading...

Neither Gina Pacheco or Bahar Sansar saw action in Canada's 1-0 loss Wednesday night to the USA in a friendly held in Charleston, South Carolina. Both USF players are veterans of the Canadian youth sides and Pacheco picked up her first cap on Sunday in Rochester against the USA with a late substitute appearance. Click to continue reading...

A few weeks ago the 24th Minute linked up my JMS Podcast interview with TFC's Chad Barrett.� The 24th Minute is an excellent blog talking about the World's game (soccer) with a Canadian perspective.

I appreciate yall linking up my podcast.� I love Canadians!

JM

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Two University of South Florida underclass women are getting a shot at cracking the Canadian National Team lineup in a series of three friendly matches with the USA.
In the second match of the series on Sunday, Gina Pacheco was a late substitute for the Canadians. Pacheco, who has seen time with the Canadian U20 squad, earned her first cap for the national team in the 1-0 loss to the Americans. Click to continue reading...

Two of the three Wizards playing tonight in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup in Philadelphia had a good night tonight, but Wizards captain Jimmy Conrad did not. First, Wizards midfielder, Roger Espinoza once again got a start of Honduras as they faced off against Canada. Espinoza went 90 minutes as Honduras knocked off the Canadians 1-0. Click to continue reading...

What do Bob Duffy and Abby Wambach have in common? Well, one IS the mayor of Rochester and one COULD be the major of Rochester, or perhaps it just seems that way whith the amount of love and recognition that the U.S. striker gets when she returns to her hometown. Wambach has done interviews with about a 10 different media organizations since return to Rochester and she has been constantly recognized on the streets. Click to continue reading...

I'm going to take a break from the Gold Cup Series to tell you about how our ladies have been spending� their time. Unfortunately, they have been spending a ton of time with some� folks we are all familiar with, yet really do not know all that well:

Canadians. Our friendly neighbors to the North.

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The quarterfinals of the CONCACAF 2009 Gold Cup are set to take place on Saturday and Sunday with many of the same teams from the 2007 tournament. Many of the favorites are still alive and here's a preview of the matches this weekend.

United States v Panama - Saturday - Philadelphia - The United States takes on Panama as they are undefeated in the last 2 Gold Cup tournaments.

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The Canadian national team took a major step toward qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory against El Salvador on Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.

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In form striker Ali Gerba scores the all important goal in the 32nd minute, a deflection of Patrice Bernier shot at goal.which gave Canada a 1-0 win over El Salvador. This was Gerba's 5th goal in 4 matches for Canada.

The Canadians now only need a tie against Costa Rica to advance.

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El Salvador scored the biggest upset of the Gold Cup so far as they beat Costa Rica through Osael Romero's brace, 2-1. Costa Rica had previously won 6 of their last seven encounters with the one draw.

La Selecta have been on a winning streak in their last five matches with just one loss against Honduras.

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The New York Red Bulls are in Toronto (again) to take on Toronto FC and will be looking to finally put a halt to a winless streak that has turned the 2009 season into a complete nightmare.

TFC, riding high from its Canadian Championship victory last week, will look to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race with another win against the struggling Red Bulls.

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The Puerto Rico Islanders lost to Portland their first game ever at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium in week-6 "normal" action, as they fell 2-1 to the Timbers. The Islanders now hold a 3-2-1 [W-T-L] record against the Timbers in Bayamón.

The Islanders (9 pts) dropped to 7th place in the "normal" standings, 4 points behind Rochester.

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TORONTO, Canada (May 25, 2009) – The U.S. Women's National Team scored twice in each half, with goals from Shannon Boxx, Megan Rapinoe, Lindsay Tarpley and youngster Lauren Cheney to defeat Canada 4-0 earlier this week. The match marked the U.S. Women's team first game in Canada since 2001. The Americans and Canadians will play twice [. Click to continue reading...

After an excellent performance against Canada on Memorial Day, playing under the adverse conditions of a hard turf field and 10,000 hostile Canadian fans (ok, they weren't hostile. Canadians are actually really nice folks), the U.S. players have returned to their WPS clubs, where they shall stay until mid-July when the team regroups for another two matches against Canada. Click to continue reading...

U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage was kind enough to move up the USA's pre-game meeting tonight so the squad could go to a local sports bar and watch the WPS match between the Los Angeles Sol and FC Gold Pride. (Of course, Pia wanted to watch the game too...). Almost the entire team took in the Sol's 2-0 win, a great victory on the road any way you slice it as they played without four starters (two Americans, two Canadians) that are here in Toronto for the match tomorrow. Click to continue reading...

The USA's match on Monday against Canada will be played on the FieldTurf, but the Americans should be somewhat used to it by now, having played two matches on the fake stuff in the latter part of 2008 and three games total on plastic last year. No soccer player likes to play on an artificial surface, but the U. Click to continue reading...

Amado Guevara scored two goals to help Toronto FC post a 3-1 victory over New England at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Revs opened the scoring with a Shalrie Joseph header in the 13th minute, but Guevara responded with an equalizer a minute later. Dwayne DeRosario scored the game-winner in the 68th minute on one of Danny Dichio's two assists before Guevara settled matters with a 70th-minute strike.

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Amado Guevara scored two goals to help Toronto FC post a 3-1 victory over New England at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Revs opened the scoring with a Shalrie Joseph header in the 13th minute, but Guevara responded with an equalizer a minute later. Dwayne DeRosario scored the game-winner in the 68th minute on one of Danny Dichio's two assists before Guevara settled matters with a 70th-minute strike.

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It was supposed to be Cuauhtémoc's last appearance with the Tri. Last fall in Chiapas, Rafa Marquez handed him the captain's armband when he subbed in for some minutes vs. Canada. At the end of the game, the players walked across the field with a banner thanking him for all of his years of excellence. Click to continue reading...

Last night I took a break from soccer, blogging, coaching, and work to go to the Emerson Drive concert in Chicago with Emily!� After the show Emily and I hung out with the Grammy nominated band and got to know these country Canadians a bit.� I would love to say that I am so cool I just called them up and they invited us to hang out but that was not the case!

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