Since I did one for VCU, I thought it was only fitting to have one for DC United. Tom Soehn has decided to step down as Head Coach after 3 seasons, a total of 7 seasons with the club. The DC United job is a very unique situation.

The first thing that will make it hard for United to draw in a coach is the stadium situation.

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Via telephone conference call yesterday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual "State of the League Address" in which he covered all manner of issues related to Major League Soccer and took...

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual State of the League Address on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, from expansion to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the Designated Player rule.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual State of the League Address on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, from expansion to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the Designated Player rule.

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Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber appears ready for a work stoppage, should talks with the players' union not lead to a new deal by the Jan. 31 deadline. Speaking on a conference call with reporters Nov. 16 as part of his annual State of the League address, Garber said the league was not willing to yield on any of the principles that it felt had driven its growth the past 14 years.

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It seems as if every other week this Major League Soccer column trumpets the league's uniqueness as its most valuable asset and most challenging problem.

That opinion hinges on the single entity system which dictates that money, players and competitive integrity are controlled by MLS headquarters in New York City.

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We all know the Collective Bargaining Agreement is coming close to it's end and the MLS Players Union and league front offices are set to battle it all out. Well today we got some rough news from the Sports Business Journal (subscription based link, sign up for a free trail if you haven't) that the players union is already talking strike if things don't improve.

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Disheartening news on the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union today; the league's proposal last week has the players threatening to strike...

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Fortuna favours the Bosch
FC Den Bosch 3-1 Fortuna Sittard (23:10:09)
- click on photos to enlarge image -
Friday 23rd October 2009 will go down in history. In years to come, it'll be remembered much the same as the 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the 100 Club when anyone and everyone claimed to have "been there". Click to continue reading...

Well, the long winding MLS season has come down to this: needing 6 points from 2 games and needing a host of other things to go our way in MLS play for the chance to advance into the playoffs. Last year around this time, Columbus was eliminating us at Crew Stadium, and I was happy that the elimination might lead to sweeping changes in the team.

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Recently Steve Clare over at Prost Amerika interviewed Jeremy St Louis of Fox Soccer. It is a far ranging interview covering national teams (particularly the issues facing Canada), MLS, Sounders, the EPL and the upcoming World Cup. There were a few semi-precious stones in there, that you might just miss. Click to continue reading...

With this winter quickly approaching now that we are in the fall season it seems only fitting to really start the discussion on what will certainly be the number one topic all off season in Major League Soccer, the CBA negotiations. The big one comes down to the great wage debate.

I bring it up today because of a link I found late last night over on one of my favorite sites, Pitch Invasion.

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In my last post on MLS' future, I postulated that the television rights deals of the future will determine the level of play we will see on the field. I also stated that it is my belief that MLS must offer a better quality product on the field in order to achieve higher fees. Kind of a chicken or egg dilemna.

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As I recover from a late night of fighting through some technical snafus on the podcast recording, my brain is working just well enough for a thought to occur on the crucial nature of the rest of...

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Who is Alejandro Taraciuk?  I didn't have a clue either a couple days ago. But now I think he should be the most popular guy around MLS.  He specializes in helping bring Argentine (and other South American) players into MLS after having been an intern with the league while going through law school.

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It's all about USA-Mexico this week on Match Fit USA; okay, not so much to start, as Jason and Zach discuss Jozy's move to Hull, MLS in the CCL, and the CBA negotiations before bringing in Brian Zygo...

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This will be a very interesting year with the new MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations taking place. Things have been fairly quiet but details are now emerging regarding what the MLS Players Union is looking to gain.
This excerpt comes courtesy of the Sports Business Journal:

As other big leagues seek concessions from players, the Major League Soccer Players Union has proposed significant increases in its members' rights, including free agency and leaguewide guaranteed contracts, sources said.

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Sports Business Journal reports that the CBA negotiations between the MLS Players Union and the league have taken an interesting turn: in addition to guaranteed contracts (currently contracts don't...

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From Sports Business Journal (which is increasingly required reading for MLS fans) and WVHooligan.
Quote: Free agency, part of the proposal presented at a collective-bargaining session with the league in New York last month, would fundamentally change the way the MLS is operated. Click to continue reading...

By TRAVIS CLARK

With the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring Jan. 31, 2010, big changes could emerge in MLS. There's a lot of possibilities as to what 2010 could hold for MLS, and recent reports indicate the players union is after a drastic overhaul.

Reports are swirling about the proposal tabled by the MLS players union last month in their meetings with league officials.

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By TRAVIS CLARK

With the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring Jan. 31, 2010, big changes could emerge in MLS. There's a lot of possibilities as to what 2010 could hold for MLS, and recent reports indicate the players union is after a drastic overhaul.

Reports are swirling about the proposal tabled by the MLS players union last month in their meetings with league officials.

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We all know Major League Soccer has a battle going on right now between the owners/front office of the league and the Playes Union over the Collective Bargining Agreement that ends this year. We've heard that discussions are on-going at the moment and now some news is starting to trickle out about what each side is wanting in this round of discussion.

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Two issues, somewhat related, that I felt like expounding upon a bit today. The business of MLS is almost as important as the play on the field , and interests a lot of us (though I don't blame you...

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I'd link to it, but it requires a subscription (or at least a free trial), and I'm not going to put you through that. Suffice to say, it's a small part of one of many interviews Grant Wahl has done recently about his new book, The Beckham Experiment (the latest trial is tonight when LA plays at New York, 8pm ET, Fox Soccer Channel).

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Belgrano Cba 0 - Rosario Central 1
En verdad mi función en TM es comentar los partidos de Central y el desempeño futbolístico e institucional de unas de los clubes más grande de la Argentina.
Sigue en pié el desafío sobre alguien que demuestre que su equipo lleva más gente que Central (socios o no), solo Boca y Estudiantes (jugando la final de la Libertadores) tienen chances de competir en este rubro. Click to continue reading...

If you're a New Yorker, or even a Jerseyite and a soccer fan you may have more reason to cheer than simply for the escape from Giant's Stadium for NY/NJ's beleaguered MLS club. TH14 seems pretty certain that he will be running down the pitch at the newly opened Red Bull Arena. Henry talked a bit about a stateside move after a charity match in New York City. Click to continue reading...

The under-compensated Stuart Holden Nothing too in-depth today, as I'm still recovering from my epic home PC battle. I did, however, want to take a closer look at the current CBA, with an eye to...

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As I mentioned yesterday, MLS and the Players Union have begun formal negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA is set to expire at the end of January next year. Top...

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If MLS Players Union Player Relations Director, Eddie Pope Has His Way The Union Will Receive Requested League Financials
Many of you, our readers called this well in advance:
Courtesy of SportsBuisnessJournal:

Major League Soccer and its players union have begun to meet about a new labor deal, and the league has agreed to share financial information with the union.

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Negotiations have officially started between the MLS players union and the league on the new collective bargaining agreement, and it doesn't appear to be going well. At least, that's the feeling I...

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                                                                           Photo by ISIphotos.com

Don't let the headline fool you.

No, I'm not answering questions about Benjamin Linus, The Dharma Initiative or the Black Cloud Monster.

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Â

                                                                           Photo by ISIphotos.com

Don't let the headline fool you.

No, I'm not answering questions about Benjamin Linus, The Dharma Initiative or the Black Cloud Monster.

Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good afternoon everybody. It is time to start answering some of the questions you sent my way recently in the latest Q&A. I will be breaking up the Q&A into four segments, starting with today's.

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Before last night's exciting finale of an otherwise hot and cold 2008 SuperLiga tournament, officials had been talking up the "one million dollar purse" quite a bit.
Of course in most American professional sports, one million dollars is a drop in the bucket, but (sadly) to the average MLS team, that's no small chunk of change. Click to continue reading...

According to Soccer Insider...
"That's not something that is permitted in the CBA [collective bargaining agreement], it's not something we are going to allow and something, should they decide to do,
we will have to manage it the way we would manage any other violation of the collective bargaining agreement. Click to continue reading...