Today Colorado made it official and hired Oscar Pareja as the team's 7th head coach. The Rapids say 6th but I like to count Roy Wegerle's 1 game as player/manager at the end of the 1996 season. ;) There's been no details as to the amount or length of his contract other than "long" according to Tim Hinchey at the press conference.

photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com

The Colorado Rapids have signed Oscar Pareja as their head coach, the club announced on Thursday.

Having beaten out three other finalists, Pareja will attempt to lead the Rapids to the MLS Cup final in his first head coaching position.

The Colorado Rapids are set to hire FC Dallas assistant and Academy Director Oscar Pareja has the team's new head coach, the Denver Post reported on Tuesday evening.

Pareja has beaten out a group of candidates that included Denis Hamlett, Tom Soehn and Richie Williams. The Rapids are expected to make the announcement this week.

BREAKING NEWS: Is Oscar Pareja about to become the new head coach of the Colorado Rapids?
-He was a player for the Dallas Burn, and is currently the director of the very successful FC Dallas academy.
STARTERS
This is one man dangling a piece of meat over a pack of ravaging wolves.

Lots of good stats from the game last night, including a landmark goal by Teal Bunbury.
In 6 games at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, this is KC's first win there. It was KC's first win in Colorado since 6/9/2004 when Josh Wolff scored a 90th minute penalty kick.
Teal Bunbury's two goals were only the 3rd time in team history a KC player has scored multiple goals in the playoffs, the other two times, Miklos Molnar in 2000 and Davy Arnaud in 2004.

Former Colombia star Leonel Alvarez, who played five seasons in MLS with Dallas and New England, was named Colombia's new national team coach, replacing the popular Hernan Dario Gomez, who quit last month after being involved in an incident in which he struck a woman at a Bogota bar.
Alvarez, 46, was Gomez's assistant and then the national team's interim coach after Gomez, who apologized for the incident, resigned on Aug.

When it was discovered today that Bobby Rhine passed unexpectedly of a heart attack, it hit the greater MLS community fairly hard. Rhine had played 10 years with Dallas and just recently entered the broadcasting field as a rapidly rising star. Fans in Dallas are holding a memorial this evening. His family is asking for donations made in his name to the FC Dallas foundation.

REST IN PEACE
Bobby Rhine - long time Dallas Burn and FC Dallas player, and recently FC Dallas match commentator passed away on Monday from a heart attack.
This is just devastating news about someone who seemed like he was really starting to hit his stride after his pro playing career, and he was only 35 years old.

If you haven't heard already there's some heartbreaking news out of Dallas this morning: FC Dallas announcer & former player Bobby Rhine passed away yesterday after suffering a heart attack. He was 35 years-old.
My introduction to MLS was a Dallas Burn – Tampa Bay Mutiny match at the Cotton Bowl during my college years in 1998.

MLS and college soccer have been intertwined since the league's inception in 1996. Thousands of players have navigated the path successfully from college to MLS, with many going on to enjoy lengthy careers and win numerous trophies as professional.
Travis Clark of MLSsoccer.com writes of the former MLS standouts who are now coaching in the collegiate game.

It's getting very interesting in the 2011 edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup as former Champions are making noise while the current two time defending champion Seattle Sounders are also looking to add on to their success in the second oldest cup competition in the world. Alot of action and domination in all four matches.

Clarence Goodson also sported red while at the University of Maryland

There are several players on the roster with ties to the Free State, beginning with Olney, Md., native Oguchi Onyewu. Freddy Adu hails from Potomac and spent the first part of his pro career with D.

Yesterday was certainly an eventful Memorial Day for many MLS fans as two teams decided to ditch their respective head coaches. Our friendly neighbors to the north, the Vancouver Whitecaps, bid adieu to their long time USL coach Teitur Thordarson and the Chicago Fire opted to seek out a different direction than where Carlos de los Cobos was taking the team.

Last season DC United were awful. Their -26 Goal Differential was the worst since 2005, when expansion teams Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA stunk up the place, and the worst for a non-expansion side since the 2003 Dallas Burn finished with a -29 differential. The problems were mostly on the offensive side.

We continue to expand our coverage of American soccer culture with our series "Better Know a Supporters Group," just like Steven Colbert's "Better Know a District" from "The Colbert Report".
Our goal: to feature each of the MLS teams' supporters groups. We've sent e-mails to each and every SG in Major League Soccer and soon you'll be able to check all what each is all about and what awesomeness they have to contribute to our growing American soccer world.

- Dan Egner

November 18, 2003 should have been one of the greatest, if not THE greatest day in American soccer history. Instead, i's remembered with disgust and resentment by a miniscule handful of soccer fanatics. If you find yourself pondering why this particular date is so significant, I commend you, as you've managed to erase one of the most tragic soccer stories from the bowels of your brain.

Anxious to open the Chicago Fire's 2011 MLS season? We are too!

The wait is almost over as kickoff approaches at 7:30pm CST. Broadcast by Comcast Sportsnet.

Don't have access to the game on TV? Visit MLS Match Day Live for your live stream!

Get up to speed with the new look Fire and FC Dallas by reading the following articles previewing tonight's matchup.

Just received this breaking news from FCD....

FC Dallas has acquired 18-year-old Colombian striker Fabian Castillo from Deportivo Cali, the club announced today. Terms of the deal will not be disclosed per league and team policy, and are subject to receipt of the player's visa, International Transfer Certificate and a medical exam.

Matt Jordon Retires; Takes New Role with Impact

From left to right: Nick De Santis, Matt Jordan and Impact owner Joey Saputo.

The Montreal Impact's Matt Jordan has announced his retirement. The 35-year-old goalkeeper may be finished on the field but he's not leaving the game.