By Andrew Villegas The problem with the MLS expansion draft candy dish is that you have to wade through a hundred stale Tootsie Rolls (some of which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, go figure) to get to that proverbial Snickers bar. This is the worst kept secret in American soccer. Teams stack the unprotected [.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

You might have noticed, but there are three other playoff series going on besides Philadelphia Union's face-off with Houston. Normally, we might not watch them, but each series has high entertainment value, for different reasons in each case.

Here's a quick preview of the three.

Thierry Henry: A Picture of FrustrationIt's getting harder and harder to envision the New York Red Bulls as a playoff team, much less a contender for the 2011 MLS Cup. A season that began with the ridiculously grand vision of a Supporters Shield now seems destined to end in bitter disappointment for fans.

Someday, when he finds himself in the right tactical situation with the right pieces arrayed around him, when he regains his confidence and stops pushing so hard to prove himself, I have few doubts that Dax McCarty will show himself to be a quality player.

But for those of us who have suffered through his tepid, possession-wasting performances for United this year, it was a comfort to see him lining up to take set pieces or leading the break in transition for the Red Bulls.

It was over 22,000 strong at Red Bull Arena and a good amount of visiting supporters for DC United as both sides were ready to contest the second leg of this derby and you can tell it had some added flavor with Dax McCarty & Dwayne DeRosario on opposite sides.

For DeRosario you can tell he was looking for some revenge against his former side for only a few months, and he got it in the second half with some good play with Josh Wolff in the 61st minute.

Dwayne De Rosario's 61st minute goal against the run of play was all D.C. United needed tonight in their 1-0 win against their bitter rivals New Red Bull at Red Bull Arena. United, which had blown leads late in their ...

Joel Lindpere is in form. With the 5-0 win over Toronto FC, the New York Red Bulls reaffirmed the belief that they have the potential to be an MLS Superclub. In recent weeks, MLS fans have seen New York drop points in draws that they should have won.
The Red Bulls have encountered many speed bumps this season, the most recent of which were the losses of personnel to the Gold Cup.

Lindpere Beats Jon Busch to Open the ScoringThe Red Bulls completed their season-long four game road trip in Palo Alto, California last night by - how else? - going up early and then handing back points to the opposition. The 2-2 draw might have felt like a well-earned road point if not for the fact that RBNY threw the Quakes a lifeline by conceding so easily after dominating the first half.

Good evening! As our boys prepare for their trip to San Jose - where 25,000 tickets have already been sold - let's take a quick look at the news.
While there's no proven link with his being up in a skybox on Tuesday night, word came out today that head coach Hans Backe is recovering from surgery today and will not be available for the match at Stanford Stadium this Saturday night.

De Rosario will play for D.C. United
Interesting is an understatement in the latest league trade. The New York Red Bulls traded league veteran and elite midfielder Dwayne De Rosario to D.C. United for the younger and less proven Dax McCarty. Both teams have been underperforming as of late.
D.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Union

Paunovic or Dax McCarty? Who would you take? New York dispatched with a high-priced, moody and inconsistent veteran offensive player (Dwayne "Tiny Dancer" de Rosario) and received Dax McCarty in return. The best part of this trade?

Photo by Sam Teigen

Earlier this month DC United let midfielder Fred leave for Australia as a free transfer, signaling to the league that they would be in the market for a creative, play-making midfielder. Today they got their man. In a shocking move, DC sent midfielder and former captain Dax McCarty to New York for five-time All Star Dwayne De Rosario.

McCarty: The Red Bulls' Latest AdditionThis has to rank as the most shocking trade of the MLS season thus far. Late this afternoon the Red Bulls moved Dwayne De Rosario - who they had just acquired on April Fools Day - to hated rivals DC United in exchange for midfielder Dax McCarty. On the face of it, this would appear to be a very one-sided deal in DC's favor.

Just a few hours after announcing the acquisition of Brandon McDonald from San Jose, D.C. United showed they were not done with remaking the squad by acquiring 4-time MLS Cup Champion midfielder Dwayne DeRosario from the New York Red Bulls ...

Dax McCarty is on the move yet again. (Getty Images)

Yes, this is indeed real. Dwayne De Rosario has been traded from the New York Red Bulls to D.C. United in exchange for Dax McCarty.

Let that one sink in for a moment. DeRo for Dax. Straight up.

De Rosario began the 2011 MLS season with Toronto FC, registering one goal and one assist in two matches before being dealt to the New York Red Bulls on April 1.

WHAT: D.C. United players Dax McCarty, Chris Pontius, Ethan White and Conor Shanosky will be on hand at the adidas store inside Tysons Corner to meet fans, sign autographs and take photos with...
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After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday. For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you'll just have to wait for Saturday night's glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.

The Sunday afternoon clash between the Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas (4 pm FSW and Galavision) should, on paper, be a wide-open affair. A young team filled with speedsters playing in a warm-weather city versus a more mixed team of savvy veterans and young developing talent with a proven set of attackers should provide for many gol-scoring chances and back and forth action.

That's an aspirational headline, not an outright prediction. But, having hedged my professional prognostication reputation with that disclaimer, let's just put it right out there: despite the rigors of cross-country travel and lurking parity, the Los Angeles Galaxy is the better team in each of the three match-ups that start tonight with the contest at RFK Stadium against DC United (then Toronto FC and Chicago Fire).

Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

WASHINGTON - Moments after D.C. United's dismal 2010 campaign came to an end with a 3-2 loss to Toronto FC in late October, then-interim coach Ben Olsen suggested that the club needed to inject some new blood into its locker room, a sentiment made all the more pertinent by the departure of captain Jaime Moreno, who played his final game in a D.

He may have come off the bench and he wasn't the player of the game, but the night belonged to Charlie Davies. Just one goal was enough to make it an unforgettable night at RFK, but that would have been too ordinary for Davies' story. There had to be something even more special than his penalty conversion, it had to be two.

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIPhotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

WASHINGTON - After 17 months of anticipation, Charlie Davies' return to top-flight action was, in one way, anticlimactic.

Having not played a first-team minute since suffering life-threatening injuries in a horrific October 2009 car accident near Washington, Davies pulled off his warm ups and prepared to enter D.

It's only one match out of 34 for the 2011 season for D.C. United but what a match it was as the Black-and-Red thumped the visiting Columbus Crew 3-1 on the strength of two goals from Charlie Davies and a ...

It is that time of year again...the beginning of the MLS season. United has had their share of turnover and one thing can be said with absolute sincerity, things will be different. After a nightmare-ish last season, roster fluctuation should have been expected, but the way the roster has been revamped is more than most could have hoped for.

By Neil W. Blackmon This is the second of seven pieces highlighting the most intriguing subplots of the upcoming MLS season. Our first two preview pieces are linked below: Number 7: Omar Bravo: Next Designated Player to Fail, or is Sporting KC the place for a revival? MLS Eastern Conference Preview: Five Most Intriguing Sides [.

Chris Pontius and Joseph Ngwenya scored on either side of halftime to lead D.C. United to a 2-1 win over the host Charleston Battery in their opening match of the 2011 Carolina Cup. United jumped out to an early lead ...

The rumor mill was in full tilt Tuesday with the news that national team member Charlie Davies was sent by his French club Sochaux to train with D.C. United in Florida, with a successful training leading to a year-long loan. Yesterday, the Black-and-Red confirmed Davies was in camp and was being given a fitness tryout to see if he is physically ready to receive playing time again.

I know I was uber quiet yesterday. I honestly had nothing worth writing about and the day was hectic for me anyways. Today may not be all that much different but I'll try my hardest to add more than just a cool video clip like the one below.

I'm sure by now you've seen this practice kick from D.

There was nothing amazingly special from the US-Chile game other than probably the goal call for Teal Bunbury's PK shot. Gotta love the Spanish announcers sometimes for their wacky nicknames for the US players.

I only have a few notes to discuss from the US-Chile game.

• Dax McCarty looked great.

-Jason Davis
Saturday's USMNT draw with Chile served a few purposes. Most of them involved Bob Bradley and his nonstop need to evaluate, cull, and refine the National Team talent pool, with an eye towards meaningful competition this year and the 2014 World Cup well down the road. We can only hope that Bradley and his staff gained useful insight with what happened at the Home Depot Center; at the very least several players stood out, causing every armchair analyst from here to Anchorage to draw conclusions as to who should remain in the picture and whose name should be marked out with permanent ink.

U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM OPENS 2011 WITH 1-1 DRAW AGAINST CHILE
BEHIND FIRST CAREER GOAL FROM TEAL BUNBURY
Seven Players Make U.S. Men's National Team Debut, Including Four in the Starting Lineup
Bunbury Nets First Goal in Second Cap With U.S. MNT
Next Up for the U.

1. The January Camp friendlies rarely provide the most exciting matches normally our MLS-ers against a decent country's domestic-leaguers but they do provide a glimpse at our youth (most players on our roster are under 25). For a lucky few, it can even propel them into the first-team conversation.

Tomorrow night (or evening for those on the West Coast) the United States January camp team will take the pitch against Chile in a friendly where both sides are lacking all of their biggest stars. Chile is a good South American squad, normally second-tier behind countries like Brazil and Argentina, but with their former coach leading the team and not bringing many starters, this is a tough match to judge how far the U.

A day in the life of FC Dallas' Brek Shea & his former club teammate Dax McCarty is about so much more than standout hair color and driving around town bumping Lil Wayne & Massive Attack. It's also about applying liberal amounts of sunblock to Dax's freckled self, playing XBOX with your roommate, eating PB& J sandwiches, making anyone in the car other than yourself pay for the petrol and occasionally playing soccer.