Well, here we go.
Brian Ching has been selected in the expansion draft by the Montreal Impact. In order for Ching
to finish his career in Houston, something he's stated he wants to do, the club will have to work a
deal with the Impact to reacquire him. Will they do it, who knows.
There's the sentimental part of me that says give Montreal allocation money or a DP slot, hell
even a player, to get Ching back for one more season.
A Veteran's Day Thank You, especially our friends serving in the armed services
and ECS' Armed Services Group. It's a quiet weekend in MLS as everyone is on break for
international games. The Los Angeles Galaxy will take on the Houston Dynamo next Sunday at the Home
Depot Center. Tickets are up over 640% over regular prices as Galaxy fans have a rare opportunity
to see their side clinch the Cup at home.
Recently, I wrote an article looking at the DP strategies for five MLS teams from the Western
Conference. In this article I follow up with five teams from the Eastern Conference to give us an
idea of how they are approaching DPs. If you're interested in exploring the DP rule further, there
are also articles on DP salaries and production from the first half of the season and the track
record of DPs from previous seasons.
After a successful Champions League match in mid-week the Rapids are once again back in MLS play
which the Under-a-Chivas coming to town. Along with the game Class VI and the Pid Army are holding
their second annual home brew contest! Tailgate starts at 4pm and all are welcome to sample the
entries and vote for your favorite.
Robbie Keane is set to become a member of the Galaxy. (Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Galaxy have reportedly agreed to purchase Robbie Keane's contract from Tottenham
for a reported £3 million, but the signing is not yet official. The summer transfer window closed
on Sunday at 11:59 p.m., but Galaxy president Tom Payne said on Twitter that an announcement may
come on Monday.
Today, Josh Mayers at the Seattle Times tweeted that the Sounders would not take advantage of
the summer international transfer window. We all know that it's not for lack of trying. Adrian
Hanauer has stated publicly that he was "working frantically" trying to bring in a top-talent
target forward but that he wouldn't bring in a player that was too expensive or a poor fit for the
team.
Today, Josh Mayers at the Seattle Times tweeted that the Sounders would not take advantage of
the summer international transfer window. We all know that it's not for lack of trying. Adrian
Hanauer has stated publicly that he was "working frantically" trying to bring in a top-talent
target forward but that he wouldn't bring in a player that was too expensive or a poor fit for the
team.
Today, Josh Mayers at the Seattle Times tweeted that the Sounders would not take advantage of
the summer international transfer window. We all know that it's not for lack of trying. Adrian
Hanauer has stated publicly that he was "working frantically" trying to bring in a top-talent
target forward but that he wouldn't bring in a player that was too expensive or a poor fit for the
team.
As seems to come up every week or so, the Marcus Hahnemann to Seattle Sounders talk will not go
away, despite the difficulty in making an acquisition and the contract work. With New York Red
Bulls having an open designated player spot, cap room and a glaring need for a starting goalkeeper
rampant speculation was that they were going to deep their fingers into the pot of gold that is Red
Bull Energy Drink and sign the US National Team player.
Seattle Sounders fans are going to get hammered with trialists and rumors over the next month.
The lead up to this Summer's window is going to be fast, furious and ideally fortunate. Adrian
Hanauer has some cap room to play with, a DP slot available, and MLS has slightly higher respect
than it did four years ago.
Jonah Freedman lays out four solid points as to how to get MLS players and teams more prepared
to compete in the CONCACAF Champions League on a regular basis. While it is true that the USA
through MLS is a solid #2 in the region, some of this comes from being good but not great.The top
teams of Honduras and Costa Rica have historically better than those in MLS (except this year).
Whether Seattle was one of the teams that Toronto was talking to or not, we do know now what the
price for Dwayne De Rosario was. The amazing talent, probably the only one who could challenge
Landon Donovan for best in MLS over a significant period of time, was dealt for Toni Tchani,
Danleigh Borman and next year's first round pick.
Can TH14 be the player Red Bull paid for?
That's the label that's pretty much been put on this Red Bulls team by fans and "experts" alike
(please note the quotes). With all the expectations that come with having two world-class DPs
along with the addition of quality European talent, New York has no other option but to go all the
way.
I hope everyone is having as an exciting sports week as I am. Both the MLS season and the
Seattle Sounders kicked off on Tuesday in a wet, rainy battle between two favorites in the West.
The Sounders would go on to lose 1-0 to the Galaxy in an evenly matched affair. The results of the
match were somewhat overshadowed by the surprising news that Blaise Nkufo and the Sounders would be
parting ways.
