Yesterday, MLS released the rules for next week's expansion draft to help Philadelphia select their
first 10 players. We must turn in our list of protected players Monday at 2 p.m. CT. Who do you
think will make the list? Who would you protect?
Last season we lost Tyson Wahl to Seattle. The list of all players we have lost in expansion drafts
is shown below.
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A lot like last year. Teams can protect 11 players, must protect up to 3 international players if
they have them (although if a team has 3 or less they can leave at least one unprotected);
designated players, generation adidas and home grown players do not have to be protected (unless a
DP has a no-trade clause); teams can not lose more than one player, and the draft will go ten
rounds.
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Match Fit USA 17 November @ 02:46 PM EST
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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Let's talk about Don Garber's remarks from yesterday. First, expansion:
"We've had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team," Garber said.
"We have not put a timetable as to when that team would join the league if we're able to reach
agreement with them. We do not have any active discussions going on of note for the 20th team and
certainly don't have any timetable for the 20th team.
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No, there isn't thing officially saying that MLS is coming to Detroit, and I'm not insinuating
that it is.
Today the Pontiac Silverdome was sold for peanuts, really. $583,000 for an 80,000-seat stadium.Â
The Silverdome certainly has aged, and it hasn't aged well, but it could always be upgraded and
when it's all said and done this firm, which at the moment is still anonymous, got it for a
steal.
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I guess some would look at this as a continuation of the war of press releases between the
United Soccer Leagues and the Team Owners Association, but nonetheless it's still news.
According to the press release the USL First Division will move forward next year without the
member clubs of the TOA, though Tampa seems to be on-board with the USL despite flirting with TOA
over the last few months.
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That line is from Sigi Schmid, but I think it relates to so many of us after this first season. I
know it personally feels that way. Last night, with all of the pomp, with the win, it was one of my
favorite days of my young life that didn't involve family (yes, [...]
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Portland's MLS expansion wobbles along, with stadium financing taking shape (we hope), a marketing
campaign already taking shape, and the typical community-resistance and tired questions over
Major...
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A glut of stadium-related news has hit the American soccer scene in recent weeks; from Baltimore
potentially getting into the DC United business to the glory of grass, professional soccer
facilities...
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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.
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Courtesy of OregonLive through WVHooligan comes an update on the Portland MLS efforts: Timbers
owner Merritt Paulson is talking tough about a potential stadium deal with the city of Beaverton
for his...
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Busy day today so things might be scarce for the rest of the afternoon. Sorry, but all this work is
getting in the way of my play.
This video doesn't really have anything to do with anything other than I thought it was kinda nice
looking and it was never actually used by the Timbers so it's something like a lost track.
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The city of Fort Mill, South Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte, is considering whether or not to
extend their lease with a minor league baseball team. Jerry Reese, Charlotte real estate lawyer,...
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Right now the Rave Green Nation is in various level of disappointment. The early success and recent
form have combined to create a frustrated fanbase with some even thinking that Sounders won't earn
a single point in the remaining three matches. Visions of Shields and Cups danced in our heads at
one point, [.
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The Offside 29 September @ 04:59 PM EST
Not everyone is happy with the A-League right now. Attendances are down on last season, with
average crowds of around 6,200. Football Federation boss Ben Buckley has tried to put a positive
spin on those numbers, by (somewhat bizarrely) claiming it was all part of the plan: "If you look
at the crowd numbers overall they [.
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Match Fit USA 29 September @ 08:11 AM EST
A novel "mortgage" system, one in which fans can buy their own piece of stadium real estate (their
seats) over the course of a protracted term, just as they would a condominium, could change the
way...
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Match Fit USA 21 September @ 03:26 PM EST
By now you've probably heard the news that Major League Soccer and the Philadelphia Union are
looking into alternative venues for the expansion side to play their inaugural home opener; with
the...
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MLS will take a break during the opening round of next summer's FIFA World Cup.
Next season, MLS will take a break during the opening round of the FIFA World Cup for the first
time in League history. Take a look at the press release below from MLS regarding the details of
next year's schedule:
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced today that for the first time in its history,
MLS will not play League games during the group phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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MLS Rumors 07 September @ 04:50 PM EST
UM02 May want to get ready to welcome Becks...
Could David Beckham teaming up with the ever vocal, Joey Saputo? Strange as that may sound
according to at least one insider the two have spoken of the possibility.
Courtesy of Jack Bell's Goal Blog at the New York Times:
And according to a person with knowledge of Beckham's planning who spoke on condition of anonymity
because of concerns about jeopardizing any potential deal, Beckham and his management team at 19
Entertainment (led by Simon Fuller) and Creative Artists Agency (led by Jeff Frasco) are interested
in partnering with Joey Saputo, the owner of the Montreal Impact (the club now plays in United
Soccer Leagues' First Division, one tier down from M.
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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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MLS Rumors 27 August @ 10:39 AM EST
According to today's Globe and Mail, The future of Vancouver's Major League Soccer franchise could
be in jeopardy if the financially strapped provincial government bails on a retractable roof
project for B.C. Place Stadium.
The provincially owned and operated stadium is the future domicile of the Vancouver Whitecaps
FC, and is slated to undergo a $365-million renovation in phases before and after the 2010
Olympics.
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MLS Rumors 26 August @ 11:33 AM EST
From rumor to fact in less than 48 Hours.
If you are an avid reader of MLSR (and we know you are), then you were once again ahead of the game
as we were the first on Monday to report that Vancouver's retractable roof could be in trouble.
And despite Whitecaps Chairman, Bob Lenarduzzi, cleverly dodging the question while seeming to
dismiss it, on the always excellent It's Called Football this week, three reputable news services,
two print, and one TV, have confirmed our rumor.
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MLS Rumors 24 August @ 06:49 AM EST
All those fans eager to see quality professional soccer in Ottawa should not despair just yet,
according to Richard Starnes from the Ottawa Citizen.
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has informed Starnes at the Toronto FC-Real Madrid
friendly he most certainly had not given up on Ottawa as an expansion prospect.
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MLS Rumors 24 August @ 02:15 AM EST
The Whitecaps may need to abandon their dream of a retractable roof.
Received by anonymous email.
I have a close contact in the construction business that is involved in bidding for the
Retractable Roof work for BC Place for the Whitecaps entry in 2011, and I have been told funding
for the Retractable Roof for BC Place is right now on very shaky ground due to the worsening
economy in this part of Canada.
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MLS Rumors 22 August @ 10:17 AM EST
Will it be 2011 or 2012 for Montreal's MLS debut? This comes directly from the well respected
Canadian soccer blogger Duane Rollins from the The 24th Minute.
Interesting to note that the 2 following internet domain names were registered on August 11th by
LES FROMAGES SAPUTO S.E.N.C./SAPUTO CHEESE G.
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MLS Rumors 21 August @ 08:32 PM EST
Brian Lewis over on the New York Post's Blog gave us a nugget of information regarding FC
Barcelona's interest in perhaps purchasing a 2nd team in New York:
I don't claim to have Deep Throat in my Five, or get flown to Salzburg to go over the books of
the Austrian overlords.
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From La Jornada comes an intriguing bit of news on the long-dormant MLS expansion prospects of San
Antonio; the former president of Mexican club Necaxa, Antonio de Alba*, tells the paper that he
is...
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MLS Rumors 17 August @ 05:16 PM EST
Last week we learned details of another soccer specific stadium plan headed by a group not
associated with Jeff Cooper, a St Louis attorney who has MLS dreams.
Today we hear from Cooper regarding that groups proposal.
Courtesy of St Louis Today:
The developer of a $572 million Major League Soccer stadium and mixed-use center in
Collinsville said a similar idea brought before Richmond Heights, Mo.
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While reading an excellent piece on Seattle commercial approach and the coming grassroots-created
energy of the Portland Timbers over at Pitch Invasion, I had a thought, one involving an MLS...
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MLS Rumors 08 August @ 11:20 AM EST
Courtesy of Sportsnet Canada:
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber was on hand Friday night to watch Toronto FC and Real
Madrid in Toronto, where he confirmed Montreal would not receive an expansion team in 2011.
Reports surfaced this week that Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo was in discussion with Garber
over joining the league as soon as 2011, but Garber was quick to dispel that idea at half-time on
Friday night.
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Montreal's eventually entry into MLS may be a forgone conclusion, but it won't be happening in
2011. Don Garber, in Toronto tonight for TFC's friendly with Real Madrid, confirmed that fact to
the...
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The recent rash of MLS expansion has seemingly left St. Louis in its dust. Despite being an early
favorite before Vancouver and Portland jumped to the head of the pack, Jeff Cooper's bid was
deemed...
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