Toronto and Kansas City have faired pretty well so far this winter. (Getty Images)

Many clubs are a few weeks into their pre-seasons and now that the international transfer window has shut, it is a good time to look at how each MLS side has done so far this winter. (Note: the MLS window doesn't close until April, which means players who failed to land new jobs in Europe can still head to MLS.

Yesterday's Fire news was firmly in the "not good" category. In case you haven't heard, Josip Mikulic is not with the team as he attends to personal issues. He may never return to the club. Combine this with Yamith Cuesta suddenly being gone (loan ended; Fire opted not to buy) the back line is suddenly very, very thin.

Why have the Philadelphia Union added a scrimmage against Florida Gulf Coast University, of all places, to their preseason warm-up tour? With approximately 12,000 students including post-grads and a "noteable alumni" list that consists of a professional monster trucker and Don Carman (retired Philadelphia Phillies pitcher from the 80's), what put the FGCU Eagles on the radar?

Veteran MLS goalkeeper Jon Conway has decided to hang up his cleats and gloves.

Conway, 34, was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy in this past December's re-entry draft to compete for a backup spot behind Josh Saunders, but he instead elected retire after a 12-year career.

While the transfer window in Europe opens up in less than 48 hours, Major League Soccer teams have been busy since the season ended, rebuilding and retooling for next season. Here is a team-by-team look at what each side has done so far this offseason. Who has had the best offseason?

Chicago Fire

IN: G Jay Nolly (12/5: trade from Vancouver); F Kheli Dube (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/New England)

OUT: F Christian Nazarit (12/7: option declined); F Gabriel Ferrari (12/7: option declined); G Alec Dufty (12/12: option declined); M Baggio Husidic(12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Colorado); G Jon Conway (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/LA Galaxy)

Chivas USA

IN: M Ryan Smith (11/21: trade from Sporting KC); D James Riley (11/23: from Seattle, via trade from Montreal); M Arturo Alvarez (12/5: Re-Entry Stage 1/RSL); M Oswaldo Minda(12/21: SD Quito)

OUT: F Justin Braun (11/23: trade to Montreal); M Gerson Mayen (11/23: trade to Montreal); D Zarek Valentin (11/23: expansion draft); MPaulo Nagamura (11/29: trade to Sporting KC); D Andrew Boyens (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/LA Galaxy); F Chukwudi Chujindu (12/12: option declined); M Simon Elliott (12/12: out of contract); G Zach Thornton (12/12: option declined); D Mariano Trujillo (12/12: option declined)

Colorado Rapids

IN: M Baggio Husidic (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Chicago); D Hunter Freeman (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Houston)

OUT: M Sanna Nyassi (11/23: expansion draft); D Mike Holody (12/12: option declined); MBaggio Husidic (12/23: free/Hammarby)

Columbus Crew

IN: D Carlos Mendes (12/5: Re-Entry Stage 1/New York); G Matt Lampson (12/15: Home Grown)

OUT: D Josh Gardner (11/23: expansion draft); M Santiago Prim (11/23: waived); D Dejan Rusmir (11/23: waived); F Andrés Mendoza(12/6: option declined); M Kevin Burns (12/12: option declined); F Jeff Cunningham (12/12: option declined)

DC United

IN: D Robbie Russell (11/29: trade from RSL)

OUT: M Santino Quaranta (12/7: retired); DMarc Burch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Seattle); MClyde Simms (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/New England); M Brandon Barklage (12/12: option declined); G Steve Cronin (12/12: option declined); F Joseph Ngwenya (12/12: option declined); D Jed Zayner (12/12: option declined); D Devon McTavish (12/22: retired)

FC Dallas

IN:

OUT: D Edson Edward (11/23: waived); DJeremy Hall (11/29: trade to Toronto); F Maykel Galindo (12/12: option declined); F Maicon Santos (12/12: option declined); M Marvin Chávez (12/16: trade to San Jose)

Houston Dynamo

IN: M Nathan Sturgis (12/29: trade from Toronto)

OUT: F Brian Ching (11/23: expansion draft); MFrancisco Navas Cobo (11/23: waived); G Evan Newton (11/23: waived); F Carlo Costly (11/24: option declined); D Hunter Freeman (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Colorado); F Jason Garey (12/12: option declined); D Eddie Robinson (12/12: option declined)

LA Galaxy

IN: D Andrew Boyens (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Chivas USA); D Chris Leitch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/San Jose); F Pat Noonan (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Seattle); G Jon Conway (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Chicago); M Marcelo Sarvas(12/13: free/Alajuelense); M Jose Villarreal(12/22: Home Grown)

OUT: D Gregg Berhalter (12/9: retired);G Donovan Ricketts (11/28: trade to Montreal Impact)

Montreal Impact

IN: D Nelson Rivas (10/3: free/Inter Milan, Italy); G Evan Bush (10/21: NASL Impact); D Sinisa Ubiparipovic (11/1: NASL Impact); M Hassoun Camara (11/3: NASL Impact); D Jeb Brovsky (11/23: expansion draft); D Bobby Burling (11/23: expansion draft); F Brian Ching (11/23: expansion draft); D Josh Gardner (11/23: expansion draft); M Justin Mapp (11/23: expansion draft); M Sanna Nyassi (11/23: expansion draft); D James Riley(11/23: expansion draft); D Seth Sinovic (11/23: expansion draft); M Collen Warner (11/23: expansion draft); D Zarek Valentin (11/23: expansion draft); F Justin Braun (11/23: trade from Chivas USA); M Gerson Mayen (11/23: trade from Chivas USA); D Tyson Wahl (11/23: trade from Seattle Sounders); M Bryan Arguez(11/25: free/Ft.

Photo by Kelley L. Cox/ISIphotos.com

With the MLS Eastern Conference as wide open as it was down the stretch last season, a roster tweak in the right direction could be all it takes to separate certain clubs from the pack.

In the opening month of the offseason, no teams did more to augment their rosters than the Philadelphia Union and Sporting Kansas City, two clubs that felt they had what it took to win the conference crown last season before ultimately losing out to the Houston Dynamo.

The Chicago Fire selected former New England Revolution striker Kheli Dube with the 8th Pick in the Second Round of the MLS Re-Entry Draft. Dube would leave the New England Revolution, the only MLS club he has ever known, if the two sides can reach a deal in the next 7 days. In four seasons the Zimbabwean compiled 14 goals and 8 assists in 72 appearances.

Marc Burch (left) was the first player selected in stage two of the Re-Entry Draft. (Getty Images)

The second stage of the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft came and went with a flurry of picks from the defending MLS Cup champions, LA Galaxy.

LA needed depth for the possibly 50ish games that they will play next year with the Champions League knock-out stage in the spring, followed by the 2012/13 group stage in the fall.

And they were the busiest MLS team in the draft period. Two are their own re-signed players: recently acquired defender Dasan Robinson and seldom used veteran Frankie Hejduk. The Galaxy also picked up: Chivas USA defender Andrew Boyens, veteran defender Chris Leitch, veteran Pat Noonan and veteran goalkeeper Jon Conway.

So Stage 2 of the Re-Entry Draft has just concluded. It was a bit more lively than Stage 1 but still not hugely impactful. Most teams passed outright with the Los Angeles Galaxy taking a starring role by adding four players and picking up two of their own players again.

Unsurprisingly the Portland Timbers passed on Stage 2 and also passed on selecting their own players once again.

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

Although the majority of teams passed on the opportunity to add players in the second stage of the MLS Re-Entry Draft, a few used Monday's exercise to stockpile depth ahead of the 2012 preseason.

Three teams took multiple players, spearheaded by the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy, who made four selections: defenders Andrew Boyens and Chris Leitch, veteran forward Pat Noonan and veteran goalkeeper Jon Conway.

There was a time when I liked a couple players in the MLS Re-Entry Draft for the Seattle Sounders to pick up in Stage Two and talk into less money. First Bobby Boswell renegotiated with the Houston Dynamo and then Bobby Convey went to Sporting Kansas City at a cut rate (rumors say 200K$). Now the list of available players is absent of the really appealing names.

Chicago Fire decline options on Jon Conway, Baggio Husidic, and Alec Dufty

Nothing on the web yet but this is official from the front office:

"The following Chicago Fire players will be available for selection in the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Monday, Dec. 5 and Monday, Dec. 12.

· Jon Conway – GK

· Alec Dufty – GK

· Baggio Husidic – MID

The Fire declined to exercise the option on the three above players.

Ok, I am in a strange place mentally today.
Imagine that Toronto FC had instantly become the Barcelona of MLS and everything they had ever done had turned into football gold. Expansion draft day arrives for Montreal and their leadership says we must pick up all the ex-TFC players that we can, since their castoffs might still have some of the Toronto magic to them.

Dan Gargan -- Getty ImagesBy Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com
The Chicago Fire and other Major League Soccer teams submitted their 11-player protected lists Monday in preparation for Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft for the Montreal Impact.
Among some of the Fire's noteworthy players left unprotected are forward Diego Chaves, midfielder Daniel Paladini, and defenders Dan Gargan, Josip Mikulic and Yamith Cuesta.

Today is the big press releases full of protected players day. Personally it feels like a healing balm to help with the festering burn wound that was yesterday's Cup final.

Here is your creamy filled list of protected goodness:

Sean Johnson - GK
Cory Gibbs - DEF
Jalil Anibaba - DEF
Gonzalo Segares - DEF
Pavel Pardo - MID
Logan Pause - MID
Marco Pappa - MID
Sebastian Grazzini - MID
Orr Barouch - FWD
Patrick Nyarko - FWD
Dominic Oduro - FWD

Join me for some frothy instant analysis after the break.

I was at RFK Stadium last night. I was at RFK Stadium last year when the Fire won on the backs of two goals after the 80th minute. I certainly did not expect to see a repeat two-late-goal performance after Dwayne De Rosario converted his 89th minute penalty kick. A fairly blah game turned into a story for the ages when Sebastian Grazzini scored a scorcher of a goal and Diego Chaves finished D.

Seattle had an answer for the few riddles Chicago threw at it. The Fire could have given up 3 or 4 goals as the Sounders hit the post twice on offense. That isn't to say Sean Johnson had a poor night. In fact, he made six saves overall including some lightning fast reflex moves we have come to expect but are still extraordinary.

Chicago Fire Reserves (6-2-1) vs. Houston Dynamo Reserves (5-4-0) October 01, 2011 -- Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX MLS Reserve League -- Central/Mountain Division

Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Will Bruin 1 (Calen Carr 1) 12
HOU -- Will Bruin 2 (Jason Garey 2) 25
HOU -- Calen Carr 1 (unassisted) 42

Chicago Fire – Alec Dufty, Pari Pantazopoulos, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Yamith Cuesta, Francisco Mendoza, A.

Chicago Fire (7-8-16) vs. Houston Dynamo (10-9-13) October 1, 2011 -- Robertson Stadium Attendance: 17,544

Scoring Summary:

HOU -- Colin Clark 4 (unassisted) 33
CHI -- Dominic Oduro 12 (Baggio Husidic 2) 43

Chicago Fire -- Sean Johnson, Michael Videira, Jalil Anibaba, Cory Gibbs, Gonzalo Segares, Logan Pause, Daniel Paladini, Baggio Husidic (Pavel Pardo 67), Corben Bone (Marco Pappa 73), Dominic Oduro (Patrick Nyarko 51), Diego Chaves.

Chicago tied 1-1 with Houston in a fairly ho-hum game of soccer this afternoon. Colin Clark opened the scoring for Houston on some corner kick madness in the 33rd minute. Ten minutes later, Dominic Oduro burned Bobby Boswell on defense and got the ball past goaltender Tally Hall on a shot that required a lot of skill.

Marco Pappa scored a hat trick starting with a goal in the 9th minute of play. Less than a minute after his first goal, Daniel Paladini provoked Kyle Beckerman into a vicious headbutt that lead to Beckerman receiving a red card. The quick Fire score and Beckerman red card gave the game the same momentum as a red card/penalty kick scenario.

Chicago Fire: Sean Johnson; Dan Gargan, Josip Mikulic, Jalil Anibaba, Gonzalo Segares; Marco Pappa, Pavel Pardo, Logan Pause ©; Sebastian Grazzini (Baggio Husidic 25'); Patrick Nyarko (Diego Chaves 66'), Dominic Oduro (Orr Barouch 77')

Substitutes not used: Jon Conway, Yamith Cuesta, Corben Bone, Daniel Paladini
New England Revolution: Matt Reis; Kevin Alston, Franco Coria, Darrius Barnes, Chris Tierney; Ryan Guy, Benny Feilhaber, Shalrie Joseph ©, Kenny Mansally (Kheli Dube 57'); Milton Caraglio, Zach Schilawski (Diego Fagundez 71')
Substitutes not used: Bobby Shuttleworth, Otto Loewy, Zak Boggs, Pat Phelan, Ryan Kinne
Scoring Summary
CHI - Sebastian Grazzini (penalty kick) 5'
CHI - Dominic Oduro (Sebastian Grazzini) 9'
CHI - Patrick Nyarko (unassisted) 30'
NE - Ryan Guy (unassisted) 90'
NE - Ryan Guy (Milton Caraglio, Diego Fagundez) 92'+
Misconduct Summary

NE - Franco Coria (Caution; Reckless Foul) 27'
NE - Darrius Barnes (Caution; Dissent) 46'+
CHI - Dan Gargan (Caution; Delaying a Restart) 76'

CHI - Baggio Husidic (Caution; Tactical Foul) 86'

Referee: Michael Kennedy

Referee's Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry, Paul Scott

4th Referee: Jasen Anno

Attendance: 14,567

Highlights and quotes after the break

Highlights

Quotes

Frank Klopas, Chicago Fire interim head coach
On the result:
"In the second half, being up 3-0 and tough stretch ahead of us, I had the opportunity to give some guys a break and get everyone involved in the game.



Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

Good luck trying to figure out the New York Red Bulls' problems.

With a full-strength starting 11 that featured two players who are each paid well more than Real Salt Lake's entire roster combined, the Red Bulls were outclassed by their visitors from Utah on Wednesday night, conceding three goals in the first 21 minutes before falling 3-1.

By DAVID GUBALA

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill -- A stunning, left-footed free kick strike in the 62nd minute from Jorge Mora was enough to pull Chivas Guadalajara past the Chicago Fire 1-0 in an international friendly on Wednesday night at Toyota Park.

A blistering second half start was well rewarded for Chivas Guadalajara.

The Major League Soccer Players Union has released their end of summer update on players' salaries. If you have wondered how much Sebastian Grazzini and Pavel Pardo are making, we have the answer and a full update to the Chicago Fire salary picture below. At least, we kind of/probably do. Let me explain after the break.

Come on, you know you're intrigued.

The Chicago Fire tasted their first defeat in Reserves League play yesterday. Colorado pulled out a 2-0 victory in a reversal of Saturday night's senior squad game final score. Guillermo Rivera has a recap on the game play over at Chicago Fire Confidential along with an interesting bit on Eric Wynalda being in attendance and sitting next to Frank Klopas during the match.

BY ANTHONY ZILIS

The Chicago Fire weren't favored against Manchester United, especially after the English Premier League side drubbed the Seattle Sounders 7-0 just three days ago.
Still, some of the Fire players felt like they let one slip away after they lost 3-1 to Manchester United at Soldier field.

By Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire's worst match on record this season is their 4-2 loss during the Portland Timbers' home opener on April 14.
It marked goalkeeper Sean Johnson's worst performance and a demotion behind Jon Conway. The Fire trailed by a season-high three goals at one stage.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Seattle Sounders are putting together a string of solid results in more than just the MLS regular season.

The Sounders' reserve team remained undefeated after a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy reserves on Tuesday.

Lamar Neagle was largely responsible for improving Seattle to 7-0-0, as he assisted on Nate Jaqua's opener before scoring off a penalty kick at the 30-minute mark.

It was a dry day in Chicago for once but it was raining goals at Toyota Park in yesterday's Reserves League game. The previously undefeated FC Dallas Reserves fell 5-0. Orr Barouch got a pair of goals while Cristian Nazarit pulled down a hat trick. The Chicago Fire Reserves took first place in the Central/Mountain Division with the convincing victory.

The battle for a coach's trust is one of the most fascinating elements to observe over the course of any sports season. How deep does a coach's rotation go in basketball? Which back gets the hand-off in which yardage and down situations in the NFL? Who is the first batter to come off the bench in pinch-hitting situations against lefties in baseball?

Frank Klopas is rolling the dice a little bit by having a starting XI of the following:

Sean Johnson; Bratislav Ristic, Josip Mikulic, Dasan Robinson, Pari Pantazopoulos; Gabriel Ferrari, Michael Videira, Daniel Paladini, Corben Bone; Diego Chaves, Cristian Nazarit

I am sympathetic to injuries and rest but this is a lot of new parts that aren't used to each other.

The once and future kings of Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake, enter today's game with a mortal 1-2-2 record over their last five games. The Chicago Fire's record of 1-0-4 over their last five is 2 points better for what it's worth. Marco Pappa is available for selection in tonight's game for the first time since May 28th when he started against the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew kick-off in less than half an hour. The action starts on MY50 Chicago at 3:00 PM CST. Over 400 Fire fans made the trip to the game and it will be interesting to see how far their voices carry.

The starting lineup for the Chicago Fire is a 4-4-2. Sean Johnson; Jalil Anibaba, Yamith Cuesta, Cory Gibbs, Gonzalo Segares; Dominic Oduro, Logan Pause, Baggio Husidic, Patrick Nyarko; Gaston Puerari, Diego Chaves.

The Seattle Sounders had their opportunities and there was no results. The same goes for the Chicago Fire. There were some solid attempts and goal, and some solid saves. The "highlights" aren't amazing from either the offense or the defense, though Tyson Wahl did have a solid play that deserves recognition.

Stop me if you have heard this one before. The Chicago Fire came away from Toyota Park with a tie last night. Sound familiar? The final score was Chicago Fire 0 - Seattle Sounders 0. Sean Johnson came up with some big saves early in the game but he didn't record any other saves after the first 20 minutes of the game.

Weather: 61 degrees, 13 mph winds with light rain. Otherwise known as sucky.

Surface: Natural Grass

Location: At a monument to the dominant Japanese automaker in Bridgeview, IL

Referee: Abiodun Okulaja

Line Judges: Brian Poeschel; Peter Balciunas

4th Official: Allen Chapman

Attendance: 11,926

Lineups:

Chicago Fire

Coach: Carlos de los Cobos

GK: Sean Johnson

D: Gonzalo Segares

D: Cory Gibbs

D: Yamith Cuesta

D: Bratislav Ristic

LM: Marco Pappa

RM: Dominic Oduro

CM: Logan Pause (C)

CM: Daniel Paladini

F: Diego Chaves

F: Cristian Nazarit

Bench:

F: Orr Barouch

M/F: Gaston Puerari

M: Baggio Husidic

M: Corben Bone

D: Pari Pantazopoulos

D: Dasan Robinson

GK: Jon Conway

San Jose Earthquakes

Coach: Frank Yallop

GK: Jon Busch

D: Steven Beitashour

D: Ike Opara

D: Jason Hernandez

D: Bobby Convey

M: Joey Gjertsen

M: Brad Ring

M: Khari Stephenson

M: Ramiro Corrales (C)

F: Steven Lenhart

F: Chris Wondolowski

Bench:

M: Anthony Ampaipitakwong

M: Sam Cronin

M: Brandon McDonald

D: Bobby Burling,

F: Ellis McLoughlin

D/M: Justin Morrow

GK Andrew Weber

1. Lenhart gets lose down the left side but Cuesta is there to take the ball away and kick it long towards Nazarit.

The Chicago Fire return to Toyota Park to take on the San Jose Earthquakes after being on the road for two weeks playing games against Toronto FC, the Philadelphia Union, and the San Jose Earthquakes in the past two weeks. Some will list that the team went 1-1-1 on the road trip but technically Tuesday's game where the Fire outscored San Jose 5-4 on penalty kicks is recorded as a tie.