SoccerBlogs

• Here's a snapshot of what's happening around the MLS since the end of the MLS Cup. Just two days removed from the final, it's apparent the offseason has begun (thanks Portland for reminding us).

Declined option on Juan Pablo Angel.

By IVES GALARCEP

FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, Colorado Rapids defender Marvell Wynne and Chivas USA forward Juan Pablo Angel were among the players left available for the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft.

Teams have until 5pm on Thursday to re-sign these players. The Stage One Draft for the players left in the Re-Entry process will take place on Friday.

Jerry Bengtson's signing could prove a double victory for the Revs. (Photo: New England Revolution)

"Why not us?"

It's a sentiment that's often been heard from MLS fans in the age of the Designated Player. Since the DP rule was implemented in 2007, it's created a bit of a haves and have nots scenario in MLS – not necessarily in the trophy case, but in the big name impressive European-pedigree player department.

The Re-Entry Draft list has been updated for Stage 1, which will take place Friday, December 7, at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Here's your updated list - 11 players are off the original list we posted yesterday.

The following players have been removed: Gonzalo Segares (re-signed by Chicago), Rodney Wallace (re-signed by Portland), Josh Gardner (traded from Montreal to SKC), Tony Tchani (Columbus), Justin Mapp (Montreal), Kyle Nakazawa (Los Angeles), Brian Perk (Los Angeles), Marvell Wynne (Colorado), Steve Purdy (Portland), O'Brian White (Seattle), and Stephen King (D.

With Calen Carr's injury being confirmed as a torn ACL, the Houston Dynamo will likely look in several places for a viable replacement.

The first option will come this Friday at noon as the MLS will hold the 2012 Re-Entry Draft. Players listed as available below could still opt out of the draft if they can come to terms on an agreement with their current club.

Is this facing Chivas USA thing getting a bit tiresome? Throw in an Open Cup match and suddenly the two sides are about to meet their fourth time. The Goats have transitioned quite a bit from that Open Cup meeting (Three Questions, Recap). They've added significant names to the roster but still got blown out by Seattle just a couple weeks ago (Three Questions, Recap).

Saer Sene (left) scored twice on Wednesday. (Photo: Kari Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection).

The New England Revolution are back home on Wednesday night, welcoming an old friend as Shalrie Joseph returns to Gillette Stadium with Chivas USA. The Revs are still mired in an eight-game winless run that has now featured five straight losses. The Goats, on the other hand, are in the thick of a playoff race, but haven't won in their last three, and in fact have conceded eleven goals in that span.

Last week the Sounders helped keep some playoff hopes alive by beating the Vancouver Whitecaps, and in the coming weeks they have a chance to end those hopes with three consecutive games against the two playoff hopefuls left in the West. Today's is the first of two against Chivas USA, a pretty implausible playoff contender.

Over the past month 11 MLS players switched teams through trades (we'll ignore the waived players for now because almost zero of those would make a difference this year). The players dealt fill nearly every role on a squad, and a few would be probable starters is the Seattle Sounders had acquired them.

Five years was long enough for Chivas USA.

After years and years of domination by the Los Angeles Galaxy against its co-tenants of the Home Depot Center, a stretch which even included a playoff series win over the Goats in 2009, Chivas USA emerged victorious against its more established rivals for the first time since September of 2007.

I can imagine the scene at the Home Depot Center tomorrow. Thousands of children, their hands sticky from cotton candy and soft drinks, screaming, blowing vuvuzelas, playing with handheld gaming devices, shooting spitballs at each other (at least, that's what I remember doing when I was a kid, minus the vuvuzelas) -- pretty much doing anything but watching the game on the pitch.

This week, I had the distinct pleasure to trade a series of three questions and answers with Benzinho of the Mount Royal Soccer blog ahead of the first ever meeting of Houston Dynamo and Impact de Montreal at the recently renovated and expanded Stade Saputo Saturday at 6 p.m. Central (either daylight or standard.

There were 12 matches over this week. Three mid-week and nine over the holiday weekend. That's a lot of soccer, but I still want to watch more. Why couldn't the MLS schedule a game on Memorial Day? There are 3 Canadian teams that aren't participating in the US Open Cup. Nothing would scream "memorializing those who fought for American liberty" more than teams from Vancouver and French speaking Montreal in a game that is overwhelmingly popular everywhere except America.

After the surprise of the one-time MVP candidate showing up in training camp there was a level of excitement around the potential to add Shalrie Joseph. Unfortunately it sounds as if there was more than just the contractual hurdle in the way.

Schmid: Obviously it's very evident that he hasn't trained in a while, it's evident that he's very much behind physically as well.