Background: 1996 was MLS's inaugural year, so every record set that year became both an MLS season and all-time record. Most of those season records have fallen since, but one still exists. Leonel Alvarez received 14 yellow cards during that first MLS season, and his ugly track record has never been matched.

Reports this morning out of Colombia indicate Fredy Montero will be called into the Colombian National Team. From my vantage point, this is a potential big step towards MLS regaining the ground its lost in South America since about the year 2000.

For years, I have stated that MLS' quality of play and quality of international signing hit a high water mark in the 1998 to 2000 period and then dipped thereafter and has only begun to recover in the past few years.