Sporting KC got their first preseason game under their belts today when they took on the San Jose Earthquakes today down in Arizona. The two teams started the game with what would likely be considered their first team lineup. Both teams got things started quickly in the game. The Quakes grabbed the lead inside the first 5 minutes, as Chris Wondolowski finished off a cross from Marvin Chavez.

FC Dallas was an up-and-down team last season, getting off to a slow start (remember Brek Shea as a fullback) before surging in the summer then falling off a cliff in the fall. The team ended the season on a ...
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The San Jose Earthquakes have snapped up FC Dallas striker Marvin Chavez for allocation money.
The 28-year-old Honduras international scored six goals in 31 appearances for Dallas last season, having previously played for Victoria and Marathon in his homeland.
He also scored the decisive goal in Dallas' 1-0 victory at Pumas UNAM in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League in August, the first-ever victory by an MLS side in Mexico in any competition, and has been popular among the soccer betting tips ever since.

The San Jose Earthquakes took a step toward fortifying their back line Wednesday by agreeing to a deal with Honduran centerback Victor Bernardez.

Bernardez, 29, has 52 caps for Honduras. He started in all of Honduras' games during this past summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup and was also a member of the country's World Cup team in 2010.

This time last year, the San Jose Earthquakes were riding high. They had upset the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference playoffs and had seen the emergence of Chris Wondolowski as a bona fide goal scorer. Although the ...
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FC Dallas traded Honduran winger Marvin Chavez to the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday, securing an allocation in the process.

The deal sent Chavez, who enjoyed a standout season in Dallas, to San Jose, where he should slot right in as the team's starting right winger.

Chavez delivered six goals and four assists for FC Dallas, providing a perfect complement on the right wing to Brek Shea's forays from the left flank.

Fabian Castillo should be a protected player for FC Dallas. (Getty Images)

Another expansion draft list for you on this Friday afternoon.

This one centers around the team I'm most familiar with, FC Dallas. I will keep this one fairly short as I find FCD to be one of the easier teams to put a list down on paper (or type out in this case).

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

By AVI CREDITOR

The New York Red Bulls began the season playing as advertised, producing a high-octane style of play, outpossessing teams and using their cavalcade of international stars to try and overpower the opposition.

Quick Recap

Approximately as many people showed up to watch a playoff game at Pizza Hut Park as attended a reserve match at Jeld Wen Field earlier this season. FC Dallas appeared to draw inspiration from the sparse crowd as they put forth a half-empty effort against the lowest seed New York Red Bulls.

The road to the 2011 MLS Cup Final begins tonight, with the New York Red Bulls taking on FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park in Major League Soccer's first wild card match (Fox Soccer Channel, 9pm).

FC Dallas enters the match as the highest-seeded wild card team, but a 2-5 finish to the regular season has Schellas Hyndman's club looking vulnerable against a New York Red Bulls side that finished the season strongly.

The 2011 MLS Playoffs kickoff at 9 pm tonight on Fox Soccer Channel, as the New York Red Bulls head to Texas to take on recently slumping FC Dallas in the first Wild Card round game of the playoffs.

The winner affects the Philadelphia Union's start time on Sunday afternoon, along with the playoff match ups after the Wild Card round.

Dane Richards will have to step up tonight for New York. (Getty Images)

And so it begins, the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs kick off tonight with the league's first wild card game between FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls.

With the new playoff format teams, players, media folks, fans, everyone really has no clue what the wild card round will really bring.

Tonight MLS shifts from the regular season to the postseason as two teams that could have entries in the DSM-IV face off on Fox Soccer Channel at 9 PM ET. The New York Red Bulls will try to advance to face ...
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With the MLS playoffs a dream that disappeared long ago, Toronto FC had one thing left to play for in 2011. They had a place in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals to try and win.

Standing in their way was FC Dallas, one of the better teams in MLS, a team that needed just a draw on Tuesday night at their home ground to reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

The mid-week games saw Dallas get back to their winning ways while Vancouver took down DC United. Playoff hopes were diminished for both Eastern Conference teams. Here's Pedro Gomes with the mid-week recap.
Chicago Fire 1, FC Dallas 2
Dallas traveled to Chi-Town looking to cement a place in the post-season against a recently resurgent Chicago Fire squad who were looking to keep their play-off hopes alive.

Wilson Palacios was one of the standout players in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying
Luis Fernando Suarez has called in 22 players for Honduras' game against the USA on Oct. 8 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. Three players from MLS get the call: Marvin Chavez, Roger Espinoza and Carlo Costly.

Honduras has announced its roster for the Oct. 8 friendly against the United States in Miami, a roster that does not include a few regulars while carrying a bit of an MLS feel to it.

Sporting Kansas City's Roger Espinoza, FC Dallas' Marvin Chavez and Houston's Carlo Costly were all summoned for the match.

Houston Dynamo (10-9-12) vs. FC Dallas (13-10-7) September 24, 2011 -- Pizza Hut Park, Frisco TX Attendance: 10,849

Scoring Summary:

HOU -- Geoff Cameron 5 (Brad Davis 14) 87

Houston Dynamo -- Tally Hall, Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Corey Ashe, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo, Brad Davis, Danny Cruz (Je-Vaughn Watson 58), Brian Ching (Carlo Costly 78), Calen Carr (Colin Clark 64).

Dallas and Houston square off this weekend in a big Texas Derby match. (Getty Images)

The MLS playoff picture could become a little clearer this weekend. A couple teams have a chance to clinch berths while a few others could be eliminated for good. Every club is in action this weekend, which will be fun.

Just when you thought all hope was lost, New York goes out and does this. A win, honest to God, a win. For the first time since the July 6th drubbing of TFC, the Red Bulls claimed all three points and boy did it feel good. Granted, it got a bit nervy there and it wasn't the pretty display by any stretch of the imagination, but isn't that what it's all about?

Missing Thierry Henry and facing a strong FC Dallas side on the road, the New York Red Bulls didn't look like a good bet to get the three points they needed to pump some sorely-needed life into their fading playoff hopes.

No, the Red Bulls didn't have their star goal-scorer, or three fourths of their starting defense, but the team that hadn't won since July found a way to win anyway, as a Luke Rodgers goal and standout performance from Frank Rost helped New York post a sorely-needed 1-0 victory over FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park.

STARTERS
Rumors are spreading like a sandstorm that Bob Bradley will be announced as the new head coach of the Egyptian national team.
-Any Egyptian readers care to give us their thoughts?
dN
Stumbling Columbus hosts bumbling Houston in MLS action tonight.

Photo by Patricia Giobetti/ISIphotos.com

The Seattle Sounders pulled off perhaps the most impressive road victory for an MLS team in CONCACAF Champions League play by topping defending champion Monterrey in Mexico on Aug. 23.

In order to maintain their post atop Group D, the Sounders will have to dig deep on the road again, this time in Costa Rica.

While the first half at times seemed like a passing clinic by the Seattle Sounders they only managed a single goal. That one Fredy Montero shot won the US Open Cup Semifinal match over FC Dallas, but it certainly will not be what people will remember from the match. Unfortunately the second half of chipping, sometimes violent, play by both teams will over shadow what was a truly amazing goal sequence.

By CALEB SONNELAND

It took an impressive Fredy Montero goal to lift the Seattle Sounders past FC Dallas in the US Open Cup semifinal with a 1-0 victory in Tukwila, Washington.

The Colombian DP provided the crucial first-half goal to put the home side into the final of the competition, its third in three years.

Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said it best, "Not big, he came up huge. He made a huge save at the end of the day for us." As happens sometimes, the highlights don't really do Keller's performance justice. It wasn't just his save on FC Dallas' Marvin Chavez or the two saves he made at the death.

Well, it took a number of years, and a couple dozen tries, but an MLS team has finally scored a victory south of the border in CONCACAF Champions League group play as FC Dallas defeated Pumas UNAM 1-0 in Mexico City. It shouldn't have taken this long, but sincere congratulations to Schellas Hyndman's side for finally breaking the ice.

UNAM Pumas 0 - Dallas 1 FC Dallas opened their Group C campaign on the road in Mexico City and came away with the win. Marvin Chavez was the difference for Dallas, scoring in the 66th minute. Kevin Hartman recorded the shutout. "I'll tell you the first man who broke the four-minute mile was a man named Roger Bannister," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said.

Marvin Chaves celebrates his goal in Mexico. (Mexsport)

"It only takes one."

That was something my old soccer coach back in West Virginia used to tell me and my teammates before (and sometimes during) a game that we knew would be tough. We had this one team that we played a couple times a year that always seemed to get the best of us and would typically beat us.

BY ADAM SERRANO

The hex for MLS clubs in Mexico has finally been broken.

Marvin Chavez scored in the 66th minute to give FC Dallas a 1-0 victory over Pumas UNAM in their Group C opener. With the win, Dallas become the first team from MLS to win in Mexico in the CONCACAF Champions League 24 tries south of the border.

In what could be considered the most entertaining and exciting of any Philadelphia Union match so far this season, the Blue and Gold battled back from two deficits on a pair of Sebastien Le Toux penalty kicks to tie FC Dallas 2-2. Freddy Adu debuted for the Union, starting the game and coming off for Danny Mwanga in the second half.

If you are looking for a Freddy Adu report, you have come to the wrong place.

Freddy Adu started, the fans were loud and rain held off, but that didn't make the play any prettier.

The Philadelphia Union tied FC Dallas 2-2 in front of a sold out crowd at PPL Park on Saturday Night.

Adu's debut lasted sixty minutes and, vacillating between striker and outside midfielder, his performance was a fair measure of the team as a whole.

Great weekend for the Seattle Sounders. They fought through fatigue, heat, humidity and a goal deficit to end Sporting Kansas City's 14 game unbeaten streak in MLS. The 2-1 victory marks the second time the Sounders have come from behind in overtime to defeat the Sporks. To be fair, the Sporks outplayed the Sounders for the majority of the match even after designated player Omar Bravo was sent of for a reckless challenge.

Photo by ISIPhotos.net

BY ADAM SERRANO

The Los Angeles Galaxy had arguably their worst performance of the year on Wednesday, then proceeded to follow it up with unquestionably their best.

With three goals started by David Beckham set pieces, the Galaxy defeated FC Dallas 3-1, to extend their lead a top the MLS standings.

The Columbus Crew's surprising run isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

The Crew came up with a victory over Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium over the weekend to take over first place in the MLS Eastern Conference and vault up to No. 4 in the latest SBI MLS Power Rankings.

On another hot night in Frisco, Texas, FC Dallas got the shutout and three points against Chivas USA. Marvin Chavez scored the game's only goal in the 26th minute, with Kevin Hartman recording his 12th shutout of the season. Conditions were such that the referee opted to give the teams a water break in the 35th minute.

Some seriously high scoring games this weekend. In between all the excitement of the World Football Challenge, here's what went on in MLS action in week 19.
New York Red Bulls 2, FC Dallas 2
This was a game of statements. The Red Bulls looked to recover from their 4-1 dismantling by Colorado in mid-week and remind people they are still a top class team, FC Dallas looked to continue their winning ways and push for the MLS Cup and the NYRB supporters groups staged a 1st half silent protest for the way the New York Red Bulls handled to MLS Cup.

New York 2 – Dallas 2 The New York Red Bulls needed a late goal to salvage a point at home. New York took the lead in the 39th minute when Juan Agudelo scored, and that held into halftime. Dallas got a Marvin Chavez equalizer in the 51st, and it was Chavez again in the 78th minute. Thierry Henry equalized for NY in the 85th, five minutes after losing Dane Richards to a second yellow.

Backe: Dead Man SittingThe Red Bulls hosted FC Dallas on Saturday in dire need of three points - not only to maintain their challenge for top spot in the Eastern Conference but also to restore confidence after Wednesday's cataclysmic meltdown in Colorado. Dallas, one of the league's hottest teams, offered a stern test.

It looked like it was going to be another heartbreaking loss for the New York Red Bulls after a fantastic first half. Down a goal and down a man in the 80th minute, you would have thought it was going to be another loss. But five minutes later, life came back to the Red Bull Arena.

In the 85th minute, a good looping ball from Dax McCarty found Thierry Henry.