Each year around this time I make a list similar to Santa Claus only this list is for each MLS side. The wants and needs for each really at this festive time of the year. Most clubs are as active as ever right now as the new transfer window will set to open here soon, along with the SuperDraft in the coming weeks.
It is no secret that MLS wants a second team in the New York area, and the chances of that happening appear more likely than ever. MLS officials publicly discussed proposed plans earlier this week to have a soccer-specific stadium constructed for the 20th team in the league in the New York City borough of Queens in the coming years.
Love him or hate him, David Beckham is still the biggest star in Major League Soccer, at least if yo go by the number of jersey's sold.
Earlier this week, MLS released the list of the top-selling adidas player jerseys sold via either MLSGear.com, MLSGearCanada.ca, as well as MLS club websites.
The New England Revolution revealed this morning that first-year French forward and club leading goalscorer Saer Sene is among the top-25 jersey sellers in MLS. The numbers were pulled from MLSGear.com, MLSGearCanada.ca, and MLS club websites.
This means that out of all current MLS players (somewhere in the neighborhood of 500-plus athletes), Sene's name on #39 Revolution jersey is among the 25 highest-selling in the league.
Chivas USA has undergone a major shakeup at the top, and where that leads the franchise from
here on out remains to be seen.
Jorge Vergara, owner of Chivas Guadalajara and part owner of the Los Angeles-based MLS club
since its inception, annoucend on Wednesday that he along with his wife, Omnilife CEO Angelica
Fuentes, had bought out the stake owned by Antonio and Lorenzo Cue and are now fully in control of
the club.
Jorge Vergara has tightened his ownership grip on Chivas USA, scooping up today the 50 percent he
didn't own along with the same partner with whom he owns CD Guadalajara, a move that removes
Antonio Cue from any management role with the MLS club completely. Interesting timing to the move
According to Everton's official site, Tim Cahill is now a member of the New York Red Bulls and will
be joining the MLS club later this week. The Australian international has 226 appearances for
Everton scoring 56 times. Though he started as a youth player in Australia, the 32-year-old has
spent his entire professional career in England, joining Millwall in 1997.
United's new investors make a record deal yesterday for MLS. (Photo by: Patrick McDermott/Getty
Images)
Yesterday's big news with D.C. United made waves across the land. Erick Thohir and Jason Levien
purchased ownership stakes in D.C. United from Will Chang and according to reports have even taken
over the majority stake in the club from Chang.
After recently revealing that Italian champions Juventus will no longer be playing D.C. United
in the 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge on July 28, the MLS club has announced French giants
Paris St. Germain as the replacements.
PSG, who finished second in Ligue 1 last season after building a star-studded roster that
features the likes of Javier Pastore, Diego Lugano, Mathieu Bodmer, and Jeremy Menez, will kick-it
off against United at the RFK Stadium at 7:30 EST.
Two clubs have used their spots, both came after swaps with the top team in the order. Now New
England sits atop the order with Toronto and Chivas USA directly behind them.
Here's a little background on the allocation order:
The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to
acquire a U.
MLS expansion to Orlando could be coming soon. (Photo via Orlando City Soccer
MLS expansion talk is always a hot button issue. Earlier today Leander Schaerlaeckens of The
Guardian had this very interesting look at the 20th club race between New York and Orlando.
While I still see the Big Apple getting club number 20 team 21 does seem to be Orlando's to
lose.
Moises Hernandez (center) is set to get a loan. (US PRESSWIRE)
The Home Grown Player system in Major League Soccer has some good things and some bad things.
One of the bad things is getting these young players proper playing time. The Reserve league fills
this need some but not nearly enough to be fully beneficial to all clubs.
The Galaxy don't return to domestic action until June 17, but more than 13,500 tickets for the Real
Madrid exhibition Aug. 2 at Home Depot Center have been sold, the MLS club has announced. The team
reported May 30 that the upper deck at the Carson stadium is sold out
CONCACAF has revealed the 24 teams that will be taking part in next season's Champions League.
The draw was held yesterday at the CONCACAF headquarters, located in New York.
Of the 24 clubs named to participate in the tournament, five will be representatives of MLS. LA
Galaxy, Toronto FC, Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake, and the Houston Dynamo will all enter the
competition looking to become the first MLS club to bring home the Champions League trophy.
After years of false hope and frustration, there finally appears to be legitimate optimism
regarding D.C. United's search for a new home in the nation's capital.
According to a draft study commissioned by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and obtained
by The Washington Post, a new stadium at Buzzard Point near Nationals Park would cost at least $157
million to build but could generate $5.
Yesterday we had our venting thread. And it went fairly well! More people commented than I
expected, in fact, which just goes to show that there really is a lot of pent up frustration over
what's happening, or has happened with the current team and even the Timbers Army. Everybody is
unhappy right now, that's pretty obvious, but now that we've gotten most stuff out in the open it's
time to return to supporting the team 100%, no matter who is playing on the field, no matter who is
coaching the team.
After spending several seasons with Fulham of the English Premier League, America's best Soccer
player was ready for a change.
Clint Dempsey was pursued by different clubs, mostly from EPL and some from other international
leagues. He finally made his decision Friday and signed for almost 10 million a year for three
years (28.
With the rumors of Espanyol's Joan Verdu being pursued by the Seattle Sounders one question that
must be answered is "who is he?" Spain's La Liga isn't the easiest league to follow, particularly
for teams not called "Barcelona" or "Real Madrid." But, here at SB Nation there are some people
that follow La Liga for www.
Another day, another CCL win for the Sounders. Seattle scored thrice in the 3-1 win over
Caledonia, providing the squad with a stranglehold on Group 4 of the Champions League. Around the
rest of the CCL, Toronto was in a relatable position, losing 3-1 to Santos Laguna. Los Angeles
hosted the Puerto Rico Islanders and took advantage of home pitch with a 4-0 pantsing.
The Portland Timbers aren't wasting time when it comes trying to find the head coach that will
guide the team into the next era.
The Oregonian is reporting that the Timbers have offered their coaching job to University of
Akron head coach and former U.S. Under-23 head coach Caleb Porter.
By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (July 26, 2012) US Soccer Players -- Thursday, and Tony looks at a
classic MLS club, wonders how statistical data powered an expansion draft, and salutes an
underappreciated American in the EPL. Which American club has FIFA.com chosen to include in their
‘Classic Clubs' series?
You guys might not like this, but the Seattle Sounders ranked 40th and the top MLS club in brand
value with the LA GAlaxy coming in 2nd for MLS and 50th overall.
The Portland Timbers were not ranked at all, but according to this study they would be worth
less than $18 million (the brand that is).
This past Saturday's match between the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy at a sold out Stanford
Stadium with more than 50,000 in attendance lived up to the hype of a Classic.
It has often been referred to as the California Clasico. For Northern California fans, it is the
one time to watch Beckham and Donovan during the regular season.
Exactly two years ago on July 16, 2010, the Chicago Fire U16s won the U.S. Soccer Development
Academy U15/16 Championship. In doing so, the Fire became the first academy team from a MLS club to
capture a USSDA championship. The Fire U16s of this year were not favored to follow in the
footsteps of the U16s of 2010 but they have made it to finals week.
Ives Galarcep reports at Fox Soccer that the Philadelphia Union have signed 6-foot-4-inch
central defender Bakary Soumare.
According to the report, Soumare, a 2008 Defender of the Year finalist when he was with Chicago
Fire, will join the Union after being let out of his contract with French side Boulogne.
Real Salt Lake hope that home-field advantage will change the club's CONCACAF Champions League
fortunes, as the 2010-11 tournament finalists look to bounce back after dropping their group
opener.
RSL welcome Panamanian side Tauro FC to Rio Tinto Stadium for a key Group 2 battle (10 p.
The New York Red Bulls' big summer acquisition appears to be Everton attacker Tim Cahill.
Everton announced the transfer of the Australian international to the MLS club on their website
Monday, a move that bolsters the Red Bulls' attack even more after the recent acquisition of
Sebastien Le Toux.
Coronal Mass Ejection! 1-0 Philadelphia.If you listen to any Toronto FC home
broadcasts or read any missive from official club releases you can be forgiven for thinking The
Reds are the only MLS club to travel by plane or play in harsh weather. No matter who has been
coaching, the make-up of the squad or the club's form, somehow six years of losses and awful
performances (see here) are excused by "fatigue", "harsh conditions" and/or "a transition period".
If you are like me you like your stats whenever you can get them. If those stats involve the
Fire, then it's even better. Unfortunately, MLS and soccer in general is a bit behind other sports
in terms of statistics. There is no fancy Sabermetrics like MLB employs, for example. Until
recently, it was hard to find much stat-wise for MLS other than the most basic match stats.
