photo by ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Real Salt Lake are looking to the future just as much as they are hoping to win an MLS Cup title
in 2012.
Real Salt Lake announced four moves on Thursday, including the re-signings of Fabian Espindola
and Ned Grabavoy.
Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
At least the MLS Supplemental Draft day contained something last Thursday's SuperDraft did not:
Multiple trades.
Hours after the completion of the Tuesday's proceedings, the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake
agreed to one deal, while the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps agreed to another.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
For a team coming off of a championship run, the Los Angeles Galaxy have had plenty of major
moving parts over recent weeks.
Between Landon Donovan going back to Everton on a short-term loan, Juninho returning to Sao
Paulo, Donovan Ricketts being dealt to the Montreal Impact, Sean Franklin re-signing and David
Beckham, well, still making a decision, the Galaxy remain the talk of MLS deep into the
offseason.
By JOSE M. ROMERO
PHOENIX -- Four MLS teams have agreed to take part in the Desert Diamond Cup, a round-robin
tournament to be held at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Ariz., Feb. 22-March 3.
The defending MLS Cup champions Los Angeles Galaxy, the New York Red Bulls, the New England
Revolution and Real Salt Lake are the scheduled participants in a series of matches that span a
week and a half.
Photo by Stephen Brashear/ISIphotos.com
By JOSE M. ROMERO
The MLS Cup final was played not even three weeks ago, but teams are already making training
plans in preparation for next season.
Three MLS teams are confirmed for training at Grande Sports World in Casa Grande, Ariz.
Photo by/ISIphotos.com
Another longtime MLS standout is hanging up his cleats.
Real Salt Lake's Andy Williams announced his retirement Monday night, ending a productive
14-year playing career. The skillful Jamaican midfielder won't be straying far from the game at
all, though, as he will join the Real Salt Lake techinical staff as a scout.
It remains to be seen whether the 2022 World Cup will be played in the summer or the winter, but
one high-ranking FIFA official has a solution to ensure a winter World Cup gets played without a
problem: Move the two biggest competitions in European club soccer.
Ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 draw in the Ukraine, UEFA president Michel Platini said that he is
open to moving the UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions in order to accommodate a
winter World Cup in Qatar.
In the wake of the recent suicide of Wales manager and long time English soccer star Gary Speed,
there is growing attention paid to the plight of pro soccer players dealing with depression.
MLS is not immune to this, as former Real Salt Lake defender Ian Joy revealed in a recent story
by Prost Amerika.
Steve Bruce's tenure at Sunderland has come to an abrupt end.
The Premier League club fired Bruce from his post as manager on Wednesday, cutting his time at
the Stadium of Light short in his third season since joining the club from Wigan Athletic -- the
19th-place club to whom Sunderland lost at home last weekend.
Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
D.C. United took a step in reinforcing its back line by acquiring veteran right back Robbie
Russell from Real Salt Lake on Tuesday.
D.C. sent a third-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft (a first round Supplemental Draft pick
if the SuperDraft stays in its two-round format) in exchange for Russell, who was out of contract
with RSL after four years of playing for the club.
BY JONATHAN VERA
CARSON, Calif.-- The last time Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy competed for a trophy, it was the
2009 MLS Cup FInal and RSL took the championship. History did not repeat itself on Sunday as this
time they lost to the Galaxy on Sunday in a Western Conference final filled with missed
opportunities.
BY ADAM SERRANO
The Los Angeles Galaxy continued their methodical push to the MLS Cup as they advanced to the
league championship with a 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center.
The victory put the Galaxy in their second final in three years as they will take on the Houston
Dynamo on their home soil on November 20th.
The two strongest teams in MLS over the past three seasons square off tonight for a chance to play
in the 2011 MLS Cup Final as the Los Angeles Galaxy take on Real Salt Lake at Home Depot Center
(9pm, ESPN).
The Galaxy come in as Supporters Shields winners and the favorites against an RSL side that
struggled late in the regular season, but showed against Seattle in the playoffs that they were
back to the form that helped them reach the CONCACAF Champions League Final last spring.
Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
By ADAM SERRANO
Robbie Keane seems healthy and ready to contribute for the Los Angeles Galaxy's run to MLS Cup.
Now all he needs to do is find the back of the net.
Keane was appearing in just his second match since an adductor strain cost him the last three
weeks of the season as well as a number of important matches for club and country.
Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
After seven months and hundreds of matches, the 2011 MLS campaign has been whittled down to just
three games.
The two conference finals Sunday will determine the participants in the MLS Cup, to be held
Nov.
Photo by David Bernal/ISIphotos.com
By Sunday's end, the MLS playoff field will be narrowed down to two clubs.
No wild card teams remain in the postseason picture after the overall top seed Los Angeles
Galaxy disposed of the New York Red Bulls Thursday night.
Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
The first legs of the conference semifinals over the weekend created four very unenviable hills
to climb.
The Los Angeles Galaxy, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City all head home to protect
leads while Real Salt Lake, the only winning team taking to the road, has the comfort of a
three-goal cushion.
By JOSÉ M. ROMERO
Much was made of Real Salt Lake's regular season-ending six-match winless streak and how it
might be a sign that RSL is in trouble heading into the playoffs.
On Saturday night, Real Salt Lake put that notion to rest in emphatic fashion.
Two of the top three teams in Major League Soccer during the regular season square off in the
opening match of the MLS conference semifinals (10pm, Fox Soccer Channel).
The No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake will look to win at Rio Tinto Stadium
in game one of the two-game series to put pressure on the No.
Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
Luis Gil is well aware of the hype. As a 17-year-old whose uncanny skill and composure on the
ball has drawn the attention of such European titans as Arsenal and Real Madrid, it would be hard
not to be.
By JOSE M. ROMERO
Playoff spot clinched, Real Salt Lake had victory in its grasp in its regular-season finale
Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, plus the chance to lock up the No. 3 seed from the MLS Western
Conference with no help from other results.
RSL's reward for No.
Photo by Don Feria/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
Well, the New York Red Bulls sure took the drama out of this weekend.
With New York's 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on Thursday, the 10th and final ticket to
the postseason was booked, and the Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire were eliminated from playoff
contention.
The Portland Timbers had a full stadium of fans trying to will them to a victory they sorely
needed to keep their playoff hopes in good shape. Unfortunately for the Timbers, the Houston Dynamo
were also hungry for a victory to boost their playoff prospects.
Houston put together a strong performance on the road for the second straight time, riding an
Andre Hainault goal and a stunning long-range blast from Danny Cruz to post a 2-0 victory over the
Timbers on Friday night.
Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
The MLS playoff race sure is heating up.
With just a handful of matches remaining, nine teams are still competing for six available
postseason berths. A slate of influential weekend fixtures kicks off Friday with a critical clash
in the wild-card race between the Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers.
By JOSE M. ROMERO
Parking and seats on the SkyTrain were probably more difficult to come by than Vancouver
Whitecaps' goals Thursday night in downtown Vancouver.
With the NHL Canucks playing nearby in their regular-season opener, the Whitecaps still drew a
big crowd of 20,113 fans to their brand new home, B.
By ADAM SERRANO
Hector Jimenez has been living life under the radar in his rookie season, but when the
midfielder from the University of California has had his chance to see action, he's grabbed a hold
of it.
Jimenez was instrumental in the Galaxy's 2-1 victory over Morelia in the CONCACAF Champions
League, helping to create the winning goal.
By ADAM SERRANO
CARSON, Calif.-- An own goal proved decisive as the Los Angeles Galaxy continued their pursuit
of the Supporters Shield by overcoming their first halftime deficit of the season in a 2-1 victory
over Real Salt Lake.
RSL was able to put the Galaxy on their heels in the 45th minute when Fabian Espindola opened
the scoring, but a goal by Chad Barrett and an own goal by RSL's Nat Borchers gave the Galaxy the
victory.
The Los Angeles Galaxy take on Real Salt Lake tonight in a match-up of Western Conference
powers, and a game that could draw the Galaxy to the verge of the MLS Supporters Shield.
Real Salt Lake will try to spoil the Galaxy's party, while also snapping their own two-match
losing skid.
Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
Saturday's showdown between the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas may be a rematch of last year's
MLS Cup, but neither team has looked anything like a title contender lately.
Dallas is 0-6-1 in its past seven matches in all competitions, while Colorado has gone 0-5-1 in
six games.
It's been nearly five months since Javier Morales suffered the gruesome ankle injury that
threatened to end his season, but the Real Salt Lake midfielder completed his comeback with a
substitute appearance on Wednesday night.
Overshadowed by CONCACAF Champions League action, Morales made his first appearance since May 7
by coming off the bench and playing the final 30 minutes in Real Salt Lake's 3-0 defeat to
Chicago.
By FRANCO PANIZO
The MLS playoff race in the Eastern Conference just became a little more intense, and we can
thank the Chicago Fire for that.
Midfielder Marco Pappa snapped a personal three-month scoring drought in dramatic fashion,
delivering a hat-trick to help the streaking Fire pulled off a stunning 3-0 victory over 10-man
Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night.
It's a big night for Major League Soccer teams both domestically and regionally. The Los Angeles
Galaxy and Colorado Rapids fighting for their CONCACAF Champions League lives, while FC Dallas
looks to take a giant step further toward advancing to the knockout stage.
In league play, Sporting Kansas City and Columbus meet in a crucial Eastern Conference battle,
while Real Salt Lake is expected to welcome playmaker Javier Morales back to the field at some
point during its match against the Chicago Fire.
Photo by Patricia Giobetti/ISIphotos.com
Donning a substitute's bib, Javier Morales went through the motions. Medically cleared to return
to action for the first time in months, Morales paced up and down the sidelines at RFK Stadium,
staying warm in case he was called upon to try and light a spark under Real Salt Lake.
By AVI CREDITOR
WASHINGTON -- The Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake both trotted out reserve-laden lineups
Saturday night, aiming to preserve fresh legs through a congested schedule while hoping to eke out
road results in the thick of the postseason hunt.
By THOMAS FLOYD
WASHINGTON - In 65 minutes Saturday, D.C. United forward Dwayne De Rosario once again showed why
he is one of the most prolific attacking talents MLS has ever seen. At 33 years old and playing for
his third club this season, he could very well be better than ever.
Photo by Wendy Larsen/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
While the Texas derby between FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo is an intense affair in its own
right, the playoff implications surrounding Saturday's showdown have added a little more spice to
the rivalry.
By ADAM SERRANO
Dasan Robinson is on his third club in just a year, but he's ready to return to the form that
once made him one of the finest young defenders in MLS.
Recently acquired by the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for Kyle Davies from Toronto FC, who had
acquired Robinson less than two months earlier from the Chicago Fire, Robinson is not unfamilar
with the L.
Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com
This year's race for the MLS Golden Boot is congested, unclear and littered with a few surprise
candidates. With about a month remaining in the 2011 MLS season, there's no better time to break
down the prime contenders and see who will emerge from the pack with the most goals.
