Soccer Insider reports that US U-20 starlet Dilly Duka has signed with MLS. Duka was exploring options in Europe, but has opted to enter the MLS draft this winter. A product of the Red Bulls academy, he has made it known that he hopes to end up in New Jersey. Seems likely, as Red Bull New York Red Bulls have the second overall pick.

Click to continue reading...

I realize that the last official football match to take place at Giants Stadium was almost two weeks ago between the Red Bulls and Toronto FC, but I still figured I'd throw my two cents in on what was once a football mecca in this country. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the Meadowlands is very mixed feelings.

Click to continue reading...

Standing on a rooftop overlooking the site of the Philadelphia Union's future stadium, I couldn't help but see the pieces being put into place for a club that should help revitalize soccer on the East Coast.

As cranes lowered ten-ton cement blocks into place to piece together the Union's stadium, you could stand inside the unfinished building and see the vision.

Click to continue reading...

Standing on a rooftop overlooking the site of the Philadelphia Union's future stadium, I couldn't help but see the pieces being put into place for a club that should help revitalize soccer on the East Coast.

As cranes lowered ten-ton cement blocks into place to piece together the Union's stadium, you could stand inside the unfinished building and see the vision.

Click to continue reading...

The second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs has the two higher seeds in each conference hosting their opponents from last week's match-ups. In the four matches from last week, the home teams either tied or won leaving the seeded favorites with work to do if they hope to advance to the conference finals.

Click to continue reading...

Dieter, Dietmar . . . close enough.

Dietmar Beiersdorfer, the new sporting director for worldwide Red Bull soccer operations, has descended upon New York and has brought with him a cloud of speculation. Is he here to hire a new GM? Perhaps weigh in on the coaching situation?

Click to continue reading...

Gerrard actually misses Xabi Alonso. Which is kinda cute.
Don't forget to re-acquaint yourself with this beauty.
But Liverpool still sucks.
Now some links:

• More Bulgarian craziness. [Unprofessional Foul]
  
• Police use water cannon at German riot. [SI]
  
• Carlo loves him some Didier Drogba.

Click to continue reading...

Here is a little tidbit that just made its way to my desk: Luke Sassano, Nick Zimmerman and Jeremy Hall are all taking in the sights and sounds of Austria, as the trio begin a 2-3 week training stint with the Salzburg Motherland Crew.

Hopefully, they don't get the Dane Richards treatment.

Click to continue reading...

As mentioned earlier on my Twitter feed today has been a slow day due to some bad headaches on my end. I won't go into it much but I am feeling a little better after some medicine kicked in here (thanks to the few who asked). I didn't have much planned for tonight but I did want to get into the coaching carousel that is going on in Major League Soccer.

Click to continue reading...

Sharks in the water, RBNY.

DC United have just announced the formal resignation of head coach Tom Soehn from the organization. Soehn accumulated a respectable 36-30-24 MLS record, with a total of 55-48-31 in all competitions. So what cost him? Disappointing results in the face of high expectations.

Click to continue reading...

Tom Soehn will not be back as head coach of D.C. United after removing his name from consideration to be retained upon the conclusion of his current contract at the end of the calendar year.

D.C. United failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season, but it did enjoy success under Soehn, who helped guide the team to a Supporters Shield in 2007 and U.

Click to continue reading...

Tom Soehn will not be back as head coach of D.C. United after removing his name from consideration to be retained upon the conclusion of his current contract at the end of the calendar year.

D.C. United failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season, but it did enjoy success under Soehn, who helped guide the team to a Supporters Shield in 2007 and U.

Click to continue reading...

Empty stands were a common sight at Pizza Hut Park this year. (Getty Images)

I hope everyone is getting use to the longer days again after the time change this weekend. Nothing like getting darker a bit earlier again here but that's just how it goes. I have a few goodies to discuss tonight leading off with a big time look at something former Chicago Fire GM Peter Wilt sent Alexi Lalas a few years back.

Click to continue reading...

It has been a long and sometimes unforgiving decade for the Bulls. They played in the highest of highs (an MLS Cup Appearance) and the lowest of the lows (2009), suffered extreme anguish over injustice (Diallo, Petke is still gunning for you), and extreme ecstasy (Mathis - those 5 goals were a thing of beauty).

Click to continue reading...

Â

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Four matches, zero wins and four tough tasks to accomplish heading into the second set of first-round MLS playoff games. That is the reality facing the top four seeds in the MLS playoffs as they return home to host game two of their respective series.

Click to continue reading...

Phil Brown has been talking a storm about Jozy's "Twittergate" this week, including gems like this:

Asked if Altidore had put the twit in Twitter, an unimpressed Brown replied: "I'd have put an 'a' in it."

Now that is the kind of comment Maradona would be proud of!

Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer's playoff hopefuls went into the season finale with a whole host of possibilities ahead of them. And without wishing to put too fine a point on it, they all crapped the bed. Here's what happened in a spectacular, surprising and decisive Week 32, the final week of the MLS regular season for 2009. Click to continue reading...

Hey all,

For those who care, I am doing weekend duties on the main Offside page. Started last week, and I will be sharing the load with a combo of theoffsides finest Rob, Jan and of course, Laurie. So check these installments out, shoot on by, and give your opinions outside of the Red Bulls sphere.

Click to continue reading...

The Seattle Sounders vs Houston Dynamo playoffs got the MLS playoffs to a raucous start with their edge of the seat performances even it ended in a goalless draw. Seattle also boasts the highest home attendances in the MLS. It all looks promising.

Except as this article points out, there is enough deadwood in the MLS.

Click to continue reading...

Â
Photo by ISIphotos.com

There may not be a bigger mismatch on paper in the first round of the MLS playoffs than the Columbus Crew-Real Salt Lake series, but there is also no match brimming with more upset potential than this unique Eastern Conference clash.

Click to continue reading...

Â
Photo by ISIphotos.com

There may not be a bigger mismatch on paper in the first round of the MLS playoffs than the Columbus Crew-Real Salt Lake series, but there is also no match brimming with more upset potential than this unique Eastern Conference clash.

Click to continue reading...

BMO Field finally turned into a fortress in 2009. (Getty Images)

2009 was expected to the be year that Toronto FC turned the corner and really made a splash in Major League Soccer. The moves were made to get local star Dwayne De Rosario at the start of the season and things looked promising early on but midway through the first full month of action manager John Carver stepped down and if you ask me the club never really rebounded from that change.

Click to continue reading...

Regular readers will remember that in my last post on the salary cap, I referenced a BA Duane article in which he talked about the split in the owners group:

With Portland and Vancouver coming into the league in 2011 and Philly next year the new wave MLS clubs (along with the larger of the original markets) could start gain more power.

Click to continue reading...

Â

Photo by ISIphotos.com

When it comes to conversations about the most dysfunctional clubs in Major League Soccer, the New York Red Bulls often tend to dominate the conversations, but one club that needs to start being discussed is the Colorado Rapids.

The Rapids downright imploded in the final six weeks of the MLS season to miss out on the playoffs for a third straight year.

Click to continue reading...

Â

Photo by ISIphotos.com

When it comes to conversations about the most dysfunctional clubs in Major League Soccer, the New York Red Bulls often tend to dominate the conversations, but one club that needs to start being discussed is the Colorado Rapids.

The Rapids downright imploded in the final six weeks of the MLS season to miss out on the playoffs for a third straight year.

Click to continue reading...

(Summary is not available.) Click to continue reading...

Â

Photo by ISIphotos.com
Â

The North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham highlights this weekend's batch of soccer action on TV.

Major League Soccer's playoffs will offer plenty of intrigue, but the Arsenal-Tottenham battle has the makings of a truly exciting encounter with plenty of quality match-ups.

Click to continue reading...

Â

Photo by ISIphotos.com
Â

The North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham highlights this weekend's batch of soccer action on TV.

Major League Soccer's playoffs will offer plenty of intrigue, but the Arsenal-Tottenham battle has the makings of a truly exciting encounter with several quality head-to-head clashes.

Click to continue reading...

The Seattle Sounders will make their MLS playoff debut tonight against the two-time MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the opening match of their Western Conference playoff series (10pm, ESPN2).

The Sounders are new to the playoffs as a club, but have plenty of experience across the board, from two-time MLS Cup-winning coach Sigi Schmid, to European soccer veterans Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg.

Click to continue reading...

The Seattle Sounders will make their MLS playoff debut tonight against the two-time MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo in the opening match of their Western Conference playoff series (10pm, ESPN2).

The Sounders are new to the playoffs as a club, but have plenty of experience across the board, from two-time MLS Cup-winning coach Sigi Schmid, to European soccer veterans Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg.

Click to continue reading...

Anybody casually tuning in to Major League Soccer's Week 32 action and teetering over the great lake of MLS fandom will have jumped right in. The final week of the regular season began with a cluster of teams fighting it out to take up the final three playoff spots. The results and their impact on the playoff bracket were hugely surprising and entirely unpredictable as slip-ups and upsets allowed an unfancied team to leap into the post-season from outside everyone's assumed candidates.

Click to continue reading...

Andre Akpan could be a beast on the next level. (Harvard photos)

Last week I threw out some names that you may have already heard in line for next year's MLS SuperDraft and I am back today with a few more. I hope to start making this list at least a twice a month deal up until the draft in January.

Click to continue reading...

If you've been anywhere near Major League Soccer this season you will have heard of the Seattle Sounders FC, the league's newest club. Not so much for what they've done on the field--this being MLS most clubs do pretty much the same thing--but for the attention they've attracted locally.
The team is a massive hit in the Pacific Northwest, where it has become a pop culture phenomenon. Click to continue reading...

The Major League Soccer regular season is finished and the playoffs are starting this week. It was an interesting regular season which included new franchise Seattle making the playoffs and leading the league in home attendance. Other clubs such as the New York Red Bulls struggled all year and were the worst team in the league.

Click to continue reading...

Â

Of all the decisions to be made on head coaching positions in Major League Soccer this off-season, perhaps none is being watched more carefully than the New York Red Bulls' decision on whether to keep Richie Williams as head coach.

Hiring Williams would seem like a no-brainer for a club that watched him take a hopeless team and transform it into a respectable one that posted more points in eight matches (11) than it posted in its first 22 (10).

Click to continue reading...