The full list of each team's most valuable player award from 1996-2007. Each Major League Soccer team gives out its own set of team awards at the end of each season, usually announced at the last home regular season game. Not to be confused with the leaguewide awards.

Sometimes the news articles state that the winner's fellow players voted him MVP, but I've read about the media voting as well. Click to continue reading...

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Jozy Altidore will be staying with Villarreal for at least the first half of the upcoming La Liga season.

The U.S. national team striker and former Red Bulls standout revealed that he will not be going to another Spanish club on loan, which had long been expected, and will stay with Villarreal as the club deals with a rash of injuries at th forward position.

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The Superclasico has taken on secondary importance tonight with word that Galaxy owner Anschutz Entertainment Group wants Bruce Arena as the team's next coach.

AEG President Leiweke said as much to journalists in the press box after also appearing on ESPN2 during the first half of the game.

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The 3rd and final Super Classico of the season is tonight - I will be at the Sweetwater in St Paul watching all the action!


MLS Scoreboard

Week 21
Matches & Scores:
-Thu Aug 14
Chivas USA v Los Angeles - 10pm on ESPN2
Venue: Home Depot Center, Carson CA
Match preview by Andrea Canales at Soccernet. Click to continue reading...

This will sort of go down like the Dallas coaching search from earlier in the year. Only difference will be the owners of the LA Galaxy are probably a bit clueless about who exactly they want to bring in to coach their club, and FC Dallas knew who they wanted from day one (or five [...] Click to continue reading...

Two former opposing players are now opposing coaches.
Photo by Juan Miranda

The still stunned LA Galaxy (6-8-5, 23 pts.) faces still injury-ravaged Chivas USA (6-8-4, 22 pts.) live at 8 p.m. (pre-game show starts at 7:30 p.m.) on ESPN2 with, um, fourth place in the Western Conference on the line.

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Here is a link to a really good analysis by Fox Sports' Jaime Trecker of the U.S. Olympic team's performance after they lost to Nigeria and are out of the tournament. It really was an overall disappointing performance by the team. They should be looking to achieve better results at this point and I agree that its time for Peter Nowak to move on. Click to continue reading...

Peter Nowak and the United States Men's Olympic team went into Wednesday morning's final matchup against Nigeria knowing that a tie or win would see them advance to the next stages of the tournament, but failed to earn a result as they fell to Nigeria 2-1. Click to continue reading...

Michael Orozco's elbow to Solomon Okoronkwo's chest as the two grappled was picked up by the German referee who gave Orozco marching orders. The US were reduced to ten men in the 4th minute.

It was an ill advised foul which happened right in front of the referee and he was forced into taking the more harsh option.

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The task was already going to be tough, but when U.S. Olympic defender Michael Orozco drew a red card just four minutes into the U.S. team's crucial Olympic match against Nigeria, the job turned into trying to swim in a shark tank with your foot cut off.

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Cobi Jones faced the media for the first time Tuesday as the Galaxy's interim coach.

Jones said kinder things about predecessor Ruud Gullit than some of the players I talked to Tuesday. And he was saying all the right things as far as former GM Alexi Lalas was concerned, too:

"It's a loss of someone that was very dedicated to this club and this organization, not only the Galaxy but AEG.

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Memo to the Galaxy: U.S. Men's Olympic Coach Peter Nowak is now available.

The U.S. played with 10 men for 87 minutes, saw Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan score an 88th minute penalty and Benny Feilhaber hit the post in second half stoppage time, but it wasn't enough as Nigeria beat the U.

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The U.S. men need a victory or draw against Nigeria (live at 2 a.m. PT on USA) to win the group.

The math, courtesy of U.S. Soccer: The U.S. can also advance if Japan defeats or draws the Netherlands in their match, which kicks off simultaneously. Both the U.S. and Nigeria have four points from their first two matches, and have the same goal differential of +1, but the U.

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Ruud Gullit is packing his bags and Alexi Lalas is looking for work for the first time in years. What is left in the wake of the Los Angeles Galaxy's blood-letting is a team in need of direction and in desperate need of someone capable of cleaning up the mess.

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With the deciding game of the group stage coming up tomorrow for the US men, Peter Nowak has the most difficult decision of his career to make.  A win or a draw sees the US advance to the quarterfinals of the Olympics, so the right lineup will make the whole difference.  The most troubling part of the [. Click to continue reading...

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The task is simple, but far from easy. Avoid defeat against Nigeria and the U.S. men's Olympic team advances to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Secure a victory against Nigeria and the Americans advance AND avoid facing Argentina in the quarters.

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Before the Olympics began, U.S. midfielder Freddy Adu predicted the Americans would turn a few heads.

"A lot of people aren't giving us a chance to make it out of that group, but we're going to surprise a lot of people," he said. "I think we have a real good shot when you add guys like Brian McBride, Michael Parkhurst and Brad Guzan in goal.

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The game is at 4:45 a.m. on USA.

With a win the U.S. progresses.

Preview here.

The latest from the Olympic team is here.

Group B Standings
Team W L T Pts GF GA GD
USA 1 0 0 3 1 0 +1
NED 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
NGA 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
JPN 0 1 0 0 1 2 -1

Incidentally, I heard from Robbie Rogers' dad who said his son got to meet Kobe Bryant at the spectacular opening ceremonies.

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There's been considerable debate on YS about exotic formations and different personnel, but when it's game time tomorrow, Peter Nowak will put out the best lineup he can.  What that may be, we don't know yet, but we all like to play coach, so let's share our favored lineups for tomorrow's match against the Netherlands. Click to continue reading...

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With just two days between Thursday's 1-0 victory against Japan, and Sunday's showdown vs. the Netherlands, U.S. Olympic men's soccer coach Peter Nowak has some tough decisions to make.

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Peter Nowak's decision to adjust his tactics (ironically enough in line with what most American Soccer Spot readers suggested the other day) shows a tactical savvy and willingness to take chances that many American coaches have quite frankly lacked in big competitions. Since the debacle of Steve Sampson 3-6-1 in the 1998 World Cup, American managers have implemented a very basic tactical structure one which is based on counter attacking and generally does not consider the strengths or weaknesses of the upcoming opposition.

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The US men's Olympic team faced Japan in the opening match of the tournament for both teams on Thursday. If you want to read about the game and discuss it, then go to the jump. If you are still waiting to see the match, then feel free to return here after you have watched the match.

Holden goal helps USA down unlucky Japanese

Photo by ISIphotos.

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Today is a slow day for soccer news, so I'm bringing you some opinion and food for thought.  With the US men starting their Olympic push on thursday, all eyes are on Peter Nowak and what lineup he will use.  Nowak has arguably the strongest set of players ever on a US Olympic team, so [...] Click to continue reading...

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The Olympics are set to kick off for the U.S. men's national team on Thursday morning against Japan, which means that in less than two days we will know who head coach Peter Nowak has chosen to start.

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The US Olympic has played its first warm up matches, and Coach Peter Nowak will be sweating over his lack of options on the back line. Nowak has only four true defenders on the roster, and has played Maurice Edu in the center of defense to make up for the shortfall. One player who might have changed the team's outlook will not represent the US in China. Click to continue reading...