Revolution skipper Jose Goncalves is hoping his team can carry the same attitude seen in Houston into Saturday's match against Toronto. (Photo: Kari Heistad/CapturedImages.biz)
Seventh-place sides don't encounter a trap gamevery often, but that's exactly what awaits the Revolution Saturday night against a stumbling Toronto FC that hasn't won since Week 2.
"You'll Never Walk... Again" NEW ENGLAND VS. TORONTO GILLETTE STADIUM - SATURDAY 7:30PM ET TV: THE SCORE
THE KICKABOUT: "Pahk da cah in Hahvahd Yahd". With that out of the way it's onto a fixture that has dozens excited across North America and not beyond.
Toronto FC announced that they have placed midfielder John Bostock on waivers, ending the loan deal with Tottenham Hotspurs ahead of schedule.
Bostock played in nine matches in all competitions, but had not come off the bench in the past two matches and hadn't started in Major League Soccer play since early April.
Red Bulls manager Mike Petke foreshadowed it last week on his weekly media teleconference, and the news was eventually released on late Wednesday night that midfielder Tim Cahill had been selected for Australia's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
Ryan Nelsen will have to wait another week for his misfiring side to end their winless streak at home.
Toronto FC lost their fourth match in a row despite new acquisitions Steven Caldwell, Jeremy Brockie, and Bobby Convey making their debuts for the club.
The Seattle Sounders are on a roll, having put together a five-match unbeaten streak to climb out of the Western Conference basement and make their march toward the top of the standings.
Waiting for them at the top is FC Dallas, which is in Seattle tonight to try and keep their own nine-match streak alive.
A day after hearing that defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi would be joining the U.S. Men's National Team, Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes found out he'd be without two additional players for a three week stretch in the middle of the season.
Toronto FC GM Kevin Payne still isn't finished improving his squad.
Just days after signing two new players, Payne engineered a move to acquire winger Bobby Convey from Sporting Kansas City in exchange for a 2014 natural third round (first round supplemental draft) MLS SuperDraft selection.
Sporting Kansas City traded forward Bobby Convey to Toronto FCon Thursdayin exchange for Toronto FC's natural third round pick in next year's MLS SuperDraft (in other words the first pick from Toronto in the Supplemental Draft).
Yep. Convey re-joins Kevin Payne and former teammate (now head coach) Ryan Nelsen.
Well today was expected to be a busy day and for the MLS Disciplinary Committee it was probably a busy couple of days reviewing everything from last week.
First up is a reduction in one players' suspension from last week.MLS Commissioner Don Garber has reduced by one game the suspension issued to San Jose Earthquakes forward Marvin Chavez for violent conduct in a May 8 game against Toronto FC.
If Toronto FC President and GM Kevin Payne's comments on Monday were an indication of anything, it's that changes were coming, and fast.
TFC announced on Tuesday that they had waived two players, Ashton Bennett and Taylor Morgan. Both forwards, Bennett was the team's first round selection in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft, while Morgan was picked in the fourth round.
Last Tuesday, Toronto FC announced that they had signed three new players from abroad on-loan, with manager Ryan Nelsen looking to shore up the porous back line and increase the goal scoring chances.
One of the players signed was Queens Park Rangers defender Tal Ben Haim, but on Monday, President and General Manager Kevin Payne shed some light on the situation, saying that he wasn't sure if Ben Haim would ever see the field in a TFC uniform.
Toronto FC continued to add players on Thursday, signing Israel international defender Tal Ben Haim on loan from Queens Park Rangers.
The Canadian club conceded in the final ten minutes again on Wednesday night in a 2-1 loss to San Jose, forcing Ryan Nelsen to demand some new faces in the team.
Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen has once again delved into his rolodex to strengthen his side as the club today announced the acquisition of defender Tal Ben Haim on loan from Queens Park Rangers. QPR being Nelsen's former team.
The 31-year-old Israeli international has made over 300 appearances during nine seasons in England, eight of which have been in the EPL.
Toronto FC made a big splash this offseason by signing Ryan Nelsen to be their new manager, but things on the field haven't exactly gone to plan.
Looking to close all the holes in a leaky defense, Nelsen has dipped into England again, signing Birmingham City defender Steven Caldwell on-loan through June 30, when his contract will expire.
Ryan Nelsen's coaching nightmare is showing no signs of coming to an end.
After conceding late goals in losses last Saturday and Wednesday, Toronto FC again gifted an opponent a late goal, failing to win for the seventh consecutive match.
Edson Buddle scored off a defensive gaffe by Logan Emery in the 86th minute to lead the Colorado Rapids over TFC, 1-0, on Saturday night at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in a game that was marked by poor passing from both sides and a lack of rhythm throughout.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, Mikael Silvestre's debut season in Major League Soccer is all but over.
The Timbers announced that Silvestre had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, ruling him out for the next six to nine months.
Jack McInerney's breakout season really took off in April, with a league-leading four goals during the month, good for the MLS lead and good for a spot on the SBI MLS Best XI for the Month of April.
The importance of Tim Cahill to the New York Red Bulls could not have been on a bigger display last Saturday, when he scored both goals in the team's 2-1 win vs. Toronto FC, a performance that earned him MLS Player of the Week.
The Australian international had been called out by fans and the media alike for his lack of scoring so far this season, but once again, manager Mike Petke laughed off those suggestions, praising Cahill's versatility and willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
Another Premier League winner could soon be on his way to Major League Soccer.
According to The Daily Mail, Queens Park Rangers midfielder Park Ji-Sung has been linked with a move to North America, as MLS looks to expand their marketing reach into the Asian market.
Soccer fans were stunned when Tim Leiweke stunningly left his post as the president of LA Galaxy owner AEGa couple of weeks ago. Leiweke was responsible for increasing the worldwide visibility of the Galaxy by signing the likes of David Beckham and Robbie Keane.
On Friday, Leiweke was named the new CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns Toronto FC and several other Toronto pro sports teams.
Major League Soccer takes center stage in the latest episode of The SBI Show, with MLS expansion and a loaded slate of action in Week Nine leading the topics discussed.
Co-host Garrett Cleverly and I discuss a wide range of topics, from Tim Leiweke's move to Toronto FC, to Tim Cahill's value as a Designated Player, and Portland's statement victory against Sporting Kansas City.
New York Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill picked a great day to score his first goals of the season.
With his team playing without Juninho and Dax McCarty in the center of the park due to suspension and injury, respectively, it was Cahill who stepped up to guide the Red Bulls to victory on the road.
Familiar foes Real Salt Lake and the Los Angeles Galaxy will renew acquaintances at Rio Tinto Stadium tonight in the day's marquee match-up of Saturday Week Nine action.
The Galaxy are coming off an impressive win vs. Sporting Kansas City, but a road trip to Utah will be a tougher proposition as RSL enter off a win of their own, a 1-0 triumph.
Considering what Tim Leiweke did for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto FC and their fans could be forgiven for being pretty excited for their future prospects.
The former President and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group was named to the same role with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment on Friday, a Toronto-based sports company that manages, among others, Toronto's Major League Soccer franchise.
When it has come to sustained success over the past half decade, no MLS teams have done it better than the Los Angeles Galaxy and Real Salt Lake.
Sure, some recognizable faces have come and gone. But both teams have maintained their accomplished cores and smartly managed the players around them while bolstering their trophy cases.
Can Laba help ignite the Toronto attack? (Getty Images)
The rumors can finally be put to rest in Toronto, the Reds may have their man. The club announced Friday that they have signed Argentine midfielder Matias Laba to a Young Designated Player contract.
Laba is the league's third Young DP, following the footsteps of other South American youngsters in FC Dallas' Fabian Castillo and D.
Brek Shea will be returning to Dallas, Texas this summer for the first time since his January move to England. Only this time, he'll be in the opposition's shirt.
Shea's club Stoke City announced this week that they will have a ten-day pre-season tour in the U.
It was a big week last week in MLS-ia, with 10 games on tap and decent match-ups all over the country. Some of our staffers stepped up to the challenge, while others... well, you'll see in the scores - suffice to say that any gloating Benuski may have been entitled to has now been unceremoniously executed.
Not completely satisfied with his current roster, Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen is still looking to bring in a couple of players before the May 6 transfer deadline.
Though moves for Bolton midfielder Kevin Davies and midfielder Maximiliano Urruti of Newell's Old Boys in Argentina fell through in the last two days, Nelsen is closing in on another Argentine player.
Payne and Nelsen look over scouting reports Nothing in football says "building for the future" and "setting a strong foundation" like a squad full of 3-month loan signings. And by "nothing" we mean just about anything. Since February, Kevin Payne and his band of Merry Management at TFC have dropped the hint that 5 or 6 player signings are constantly imminent.
Relax Steven, it's just a loan Apparently the way to fix Toronto FC's leaky wingback situation which has led to many a last-minute heartbreaker... is to loan a centreback. Yes, TFC have reportedly gone back to mining the English Championship loan market again this time grabbing Scotland International and soon-to-be ex-Birmingham City defender Steven Caldwell.
PSP analyzes Philadelphia Union's salary breakdown and identifies the steals (like Ray Gaddis, pictured), veteran bargains, surprises, and winner of the Juan Diego Gonzalez Award. Also, we take a look at several potential trade scenarios for Bakary Soumare.
Slowly, the New York Red Bulls are addressing their team issues, but one remains glaring.
A healthy forward corps has helped drive the team to a league-leading 15 goals. The midfield has contributed greatly in creating chances, putting New York in solid command for team assists league wide with 20, nearly doubling the total of their closest rivals (12).
After a two-game homestand that saw the New York Red Bulls split contests with Sporting Kansas City and the New England Revolution, it's back on the road. This time, RBNY will make its second trip of the year north of the border, visiting Toronto FC at BMO Field. Over the past few seasons, the Red Bulls have had Toronto's number, beating them handily in Harrison and getting generally respectable results in Ontario as well.
"Can you feel the passion? Umm...guys? Can you feel it?" It was always going to be this way. As far back as the first home fixture in 2007, Toronto FC was based on a house of cards that was "the great atmosphere". It didn't help when the assembled North American football media got in line to stroke the club and its supporters' egos for managing to introduce a "European match atmosphere" to MLS.
Last season's Most Valuable Player Chris Wondolowski put together the kind of performance that proves his worth as a designated player.
Wondolowski assisted on one and scored the game-winner as the San Jose Earthquakes came back from one goal down to defeat Toronto FC, 2-1, on Wednesday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.
After the Voyaguers Cup Semi-Final 1st Leg, Montreal supporters' groups were tremendously unhappy with their club's lack of showing in a 2-0 loss to Toronto. To "voice" what they saw as a lack of passion from their club's leadership in regards to the tournament, they sat in silence during Impact's following fixture to Chicago Fire.
Montreal started the season with four straight wins and drew some attention from national media as a front runner in the East but a bye week preceded by a loss in Kansas City and a tie at home has pushed them out of the spotlight somewhat. Two road wins (at Seattle and Portland) to begin the year followed by home wins against Toronto FC and New York fueled early band wagon jumping with some outlets perching them atop their always arguable "power rankings".
Toronto FC came very close to adding a quality striker to partner with Robert Earnshaw, but their quest to build a potent strike tandem has fallen short after word that Kevin Davies move from Bolton to TFC has fallen apart.
Bolton announced on Wednesday that Davies will be staying with the Trotters, with the Bolton News reporting that a "contractual glitch" prevented Davies from completing the transfer.
