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U.S. U-20 national team defender Gale Agbossoumonde could be the first member of the U.S. Under-20 World Cup team to score a move to Europe after the tournament.

According to� this report� out of Portugal, Agbossoumonde, who currently� plays for Miami FC in the USL,� is expected to join Sporting Braga on loan on Nov.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com
U.S. U-20 national team defender Gale Agbossoumonde could be the first member of the U.S. Under-20 World Cup team to score a move to Europe after the tournament.

According to� this report� out of Portugal, Agbossoumonde, who currently� plays for Miami FC in the USL,� is expected to join Sporting Braga on loan on Nov.

Click to continue reading...

The Minnesota Thunder have no general manager, no coach, 3 employees and a boat load of bills. Will they survive, and will Dean Johnson ask for help?

Four weeks ago, Inside Minnesota Soccer conducted a phone interview with Minnesota Thunder owner Dean Johnson while he was in Chicago trying to close a business deal.

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The Minnesota Thunder have no general manager, no coach, 3 employees and a boat load of bills. Will they survive, and will Dean Johnson ask for help?

Four weeks ago, Inside Minnesota Soccer conducted a phone interview with Minnesota Thunder owner Dean Johnson while he was in Chicago trying to close a business deal.

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Yesterday out at the Nike headquarters in Oregon the USL first division owners got together for a little meeting. It turns out the group does know how to play some hardball with the other group of owners known as the TOA who are planning to start their own league.

The USL called it a new era for the league, especially the first division.

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Jack McInerney is a young player with a bright future.

As I mentioned a week ago I am hoping to get this into a regular thing for at least the next few weeks as we really start to gear up for the 2010 SuperDraft in just a couple (yes only a couple) months away. The response has been pretty solid so far and I'll be honest a few of you have mentioned some players that I had not heard of yet until now.

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The USL is in Beverton, Oregon this week, home of Nike Soccer, the former owner and new league sponsors of the United Soccer Leagues. The teams are meeting in preparation for the Annual General Meetings that will take place in Tampa Florida in a few weeks.

According to a news article produced by the USL themselves, they are stating that Owners representing Austin, Cleveland, New York, Puerto Rico, Portland, Rochester and Tampa Bay were in attendance as well as individuals representing USL-1 Canadian expansion teams in Edmonton and Ottawa and American teams in Baltimore and Detroit were on hand.

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The USL is in Beverton, Oregon this week, home of Nike Soccer, the former owner and new league sponsors of the United Soccer Leagues. The teams are meeting in preparation for the Annual General Meetings that will take place in Tampa, Florida in a few weeks.

According to a news article produced by the USL themselves, they are stating that Owners representing Austin, Cleveland, New York, Puerto Rico, Portland, Rochester and Tampa Bay were in attendance as well as individuals representing USL-1 Canadian expansion teams in Edmonton and Ottawa and American teams in Baltimore and Detroit were on hand.

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I guess some would look at this as a continuation of the war of press releases between the United Soccer Leagues and the Team Owners Association, but nonetheless it's still news.

According to the press release the USL First Division will move forward next year without the member clubs of the TOA, though Tampa seems to be on-board with the USL despite flirting with TOA over the last few months.

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This week the teams of the United Soccer League First Division were meeting in Beaverton, OR talking about the upcoming 2010 season under new owners, NuRock. One of the most interesting reports coming out of this meeting is talking about a possible hiatus for the USL Second Division. There are some facts to bring that truth out.

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Well, it looks like the NuRock v TOA saga is continuing, but only a little bit, while the USL-1 meetings are being held in Beaverton, OR this week. With the following teams certainly there - Rochester, Portland, Tampa Bay, Puerto Rico, FC New York, Cleveland and Austin. The TOA clubs, may or may not be Vancouver, [. Click to continue reading...

The USL First Division owners are holding meetings in Beaverton, Oregon this week in the midst of the ongoing dispute with the Team Owners Association. On the docket was a revamping of the league in...

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Tom Soehn's term as Head Coach of DC United has come to a close Monday evening when he met with Kevin Payne and the rest of the head honchos in the DC United front office. Tom Soehn did not await the decision from Kevin Payne and left on his own terms.

Now the decision comes down to who is next to step up and be the new DC United Head Coach?

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Richard Farley from "Inside the Six" interviewed yours truly to bring you up to date with the latest news on the Team Owners Association (TOA).

"Inside the Six" is part of the World Soccer Reader network and Richard Farley is well versed in football from around the globe as well as the US.

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Richard Farley from "Inside the Six" interviewed yours truly to bring you up to date with the latest news on the Team Owners Association (TOA).

"Inside the Six" is part of the World Soccer Reader network and Richard Farley is well versed in football from around the globe as well as the US.

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Back in 2001, when the Afusionados (Fan Club of the Miami Fusion) were around; those vatos awarded Burrito the title of Afusionado Fan of the year. Burrito deserved it because Burrito is one cool dawg! Though no trophy was given, Burrito received a Taco Bell Bean Burrito as an award as you can see in the picture to the right. Click to continue reading...

Just a quick update on the big USL vs TOA grudge match that none of us bought a ticket for, but are being forced to watch anyway.
Some stuff was said, and then unsaid, bluffs are being made, and called, and everybody's kind of confused, and now they're circling the lawyers, and the league meeting is this week. Click to continue reading...

After a three week hiatus, Kartik Krishnaiyer returns to host the show with some excerpts from our EPL Talk interview with critically acclaimed and best selling author, Simon Kuper. Brian Zygo also catches up with Rico Clark to get his thoughts on scoring for the US in front of his father and World Cup qualification.

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On this week's Match Fit USA Soccer Show, Jason and Zach talk about the MLS playoffs, cover the USL-TOA saga with David Fellerath of Triangle Offense, and debate the fine handed down to DC United's...

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As mentioned before, I'm skipping the high school season; in this case because I've got other regularly occuring activies that happen the same days as high school games - and frankly sometimes I just need a year away (see many many rants about high school soccer). But I am working games at the same sport-centered school I've been fortunate enough to work for the last two winters. Click to continue reading...

Having a full day off I thought I would share the links that are out there of interest to Sounders fans and those that read the site, as well as a recap of the Sounders FC weekly radio show on 710 ESPN. First TOA v NuRock is getting to a boiling point. Yep, hints of [...] Click to continue reading...

The dispute between several clubs in the USL's first division and the league's administrators has reached the end-game this week, and Triangle Offense is reporting that the breakaway Team Owners Association is submitting its application for recognition as a league to the US Soccer Federation.

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This past week I was asked by Inside The Six's Richard Farley to discuss about MLS, the last match at Giants Stadium, Red Bull New York,� MLS as a whole and the situation of the USL & the future of American Soccer.

Richard Farley who has been� a guest many times on the MLS Talk Podcast with Kartik Krishnaiyer was gracious enough to allow me to share my thoughts on the game here in the USA.

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Houston and Seattle played a classic match last night on national television. The unsporting Freddy Montero was unable to hand the physical pounding Dom Kinnear and the Houston defenders had in store for the much hyped, but little regarded (at least in Colombia) forward. Montero's solution: whine and go to ground easily.

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There isn't much tonight for the evening links and thoughts. Got some USL-TOA talk and a brief thought about Kevin Payne's fine from the league earlier today.

But first there we gotta go back into the TOA-USL talk that we've been going around and around with for the last few weeks. Reports tonight suggest the TOA and their clubs could very well soon be forming their own league, even as soon as TOMORROW.

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If you've been closely following the convoluted game of chicken currently being played by the new owners of USL and the renegade group of USL1 owners who call themselves the TOA (Ticked-off Owners Association), congratulations. You're certifiable.
For the rest of us, the threats, counter threats, rumors and gross exaggerations leaking (intentionally or not) over the transom from the (most likely cheap) rented hotel meeting rooms where everyone is going to huff and puff at each other is all we need to know for certain that sooner or later one side or the other will cave in, but until the first ball is kicked in anger in the 2010 USL season almost nothing can be said to be permanent. Click to continue reading...

Just getting this out there, no time for extensive thoughts. 24thMinute and CBC on Vancouver and Montreal pulling out of USL. Inside MN Soccer on the fuller situation. The TOA is clearly now the 2nd tier of the sport. Not just due to market size, but also due to the quality of the organizations involved. Click to continue reading...

Canadian Press are reporting that USL league owners, Alek Papadakis is saying that "The negotiations are finished," Papadakis told CKAC.� "We decided to continue our preparation for the season 2010 with the teams which wished to remain with us." Papadakis was refering to the ongoing talk with the Team Owners Association or TOA that have been organized for well over a year and have failed to pay renewel fees to the USL for the 2010 season.

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Canadian Press are reporting that USL league owner, Alek Papadakis is saying that "The negotiations are finished," Papadakis told CKAC.� "We decided to continue our preparation for the season 2010 with the teams which wished to remain with us." Papadakis was referring to the ongoing talk with the Team Owners Association or TOA that have been organized for well over a year and have failed to pay renewal fees to the USL for the 2010 season.

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Last week it was rumored that there would be an announcement as to where Miami FC and the rest of the TOA would play. If it would be in the USL, MLS-2 or their own league. Today it seems the last two options seem more probable.
TSN reports that both the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact will be out of USL. Click to continue reading...

This whole USL-TOA situation continues to take a turn for the worse. Today reports out of the Great White North say that both 2009 USL finalists Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps will not be coming back to the USL in 2010.

In a radio interview in Montreal, Alex Papadakis confirmed that neither of the Canadian based clubs would be part of the USL for the 2010 season after the two sides failed to reach an agreement for continuing play next season and that the TOA was ready to move in another direction.

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Now here's something interesting. United Soccer League's CEO Nick Papadakis told a Canadian radio station that "the negotiations are finished" and Vancouver and Montreal are out of the league for 2010. Neither club has issued a statement though so perhaps this is just a hardball tactic on the part of the honchos at USL 1. Click to continue reading...

The offseason continues, but there is plenty of Timbers news to talk about over the past few weeks, especially with the USL season officially completed back on Saturday, October 17th. I'm playing a bit of catchup, but will talk about a lot of items affecting the USL and the Timbers, as the USL wrapped up its 2009 campaign. Click to continue reading...

DC United saw their season come to a close after this weekend with their draw at Kansas City and FC Dallas winning at Seattle. The time has come to decide what the team needs to do next season. This is the second season in a row United has not made the playoffs with winning the Supporter's Shield the 2 years prior.

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The Austin Aztex will announce today the hiring of Djorn Buchholz as Chief Executive Officer of the USL-1 franchise.

Buchholz, a 30-year-old Nebraska native, has been with the Minnesota Thunder for 6 years. He was hired as a sales and marketing manager and was promoted his second year to director of marketing.

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