David Beckham’s dreams of launching a MLS team in Miami were dealt a major blow today after his Option B for a stadium location, the boat slip and park next to American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami, was vetoed by Miami’s mayor.

This is the second stadium location that Beckham and his group have been denied approval. The first was PortMiami, which was opposed by cruise line company Royal Caribbean. Then, Miami Beckham United shifted its resources to the boat slip adjacent to Miami Heat’s arena. However, “the slip is off the table” revealed Mayor Tomas Regalado to The Miami Herald newspaper.

John Alschuler, Beckham’s real-estate advisor, now has to find a third option for Beckham and his investors.

According to multiple sources, there are still four options on the table for Beckham and his group. However, the most realistic option would be the land next to Marlins Park in Little Havana, which Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez publicly endorses.

Other pieces of real estate that could be considered include land near Miami International Airport, a parcel just north of the Dolphin Expressway, and land in Wynwood.

“Miami Beckham United presented a financial offer that included a privately funded stadium, fair payments for the use of the land, and zero City or County dollars. The Mayor and City Manager considered the proposal to be generous, though no negotiations took place,” said Miami Beckham United in a statement released just after the announcement.

“Mayor Regalado and the City Manager expressed their strong desire to bring professional soccer to Miami and their deep respect for David Beckham and his partners,” the statement continued. “Miami Beckham United will spend the coming months weighing alternatives.”

Despite the land near Marlins Park being the easiest and most logical option, Beckham’s business partner Simon Fuller says the land is “spiritually tainted” due to the public financing deal of Marlins Park that could cost Miami residents upwards of $1.18 billion. However, it appears that the land in Little Havana is currently the only piece of real estate that any Miami-Dade commissioner supports.

This saga has just reached a new low. And with the news that the Minnesota Vikings are going to pursue an MLS franchise, it’s possible that Miami may not ultimately even be awarded the 23rd MLS franchise due to its inability to find a stadium location.

The saga continues.

An artist’s rendering of what a MLS soccer stadium next to Marlins Park would look like.

Even before Jürgen Klinsmann made the shocking decision to leave Landon Donovan out of the final 23 players that will play in Brazil, this U.S. Men’s National Team was heading to Brazil as one of the least experienced US teams in a very long time.

This is USMNT’s first World Cup since 1990 where a single center-back has zero World Cup experience.

However, despite all that, goalkeeper Tim Howard believes this edition of the USMNT is better than the 2010 version that won their group en-route to a loss to Ghana.

Howard believes this team will be hungry and has the ability to surprise in Brazil.

“This team is younger, but I think we’re slightly better than 2010, only because of that youth, and that inexperience almost helps you.”

Gone are USMNT veterans such as Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, and Oguchi Onyewu, who have been replaced by younger talent ready to prove themselves. Players like Stoke City’s Geoff Cameron, Los Angeles Galaxy’s Omar Gonzalez, Seattle Sounders’ DeAndre Yedlin, and Sporting Kansas City’s Matt Besler. They will be the ones who will hold the backline in the group of death.

Despite not having any World Cup experience in the centerback position, Howard believes his defense is strong.

“Defensively I think we are pretty rock solid. I don’t know; we’ll have to find out. It’s sink-or-swim time when you get to the World Cup. There’s no guesswork. There’s nothing to speculate on.”

That is the biggest difference between the 2010 team to the 2014 squad that will try to navigate through one of the toughest groups in the World Cup. A group that many are saying the US has no business in escaping, especially now without Landon Donovan.

The 2010 version of squad may have had more veterans, but this squad is hungry and ready to prove the world wrong, “Guys don’t actually know what to expect, they’re just hungry and ready to go for it,” added Howard.

Don’t be too critical of the US backline just yet. After all, the U.S. only allowed eight goals in 10 Hexagonal games.

David Beckham’s new MLS team could very well be making a change for the better.

While all the attention was on PortMiami, the controversial site for a proposed Miami MLS stadium in an area of the city with limited space and poor access to parking and transportation, David Beckham’s group’s real estate advisor John Alschuler announced on the Ultras Alive podcast that he and Beckham had received a letter from Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez asking them if they would consider another piece of land.

However, the land proposed by Gimenez doesn’t even exist yet. Gimenez has proposed filling a massive boat slip between Museum Park and AmericanAirlines Arena which, according to the mayor, would create enough new land for a stadium as well as a pedestrian walkway along Biscayne Bay.

“I think it’s very exciting,” said Beckham to the media after his meetings with Dade County commissioners on Wednesday. “It gives us another option to look at which has come out of the blue which takes us from one great possible location to two.”

The FEC Slip (the boat slip) was under consideration months ago as a potential site for Beckham’s MLS team but was ruled out because by itself it was too small. However, Gimenez added another piece of land just east of the American Airlines Arena known as “Parcel B,” which opens up a whole new side and makes Alschuler and the rest of the Beckham group reconsider everything.

“The mayor’s willingness to add Parcel B to the discussion is a fundamental change because it means the park would be larger and arguably better,” Alschuler said.

However, no one is expecting this to be simpler than the PortMiami idea. It’s actually a lot more difficult.

First of all, the property is owned by the City of Miami, which would have to sell it or transfer it to the county. Secondly, the city charter requires a public vote over the use of any waterfront property.

Not only that, but it’s also not going to be a cheap task to fill that land. Reports have come out saying that it will cost roughly about $18 million just to fill the slip — money that David Beckham and his investors would have to pay, as the city will not give them a dime.

“We said it from day one, we don’t want local taxpayer money,” affirmed Beckham. “The funding for the stadium and the funding to fill in the site for the stadium is something we are very passionate about, if that’s to become a possible site then I think it’s a positive one.”

Alschuler said Miami Beckham United would examine the feasibility of filling the slip, and according to Gimenez, results of the group’s analysis should be completed within the next two weeks.

“Downtown Miami will greatly benefit from the creation of a grand waterfront park that will serve to bring our urban core closer to the water, providing a magnificent bay front walk along Biscayne Bay,” Gimenez wrote. “The uninterrupted green-space would connect the Miami River, through Bayfront Park, to Museum Park, creating and expanding one seamless waterfront pedestrian experience.”

The land next to the American Airlines Arena would be the ideal place for Beckham’s MLS team. Near another stadium, it would give Miami a feeling of togetherness as both soccer and basketball franchises would be playing next to each other.

Also, its location is ideal. There’s no need half a mile and over a bridge in the blazing hot sun. There’s no need to bring traffic congestion to the bridge. The location is near the convenient MetroRail station. And it’s right next to the water, just like Beckham wants it.

What are your thoughts regarding the new stadium site that could potentially be the home of Miami’s MLS team?

The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) might be on the verge of acquiring yet another high profile European in the near future. According to Steven Goff of The Washington Post, Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem is on the verge of becoming an American citizen. And by doing so, he’ll be eligible to represent the red, white and blue on the pitch.

The 17-year-old midfielder is German-born but lived in the D.C. suburbs for six years before joining the Gunners last year. Zelalem has even trained with the U.S. under-15 team twice, but because he’s not a U.S. citizen, he did not meet the eligibility requirements to play in official matches.

Zelalem is actually in the German national team system. However in March, he withdrew from the under-17 team ahead of the European Championship qualifiers. By withdrawing from the competition, Zelalem held on to his hope of playing for the USMNT at some point in his career. FIFA does not allow players to switch affiliations unless the player is a citizen of both countries at the time they make their international debut.

His situation is a lot more complicated than Julian Green’s, who made his decision in April to play for the USMNT.

Unlike Green, Zelalem is not a U.S. citizen. His parents are not citizens and so the only way Zelalem can even entertain the idea of playing for the United States is if his parents become U.S. citizens, because then Zelalem is eligible for a U.S. passport through the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which “serves to facilitate the acquisition of U.S. citizenship of the foreign-born children of U.S. citizens – both biological and adopted – who did not acquire citizenship at birth.”

It helps that he is under age 18 because he will automatically become a citizen when his father becomes a citizen, which apparently has happened and this is the reason he and his father are in D.C.

Zelalem is young, only 17 years old, and he has a lot of time to grow, but if he was to choose the United States program over Germany, this would be the second high-profile international to pick the United States of America, the first being Julian Green.

The youngster made his first-team debut for Arsenal in a January FA Cup match against Coventry City and has been an unused substitute in three EPL matches. This would be yet another project for Jurgen Klinsmann, as he would most likely use Zelalem in the 2016 Olympics or the 2018 World Cup in Russia. If he decides to play for the United States that is.

What are your thoughts on the developing story?

Last week, that Atlanta Business Journal newspaper created a poll asking readers what they thought the name of their new 2017 MLS franchise soccer team should be. After over 1,000 entries, the results are in. With over 29% of the votes, the fans decided that Atlanta Phoenix would be the perfect name.

The top two runners-up included Premier Atlanta (nearly 17 percent of the vote) and Atlanta Blaze (more than 11 percent).

Atlanta Phoenix, referring to the bird, would fall in line with the bird-named theme of Atlanta’s Falcons (NFL) and Hawks (NBA), and it has deep roots within the city. Although not a real bird, the Phoenix was adopted as the symbol of Atlanta after the Civil War.

For those that don’t know American History, the city of Atlanta was burned to the ground during the Civil War by William T. Sherman’s Union army.

The Phoenix is embedded in Atlanta’s DNA, so much so that “Atlanta From The Ashes,” a bronze monument located in Woodruff Park, symbolizes Atlanta’s rise from the ashes of the Civil War to become one of the most important cities in the United States.

It seems fitting that its soccer team should be called Atlanta Phoenix — a team who none thought could be a reality is now very much real. They will rise from the ashes of doubt and become of the forces to be reckoned with in MLS.

The other names proposed were:

Atlanta Fury, Atlanta United FC, ATL United, Atlanta Rising, Atlanta Soccer Club, Atlanta Lynix, Atlanta FC, Resurgens FC, Atlanta Resurgens FC, Atlanta Resurgents, Atlanta Orangemen (a Home Depot reference), Atlanta Football Club, FC Atlanta, Atlanta City Football Club, Terminus FC, Terminus Legion, Atlanta Ringleader FC, Atlanta Old Confederacy, Atlanta Gryphons, Atlanta Osprey, Atlanta Copperheads, Dixie FC, FC Dixie, Atlanta Thunderbirds, Atlanta Athletic FC, Atlanta Swallows, Atlanta Blanks, Atlanta FC Battle, Atlanta Attack, Red Golds, Inter Atlanta, Atlanta Riders, Atlanta Georgians, Atlanta Firecrackers, Atlanta Talons,  Atlanta Flight, Atlanta Thunder, Atlanta Warriors, Atlanta Scorz, Ball Kickers, Atlanta Rails, Atlanta Locomotive, Locomotive Atlanta, Georgia Gents, Georgia (or Atlanta) Cannon, Stallions, Atlanta Rage!, and Atlanta Free Birds.

I strongly believe Atlanta Phoenix is the best choice. What do you think?

The World Cup sticker album from Panini has been one of fascination for kids and adults alike, and has been for at least every four years.

In 1998, on the heels of the World Cup, my dad bought me my first ever World Cup sticker album. Gluing stickers into an album seems elementary, but the excitement one gets when opening a pack and seeing that one card they’ve been missing is hard to duplicate.

The addiction is fun especially when you’re a kid. Your parents go and buy you the packs. You look over what you get and trade the cards you already have. However, when you’re in your 20s or even 30s, mom and dad aren’t buying your packs anymore and you see these 20 and 30-somethings spending money like water on World Cup stickers. I’ve seen people walk out with over 50 packs at one point.

You need 640 stickers to complete this summer’s World Cup album from Panini. However since they are sold in packs of 5-7 (depending on where you live), the amount of duplicates increases everytime you buy more stickers. FIFA TV made a calculation that states in order to have a complete album, you must have buy 4,505 stickers to ensure a complete album. That’s roughly $643 spent on buying packs of stickers!

When the 2014 World Cup Album was released, I rushed out to purchase one. And to my disbelief, I walked up to the counter to ask where they were and the cashier looked at me and said they were sold out.

The United States has clearly caught World Cup sticker fever. There’s no doubt. This year, many stores and people alike are doing sticker trading days where they go to a place with their duplicates in hopes of trading for stickers they need to complete their album.

During my first encounter with a Panini sticker album in 1998, I was still living in Brazil at the time. That year, my entire first grade class had an album. We would brag about getting players the others didn’t have, or we would brag about the “shiny-ees.” During that 1998 school year, we all became professional negotiators. “You want my shiny Brazil crest? Well that will cost you 5 regular stickers.”

We would play games with the duplicates we had. One game, in particular, was where we picked the cards from the other person that we needed, and they would do the same. Then, we would place them faced down on the table and we would hit the table in hopes some of the stickers you picked would flip up. If the stickers flipped, you kept them. If they didn’t… well, you didn’t get them.

It’s safe to say, I was hooked. The following year, I received the 1999 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A sticker album by Panini. I never completed that album, but it’s one of my favorites, as kids in school would do the same thing we did for the World Cup one for the Brazilian League one.

When I moved to the United States, I was afraid I would never see another Panini sticker album again since soccer wasn’t as big when I moved here. In 2002, I asked my grandmother to send me a World Cup album from Brazil. She did and she also sent over hundreds of packets to go with the book. Again, I never completed that album. The 2006 edition of the World Cup Sticker album is missing from my collection, as I never got a chance to get one. But then in 2010, I was at a Walgreens pharmacy and noticed the 2010 version of the sticker album. I simply had to have it.

Opening those packets in 2010 reminded me of 1998 when my dad and I would go to the newsstands and buy a few packets, and then rush home to open them up in hopes of getting the stickers I needed to complete the collection.

Personally, I love the sticker album hobby. I think it’s an European and South American thing though as most of my American soccer friends here have no idea what they are and always question why a grown man would be so happy to buy stickers for a book. They’ll learn soon enough!

Photo credit: Juan Arango

Articles from our series focused on soccer trading cards and stickers:

• Soccer trading cards: Why it’s time to consider investing in the hobby
• What makes soccer trading cards valuable, and why and how to get them graded
• Collecting Panini’s Euro 2020 stickers is a perfect accompaniment to watching the tournament

Videos: Unboxing of soccer cards and stickers

• 2020/21 Obsidian soccer cards
• 2020/21 Topps Museum Collection: UEFA Champions League
• 2018/19, 2019/20 & 2020/21 Topps Bundesliga stickers
• 2020/21 Panini Prizm Premier League
• Euro 2020 Panini stickers
• Panini Chronicles box break featuring Neymar autograph
• Orbis World Cup 1990: The greatest soccer sticker album of all time

U.S. Soccer announced yesterday that tickets for the highly anticipated match versus Turkey on June 1 at Red Bull Arena will be distributed to the general public thorough a lottery system.

Unlike the match versus Nigeria in Jacksonville, in which fans can purchase their tickets on ussoccer.com and over 20,000 fans already have, fans wanting to go to the Turkey match will have to apply for a lottery system, much like the World Cup.

Applications will be accepted through ussoccer.com for a 24-hour period beginning May 1 at 10 a.m. ET and concluding May 2 at 10 a.m. ET.  Applications will be limited to four tickets per household.

However, if you are a Visa cardholder, because of Visa’s sponsorship deal with U.S. Soccer, you will have access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Wednesday, April 30, at 10 a.m. ET and runs until Thursday, May 1, at 8 a.m. ET on ussoccer.com. Obviously enough, Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale.

The match against Turkey is the second of three Send-Off Series games for the U.S. Men’s National Team prior to its departure for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The USMNT will open their Send-Off Series when it hosts Azerbaijan on May 27 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. They will then travel to New Jersey to take on Turkey, and later travel to Jacksonville on June 7 to face fellow World Cup finalists Nigeria.

Kickoff for the game versus Turkey is set for 2 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, WatchESPN, UniMas and ESPN Deportes Radio.

Chicago Fire (0-1-5) vs New England Revolution (2-3-1)
Toyota Park
April 19, 2013
4 p.m (NBCSN) 

Probable Lineup:

The Chicago Fire come into this game still looking for their first “W” of the season. The Fire reached a draw for a fifth consecutive match, playing to a 1-1 result with the Montréal Impact last Saturday. The Fire sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 5 points from 6 games.

Despite all the draws, head coach, Frank Yallop, is not worried, “If we keep playing like that, the wins will come. For me as a coach, I could only ask for effort, play and to create chances, we’re getting punished for the odd chance the opposition is getting right now. In our last two games we’ve played well enough to win both games, but we haven’t. So we got to keep going and not worry about it.”

One of Chicago’s biggest weapons, 2013 MLS MVP, Mike Magee has been quite so far this season. With only one goal and two assists to his name, last season’s MVP will look to get out of his funk versus the Revolution.

Even with a slow start to the season, the Revolution will need to focus most of their attention on Magee, who often strikes the back of the net on impulse.

A slow start to the 2014 regular season prompted some to question the New England Revolution’s legitimacy without Juan Agudelo. Following wins in two of their last three games, however, the Revs are back to suitable form.

The Revolution hope to continue their well-timed spell on the road against the Chicago Fire.

However, the Revs will be playing at Toyota Park today without the reigning MLS Defender of the Year, Jose Goncalves, who sustained a hurt quad at the Dynamo home match. His gritty but composed style of play is so integral to the Revolution’s positive results, especially in the face of a dangerous opposing attacker like Magee.

In his absence, expect Andrew Farrell to move to center during the game, and Darrius Barnes move to the right ride. These defenders work well together on the back line, and they should be up to the task of handling the Fire attack today.

Before, during or after today’s match, join the conversation in the comments section below with fellow soccer fans from around the world.

On Monday, the New York Times broke the news that Major League Soccer’s newest MLS franchise, New York City FC (NYCFC) — which is slated to begin play in 2015, will be playing its first three seasons in a baseball stadium.

NYCFC is set to publicly announce that the expansion franchise will play from 2015 through at least 2018 at Yankees Stadium.

Since the team was announced last May, many questioned where New York’s second franchise would play. In January, the team told MLS officials that they would have a plan in 30 days. Approximately 104 days later the team has their temporary solution, a baseball stadium.

This delay hurts not only the team but also the league. Because of NYCFC’s failure to finalize a solid stadium plan, prime marketing and advertising opportunities were wasted, not to mention they are one year behind in season ticket sales.

However, that’s not the worst part of this whole situation, Major League Baseball and MLS seasons run concurrently. Yankee Stadium, a place that was designed as a baseball-only facility, does not have the designated width for soccer, which makes the pitch narrower than normal.

In 2013, when Manchester City played Chelsea in an exhibition match, grounds crew worked around the clock to replace the infield with temporary grass for the match. And now the grounds crew will have to do this from March-October since there are 81 baseball games, and 17 soccer games.

Situations in New York aren’t looking very good. And on the other side of the coin, David Beckham’s MLS dream has hit yet another road block this week when a group called the Miami Seaport Alliance, led by former vice president for government relations for Royal Caribbean, John Fox, took out a full page ad in The Miami Herald newspaper that states although they support MLS Miami, they believe there are other sites more suitable for the stadium because a stadium in PortMiami would pose a risk to jobs, cruise and cargo operations and “the port’s promising future.”

As we all know, Beckham and his group have said numerous times that a stadium in PortMiami is the ideal situation, but they are also looking at a piece of land near Marlins Park.

Although Beckham has said time and time again that the stadium would be built with private funding, the Miami Beckham United LLC is seeking a state subsidy that could amount to approximately $40 million in State subsidies over a timespan of 20 years.

While MLS has specifically told Miami, Atlanta, and Orlando that they will only get a franchise if they get the stadium, which Orlando and Atlanta have obliged, the league is simply allowing New York’s second team to play at a baseball stadium for three years without a solid stadium plan in place.

It makes you wonder why MLS can’t just give Miami the franchise and let them play at FIU Stadium, a college football stadium that is better suited for soccer than Yankee Stadium.

All indications are that Atlanta will be officially named as Major League Soccer’s newest franchise on Wednesday, and that Hotlanta, not Miami, will be the 22nd team in MLS.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and MLS have scheduled a “major announcement” for Wednesday at 5pm in downtown Atlanta.

Unlike Miami, Atlanta has a stadium deal set with the help of the Falcons. Much like the partnership that existed in Seattle between the Sounders and Seahawks, the Falcons will get their new stadium, and Atlanta will get their MLS team.

With that being said, Miami is still a player when it comes to expansion franchises, but it will only be officially awarded the franchise when it has a stadium deal in place

One plus of having a MLS team in Atlanta is TV rights.

With Atlanta being the home to TNT (Turner Broadcasting Network), MLS could capture the attention of the Turner executives with the team being in their “back yard.” It could motivate them into a potential MLS rights bid in the future, and Turner Broadcasting would be a change from NBCSN or FOX Sports 1.

Plus, MLS’s entry into Atlanta should give the league a big boost in TV ratings by tapping into the Atlanta TV market.

Although one of the concerns that has been raised is the fact that the MLS Atlanta franchise will be playing at an American football stadium, it must be noted that it works in Seattle. But as we know, not every city is as passionate about soccer as Seattle is.

On the positive side, Atlanta has a long history with soccer and has a culture that supports the game. Just last month, 68,212 fans packed the Georgia Dome to watch a 0-0 tie between Nigeria and Mexico.

The Atlanta Silverbacks, of the North America Soccer League, averaged 4,364 as the team won the Spring Championship season, and had the right to host the 2013 Soccer Bowl. In the Soccer Bowl, the Silverbacks faced the New York Cosmos where a record attendance of 7,211 was on hand as Marcos Senna and the New York Cosmos defeated the Silverbacks 1-0.

MLS is doing the right thing in expanding to the southeast of the United States. The region loves soccer, has the demographics for a successful soccer franchise, and it is hungry to see MLS return.

With Atlanta in the fold, only two spots remain in the expansion plans Don Garber said he wants by 2020. The next two possible cities are Miami and either San Antonio or Minnesota.

After a strong first half that led to two goals, the United States Men’s National Team looked lost in the second half as they let a 2-0 lead slip into a 2-2 final result against rivals Mexico in Glendale, Arizona.

Deciding to spice things up, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann decided to go with a 4-4-2 formation that featured a diamond midfield, which included Brad Davis and Graham Zusi on the left and right sides, Kyle Beckerman at holding midfield and Michael Bradley at the top.

In what was one of the most surprising aspects of the night, Klinsmann started Chris Wondolowski in place of Landon Donovan. Klinsmann said Donovan looked “off” in practice and so the decision to start someone “on the bubble” was a no brainer.

It was a tale of two halves for the USMNT as they worked like clockwork in the first half with crisp, precise passes that made Mexico look lost.

Midfielder Michael Bradley got the scoring going in the 15th minute when Graham Zusi, on the game’s first corner kick, delivered a perfect ball from the left side as Bradley separated himself from Mexico defender Jesus Zavala.

The USMNT set the pace of the match early, making runs down the field several times and making Mexico’s defense work and drawing corner kicks.

The US’s sharp passes early in the game paid off in the 28th minute as Clint Dempsey and Graham Zusi led the attack from the right side as Dempsey sent the ball out wide to Tony Beltran, who then crossed it to Bradley, who found Wondolowski, who had snuck past Mexico’s Rogelio Chavez to head the ball into the back of the net.

As the second half started, Mexico awoke from its slumber as El Tri did not waste any time chipping away at the American lead.

In the 49th minute, off of Marco Fabian’s right-footed corner kick from the left side, Rafael Marquez lost Omar Gonzalez on the set piece and had an open header from seven yards out, which he promptly placed into the left side of the net. The gap between Marquez and Gonzalez was so big, you had to stop and wonder if Gonzalez was even paying attention to the game.

Eighteen-year old Bayern Munich forward Julian Green made his much-anticipated debut, coming off the bench in the 60th minute.

Green showed flashes of why the U.S. coaching staff are so keen on him, with some great moves down the left side, but Green is also raw, as he lost the ball that would eventually lead to Mexico’s equalizer in the 67th minute.

Second-half substitute Eddie Johnson put the United States up 3-2 in the 85th minute but his goal was later called offside (despite being onside). The game petered out to a 2-2 draw in front of 59,066 fans.

Klinsmann will have his work cut out for him as he now faces the difficult task of naming the 23 players he will take to him to Brazil in less than 70 days.

The USMNT will next play in its three-game Send-Off Series that begins on May 27, in San Francisco versus Azerbaijan.

When: April 2, 2014
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
TV: Pre-match coverage begins at 11pm ET on ESPN2 and WatchESPN. Game kicks off at 11:15pm ET on ESPN, UniMas and WatchESPN.

The United States will face Mexico for the first since their 2-0 victory over “El Tri” last September.

Essentially made up only of Major League Soccer talent, after Puebla FC refused to release defenders DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Orozco, this will be the last time head coach Jürgen Klinsmann will have a chance of watching players before he names his squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup preparation camp.

With many players “on the bubble” when it comes to being called to represent the national team for this summer’s World Cup, players like DeAndre Yedlin, Nick Rimando, Matt Besler, and even Chris Wondolowski will have only one more chance to impress the coaching staff.

Not only is this a big game for players wanting to make the squad, this is also a huge game for USMNT captain Clint Dempsey, who came off a very poor performance versus Ukraine, as he looks to prove he has what it takes to lead the red, white and blue.

Players to watch: Clint Dempsey and Julian Green

The 18-year old Bayern Munich forward, who recently pledged his allegiance to the USMNT, will be available and is expected to play. Green is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to being called up for this summer’s World Cup, but that won’t stop him from trying to prove to the coaching staff that he has the intangibles that would make him a role player this summer.

Klinsmann himself has said that he will not put too much pressure on Green to perform as he understands he is a work in progress:

“We don’t want to put any type of pressure on [Julian] or too high of expectations. At the end of the day, he’s a player to be developed. Developed mainly in his club from one point to the next, and we are going to help this development. How everything can then proceed is up to him. We take his pace, we take his development there and have a very close eye on him.”

As stated earlier, Clint Dempsey has been coming off very poor performances for the National Team. At times he looks uninterested and not capable of captaining the team in the World Cup. Despite not playing the last two games for Seattle Sounders FC due to a suspension, Dempsey has looked good in the early part of the MLS season, and USMNT fans hope this will translate into a good outing for the captain.

The match coverage kicks off at 11PM ET and can be seen on ESPN. Also, if you watch on ESPN3.com, they will provide additional cams including ones fixed on the American Outlaws and Mexican fans, as well as tactical cams.

Here’s my predicted starting XI for the US Men’s National Team:

The U.S. Men’s National Team is getting more of an European flavor after it was announced earlier today that head coach Jüngen Klinsmann has appointed Berti Vogts to be a Special Advisor to the USMNT from now through the World Cup this summer.

Any fan of the Germany National Team knows Vogts and his pedigree. As a player, he won the 1974 World Cup with Germany, and later coached his nation to the 1996 European Championship, the last trophy the Germans have won.

As a player, Vogts had 96 caps for Germany. Playing 19 matches spanning three World Cups, the player, famously nicknamed “Der Terrier,” served as team captain from 1977-79, taking over for Franz Beckenbauer.

During a 14-year professional career in which he was twice named Germany Footballer of the Year, Vogts was an integral part of the Borussia Monchengladbach squad that won five Bundesliga titles (1969-70, 1970-71, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77) and two UEFA Cups (1974-75, 1978-79).

Vogts coached Germany from 1990-98, compiling a record of 66-12-24. In addition to the title in 1996, he had a second-place finish in the 1992 European Championship and led Germany to the quarterfinals in consecutive World Cups in 1994 and 1998.

Having coached the national teams of Scotland (2002-04) and Nigeria (2007-08), he has served as the manager for Azerbaijan since April of 2008 and will continue in that role.

The relationship between Klinsmann and Vogts dates back to the 90s when Klinsmann was a player in that 1996 squad that won the European Championship. “He was my coach for Germany in the 1990s,” says the Klinsmann. “We have a great relationship. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, both as a player and a coach, and he knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level.”

In his new role as Special Advisor, Vogts will aid in the development of training plans, help prepare scouting reports, and travel to observe matches of the USA’s opponents in the lead-up to the tournament and in Brazil.

Editor’s note: While the appointment of Vogts is good news for the former Scotland manager, Grant Wahl has revealed that Klinsmann’s number two — Martin Vazquez — has been reassigned within USSF.

Mostly made up of Major League Soccer talent, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called up 22 players for the friendly on April 2nd versus border rivals Mexico.

The clock is ticking, and this will be the last time Klinsmann will be able to notice players before he calls his squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup preparation camp

“This is a huge opportunity for our players to show where they are at and to make their case,” said Klinsmann. “We expect them to give a really strong performance against a Mexican team that is now basically coming back on track. They need to prove now that they badly want to go to Brazil.”

The biggest news of the 22-man roster has to be Bayern Munich forward Julian Green, who pledged his allegiance to the United States Men’s National Team last week after applying for a one-time association change to FIFA, is in the squad.

Although the vast majority of the roster is made up of players from MLS, with a total of 19 players from 11 clubs, the Puebla duo of DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Orozco represents Liga MX. Since the match does not fall on an international fixture date, most of the European-based players will not be available. However, Bayern Munich forward Green has been released by his club to participate in what could be his first match representing the red, white, and blue.

Seattle Sounders FC has three players called up — USMNT captain Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin who finished third in the 2013 MLS Rookie of the Year voting. This is Yedlin’s second camp for the Senior Team following the game against Korea. He was also part of the 2013 U.S. U-20 World Cup team and started all three matches of the tournament.

Another big part of the 22 players called up is Real Salk Lake keeper Nick Rimando, who backstopped the team in 2013 Gold Cup, collecting five victories and earning a shutout in the final, a 1-0 win against Panama. With the win against Korea Republic in January, he improved his career record to a perfect 10-0-0 all-time.

Kickoff for the USA’s final match before the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup preparation camp is set for 8 p.m. Arizona Time (11 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas and the ESPN Deportes Radio Network.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Michael Orozco (Puebla), Michael Parkhurst (Columbus Crew), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Philadelphia Union), Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (4): Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Eddie Johnson (D.C. United), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

When artist renderings of David Beckham’s proposed Miami MLS stadium were unveiled on Monday, the Internet responded with its typical negative and stereotypical comments about Miami as a sports town. Some of the few choice comments included:

“looks good except the stadium will be half full most of the time”

“half full?! I’d be surprised if it was 1/4 full…”

“With only about 8000 seats filled…lol”

The jokes and snide comments about attendances in South Florida are stereotypes that were born more than a decade ago, but soccer fans won’t open their eyes to the trends from the past five years or more.

It’s time to destroy the myth that South Florida has poor attendances for soccer games.

Miami has been getting a lot of heat lately thanks to Englishman David Beckham and his intentions of bringing a Major League Soccer franchise to the Magic City. Beckham has said he believes Miami is a strong sports market, and believes MLS in Miami has everything to be a complete success.

People who are not from Miami tend to disagree with everything Beckham, and most of MLS Miami supporters have been saying that for the past couple of years. Naysayers will point at the low attendance at nearly every other major sport the city of Miami has as reasons to not have an MLS franchise in the city.

However, comparing something like hockey or baseball to soccer is like comparing apples and oranges. They are not the same thing. Poor attendances at Miami Marlins or Florida Panthers games have no relevance to attendances at soccer games.

Let’s take a closer look at the facts.

1. Last summer, the International Champions Cup was played in Miami over two days. In those two days, the average attendance was 52,893. The final day of the tournament at Sun Life Stadium had an attendance of 67,273, which was greater than any of the games played in New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major metropolitan cities in the United States.

2. When the World Football Challenge came to Miami in 2011 with a matchup between Barcelona and Chivas de Guadalajara, 70,080 fans packed Sun Life Stadium to watch the match.

3. In 2012 when AC Milan played Chelsea, 57,748 fans attended the game, which was the largest attendance of the World Football Challenge. The record crowd beat attendances in Seattle, Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia and other North American cities.

4. Soccer has shown time and time again that it is one of the biggest sports in South Florida. Just last year, Brazil played Honduras at Sun Life Stadium to a record crowd of 71,124 fans, which was the largest crowd Brazil had in its recent World Tour — and it set a record for the most-attended soccer game in Florida history.

5. In plenty of other games in South Florida, soccer has had impressive attendances including the 51,615 who turned out for the friendly between Colombia and Mexico in 2012, and the 48,327 attendance for the 2012 World Soccer Masters game.

Naysayers will says that “Fans will only show up to when the teams are doing well, or only where there are big games going on.”

While I won’t completely disagree with that argument, I want to point out that Miami is no different to most parts of the country when it comes to sports. Have you taken a look at the Staples Center lately when the “mighty” Los Angeles Lakers have been playing? It’s practically empty.

Even when they the Miami Heat the laughing stock of the league at 15-67 during the 2007-2008 NBA Season, the Miami Heat averaged 19,463 fans at their home games, which was still good enough to be in the Top 10 in the NBA, beating out teams like the Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics. This season, the back-to-back NBA Champions are averaging 19,765 fans, only 302 more fans on average than when they were one of the worst teams in the league.

Furthermore, in a recent poll Sports Business Journal, Miami has the highest percentage of fans in the United States claiming to be “very or somewhat interested” in MLS among markets without a team (12.5%). In contrast, Orlando ranks 19th in the same poll with only 8.2% of fans claiming any interested in MLS.

Miami has all the right ingredients to make soccer work. It has the location, it has the people, it has the fans, and now it has the owner in place that wants to see the team succeed.

There are plenty of questions left unanswered as of right now when it comes to Beckham’s MLS Miami franchise, but to say the team will fail because Miami sports fans won’t show up is just wrong.

It’s time to stop labeling Miami and South Florida as a poor soccer market. Instead, it’s time to realize that Miami is an integral part of soccer in the United States.

Remember, it’s 2014, not 2001. We want MLS. We will support MLS.

Teams: Philadelphia Union vs New England Revolution
Location: PPL Park
Date: March 15, 2014
Time: 4:00pm ET

2013 Series:

Last season, the Revolution won the season series 2-1 with a 2-0 win on April 28, and a 5-1 victory on August 26. Philadelphia Union’s lone win in the series was on March 16 — a 1-0 victory at home.

Last Week:

The Union played to a 1-1 tie in Portland as the Union (0-0-1, one point) nearly earned its second ever win in a season opener but Portland (0-0-1, one point) newcomer Gaston Fernandez headed home a corner kick in stoppage time to preserve a point for the Timbers. In all, the Union improved its record in season openers to 1-3-1 all-time.

As for the Revolution, they started their 2014 season with a 4-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo. Dynamo forward Will Bruin scored twice inside 13 minutes – including the opener after just 62 seconds – and from there the Revs couldn’t recover en-route to an eventual 4-0 loss in Saturday night’s season opener at BBVA Compass Stadium.

This Week:

The Revolution will try to continue their winning ways versus the Union as the Revs come to PPL Park in dire need of points after the 4-0 loss in Houston. Center back A.J. Soares said the 4-0 loss to Houston is “going to fuel us going forward,” so it will be interesting to see if the Revolution will find a way to get the win.

This is Philadelphia’s home opener, and the Union are 2-2-0 all-time in home openers. The team will look to make it 3-2-0 when New England comes into town.  One of the biggest storylines of the game will be DP Maurice Edu, who is on loan from EPL-side Stoke City and how he will play in his first game in Philadelphia.

In the tie with the Timbers last Saturday, Edu played the role of holding midfielder to perfection, distributing from the back and dropping deep to clear dangerous balls inside the box. Edu was an imposing presence as well on attack as he was the catalyst on a near goal in the 20th minute, when his run and cross into the danger zone took a deflection that found Maidana. Maidana produced a quick turn and a shot that forced a save from Ricketts.

Probable Starting XI: 

Philadelphia Union

Zack MacMath
Austin Berry
Ray Gaddis
Fabinho
Vincent Nogueira
Brian Carroll
Amobi Okugo
Maurice Edu
Cristian Omar Moidana
Jack McInerney
Sebastien Le Toux

New England

Bobby Shuttleworth
Kevin Alston
AJ Soares
José Goncalves
Kelyn Rowe
Scott Caldwell
Chris Tierney
Daigo Kobayashi
Teal Bunbury
Diego Fagundez
Patrick Michael Mullins

Prediction: 

Philadelphia 2 – New England 0

Philadelphia had a great showing versus a ruckus crowd in Portland and nearly came away with the 3 points. Now at home, the Union will give their fans a treat and defeat the Revolution 2-1 in the team’s Home Opener.

Be sure to watch Philadelphia Union against New England Revolution on Saturday, March 15 at 4pm ET on MLS Live.

You know that soccer has made it in America when the politicians in the United States and Russia are using it as a weapon.

On Friday, Republican U.S. Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), and Dan Coats (R-Ind.) sent a letter to FIFA president Joseph Blatter asking that he strip Russia’s FIFA membership, ban the country from the 2014 World Cup, and move the 2018 World Cup out of the country.

The two senators stated the “military occupation of a sovereign Ukraine” as the main reason for the letter and made reference to FIFA’s denial to allow Yugoslavia to participate in the 1992 European Championship and the 1994 World Cup. Not only that but the senators also quoted Article 3 of the FIFA Statures, which is labeled “Non-discrimination and stance against racism”

According to Article 3 of the FIFA statutes:

‘Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion.’

In the letter to FIFA, the U.S. Senators stated: “Since Russia has similarly displayed a brazen disrespect for fundamental principles of FIFA and international law, [we] hope you will agree that it [Russia] doesn’t deserve the honor of either hosting the World Cup or participating in one.”

“We ask that a more deserving World Cup 2018 bid should be re-considered instead,” added the senators.

What makes matters even more interesting is that the Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko is a FIFA board member.

Today Russia fired back.

Alexander Sidyakin and Michael Markelov, two members of the Duma, addressed their concern to FIFA about the United States and asked that FIFA would “urgently convene an emergency session to consider suspending the United States FIFA membership and denying the USMNT the right to participate in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.”

The two politicians spoke about the “U.S.’s military aggression against several sovereign states” and named Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and Syria among those suffering from U.S. aggression.

Yes, you read that right. Russia is telling FIFA that the United States is using military aggression in sovereign nations. This is not a joke.

They also included “numerous cases of human rights violation all over the world revealed by E. Snowden.”

One of the authors of the letter, Aleksandr Sidyakin, took his argument to Twitter to voice his frustrations: “It’s an eye for an eye, a ball for a ball. Don’t the let the USA take part in the 2014 World Cup! End their membership of FIFA.”

According to the Russian website Newsru, Sidyakin explained that the letter is a reaction to a petition by U.S. senators Mark Kirk and Dan Coates who appealed to FIFA to ban Russia from the World Cup in the light of the ongoing situation in Crimea.

However, Kirk and Coates are not alone in asking FIFA to punish Russia for their political standoff with Ukraine.

Last week, BBC journalist Chris Morris reported that an EU official had suggested that there would be a push for Russia to be barred from this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

What do you think of the whole situation? Do you think the U.S. Senators have a point? Or do you think this is just a publicity stunt? What about Russia’s response, should that even be taken seriously given the fact it’s coming from Russia?

Eddie Johnson has been given his money.

Earlier this week, D.C. United announced that Johnson, acquired over the offseason in a trade with the Seattle Sounders, was given a contract extension that elevates him to Designated Player status.

Johnson, who had a fantastic 2013 season for the Sounders in which the forward scored nine goals, was being underpaid in and made it known with his now infamous post-goal “pay me” celebration versus the Columbus Crew.

In the past two seasons with the Sounders, Johnson boasted 23 goals and logged nearly 4,000 minutes; he was clearly the best player on a team that included USMNT captain Clint Dempsey and Nigerian international Obafemi Martins.

“Eddie is an elite striker who is in the prime of his career, and we are thrilled that he has made a commitment to D.C. United,” said DC United general manager Dave Kasper. “We look forward to Eddie’s contributions on and off the field.”

To put in consideration how underpaid Johnson was, his contract of $150,000 last season was 30 times less than Dempsey’s ($4.9 million) and one-tenth of the contract Martins ($1.6 million) receive from the Seattle.

It felt as if Seattle wasn’t sold on Johnson, and also lacked the flexibility to upgrade his contract for the 2014 season, so instead of continuing the drama from last season, Seattle decided to shop around the USMNT star in the trade market.

DC United shipped an undisclosed amount of allocation money to Seattle in December to obtain the services of the star forward.

Although under contract for the 2014 season, one of the parts of the agreement is that the red-and-black promised to discuss a new deal that would make the star forward a DP.

Many questioned the move by DC United to make Johnson a DP. However if there is one player in the league who deserves a DP contract, it’s Johnson.

Johnson, who first came to MLS as a second-round pick of the then-Dallas Burn, scored 24 goals for the Burn in five seasons before being traded to the then Kansas City Wizards in 2006.

Johnson had a great 2007 season in which the forward scored 15 goals and was transferred to EPL-side Fulham where he played for three seasons.

He also spent a season on loan with Greek Super League side Aris FC, and returned to MLS with the Sounders in 2012.

Johnson returned to MLS humbled and ready to prove he belonged and he sure didn’t disappoint in Seattle.

A likely selection for this summer’s World Cup squad, Johnson possesses the type of speed and versatility that’s bound to open up defenses for his teammates. Though he may only contribute 12-or-so goals this year, his presence will be reflected in his teammate’s numbers, and when healthy, which he is, Johnson is one of the premier forwards in the league.

“I want to thank D.C. United for showing faith in me,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m extremely proud to wear the Black-and-Red, and I am excited to get the season started with my new teammates”

So you don’t miss games this 2014 season, view the MLS TV schedule. You can also watch games via MLS Live. And be sure to stay updated on the MLS news throughout the season via the MLSsoccer.com site.

With the MLS season set to kickoff this afternoon, below are three of the biggest matches of the weekend.

Seattle Sounders FC vs Sporting Kansas City, 3pm ET, NBCSN

Graham Zusi, and the rest of the MLS Cup defending Champions, travel to Seattle as they play a new-look Seattle Sounders FC at 3pm ET.

Seattle holds the upper-hand when it comes to the series record, having lost just once in eight meetings, and recording a tie just once as well. The last game between the two, in Kansas City, ended in dramatic fashion with Djimi Traore getting the only goal deep in stoppage time.

I’m really interested in seeing how Dempsey will play in this game. I know, seems like there is so much more to talk about when it comes to the Sounders and most are only talking about Dempsey. However he’s the star now with Johnson gone. And as we’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t look as if Dempsey is ready to take over as “the man” especially after that disappointing loan with Fulham and the disappointing game versus Ukraine.

Dempsey is not scheduled to start for Seattle but expect him to come off the bench.

DC United vs Columbus Crew, Saturday, 7pm ET, MLS Live

After a disappointing 2013 season, both clubs are looking to put the past behind them as the Crew visit the Red-and-Black on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium.

After making the playoff in 2012 with 58 points, United fell to the league’s worst record in 2013 with only 16 points, the largest drop in points in MLS history.

This season looks to be different. Eddie Johnson just signed his brand-new DP contract and will look to carry DC United back to the playoffs. 

The Crew begin a new era with Gregg Berhalter as manager. The Crew missed out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second straight season last year and will look to change that this season.

Los Angeles Galaxy vs Real Salt Lake, Saturday, 10:30pm ET, MLS Live

In a Western Conference semifinal rematch, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and the LA Galaxy will take on Kyle Beckerman and Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening at StubHub Center.

Real Salt Lake, who put an end to the Galaxy’s bid for a third consecutive MLS Cup last season, advanced to MLS Cup 2014 last season but lost on penalty kicks to Sporting Kansas City.

In 13 meetings at StubHub center, LA has won seven, Real Salt Lake has won five, and they have tied once.

With his next goal, Landon Donovan will become the all-time MLS leader in goals scored. Donovan enters the 2014 season tied with Jeff Cunningham atop the all-time standings with 134 league goals. When asked about the feat Donovan said, “To be honest, I don’t think about it until it’s brought up. There’s a good chance I’ll forget before the game starts. There’s no guarantee you’re ever going to score. Is it important? Yeah, it is. It means something to me. But I’ll be glad when it’s over, to be honest, so I can just get back to focusing.”

Will Donovan be able to make history tonight? Only time will tell.

What are the most important games for you this weekend?

Will it be the Eastern or Western Conference of MLS that will take the honors during the 2014 season? There’s no doubt there’s plenty of talent among the teams in the Western Conference, but there are plenty of question marks too.

Here’s our preview of the 2014 MLS Western Conference (see below) as well as our preview of MLS’s Eastern Conference.

Chivas USA

2013 Season: (6W – 20L – 8D) 26 points, Last in West
Key acquisitions: M Mauro Rosales, D Andrew Jean-Baptiste
Key losses: M Gabriel Farfan, D Jorge Villafaña, F Tristan Bowen

Chivas USA added a great midfielder to the mix this upcoming season with Mauro Rosales.

Rosales joins the Red-and-White after three productive seasons with Seattle Sounders FC where he appeared in 86 matches (73 starts) and where he became one of the league’s most dangerous playmakers in the middle. During his time in Seattle, the Argentine recorded 34 assists and added 12 goals and was named MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2011.

While some see the purchase of Chivas USA by MLS as an unwise move for the league, I strongly believe the opposite. I believe the purchase will rejuvenate a franchise that’s been bleeding for a while now. MLS has said it is actively looking for a new ownership group, and that they will need a plan to move out of StubHub Center and be in their own soccer specific stadium.

Colorado Rapids

2013 Season: 14W – 11L – 9D (51 points),  5th in West; lost in Knockout Stage
Key acquisitions: M Marvin Chávez, D/M Marc Burch
Key losses: F Atiba Harris, M Hendry Thomas, M Tony Cascio

To me, one of the main storylines in Colorado is “who on earth is the coach?”

After Óscar Pereja stepped down in January, Pablo Mastroeni was named interim head coach, but that’s all we know. Players have been saying all the right things, but at the end of the day, with the season set to kickoff, Mastroeni is simply an interim. Who will be the man in helm at the midpoint of the season?

Other than that, let’s be honest… Did anyone see Colorado making the playoffs last season? I sure didn’t, but thanks to their young guys Deshorn Brown and Dillon Power, the Rapids were good enough for the 5th seed and a matchup versus Seattle Sounders FC. Colorado lost 2-0, but with that experience, the sky’s the limit for the Rapids and their young guns. Now, if only they get the coaching situation fixed.

FC Dallas

2013 Season: (11W – 12L – 11D) 44 points, 8th in West
Key acquisitions: F Andrés Escobar, F David Texeira, M Hendry Thomas
Key losses: M David Ferreira, F Kenny Cooper

Óscar Pareja returns to his old club and will try to pick up the pieces of the wagon that broke midway through the 2013 MLS Season.

Dallas looked unbeatable in the first three months of the season, but after a few losses, and some key injuries, they ended up finishing second-to-last in the Western conference.

Keep an eye out on Hendry Thomas, who was acquired from Colorado.

I strongly believe Thomas will make the biggest impact for Dallas in 2014. Last season for the Rapids he was a borderline Best XI player. Thomas is a few years past his prime (29), but he’s still performing as if he was 25, which gives Dallas fans every reason to hope for a repeat of last season’s Best XI player.

Los Angeles Galaxy

2013 Season: (15W – 11L – 8D) 53 points, 3rd in West; lost in conference semifinal
Key acquisitions: F Samuel, F Rob Friend
Key losses: F Jose Villareal, M Hector Jimenez, D Sean Franklin

Robbie Keane just signed a contract extension with the club, and looks healthy and ready to go. I strongly believe that when Keane and Landon Donovan are healthy and playing their best, this team is unstoppable.

With that being said, the Galaxy are getting up there in age and sometimes it looks as if they are losing their dominance in the West.

One of the best young talents in the Galaxy roster is speedster Gyasi Zardes, who despite only producing four goals and four assists last season, will be called to step up this season and will become a major player within the Galaxy organization.

Also, keep an eye on Omar Gonzalez and Landon Donovan. With the eminent World Cup call-up for the two USMNT studs, will Gonzalez and Donovan have “World Cup hangover”? The emotional ups and down of whatever happens in Brazil will tell a lot about what to expect down the stretch from the Galaxy.

Portland Timbers

2013 Season: (14W – 5L – 15D) 57 points, 1st in West; lost in conference final
Key acquisitions: F Gastón Fernández, M Steve Zakuani, D Norberto Paparatto
Key losses: F José Valencia, D Andrew Jean-Baptiste, M Sal Zizzo, D David Horst

Despite losing Andrew Jean-Baptiste in the trade with Chivas USA that landed them Jorge Villafaña, the Timbers’ back line still looks as strong as ever, and lets not forget, 2013 Goalkeeper of the Year Donovan Ricketts is still in net.

The question I have is how healthy will Diego Valeri be? There is no doubt that when healthy, Valeri is one of the premier players in the league with his ability to instantly transition from facilitator to playmaker to finisher and back to facilitator.

There are not many midfield pairings like Will Johnson and Valeri, the 2013 MLS Newcomer of the Year. Will this midfield, along with the acquisition of  forward Gastón Fernández, make a run at the MLS Cup?

There are not many midfield pairings better than Will Johnson and 2013 MLS Newcomer of the Year Diego Valeri. Plus, with new members Zakuani and Villafaña teaming up with some of the league’s most electrifying young players in Darlington Nagbe and Rodney Wallace, expect no shortage of goals from Rose City.

Real Salt Lake

2013 Season: (16W – 10L – 8D) 56 points, 2nd in West; lost in MLS Cup Final
Key acquisitions: M/F Jordan Allen, M Luke Mulholland
Key losses: M Yordany Álvarez, D Brandon McDonald, D/M Lovel Palmer

The defending Western Conference Champions are the team that will have the most to prove this upcoming season.

Yes, most of the main players will be back this season and that should be enough to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. However, coach Jason Kreis, the genius who took them to not only the MLS Cup Final but the U.S. Open Cup Final, has left to become the first coach of 2015 MLS Expansion-side New York City FC.

It remains to be seen if new coach Jeff Cassar will be able to tap in the talent pool left at his disposal.

San Jose Earthquakes

2013 Season: (14W – 11L – 9D) 51 points, 6th in West
Key acquisitions: F Atiba Harris, M Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, D Shaun Francis
Key losses: M Ramiro Corrales, D Justin Morrow, M Rafael Baca

The signing of Jean-Baptiste Piezazzi is a huge one for the Quakes in 2014. Piezazzi, who signed with Snn Jose in January after an eight-year career with AC Ajaccio of France, has played nearly 200 games in Ligue 1 & 2, and was a long-time captain of AC Ajaccio and will now be a huge piece of the Quakes especially in set pieces.

Don’t forget Chris Wondolowski.

Despite Wondo’s woes in 2013, the Quakes DP finally looks healthy and in the 2012 form, when he tied the league record with 27 goals. Wondo may be called to the USMNT and so the same question I had for the Galaxy will apply to him, will he have any “World Cup hangover?”   That remains to be seen.

Seattle Sounders FC

2013 Season: (15W – 11L – 7D) 52 points, 4th in West; lost in conference semifinal
Key acquisitions: GK Stefan Frei, D Chad Marshall, F Kenny Cooper, M Marco Pappa, D Jalil Anibaba
Key losses: F Eddie Johnson, M Mauro Rosales, GK Michael Gspurning, F Steve Zakuani, F Fredy Montero

I’m not sold on the Sounders this season. Losing big pieces like Eddie Johnson and Mauro Rosales will hurt them in the long run. And I don’t see Clint Dempsey stepping up to the plate anytime soon.

Despite Dempsey’s monster contract, I strongly believe he is uninterested in the game. And after a terrible loan spell at Fulham, and a disappointing match versus Ukraine, Deuce’s morale might be at an all-time low. After his triumphant return to MLS last season, Dempsey only scored once in nine appearances for the Sounders.

If Dempsey isn’t up for the task, designated player Obafemi Martins will have to carry the scoring load, especially with Eddie Johnson (who led the Sounders in goals last season) off to DC with a brand-new DP contract of his own.

Martins had eight goals and four assists for the Sounders last season.

Keep an eye out on new signee Chad Marshall who played under Sigi Schmid in Columbus when the Crew won the Supporters’ Shiled and MLS Cup in 2008.

Can there be a career renaissance in Seattle under his old boss?

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

2013 Season: (13W – 12L – 9D) 48 points, 7th in West
Key acquisitions: D Steven Beitashour, GK Paolo Tornaghi, M Sebastian Fernandez
Key losses: F Camilo Sanvezzo, GK Joe Cannon, GK Brad Knighton

After a breakout 2013 season, which saw him score 22 goals and have six assists, Camilo bolted from Vancouver for the warmth of Mexican-side Querétaro. Now the Whitecaps will have to find a way to fill the void left by the Brazilian.

One of the players the Whitecaps will call on will be second-year man Kekuta Manneh. Last season as a rookie, Manneh appeared in 20 games, started six, and scored six with four assists. Expect Manneh to get plenty of more chances now that the 2013 Golden Boot winner is gone.

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So you don’t miss games this 2014 season, view the MLS TV schedule. You can also watch games via MLS Live. And be sure to stay updated on the MLS news throughout the season via the MLSsoccer.com site.

U.S. Soccer today officially announced that the U.S. Men’s National Team will play three matches prior to the start of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The matches will be part of the Send-Off Series.

The USMNT will play in San Francisco, New Jersey, and Jacksonville as Jürgen Klinsmann and his squad put the final tweaks prior to the start of the World Cup.

The Send-Off Series will be in a similar timeline as the one the team will encounter in Brazil, as the USMNT will play three matches in 12 days. The U.S. will face Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Nigeria.

The Series will begin on May 27 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco and then will move to Red Bull Arena on June 1, and will conclude at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 7.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the schedule we have put together for the Send-Off Series,” said Klinsmann. “We have some fantastic opponents that will help us get prepared for the teams we will meet in the World Cup, and also the opportunity to experience different climates and conditions in the venues. There has been amazing support from our fans these last years on our path to Brazil, and we know there will be awesome atmospheres in each of the stadiums. It’s the perfect way to start our journey.”

Nigeria is the only one of those three teams that has qualified for World Cup 2014. Turkey, a World Cup 2002 semifinalist, finished fourth in its UEFA qualifying group behind the Netherlands, Romania and Hungary. Azerbaijan finished fourth in its UEFA group behind Russia, Portugal and Israel.

After a disappointing loss to Ukraine yesterday, the United States will need to get their act together in the friendly versus Mexico on April 2.

Many called the back-line used versus Ukraine as the “B Team”, but if that’s the best the United States can do when it comes to depth, they will have bigger issues once they begin the World Cup.

With the new MLS season kicking off on Saturday, Klinsmann spared many of his first team regulars and named a largely European-based roster for the fixture in Cyprus. As a result, the US turned in a disjointed and disappointing performance against a strong Ukrainian side.

“Definitely,” the USMNT head coach replied when asked if his roster was impacted by the lack of MLS-based players. “When you don’t have your main group together, there’s always going to be a bit of a drop of quality. That’s natural. That’s why our job is to zoom in and name 23 guys who are up to the task of the World Cup.”

With first-choice center-back pairing Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez missing, Klinsmann experimented with Oguchi Onyewu and John Brooks in the heart of defense.

“We had to form a couple of new things with this group, starting with a backline that had never really played together, and you could see that in our play,” said Klinsmann, admitting that the experiment ultimately failed.

Expect Klinsmann and the rest of the USMNT to be ready for the matchup versus Mexico in Arizona in April with a solid back-line and all.

This was an important match and the United States Men’s National Team blew it in the biggest way possible.

The defense looked flat. Clint Dempsey seemed uninterested, and the USMNT let Ukraine score twice to leave Cyprus with the 2-0 win versus a World Cup-bound squad.

In a game that was the last time Jürgen Klinsmann could take a close look at his European-based players, the German must be feeling disappointed in the outcome.

The American defense of Edgar Castillo, John Brooks, Oguchi Onyewu, and Geoff Cameron looked lost, and Ukraine took full advantage.

In the 12th minute, a cross to Ukraine’s Denys Garmash, who went unmarked, began the scoring for Ukraine. Garmash’s shot was blocked by Tim Howard but Garmash himself cooly collected the rebound and passed it to the wide-open Andriy Yarmolenko who had no difficulty making it 1-0.

The USMNT nearly went down 2-0 three minutes later when USMNT midfielder Sacha Kljestan lost the ball to Yarmolenko in midfield, which lead the way to yet another Ukrainian breakaway chance for Artem Fedetskyi, but the play was called offside.

As the second half began, the USMNT looked a little more composed, which translated to a few chances for Alejandro Bedoya and Jozy Altidore. However neither were able to find the back of the net.

Bedoya’s shot from the left side of the box in the 49th minute was blocked by Fedetskyi. Altidore’s header in the 51st minute was just over the crossbar, and Bedoya once again got a loose ball in the 53rd but his shot went far left.

Despite the loss, USMNT fans should be warned that this is not the normal backline for the US, with Michael Bradley and Omar Gonzalez not in uniform. Also, Landon Donovan was not playing.

The game was more or less a trial for European-based players such as John Brooks, who did not look ready for the task of holding down his position in the back for the USMNT, and Onyewu, who has been playing scarce minutes due to a number of injuries.

Onyewu made his last appearance with the USMNT on July 13, 2013 in a 4-1 victory against Cuba, a game in which he captained the team.

With less than 100 days until the World Cup, and even less until Klinsmann calls his World Cup squad to mid-May camp, the USMNT and its supporters must look at this game as a wake-up call. Ukraine, the highest FIFA-ranked country not to make the World Cup, saw all of the USMNT’s weaknesses and exploited them. The question that remains is, will Klinsmann and his group fix them in time for the World Cup?

The next game for the USMNT will be April 2nd versus border-rivals Mexico in Arizona at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Despite initial confirmed reports that a senior Ukraine soccer executive had announced that the Ukraine-United States soccer friendly was canceled, the game between the two countries is now back on according to US Soccer.

US Soccer tweeted late Monday night that the game will go ahead as scheduled:

“The Football Federation of Ukraine confirmed that their team will travel to Cyprus and the match will proceed as scheduled.”

Monday afternoon, reports eminating from Ukraine’s football federation president Anatoliy Konkov said that the game was off.

“We cannot hold the national championship so what kind of football can we talk of at all? If we do not have an opportunity to play on home soil, why shall we go to Cyprus in those troubled times for your country? We play for our people and country. Our team do not fly to Cyprus and stay at home.”

The game, originally scheduled to take place in Kharkiv, was moved to Cyprus last week following ongoing civil and political unrest in Ukraine. However, further turmoil plagued the match itself, as a local referee was the victim of a car bomb. Furthermore, Russia’s military invasion of the Crimea has brought everyday life in Ukraine to a standstill.

Despite the turmoil in Ukraine, the game will go ahead as planned. Kickoff is set for 2pm EST and the game will be televised by ESPN2. And yes, the USMNT will debut its new uniforms.

UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, the US Soccer Federation has reported that the game is back on. See the updated article.

In a blow to the United States Men’s National Team preparations for World Cup 2014, Wednesday’s friendly game between Ukraine and the United States has been cancelled by Ukraine. The USMNT will now have to wait to debut the USMNT 2014 World Cup home uniform.

Ukraine cancelled their soccer friendly against the USMNT in Cyprus on Wednesday according to national football federation president Anatoliy Konkov.

“We cannot hold the national championship, so what kind of football can we talk of at all? If we do not have an opportunity to play on home soil, why shall we go to Cyprus in those troubled times for your country? We play for our people and country. Our team do not fly to Cyprus and stay at home,” Konkov told the ICTV channel.

The friendly, which was scheduled to take place in Kharkiv, was moved to Cyprus two weeks ago due to Ukraine’s unstable political situation.

The USMNT friendly isn’t the only sporting event that has suffered in Ukraine in past weeks. Ukraine’s Premier League also postponed the restart of the domestic championship after the mid-season break following Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine’s autonomous region of Crimea.

The next scheduled friendly for the USMNT is April 2nd at University of Phoenix Stadium in a match versus Mexico.

With the season scheduled to kick off this Saturday, World Soccer Talk brings you the 2014 MLS Eastern Conference preview.

There might be a shift in powers in the East after a few clubs made some huge offseason splashes, but one thing is for sure, Sporting Kansas City is still one of the favorites to repeat as MLS Cup Champions.

Below is a preview for each team in the East, in no particular order.

Chicago Fire

2013 season: (14W – 13L – 7D) 49 Points, 6th in East
Key acquisitions: D Patrick Ianni, D Jhon Kennedy Hurtado
Key losses: F Maicon Santos, M Joel Lindpere

Chicago and the reigning MLS MVP Mike Magee were so close to the MLS Cup Playoffs last year they could have almost tasted it. However, thanks to home draws against inferior teams, Magee and the rest of the Fire watched the MLS Cup Playoffs from home.

The Fire have only reached the playoffs once since 2010. However, with the hiring of head coach Frank Yallop, the club strongly believes they have the right man to take them back to the promised land.

Yallop coached the San Jose Earthquakes to two MLS Cup championships in 2001 and 2003 in his first stint as the head coach. However, upon returning to the Earthquakes after the team’s reincarnation, Yallop was average, amounting to a record of 62-62-51 from 2007 until 2013. His high points during his second time at San Jose were a pair of playoffs appearances and the 2012 Supporters’ Shield.

Fire fans should enjoy what they get this season because unlike the rest of the Eastern Conference who got better this offseason, the Fire didn’t make the necessary moves to become a playoff contender. Nevertheless, having Mike Magee from the start of the season will help them a little, along with midfielders Chris Rolfe and Patrick Nyarko. But other then that, Fire fans can just hope for the best.

Columbus Crew

2013 Season: (12W – 17L – 5D) 41 points, 8th in East
Key acquisitions: D Michael Parkhurst, M Hector Jimenez
Key losses: M Eddie Gavan, GK Andy Gruenebaum 

After yet another playoff-less season, the Columbus Crew have been doing the right things to get back in the playoff contention. With homegrown talent signings, and a very good superdraft, the Crew look to build off the off-season momentum.

Columbus went out and inked a new coach, Gregg Berhalter, who last season was the head coach of Swedish club Hammarby IF. In doing so, Berhalter became the first American to ever manage a professional football club in Europe. His record there was a modest 18W-12L-16T as he engineered a rise to 4th place in the second flight Superettan but was fired in July 2013 for a lack of firepower.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the Crew as there have been rumors of a three-man back line for Berhalter, who will be running a club that features some familiarity with the return of dynamic attackers Dominic Oduro and Federico Higuain.

D.C. United

2013 Season: (3W – 24L – 7D) 16 points, last in East; U.S. Open Cup Champion
Key acquisitions: F Eddie Johnson, M Davy Arnaud, D Bobby Boswell, D Sean Franklin, F Fabián Espíndola
Key losses: M Dwayne De Rosorio, F Lionard Pajoy, D Daniel Woolard, M Marcelo Saragosa 

D.C. United had one of the best offseasons in 2013, obviously not as good as Toronto, in regards to big name signings, but they made great steps towards a new foundation and addressed a lot of needs.

They were big winners in the Re-Entry Draft, attaining Boswell and Franklin, and luring a big free agent like USMNT forward Eddie Johnson from Seattle, which is a huge plus. (Expect E.J. to attempt to carry an offense that was virtually non-existent last season.)

D.C. also held on to young assets in midfield, including Chris Pontius, Perry Kitchen, Luis Silva, Kyle Porter and Nick DeLeon.

Houston Dynamo

2013 Season: (14W – 11L – 9D) 51 points, 4th in East; lost in conference final
Key acquisitions: D David Horst, M Tony Cascio
Key losses: F Brian Ching, D Bobby Boswell

If the Dynamo can remain healthy, this team will be a contender this upcoming season. Last season, with injuries and international call-ups, Houston did not seem to have any type of consistency during the season. Yes, they made it to the Conference Finals, but they left a lot of points on the table because of not being in rhythm.

Nevertheless, it’s no secret what this club can do in the month of November, reaching the MLS Cup twice in the last three seasons and only coming up a goal short last season.  In a little fun fact: This is most likely Houston’s final year in the Eastern Conference, with the addition of New York City FC and Orlando City SC to MLS in 2015.

Montreal Impact

2013 Season: (14W – 13L – 7D) 49 Points, 5th in East; lost in Knockout Stage
Key acquisitions: F Santiago González, D/M Eric Miller (SuperDraft)
Key losses: M Davy Arnaud, D Alessandro Nesta

After clinching their first-ever playoff berth, the Impact parted ways with Marco Schallibaum. The 47-year-old felt the same wrath as former coaches Jesse Marsch, Nick De Santis and a slew of others who fell by the wayside. Accepting the open position is former Chicago Fire head coach Frank Klopas.

Klopas will be Montreal’s fourth coach in as many seasons.

In 2013, the Impact certainly showed that they mean business, riding behind Marco Di Vaio’s 20 goals and a solid midfield that remains mostly intact (Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Andrés Romero, Justin Mapp, Sanna Nyassi).

New England Revolution

2013 Season: (14W – 11L – 9D) 51 Points, 3rd in East; lost in conference semifinal
Key acquisitions: M Daigo Kobayashi, F Teal Bunbury, F Charlie Davies
Key losses: F Juan Agudelo, GK Matt Reis, F Chad Barrett

Revolution fans were happy this past season.

The Revs turned a lot of heads last season, and they deserved the attention they got. They were also one of the big winners of the 2014 SuperDraft by drafting Patrick Mullins, which adds to the already young group of players they had on the first team in 2013.

With a huge trade with the defending MLS Cup Champions, Sporting Kansas City, New England filled the void left by Juan Agudelo with the acquisition of Teal Bunbury.

Bunbury, 23, is entering his fifth MLS season after Sporting KC drafted him fourth overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. In 89 career appearances in Kansas City, Bunbury made 48 starts while scoring 19 goals and adding seven assists.

Also, who can’t be excited about Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe, and 2013 MLS Defender of the Year Jose Goncalves?

New York Red Bulls

2013 Season: (17W – 9L – 8D) 59 points, 1st in East; Supporter’s Shield winners; lost in conference semifinal
Key acquisitions: M Bobby Convey, D Richard Eckersley
Key losses: F Fabián Espíndola, D Brandon Barklage, D David Carney

The defending Shield winners seem poised for a deep playoff run this season.

After cranking it up a notch in the last quarter of the 2013 season to win the Supporters’ Shield (the franchise’s first trophy), they were defeated in the semifinals by the Houston Dynamo. However, with big name players such as Tim Cahill (12 goals, 6 assists in 27 caps), and Thierry Henry (10 goals, 9 assists, 30 caps), the Red Bulls will certainly remain in the conversation for a repeat as Supporters Shield Champions.

The question Red Bulls fans must be asking is: will regular season success produce MLS Cup success? That remains to be seen.

Philadelphia Union

2013 Season: (12W – 12L – 10D) 46 points, 7^th in East
Key acquisitions: M Maurice Edu, D Ethan White, GK Andre Blake (SuperDraft)
Key losses: M Michael Farfan, M Kléberson, D Jeff Parke

Will a big offseason translate to more wins for the Union this upcoming season? That’s the question that must be asked.

Philadelphia was successful in acquiring USMNT player Maurice Edu on loan from EPL-side Stoke City, but is Edu the missing piece?

Keeper Zac MacMath, who is coming off a disappointing season, will have some competition as the Union traded up to the number one pick in the MLS Superdraft and picked up Andre Blake. The keeper situation in Philadelphia will be one of the most intriguing storylines for the Union this season.

Sporting Kansas City

2013 Season: (17W – 10L – 7D) 58 points, 2^nd in East; MLS Cup champion
Key acquisitions: M Sal Zizzo, GK Andy Gruenebaum
Key losses: GK Jimmy Nielson

The MLS Cup Champions will come into the 2014 season with virtually the same squad from their 2013 championship run.

With the addition of Andy Gruenebaum, Sporting replace Jimmy Nielsen who retired after wining the MLS Cup.

The depth of this team will come in handy this season when players like Matt Besler and Graham Zusi leave for a month on World Cup duty. Young players like Sooney Saad and Dom Dwyer will be called on to step up even more this season and they seem to be ready.

Although they are the defending champions, it looks as if Sporting, in a way, are flying under the radar thanks to huge offseason signings by other clubs. It will be interesting to see if the lack of a “Bulls eye” will help or hurt them.

Toronto F.C.

2013 Season: (6W – 17L – 11D) 29 points, 9th in East
Key acquisitions: F Jermain Defoe, M Michael Bradley, GK Júlio César, M Dwayne De Rosario, M Jackson
Key losses: F Robert Earnshaw, M Darel Russell, M Bobby Convey 

After a Miami Heat-like offseason, Toronto F.C. is in the middle of all the attention.

Not only do the Reds bring in big name players like Michael Bradley, Jermaine Defoe and starting goalkeeper for the Seleção, Julio César, but players like Dwayne De Rosario will be a huge boost for Toronto this upcoming season.

Defoe certainly is a monumental get.  Consistent goal-scorers can keep many teams afloat in this league.  Add that with USMNT stud Bradley and a promising young midfielder in Jonathan Osorio and you’ve got a defense’s worst nightmare as Toronto will look to go from paupers to princes of the East.

So you don’t miss games this 2014 season, view the MLS TV schedule. You can also watch games via MLS Live. And be sure to stay updated on the MLS news throughout the season via the MLSsoccer.com site.

Major League Soccer and Chipotle Mexican Grill have reached a partnership in which the restaurant will become the Official Fast-Casual Mexican Restaurant of MLS and 12 of its clubs.

Additionally, during the AT&T MLS All-Star Week in August, Chipotle will sponsor the inaugural Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game featuring the nation’s top Homegrown players from MLS Club rosters. Homegrown players from across the league will be chosen by MLS to participate in the game.

The MLS deal is Chipotle’s largest single sports partnership and, in addition to the Homegrown Game, will feature promotional programs with 12 teams, individual players, and programs across the entire league.

In addition to the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game, Chipotle will also feature an exceptional athlete during 10 home games per MLS Club as the Chipotle Youth Homegrown Athlete.

Each athlete will receive four tickets to the game, special recognition during the game, a chance to meet players and coaches, dinner at Chipotle with his/her team, and the opportunity to host a fundraiser for his/her team at their favorite Chipotle location. Chipotle and each MLS Club will also host free soccer clinics for up to 200 kids utilizing MLS players and coaches to teach soccer fundamentals.

LA Galaxy and USMNT defender Omar Gonzalez will represent MLS as the first spokesperson of this unique partnership, from being featured in anthem and skills videos to promoting the partnership on his social media channels.

The MLS-Chipotle partnership will help kick off the 2014 MLS season with a “March to Soccer” promotion that should make hungry soccer supporters happy.

Soccer fans in the 12 select markets who visit a Chipotle wearing their local MLS club’s gear on the date of the team’s home opener can receive a buy-one-get-one deal. The dates and markets for Chipotle’s “March to Soccer” events are below:

• FC Dallas: March 8
• Houston Dynamo: March 8
• LA Galaxy: March 8
• Portland Timbers: March 8
• Seattle Sounders FC: March 8
• San Jose Earthquakes: March 11
• Philadelphia Union: March 15
• Sporting Kansas City: March 15
• Colorado Rapids: March 22
• Columbus Crew: March 22
• New England Revolution: March 22
• Chicago Fire: March 23

Earlier today, Jurgen Klinsmann announced the 24 players that he’s called to training camp in Frankfurt, Germany as the USMNT prepares for its match versus Ukraine on Wednesday, March 5 in Cyprus (live on ESPN2 at 2pm ET).

Twenty one of the 24 players called to Frankfurt for the training camp are players who are currently playing in Europe. The only exceptions are Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley, Seattle Sounders’ Clint Dempsey, and Club Tijuana’s Edgar Castillo.

In addition, Klinsmann has invited 18-year old Bayern Munich forward Julian Green to camp. Green, who was born in Tampa, Florida, is German-American and eligible to play for either Germany or the United States, and has been a hot coveted prospect by both countries.

The 18-year old Bayern Munich forward has played for the German U-19 squad and must now file a one-time switch in order to play for the United States. However, Green has publicly state that he is not ready to do so. According to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN, Green will practice for two days with the USMNT in Frankfurt.

“We want to show him [Green] how things work with the United States team and with our environment.” Explained Klinsmann on his decision to call the German-American. “We want him to meet the players, to meet the staff, obviously to meet us coaches, and we want him to feel comfortable in our environment.”

Klinsmann acknowledged that its hard for players with dual citizenship to decide what nation to play for, and Green won’t be any different. “Julian is an exceptional talent not only because he’s playing for Bayern Munich, but he’s shown that already over the past two years in the senior team environment there against the “older guys.”

This camp will be huge for the European-based players as they try to prove to the coaching staff that they are willing to work hard for a spot in the 2014 World Cup squad, since this is the only chance most of these players will have prior to World Cup preparation camps begins.

“With this game being the only chance for these players before our World Cup preparation camp begins, it’s even more important they have a good showing,” explained Klinsmann.

The match versus Ukraine was previously set to be played in Kharkiv, but the location was changed due to current conditions in the country. Kickoff at Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca is set for 2 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local), and the match will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Below is a complete list of the players called to camp by Jurgen Klinsmann:

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (3): Cody Cropper (Southampton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (7): John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Oguchi Onyewu (Sheffield Wednesday), Will Packwood (Birmingham City), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Barnsley), Danny Williams (Reading)

FORWARDS (6): Juan Agudelo (Utrecht), Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar).

For more USMNT news, opinion and analysis, visit the USMNT archives.

North American Soccer League (NASL) is once again changing its playoff format.

The 2014 NASL season will debut the new-look postseason format as four clubs will qualify to play in “The Championship” that will decide the NASL Soccer Bowl Championship.

The league will still have a Spring and Fall Champion. However, now the two season champions will be joined in a semifinals of The Championship by the two clubs with the next best overall record from both Spring and Fall Seasons combined. The winner will then move on to The Championship Final, the Soccer Bowl.

The new format, which was approved by the NASL Board of Governors meeting this week in Jacksonville, will debut in the 2014 NASL Season that begins April 12.

Both the semifinals and final will be one match and not two legs. The semifinals will be played the weekend of November 8-9 and the Championship match will be the following weekend.

The NASL Spring Season and Fall Season champions will each host a semi-final match. In regards to seeding, the number one seed will be awarded to whichever of the Spring or Fall champions posts the better combined regular season record.

If the same club wins both the Spring and Fall seasons, the clubs with the second, third and fourth best overall records from both seasons combined will qualify for The Championship.

“We have a vision for how we want to be structured when we reach 18 clubs,” said NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson.  “The Championship is an integral part of that vision and the fan feedback we received overwhelmingly supported the decision.  The already fierce competition in NASL just got tougher.”

It will be interesting to see how this format will work in the long run. Nevertheless, The Championship is already much better than the previous format in place last season, which saw the Carolina Railhawks, the team with the best oeverall record, not make the Soccer Bowl, and the New York Cosmos, a team who only played half a season, ended up winning it all.

The previous format gave no motivation to the Spring Champions to play in the second half of the season. We saw that with the Silverbacks, who were Spring Champions. In the second half of the season, Atlanta rested its starters, and did not play aggressively, and even let a less superior Fort Lauderdale Strikers squad beat them 6-2 only two weeks prior to the Soccer Bowl.

However, with The Championship, it looks to be different. Owners and coaches alike seem to agree with the new playoff format. Atlanta Silverbacks Technical Director Eric Wynalda had this to say in regards to the new format,  “[The Championship] is going to ensure that teams continue to play at the highest level possible throughout the entire season, I think it is the optimal way to crown a NASL champion.”

Below is how The Championship will work:

The Championship Semi Finals (home team listed first)
Seed #1 vs. Seed #4
Seed #2 vs. Seed #3

The Championship Final (home team listed first)
Highest remaining seed vs. other Semi Final winner

For more NASL news, analysis and opinion, read our NASL archives page.