<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a title="Toronto FC vs New York Red Bulls - 213 by compscigrad, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jswaby/5249945662/"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5085/5249945662_bd1fe4f6e8.jpg" alt="Toronto FC vs New York Red Bulls - 213" width="500" height="375"></figure></div></a>Photo by compscigrad</div>
After the shine of the first weekend has worn off, MLS gets into the grind with some of its biggest names missing for international duty. &nbsp;Some teams have a second chance to show they’ve improved, while some have another chance to prove they aren’t bottom feeders. &nbsp;Make sure you vote in our poll below for your most interesting match of the week:
<ul>
<li>Congrats to RSL coach Jason Kreis. &nbsp;The team <a href="http://www.realsaltlake.com/news/2011/03/head-coach-jason-kreis-inks-two-year-extension" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that in addition to retiring his number 9 this summer it has extended his contract through the 2013 season. &nbsp;Kreis is the youngest MLS head coach to win an MLS Cup and has an overall coaching record of 51-42-34.</li>
<li>With Landon Donovan playing for the USMNT this weekend, Bruce Arena will <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/03/24/beckham.captain.ap/index.html?eref=si_soccer&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fsi_soccer+%28SI.com+-+Soccer%29" target="_blank" rel="noopener">give the captain’s armband</a> to Mr. David Beckham in their match this Saturday versus RSL. &nbsp;This is the first time&nbsp;in three years that&nbsp;Beckham will serve as captain.</li>
<li>Speaking of the national team, they will wear their new red kit this weekend against Argentina. &nbsp;Take a look and learn to love it, because they will wear this one in the 2011 Gold Cup. &nbsp;I am a bigger fan of the blue myself, but it’s still a good look for the team.</li>
<li>The New York Red Bulls <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/03/24/red.bulls.waive.ibrahim.ap/index.html?eref=si_soccer&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fsi_soccer+%28SI.com+-+Soccer%29" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> forward Salou Ibrahim this week. &nbsp;The well-traveled Ghanan scored three goals in 19 games last season. &nbsp;In addition, the Red Bulls are facing some injury and depth issues, so their match this weekend against Columbus could be quite interesting.</li>
<li>New England’s search for an international striker may be coming to an end. &nbsp;The club <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/new-england-considering-move-forward-lekic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brought in Danish striker Rajko Lekic</a> on trial and may make a move to sign him from his current club Silkeborg.</li>
<li>And finally, <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/kc-notebook-ochocino-has-better-day-2-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Ochocinco experiment</a> seems to be going well. &nbsp;Get the latest from the MLS site.</li>
</ul>
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Week in Review, March 21-25 2011

Week in Review, March 21-25 2011 - World Soccer Talk

<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a title="Flying V by Mafue, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mafue/5541928196/"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5541928196_e56c0e70a5.jpg" alt="Flying V" width="500" height="375"></figure></div></a>Photo by Mafue</div>
MLS could not have asked for a better opening weekend of soccer than this weekend. &nbsp;After a somewhat pedestrian first match between the Galaxy and Sounders, there were a ton of story lines to follow in this weekend’s games. &nbsp;While it may be a lot to ask for every weekend to be this exciting (although we can hope) there is no doubt that this season is looking like a great one.
Just like Don Garber planned it.
Vancouver 4, Toronto 2
What a tale of two cities. &nbsp;Expansion Vancouver certainly kicked off their first first-division season in style. &nbsp;The fans were decked out in white as part of the “White Out”, celebrity fan Steve Nash sat among the masses and led the cheering, and the action on the pitch could not have been better for the home team. &nbsp;Eric Hassli started the scoring in the 15th minute and, after Dwayne De Rosario equalized, it was all Whitecaps. &nbsp;The Toronto defense was exposed and the Reds looked pretty bad; it may be worst case scenario for them at least in the near future.
For more weekend reviews…..
Colorado 3, Portland 1
I was intrigued by this match because I wanted to see how Colorado looked in their first match that counted after their MLS Cup win, as well as see how our other newest club looked. &nbsp;Kenny Cooper contributed a goal (and points for my MLS fantasy team) but otherwise it was all Colorado. &nbsp;The Cummings/Casey duo again looked dangerous in front of the goal, a must for the Rapids, and it was last year’s key pickup Jeff Larentowicz who got the scoring started for Colorado. &nbsp;A tough first match for Portland, but their next three matches are very winnable: at Toronto, at New England, versus Chicago.
Dallas 1, Chicago 1
If you stepped away to the fridge for a beer, you missed the scoring in this one. &nbsp;Milton Rodriguez for Dallas and Diego Chaves for Chicago scored within two minutes of each other, and defense carried the game. &nbsp;Hats off to Dallas for selling out their stadium, after receiving so much criticism for their poor draws last year. &nbsp;Let’s hope that they are building a tradition of being a tough ticket to get. &nbsp;Kevin Hartman picked up where he left off last season, facing 12 shots (5 on goal) and conceding one goal.
D.C. United 3, Columbus 1
I did a story for the site on this match, but I want to make a few follow-up points. &nbsp;Can any Crew fan fill me in on Robbie Rogers absence for most of the match? &nbsp;He had a&nbsp;discernible&nbsp;and positive impact when he was subbed on in the 65th minute, and he may have made a difference playing the full 90. &nbsp;Charlie Davies is getting the attention from this one, but the DC backline (which was horrendous last year) played very well in this match. &nbsp;But with Perry Kitchen called up to the U-20s and Jed Zayner picking up an injury, their depth may be tested (<a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/2011/3/21/2063523/dc-united-roster-depth-defense" target="_blank">find more&nbsp;information&nbsp;here</a>).
New York 1, Seattle 0
Daniel did <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/new-york-1-0-seattle-sounders-agudelo-scores/12049" target="_blank">an excellent job covering this match for MLS Talk, so I will refer you to his analysis</a>. &nbsp;But allow me to continue heaping praise on Juan Agudelo. &nbsp;The guy will be something special if he is allowed to grow properly both in a playing sense and media sense. &nbsp;I also hope the European clubs dismiss him as an overrated American so he plays in MLS for a while longer. &nbsp;I’d like to hear from Sounders’ fans – what can your team do to generate some goals? &nbsp;Goalless now in two matches.
Real Salt Lake 1, San Jose 0
RSL is a very efficient team. &nbsp;They manage only two shots on goal and that’s all they need for Kyle Beckerman to find the winner. &nbsp;It was a good win in bad weather and there was nothing in this match that doesn’t make you think RSL may be the best team already. &nbsp;For San Jose, they are in a tough spot like we expected. &nbsp;They need to win home games against the favorites in the West to be considered playoff contenders; this match will do nothing to make anyone think that they are one of the better Western Conference teams.
Sporting KC 3, Chivas 2
Newcomers shined for Kansas City in this quality away win. &nbsp;James Madison University rookie C.J. Sapong scored the first goal in the second minute and newcomer Omar Bravo added two more in this match. &nbsp;Both teams should be very concerned about their defense, however. &nbsp;Sporting KC allowed two goals on only four shots on goal, while Chivas obviously had some defensive lapses. &nbsp;Does this match assert the Eastern Conference’s dominance over the Western Conference? &nbsp;Probably not, but it is a good win for a potential playoff contender.
Philadelphia 1, Houston 0
Another match where if you turned your head you missed the goal, as Danny Califf scores off a long throw-in. &nbsp;Kudos to Houston for another good crowd of almost 20,000 to begin the season, but a disappointing offensive output. &nbsp;They needed some points from this match, as their next two (at Sounders, at Red Bulls) could see them trailing early in the season, never a good place to be. &nbsp;The Union also needed this one, as five of their next six matches are against 2010 playoff teams and the sixth is against Vancouver.
Los Angeles 1, New England 1
Paging Mr. Angel, please pick up the white courtesy phone. &nbsp;The Galaxy need him healthy or need other players in their midfield to step up if they want to create more scoring chances. &nbsp;Again it was Juninho who salvaged the point for LA, and the good news for their supporters is that they have taken the early lead in the Supporters Shield race. &nbsp;It is good that New England salvaged a point from this match, but they showed some concerning tendencies in the match. &nbsp;Joseph’s third minute goal was their only shot on goal. &nbsp;Their home opener is DC United, so that will be a good test of where they stand.

MLS First Kick '11 is as Good as Advertised

MLS First Kick '11 is as Good as Advertised - World Soccer Talk

The rumor mill was in full tilt Tuesday with the news that national team member Charlie Davies was sent by his French club Sochaux to train with D.C. United in Florida, with a successful training leading to a year-long loan.&nbsp; Yesterday, the Black-and-Red confirmed Davies was in camp and was being given a fitness tryout to see if he is physically ready to receive playing time again.&nbsp; Assuming Davies is fit, United would have the striker they have sought this offseason and Davies would have a chance to rehabilitate his career.
The reaction not surprisingly has been mixed, with some opining that this is <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/grant_wahl/02/02/charlie.davies.mls/index.html?eref=writers" target="_blank">exactly what Davies needs to restart his career</a> (<a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/2011/2/2/1969712/charlie-davies-to-dc-united-an-innovative-approach-to-mls-allocation" target="_blank">and DCU their franchise</a>) and others saying that <a href="http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2011/02/02/2334615/mccarthys-musings-dc-united-faces-complicated-decision-in?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">this deal is not only not workable, but possibly </a><a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/usa-davies-joy.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-4456" src="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/usa-davies-joy-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225"></figure></div></a>a mistake.&nbsp; My thought is this deal is a win-win.&nbsp; Davies gets the chance to see exactly where he is in his rehabilitation and how far away he is from competing for a national team spot, if that is even possible.&nbsp; Sochaux gets to see if Davies, whom they have put on their bench once since the accident, is a potential addition for them or a valuable trade chip.&nbsp; And D.C. United and MLS have a familiar face for U.S. soccer fans in the nation’s capital.
But the focus of this post is not to analyze this from a personal angle, but from a league-wide angle, specifically does the Davies acquisition make D.C. United an MLS Cup contender.&nbsp; If you look at the circumstances, the answer looks to be “possibly yes”. This scenario would assume that not only is Davies close to his previous level of health, but that the Black-and-Red avoid the injury bug that infected them last year.&nbsp; These things of course are unknown and a major assumption, but they are not impossible.
DCU’s offseason has been a frantic remake of the club such that the team that finished last in goals scored in 2010 and close to last in goals allowed are bringing in a series of new faces in a variety of positions.&nbsp; The entire back line will be a mix of now-healthy players (Jed Zayner, Dejan Jackovic) and acquisitions (Rodrigo Braseca, Perry Kitchen) that will help relieve pressure off of now-healthy highly-rated academy product Bill Hamid in goal.&nbsp; The midfield is also vastly improved with the Dax McCarty trade and the continued emergence of MLS ROY Andy Najar.&nbsp; In fact, the roster looked set except for that elusive big-play striker.&nbsp; United had acquired Josh Wolff and Joseph Ngwenya, but neither has been a big scorer in their career and both look to be more complementary forwards.&nbsp; Now, with a potentially healthy Charlie Davies, DCU has that playmaker up front to score and take the pressure off Najar.
However, the names of the players in the previous paragraph are for the most part not likely to elicit shivers of expectation.&nbsp; After all, besides Najar and McCarty, none of the DCU starters can be considered currently elite or close-to-elite (maybe a healthy Santino Quaranta, but that’s a stretch).&nbsp; But the second factor in a potential D.C. United Cup run is the conference.&nbsp; Look at the 2011 Eastern Conference.&nbsp; Besides a loaded New York team, who is the second best team in the conference?&nbsp; Last year’s second best team is going through a total rebuild.&nbsp; Teams like Chicago and New England competed for playoff spots but both have glaring weaknesses.&nbsp; Toronto is talented but in flux with a totally new leadership team.&nbsp; Kansas City has a ton of talent and upside, but still have defensive holes to plug.&nbsp; Philadelphia is going in the right direction but still needs some more offense.
With a new ten team playoff structure, a middling club can make the playoffs and, depending on the structure, automatically have a chance at the MLS Cup.&nbsp; But if D.C. United turns out to be the second place Eastern Conference team, and the league continues to value conference finishing and give the #2 conference seed a bye, then the playoff schedule could fall out well for DCU.&nbsp; We saw this last year: Colorado, a very good but not one of the best teams gets a favorable playoff schedule and makes a run to the Cup.&nbsp; A high-finishing good team in 2011 can do the same thing, especially if they play in the weaker Eastern Conference.
So should we begin to add a fifth star to the DCU jerseys?&nbsp; Not by a long shot.&nbsp; This scenario is based on a lot of conjecture and assumption.&nbsp; But if Charlie Davies is healthy and on his way to recovery, then there is a path to success this season for United.&nbsp; They could enter that second tier of clubs in 2011, right behind the Galaxy/RedBulls/RSL types, and that might be enough for the team to make some noise in the playoffs.

Could Charlie Davies Make DC United an MLS Cup Contender?

Could Charlie Davies Make DC United an MLS Cup Contender? - World Soccer Talk

<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/sports/toronto-seattle-sounders/image/10035905?term=Qwest+Field+Sounders" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/10035905/toronto-seattle-sounders/toronto-seattle-sounders.jpg?size=380&amp;imageId=10035905" border="0" alt="SEATTLE - OCTOBER 02: A general view of the stadium during the game between the Seattle Sounders FC and Toronto FC on October 2, 2010 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. Seattle Sounders FC defeated Toronto FC 3-2. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)" width="380" height="253"></figure></div></a></div>
The cold days of winter have gotten a little sunlight – MLS today unveiled their schedule for “First Kick 2011”, the first home games for every MLS team in the upcoming season.&nbsp; The week will be the first week of the new balanced scheduling and offers some tantalizing match-ups for American soccer fans.
First up again is the Seattle Sounders, who for the third year in a row will kick off the MLS season, this time against the LA Galaxy.&nbsp; The game can be seen at 9:30 PM Eastern on ESPN on March 15.
Saturday, March 19 is when most of the other clubs will begin the season and the schedule has some tantalizing games.&nbsp; Expansion Vancouver will host fellow countrymen Toronto on the first weekend to christen the new MLS club.&nbsp; Colorado will begin its defense of its MLS Cup against the expansion Timbers at 9 PM Eastern that day.&nbsp; And in what may be the marquee match-up of the weekend, San Jose hosts Real Salt Lake in one of two matches featuring two 2010 playoff teams (the other is Seattle flying to New York to face the Red Bulls).
The weekend of March 26 allows many of the first weekend’s visiting teams to return home and play in front of home crowds.&nbsp; The 2010 Eastern Conference top seeds face off at Columbus Crew Stadium at 4 PM.&nbsp; The sexy match-up undoubtedly is Real Salt Lake’s first home match, where they will host the LA Galaxy in an early season battle of possible 2011 MLS Cup contenders.
The only two teams without a home opener in March are Portland (April 14) and Kansas City (June 9).&nbsp; You can see the entire home opening slate <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/first-kick-home-openers-revealed-2011" target="_blank">here</a>.
What do you think?&nbsp; Is RSL/LA the best game of the first two weeks?&nbsp; What do you think about your club’s opener?

MLS Unveils First Matches of 2011 Season

MLS Unveils First Matches of 2011 Season - World Soccer Talk

<a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/sports/seattle-sounders-kansas/image/10017777?term=Teal+Bunbury" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/10017777/seattle-sounders-kansas/seattle-sounders-kansas.jpg?size=466&amp;imageId=10017777" border="0" alt="KANSAS CITY, KS - OCTOBER 09: Teal Bunbury of the Kansas City Wizards controls the ball during a match against the Seattle Sounders at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas on October 9, 2010. The Sounders won 2-1. (Photo by Josh Umphrey/Getty Images)" width="466" height="594"></figure></div></a>
The list of Americans trying to cross the pond to play in England continues to grow.
And no, <a title="article" href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/fulham-could-be-joining-battle-to-get-landon-donovan-on-loan/11116" target="_blank">I’m not talking about Landon Donovan.</a>
Teal Bunbury, a 20-year-old U.S. International who has been on trial at Stoke City in recent weeks, is waiting to hear if the Potters will offer him a contract.
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis <a title="article" href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6598517,00.html" target="_blank">has high praise for the young forward,</a> but isn’t tipping his hand on what will happen next.
“He’s done smashing, mixed in well and got a goal the other day,” he told The Sentinel. “Whether he’s what we want for the next step, we’ll have to see. But he’s a nice kid and, like most American sports people, is very dedicated. His attitude during his time here has been first-class.”
Bunbury was born in Canada to a Canadian father and American mother and traveled to England and Portugal as his father played professional soccer in those two countries.
When he was 10, the Bunburys moved to Minnesota, and he eventually ended up at the University of Akron.
While playing for the Zips, he came off the bench as a freshman before blossoming in 2009 as a sophomore. He led the nation with 17 goals in 25 matches and led the Zips to the College Cup Final.
He then signed a Generation Addias deal and was the fourth overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the Kansas City Wizards – now known as Sporting Kansas City.
Typically a striker, Bunbury spent a lot of time in his first season in Kansas City playing more of an attacking midfield role behind the forwards. He had five goals and two assists in 26 appearances (13 starts).
It will be interesting to see if Bunbury can adapt to the physical brand of soccer that Pulis favors. Whether he gets offered a deal or not, I think Bunbury will be better for the experience.

Teal Bunbury Waits on Stoke&#039;s Decision

Teal Bunbury Waits on Stoke&#039;s Decision - World Soccer Talk

Teal Bunbury Waits on Stoke's Decision

<div style="float: right;margin-left: 5px"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/mls-2010-august-new/image/9556835?term=joseph+ngwenya" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9556835/mls-2010-august-new/mls-2010-august-new.jpg?size=234&amp;imageId=9556835" border="0" alt="Aug. 14, 2010 - Foxboro, Massachusetts, United States of America - 14 August, 2010: Houston Dynamo Forward Joseph Ngwenya." width="234" height="351"></figure></div></a></div>
The first round of the MLS re-entry draft is in the books, and the result of the new process to improve player movement among clubs is……meh.&nbsp; Every club had a chance to select the 35 players who, due to time in the league and contract status, were available for selection.&nbsp; All but two passed until the second round next week, where less stringent salary rules will allow clubs to potentially save a little money.&nbsp; In fact, the lack of action today sets up an intriguing second round, where some high-profile names like Jimmy Conrad will be in high demand for a lower cost.
The first pick went to D.C. United, who selected Houston’s Joseph Ngwenya.&nbsp; The forward is no superstar, but is speedy and for United, depth and options at striker are absolutely needed.&nbsp; Ngwenya has international experience and spent a little time in Bundesliga and La Liga.&nbsp; Most importantly, his negotiated salary should be about $78,000, not a large cap hit at all.
The second and final selection in the draft was Columbus taking Aaron Hohlbein from Sporting KC.&nbsp; The 25 year old defender has spent very little time in MLS, instead spending most of his career in the lower leagues, but he again adds depth to a Columbus team that has been going through a purge of players and desperately needs some young(er) players on the team.&nbsp; And again, he is very cheap – he will cost the Crew around $40,000 next season.
The rule that selected players had to basically keep their 2010 salaries/option is to protect the players, I understand, but it made for a fairy worthless draft day. If MLS plans to keep the re-entry draft the same next year, they should consolidate the draft into back-to-back days; I doubt in the future that first round picks will be hard to sign.&nbsp; On to the second round – next week will be a test in team building strategy.&nbsp; For a club looking for a name player on the downside of their career, but one who is still productive, and can be had at a cheaper price, the 15th is their day.&nbsp; For struggling clubs like Columbus, Chivas, or DCU they can pick up a player who can either address a need, add some star power to their club, or both.&nbsp; For playoff clubs, adding an Angel if he falls to them is a chance to gamble that they can get that final piece for an MLS Cup run.&nbsp; I expect most, if not all teams, to participate next week.
What do you think of the re-entry draft so far?&nbsp; How would you change it?

First Round of MLS Re-Entry Draft is Boring

First Round of MLS Re-Entry Draft is Boring - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from Sporting Kansas City. Find out about all the news related to Sporting Kansas City on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Sporting Kansas City - Page 3"

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Week in Review, March 21-25 2011

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MLS First Kick '11 is as Good as Advertised

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Could Charlie Davies Make DC United an MLS Cup Contender?

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MLS Unveils First Matches of 2011 Season

Leagues: EPL

Teal Bunbury Waits on Stoke's Decision

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First Round of MLS Re-Entry Draft is Boring