It was a wild ending but my team the Minnesota Thunder were elimindated 5-4 by Vancouver in the first round of the USL-1 playoffs last night. Damn it all. See details in the USL-1 section.

~and~

A big shout out to the fantastic Highbury pub in Milwaukee, where I spent a great Saturday morning. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

With the MLS schedule for September now over, it is time for members of the media to submit their votes for MLS player of the month.

The only problem is that this month, perhaps more than any other month this season, picking the best player for the month is very difficult because there isn't an obvious choice.

Click to continue reading...

Landon Donovan to Andrea Canales on potential interest from Bayern Munich: "I would love for it to happen." See Los Angeles Galaxy section for the full article.


MLS Scoreboard

Week 26
Matches & Scores:
-Thu Sep 18
Columbus 3-1 New York - CC goals by Frankie Hejduk, Robbie Rogers & Eddie Gaven. Click to continue reading...

Carlos Bocanegra lead his team Rennes to a 2-1 win in the UEFA Cup by scoring the winning goal. Of course he got a header from a free kick! See how all our Americans did in the Americans In Europe section.

~and~

Even without their star player Guillermo Barros Schelotto the Columbus Crew steamrolled New York in the second half last night. Click to continue reading...

The Columbus Crew continued their recent run of red-hot play, scoring three unanswered goals to dispatch of the New York Red Bulls at Crew Stadium on Thursday night by a score of 3-1. The victory moves Columbus six points clear of 2nd place New England as the 2008 regular season enters its final stages. Click to continue reading...

With the absolutely humiliating display of football Colombia has been exhibiting lately, it was a foregone conclusion that technical director Jose Luis Pinto would have to walk the plank. Well, it happened. And in his place, interim coach Eduardo Lara, is looking to mend fences with those shunned by Pinto.

Click to continue reading...

After years of frustrations Red Bulls fans have something to look forward too. The club has addressed all its apparent weaknesses since the start of the season. Click to continue reading...

It took alot to get the deal done, but the Atlanta Silverback goal scoring forward stand out Macoumba Kandji is now a Red Bull. The Silverhawks have agreed to a loan deal through the rest of this season, with an option to sign . And after passing his physical, you can expect him to be making his debut in short time.

Click to continue reading...

I think many of us get really bored when ESPN feed us a steady Champions League diet of Manchester United & Chelsea every round. But at least this week they are taking on two opponents who are very worth taking a look at. Villarreal (sadly without Jozy Altidore who is not on their group stage roster) and Bordeaux with Loren Blanc at the helm playing really great looking football. Click to continue reading...

According to Sportnet.ca (click here for the full article), Toronto FC is looking to bring in 1 or 2 DPs next season. Neither of which would be stars in their twilight, but more along the lines of Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls. Sounds like TFC is serious about taking the club to another level. Click to continue reading...

Jason Kreis likely spent the flight back to Salt Lake City cursing about the referees. Juan Pablo Angel and Dave van den Bergh each scored second-half goals to lift the New York Red Bulls past Real Salt Lake 2-1 Saturday night. Yura Movsisyan gave the lead to Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the 38th minute after maneuvering [. Click to continue reading...

Ives is reporting this morning that the Red Bulls are still very interested in adding Macoumba Kandji to their team for the stretch run of the MLS season and are now discussing a loan for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy. The dollar figure of the potential transfer is said to be a little lower than the $200K that was previously discussed. Click to continue reading...

There is plenty to discuss regarding this weekend's match-up between the Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, from the intense battle that wound up being decided by one mistake to the return of Juan Carlos Osorio to Toyota Park (there is also my 48 hours in Chicago, which I will get into later).

Click to continue reading...

Put a pair of Vulcan ears on New York sporting director Jeff Agoos. He uses relentless Spock-like logic to describe the Red Bulls' approach toward shaping up the roster this season.

When Jozy (Altidore) left, we knew we had a big hole up front, but we knew we needed to get someone to get Juan (Pablo Angel) the ball.

Click to continue reading...

I just finished the new DVD from Major League Soccer and A&E Home Video titled, Game Breakers: The Stars of Major League Soccer and I've got to tell ya, I was quite impressed.

The DVD was just released on August 26th and so – like Kramer in Seinfeld – that practically makes me the premier! Click to continue reading...

I'm trying not to make this such a Columbus love fest here but when your hot it has to be noted and right now the Columbus Crew are indeed hot. The main reason is because of the way things are clicking on the offensive side of the ball and also to a degree on the [...] Click to continue reading...

What the heck was up with the image-picking hobgoblins in the dank, rat-infested dungeons of MLS HQ this week? Let's take a look at the photos accompanying a couple of match writeups on MLSNet.com. Photo #1: MLS Family Fun Night! Check out the Red Bulls' Designated Player, Juan Pablo Angel, engaging in a bit of leap-frog with Joe Vide--presumably DC United's Desginated Playmate. Click to continue reading...

The Red Bulls will finally be injury free when New York takes the field vs. DC United on Saturday night at RFK (7:30p, FSC). The Red Bulls have lifted themselves into the playoff mix by picking up nine points at home over the last three Sundays, but if New York is to solidify its hold on a playoff spot, RBNY must figure out how to get the maximum points on the road. Click to continue reading...

The New York Red Bulls will have to look somewhere else in their search for a strike partner for Juan Pablo Angel, after Major League Soccer blocked a deal for Macoumba Kandji of the USL's Atlanta Silverbacks. The deal was quashed by MLS because of a $200,000 transfer fee that Atlanta had insisted upon, an unusually high amount for a USL player. Click to continue reading...

I had a chance to watch Game Breakers: The Stars of Major League Soccer this evening. The A&E DVD about several of the stars of Major League Soccer was just released today.

The description of the DVD lists 12 players that they profile but you will see so much more than just 12 player profiles.

Click to continue reading...

By JAMES CLARKEast Rutherford, New Jersey -- The lads and I spent a beautiful Sunday with 12,000-plus fellow fans at Giants Stadium and saw the resurgent New York Red Bulls impose themselves during a comprehensive 3-nil win over the Houston Dynamo in a match that was broadcast nationally on Spanish-language network Telefutura. Click to continue reading...

In the 21st week of the MLS season, there were some several outstanding performances this week but unfortunately the week was one in which many star players were missing due to international duty, something that could easily have been prevented.

G: Louis Crayton
D: Jimmy Conrad
D: Chad Marshall
D: Richard Mulrooney
M: Andre Rocha
M: John Thorrington
M: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
M: Mike Magee
F: Luciano Emilio
F: Kei Kamara
F: Taylor Twellman

Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio somehow is turning around a New York team that had seemingly been left in the rear-view mirror by the Eastern frontrunners. Click to continue reading...

Taking the field without three regular starters, the New York Red Bulls used the longball... and the head of leading scorer Juan Pablo Angel, to completely dominate the two-time defending MLS Cup champ Houston Dynamo, 3-0, at Giants Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After Angel snapped home a Dave van den Bergh header in the 8th minute to open the scoring, Seth Stammler launched a ball down the right side to a speeding and finally healthy Dane Richards, who beat his defender and Houston keeper Pat Onstad to double the lead in the 26th. Click to continue reading...

First off, I have to point out that Kevin Goldthwaite DID say that it would be easier to slice tomatos than to take down Houston. Nostradamus was in the house, as the defense, obliterated by injuries and suspensions, held the Dynamo to a 3- 0 shutout.

Coach Osorio, reacting to the losses in the back, relied heavily on some of the newer pieces in a 4-4-2 formation.

Click to continue reading...

The New York posts Brian Lewis is reporting that the Red Bulls have narrowed down the search for a strike partner for Juan Pablo Angel. They include the Atlanta Silverbacks Senegalese striker Macoumba Kandji (who will probably be purchased from Atlanta if the club can pay the $200,000 transfer fee), Dominic Oduro of Dallas, and Colorado's Omar Cummings. Click to continue reading...

Thursday, August 14th:

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 - Chivas USA 2

LA – Landon Donovan 14 (Chris Klein) 8'
CHV – Atiba Harris 2 (Paulo Nagamura) 50'
CHV – Paulo Nagamura 2 (Atiba Harris) 63'
LA – Alan Gordon 4 (Ante Jazic) 92'+
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Saturday, August 16th:

FC Dallas 1 - Columbus Crew 2

FCD – Jeff Cunningham 4 (Adrian Serioux) 35'
CLB – Brian Carroll 1 (Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno) 62'
CLB – Brad Evans 3 (Guillermo Barros Schelotto) 65'
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Saturday, August 16th:

DC United 1 - Chicago Fire 0

DCU – Fred 2 (Jaime Moreno) 27'
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Saturday, August 16th:

Real Salt Lake 3 - Houston Dynamo 4

RSL – Yura Movsisyan 1 (Robbie Findley) 3'
HOU – Brian Mullan 2 (Brad Davis) 16'
RSL – Javier Morales 4 (unassisted) 25'
HOU – Brian Ching 9 (Brian Mullan, Craig Waibel) 29'
HOU – Ricardo Clark 1 (unassisted) 35'
HOU – Nate Jaqua 1 (Brian Ching, Brad Davis) 42'
RSL – Kenny Deuchar 3 (Robbie Findley, Javier Morales) 80'
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Saturday, August 16th:

Kansas City Wizards 1 - Colorado Rapids 2

COL – Conor Casey 4 (Terry Cooke, Mehdi Ballouchy) 11'
KC – Michael Harrington 1 (unassisted) 44'
COL – Conor Casey 5 (unassisted) 47'
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Saturday, August 16th:

New England Revolution 0 - San Jose Earthquakes 4

SJ – Ronnie O'Brien 2 (Francisco Lima, Ramiro Corrales) 11'
SJ – Ryan Johnson 4 (Scott Sealy, Ronnie O'Brien) 71'
SJ – Scott Sealy 3 (Darren Huckerby, Nick Garcia) 76'
SJ – Ronnie O'Brien 3 (Darren Huckerby) 87'
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Sunday, August 17th:

Toronto FC 0 - New York Red Bulls 2

NY – Mike Magee 3 (Seth Stammler) 37'
NY – Juan Pablo Angel 7 (Dane Richards, Jorge Rojas) 92'+ Click to continue reading...

UPDATE: This list has been updated to include Darren Huckerby's salary, Emilio's big pay raise and Claudio Reyna's retirement.

Also the list of celebrity MLS fans has been updated here.



While MLS is not the English Premier League, that hasn't stopped a few players from making a tidy bit of coin and greenbacks. Click to continue reading...

According to leparisien.fr Red Bull New is in talks with former French international forward Sylvain Wiltord. The former Arsenal star has fallen out of favor with french club Rennes and is looking for a new opportunity and New York may be the perfect place to ressurect his career. A partnership of Juan Pablo Angel and Sylvain Wiltord may be a deadly combination in MLS. Click to continue reading...

Luis and I were discussing the possibility of Bruce Arena becoming the Galaxy's next coach.

Drama always makes for good copy, and I don't doubt that Bruce would bring some drama and a certain amount of swagger to the team.
On the other hand, I'd rather the club pick someone who has had more recent success in the league. Click to continue reading...

While we are sorting through the mess with the LA Galaxy, it is time to hand out a pair of weekly awards for player of the week and goal of the week. This week there was really no doubt who would win both, so I will make this quick as I can. While few had solid [...] Click to continue reading...

August 9th:
Toronto FC 1 - Colorado Rapids 0
TOR – Chad Barrett 6 (unassisted) 44'

Chicago Fire 2 - New England Revolution 1
NE – Taylor Twellman 2 (Mauricio Castro) 3'
CHI – Gonzalo Segares 2 (unassisted) 81'
CHI – Wilman Conde 1 (unassisted) 86'

Chivas USA 2 - Kansas City Wizards 3
KC – Sasha Victorine 1 (Claudio Lopez, Matt Marquess) 22'
KC – Claudio Lopez 4 (Davy Arnaud, Kerry Zavagnin
KC – Davy Arnaud 2 (Aaron Hohlbein) 58'
CHV – Carey Talley 2 (penalty kick) 73'
CHV – Justin Braun 3 (Carey Talley) 82'

August 10th:
DC United 1 - New York Red Bulls 4
DC – Jaime Moreno 8 (Fred, Luciano Emilio) 16'
NY – Juan Pablo Angel 5 (unassisted) 27'
NY – Mike Magee 2 (unassisted) 45'
NY – Juan Pablo Angel 6 (unassisted) 50'
NY – Sinisa Ubiparipovic 1 (Jorge Rojas) 87' Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

When Jaime Moreno scored what seemed like his 100th career goal against the Red Bulls on Sunday you got the distinct feeling that the season was ready to slip away for the New York squad.

Click to continue reading...

A short week was week 20 in Major League Soccer. Only four games of action and all were won by eastern clubs. Some wins were bigger than others while some clubs continue to stumble. The biggest story had to be Chicago's come-from-behind win over New England. The best game of the weekend for sure had a [. Click to continue reading...

This week's addition of MLS game of the week was not too difficult to choose. When you have a game featuring Jaime Moreno, Luciano Emilio, and Juan Pablo Angel, and the game has five goals in it, you have to choose it. What did you guys think of the game? Was it worthy of [...] Click to continue reading...

From yesterday morning's painful US Olympic 2-2 draw with Netherlands, to the Red Bulls' 4-1 demolition of DC United in the late afternoon, the day was a veritable football feast from China to the swamps of Jersey.

The US was seconds away from qualifying for the Olympic quarterfinals before the Oranje's Gerald Sibon (SC Heerenveen) blasted the tying goal under the US wall on a free kick from just outside the penalty area. Click to continue reading...