[MLS] Head coach Frank Yallop and goalkeeper Joe Cannon have been reunited in San Jose for the second time and for the third time in their careers.

Obviously, the coach must see something in the player. And vice versa.

Yallop traded a partial allocation to Los Angeles for the rights to Cannon, who played two seasons (2001 and 2002) for Yallop with the original Quakes before leaving to try his luck in Europe. Cannon came back to MLS in 2003 to play for Colorado, and Yallop, then coach of the Galaxy, acquired him prior to the 2007 season.

Upon being hired by the reincarnated Quakes last fall, Yallop hinted he'd might be in the market for a few of his former players. Prior to the holidays, trade talks regarding Cannon and Dallas striker Carlos Ruiz, along with other teams and players, reached a stage several sources described as "serious," but no deal came through.

"Joe is very happy, he's going home," said Cannon's New York-based agent, Ron Waxman, of Cannon, who played at Santa Clara University, which will host the team for the next three seasons while its stadium plan moves ahead. "It couldn't have worked out better for him."
According to Waxman, Cannon spent Thursday playing golf with his father. (Dad once had to rescue Joe when his car broke down en route to a tryout.)

Heading into the SuperDraft, Yallop may have to find a replacement for defender Clarence Goodson, whose interest in going overseas and pending expiration date of his MLS contract promoted Dallas head coach Steve Morrow to expose him in the expansion draft. Agent Craig Sharon has apparently secured a solid opportunity for Goodson but the name of the club has yet to surface.

According to a source, the Quakes had tried to pry away a player from a local college team with eligibility remaining but were told he preferred to stay in school. Yallop has also watched Bronco senior defender Jamil Roberts, the brother of Troy Roberts, who played for Yallop with the Galaxy. Another local college defender, University of San Francisco product Chris Rodd, signed with Norwegian club Bryne last month.

By off-loading Cannon, who earned $192,000 last season, getting a partial allocation in the trade, and wiping off the salary ($95,000) of the retired Cobi Jones, Los Angeles has added a big chunk of salary room to its budget. It can use the allocation money to sign a new player or re-sign one of its current players. In this case, bet on the former. It is in the market for a striker.

According to several sources, the Galaxy is seeking a third high-salary player (not a Designated Player) to join DPs Landon Donovan and David Beckham, who together count $725,000 against the cap. Combined, the three players would tie up nearly $1 million in cap space, leaving about $1.2 million under the cap for the rest of the roster.

The Galaxy also has a major allocation to play with as a benefit of missing the playoffs, so it could be able to pay as much as $500,000 - combined salary cap space and allocation money - to a player. Allocation money can be spread over the length of a player's contract to soften the salary-cap hit.