[MLS] Heading into the 15th MLS season, Soccer America ranks each team at each position. In this installment, Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoneyexplains why the Houston Dynamo has the toughest backline and which teams are the most vulnerable. The defensive units are evaluated by performance and experience, along with depth and suchfactors as whether they can […]
Soccer America Daily
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Another ironman gets dumped
[MLS] Jon Busch became the second former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and 2009 ironman to be released in recent monthswhen the Chicago Fire waived him five days before its opener at New York. Busch’s departure leaves 24-year-old Andy Dykstra, who has never played a game, as itsstarting goalie, though there is speculation that new […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying
“He was joking, I think.” — Manchester United’s Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic on Wayne Rooney, who, after a Man U teammate suggested England vs.Serbia would be an interesting game, replied: “Serbia? Who plays for them?” (Irish Times)
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High school junior Najar signs with D.C. United
[MLS] A year ago, Andy Najar was a sophomore playing high school ball at Edison High School in Alexandria, Va. Now he isa professional for D.C. United after being promoted from its academy program as MLS’s eighth and youngest homegrown player. The Honduran-born Najar had played extensively for D.C. Unitedon the right side in the […]
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All-Star teams to be selected 'pick-em' style
[WPS] Women’s Professional Soccer will hold its 2010 All-Star Game June 20 (TV: Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports Net, live, 7:30 p.m. ET) at AtlantaBeat’s new stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. The 36 players for the game will be divided by captains and coaches selecting the teams in an alternating “playground pick-em” style format during […]
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Just who were these guys?
[BRAZIL] Less than 24 hours after their poor performance against the New York Red Bulls in the Red Bull Arena opener, Santos was back action, pounding Ituano,9-1, in the Sao Paulo state championship with a completely different team. So which was which? You guessed it, the Santos team that played so miserably against the Red […]
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Behind the scenes of CBA negotiations
[MLS] More money and more rights for players came out of the protracted, contentious CBA negotiations between MLS and the players union, and perhaps moreimportantly there also emerged a stronger bond between the two sides. “Most of the players felt in the past that the league wasn’t really listening to them, that a lot of […]
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SA RANKINGS: Chivas USA goalkeeping duo stands out
[MLS] Heading into the 15th MLS season, Soccer America will rank each team at each position. First up, the goalkeepers. The keepers for each teamare ranked for experience, competence, and depth. The backups, of which there may be more than one per team, also figure into the evaluations and are listed if they have MLS […]
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The new CBA in brief …
[MLS] While the MLS Board of Governors and MLS Players Union must ratify the new collective bargaining agreement before they will announce its details, here aresome of the key provisions … Salary Cap: For 2010, the salary cap will be $2.55 million per team (it was $2.32 million in 2009). It willincrease at a basic […]
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Sizzling races in big five leagues
[EUROPE] Europe’s five major leagues are enjoying sizzling races. Real Madrid and Barcelona remain tied for first in Spain’s La Liga, where both teams have onlydropped 13 of a possible 81 points. Four or less points separate the top three teams in England, Germany and Italy. Five points separate the top six teams in France. […]