There are eight MLS games on Saturday, the first of which -- Toronto hosting Philadelphia -- kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET, a full 90 minutes before the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in London between Manchester United and Barcelona.

New York Red Bulls forward Juan Agudelo is a possible selection for the Gold Cup in part because U.S. Soccer believed his talents weren't needed for the Concacaf U-20 qualifications, which produced a shocking loss to Guatemala that deprived the Americans of a place in the world championships.

Once among the brightest of several young Mexican stars, Nery Castillo has fallen out of favor with both Mexico and Chicago, which signed him last year as a Designated Player. FC Dallas has since put its faith, and its money, in Fabian Castillo as a DP, and this week the Fire declined an option on its Castillo.

The case of Marcos Mondaini sidelining Javier Morales with a vicious tackle has prompted comparisons to the Brian Mullan-Steve Zakuani incident, and though the circumstances are different there are important issues to be weighed.

Something Landon Donovan said in a February interview got me to thinking about what effect the U.S. team's performance in the 2010 World Cup might have on MLS.

If anyone thought that MLS players would tone down their tackles in the wake of a 10-game suspension handed out to Colorado's Brian Mullan, a subsequent serious injury to D.C. United's Branko Boskovic would seem a strong argument against.