Following up on a unique playing career with a historic coaching appointment.

Swede Pia Sundhage was hired to shake up a boring and predictable U.S. women's national team, and she has certainly done that. The USA rolled through its first three tournaments and has qualified for the Olympic finals.

What will the effect be on U.S. soccer as young Mexican-Americans continue to find opportunities south of the border?

The oldest MLS player is also one of its best goalkeeers. Houston owes much of the credit for its 2006 and 2007 championships to veteran Pat Onstad.

Juan Carlos Toja burst upon MLS with a rock-star image, but as teammates and opponents quickly discovered, he's a quintessential mix of work rate and wonderful skills.

Soccer shed its reputation as a foreign sport thanks to the youth participation boom that started in the 1970s, but new waves of immigrants continue to enrich the game.

Since 2004, Los Angeles has burned through Sigi Schmid, Steve Sampson and Frank Yallop as head coaches. For 2008, it has gone international with the hiring of former Dutch superstar Ruud Gullit.

Longtime play-by-play man JP Dellacamera goes full-time with MLS and U.S. Soccer

Western Conference

Eastern Conference

A steady stream of encouraging developments marked the latest MLS offseason.

MLS expansion challenges American youth soccer to produce exceptional players at a higher rate.