By Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) As negotiators meet in Washington inattempt to reach an agreement that will avert MLS’s first work stoppage, the major issue appears to be free agency. When you think of free agency, you usually think of the big-moneybidding that takes place in the other American sports leagues. For MLS players, it’s a […]
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Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2015 MLS Preseason Action
Preseason play wrapped up Saturday with the Houston Dynamo (Carolina Challenge Cup), New York Red Bulls (IMG Suncoast Pro Classic) and Real Salt Lake (Desert Diamond Classic) taking tournament titles.The Vancouver Whitecaps had already clinched the Simple Invitational. The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the LA Galaxy in the Avaya Stadium opener, while the NASL San […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS: Projected opening day lineups
MLS starts its 20th season on Friday when the defending champion LA Galaxy hosts Chicago. Here are our best-guess opening day lineups for all 20 teams. They take into account recentrotations coaches have been using in preseason. A big question mark will be the availability of players who spent the week taking part in the […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Garber: 'Nobody's looking for a work stoppage'
Speaking at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston on Friday, MLS commissioner Don Garber says he is still hopeful the 2015 MLS season — theleague’s 20th — will start next weekend, but he admitted the league was prepared for a work stoppage if negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement falter. “We had […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2015 MLS Preseason Action
The MLS preseason wraps up on Saturday with 18 of 20 teams in action, all but D.C. United and Montreal, which are playing in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals. Week 5 Schedule: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28: Bradenton, FL | Placement game (Suncoast Pro Classic), noon Bradenton, FL |Toronto FC vs. Costa Rica U-23s (Suncoast Pro Classic), […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS issues record fine to owner Dell Loy Hansen
One MLS owner, Real Salt Salt’s Dell Loy Hansen, has not been shy about expressing his feelings about MLS’s position in the ongoing talks for a new collectivebargaining agreement, and he’s now paying for his outspokenness. He has been fined what has been reported to be a record $150,000 by MLS Commissioner Don Garberfor comments […]
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MLS Countdown 2015: Quakes test out new home
With a new stadium about to open and local lad Dominic Kinnear back at the helm, there’s a palpable sense that the good times are back in San Jose. Yet the really good times goway back, to the era of 2001-05 during which the Quakes won two MLS Cups with Kinnear assisting head coach Frank […]
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MLS Countdown 2015: Injury jinx hits hard
salDAY 8: As the MLS preseason is set to wrap up this weekend, teams will pray for one thing: no injuries. Some haven’t been so lucky. After losing Ben Zemanski with a knee injury on Sunday, Portland had a fourth midfielder join its injury list when Michael Nanchoff wentoff with a hip flexor minutes after […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
2015 MLS Preseason Action
Real Salt Lake won its third straight game with a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City to move into the final of the Desert Diamond Cup against Colorado. The New York Red Bulls will playPhiladelphia, a shootout winner over Columbus, in the final of the IMG Suncoast Pro Classic. Vancouver won its second game to […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Soccer and labor strife: It's never about the money
By Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) As American sports go, pro soccerhas had relative labor peace. Since the only work stoppage — the NASL strike of 1979 — there have been two NFL strikes and one lockout, three NBA lockouts and one NHL strike and threelockouts. As for baseball, there have been five work stoppages, the longest […]