Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. UNITED EMBARRASSED IN COSTA RICA
Of the two MLS teams remaining in the CONCACAF Champions League, many had high hopes for No. 1-seeded D.C. United. Unfortunately, a sluggish performance meant United were well and truly taken apart down in Costa Rica on Thursday night, losing 5-2 to Alajuelense (HIGHLIGHTS).
2. CROWD GROWING FOR IMPACT RETURN
Thursday’s CCL result means the Montreal Impact are the more favored of the two MLS teams to progress now. And following their considerably more impressive road performance, the club has sold an additional 3,000 tickets for the home leg of their quarterfinal clash vs. Pachuca, boosting the expected crowd at the Stade Olympique past 20,000.
3. BUILDING THEIR BASES
In other ticket news, both expansion franchises continue to post impressive numbers. New York City FC have confirmed they now have passed 14,000 season tickets sold for their inaugural season. That same number serves as a cap for Orlando City, and the Lions have less than 1,000 season tickets to go before they hit that target.
4. JOYA HAS OPTIONS
Could Benji Joya be set to join the Colorado Rapids? With the former US youth international out of contract with Santos Laguna, Joya is currently on trial with the MLS side. Should they choose to pass on the 21-year-old, who played for Chicago on loan in 2014 and spent time with the Seattle Sounders this preseason, he apparently has other offers, both in MLS and abroad.
5. FC DALLAS ARE READY TO GO
With the new MLS season just one week away, FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja believes his roster is almost set. Pareja, whose team is being marked as a dark-horse title contender in some quarters, seems happy with how his players are progressing in every position.
6. EARTHQUAKES ADD A DEFENDER
Although the San Jose Earthquakes cut two players on Wednesday they soon added another, signing Portuguese defender Paulo Renato on Thursday. General manager John Doyle labelled the new signing “an important part of the team this year.”
7. DISKERUD KNOWS HIS CITY
Although Mix Diskerud had never lived in the US before, his move to New York City FC doesn’t put him on completely unfamiliar ground. The US international has long been making annual trips to the city. Diskerud officially has a new teammate now as well, after NYCFC signed SuperDraft selection Connor Brandt.
8. A NEW BEGINNING
Following the arrival of Rais Mbolhi, the second half of 2014 didn’t play out the way goalkeeper Zac MacMath would have liked with the Philadelphia Union. Now though, with MacMath on a year-long loan to the Colorado Rapids, the goalkeeper is looking forward to a fresh start.
9. PARKER PROVES POINT
Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson suggested SuperDraft selection Tim Parker may be the most MLS-ready player he’s seen in the draft and it looks like he wasn’t wrong, as Parker has been one of the biggest revelations during the Whitecaps preseason camp.
- ARE DIAMONDS REALLY FOREVER?
Real Salt Lake have become famed for their midfield diamond formation, pioneered under Jason Kreis. But with significant personnel turnover this offseason and Kreis himself exploring different formations with New York City FC, could RSL be moving to a 4-3-3 formation?
11. S2 SIGNINGS
Seattle Sounders 2 have officially signed their first players ahead of their inaugural USL season, with Amadou Sanyang and Duncan McCormick the first two to join the roster. However, a third signing could soon be on the way and the team may have already found a goalkeeper.
12. DYNAMO CHARGE THE BATTERY
While the Houston Dynamo continue to explore their own options for a USL franchise, this season they’ve partnered up with the Charleston Battery. How did that relationship come about and what do the Dynamo hope to get from it?
13. SUPPORT FROM SOUTH OF THE BORDER
The San Antonio Scorpions refuse to be ruled out of the MLS expansion race and the second-division team has received backing from an unusual source: the Mexican Soccer Federation. The Scorpions have also just added former MLS midfielder and Honduran international Marvin Chavez to their roster.
14. MAKE IT A FANTASY WEEKEND
You might want to use your downtime this weekend to get your MLS Fantasy team set. A stable of experts has been working to get you ready for the new season at Fantasy.MLSsoccer.com. For exampe, it's probably good for you to know whether it makes sense to use defenders from the same team.
- THE BEST AROUND?
Avaya Stadium, the newly-built home of the San Jose Earthquakes, is set for its soft opening on Saturday, when the Quakes take on the Galaxy. Is the new stadium the best in soccer venue in America?
MLSsoccer.com Musts
The Evolution of Gregg Berhalter: The Crew SC coach’s pursuit of perfection
WATCH: Kyle Beckerman talks about the future of US national team players in MLS
FIFA will move 2021 Confederations Cup away from Qatar
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