Preseason will be in full swing on Tuesday, with five games on tap:
- 12:30 pm ET: San Jose Earthquakes 0, Portland Timbers 0 (Tucson, Arizona) | RECAP (POR)
- 1 pm ET: Montreal Impact 0, Cruz Azul U-20s 1 (Mexico City, Mexico) | RECAP
- 2 pm ET: New York City FC 2 St. Mirren 0 (Manchester, England) | RECAP | WATCH FULL MATCH
- 6 pm ET: Philadelphia Union 0, Tampa Bay Rowdies 1 (Clearwater, Fla.) | RECAP
- 8:30 pm ET: Vancouver Whitecaps 0, Houston Dynamo 1
You can catch all the news and updates from MLS training camps below, and for the entire preseason schedule, click here.
DYNAMO DEFEAT 'CAPS IN ARIZONA
The Houston Dynamo beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 on Tuesday evening in Tucson off a Jermaine Taylor goal in the 52nd minute. The game, part of the Desert Friendlies in Arizona, was played in three 30 minute periods, and both sides had chances on the night.
The Dynamo will return to Houston before then going to Charleston later in the preseason, while the 'Caps head back to British Colombia, to be followed by a trip to Portland on their last trip in the preseason.
KREIS PLEASED WITH PERFORMANCE
New York City FC kicked off their preseason in fine fashion Tuesday with a 2-0 win over St. Mirren in their first official friendly of 2015, thanks to goals from David Villa and Tony Taylor at Manchester City’s training grounds.
Head coach Jason Kreis seemed pleased.
“That was pretty close to what I was looking for in terms of the playing style,” Kreis told the New York Times after the match. “We moved the ball pretty well, although there were some moments where it was pretty hectic and scary. The guys still need to spend some time together. This is not a completed picture, and won’t be until several months down the line.”
Midfield leader Ned Grabavoy said Kreis, his old coach at Real Salt Lake, has ingrained in the team his style of a possession-based attack.
“We want to have a purpose about our possession and not just knock it about aimlessly,” Grabavoy said in the article. “The coach wants us to play with high energy and get on the front foot.”
It likely didn’t hurt that Villa’s campaign started on a positive note, as well.
“It was a beautiful day for the club,” Villa told the Times. “It was good to win against a difficult, strong team, and it was nice to score the first goal in the club’s history. We had been waiting for this for a while.”
NED'S WHAT'S IN A NAME
Ever wondered what Ned Grabavoy's nickname is? Or how he rates his dancing skills. Find out in the video below as he gets the "What's in a Name" treatment from NYCFC.com.
GALAXY II INK ACADEMY PLAYER
LA Galaxy II announced Tuesday that they have signed LA Galaxy Academy product Ryo Fujii.
The midfielder last played for the Galaxy’s U-18’s during the 2013-14 season and will occupy an international roster spot.
“Ryo is a midfielder with a lot of talent and we are confident that playing for Galaxy II will allow him to continue to develop and reach his potential,” LA Galaxy II head coach Curt Onalfo said in a team release.
Fujii, 18, made 28 appearances and scored five goals for the LA Galaxy Academy U-18s to help his squad to a first-place finish in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-18 Division last season. The midfielder attended UC Santa Barbara in 2014, where he earned 2014 Big West All-Freshman Team after logging more than 1,200 minutes and recording two assists in his first season with the team.
BIRNBAUM TO MISS TWO WEEKS
Steve Birnbaum’s knee injury that kept him out of the US national team’s Sunday friendly against Panama will sideline him with D.C. United for two weeks, the Washington Post’s Steve Goff reported Tuesday on Twitter.
Goff also reported that United will now look at new signing Markus Halsti and Kofi Opare, who has made three starts in friendlies during United’s preseason camp in Florida, to vill the void left at center back by Birnbaum.
United next take to the field Friday against the Austin Aztex in the ATX Pro Challenge in Austin, Texas.
PORTLAND AND SAN JOSE FINISH SCORELESS
The Portland Timbers and San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t find the net in their preseason friendly on Tuesday, playing to a scoreless draw in an exhibition in Tucson.
The match was played in three 30-minute periods, with each side making a multitude of subs. Defender Clarence Goodson made his preseason debut for San Jose, coming on for the final 15 minutes of the match.
Both teams will leave Tucson in the coming days, with the Timbers headed back to Portland ahead of the Simple Invitational at Providence Park. The Quakes will return to San Jose for a few days before heading to Las Vegas, where they’ll take on the Colorado Rapids in a friendly on Sunday.
VILLA'S FIRST NYCFC GOAL
We'll let the GIF speak for itself:
THE TENURED TICO
We've run the rule on the longest-serving players still currently at their clubs, and now the New York Red Bulls have gone even more in-depth with their man, Costa Rican fullback Roy Miller. The 30-year-old has seen plenty of ups and downs, personally and with the team, in his six-year spell in New York, but has persevered for 119 appearances for the Red Bulls.
“It’s something I’m proud of,” Miller said in a wide-ranging interview that also touched on his magical World Cup run with Costa Rica. “It’s not easy because every year you see players come and go. I’m thankful to the Red Bulls for keeping me in the team and I’m glad Jesse [Marsch] wants me in the team.”
MANCHESTER CITY U-21 DEFENDER TO START FOR NYCFC
Manchester City Elite Development Squad (U-21) defender Shay Facey is hanging around New York City FC camp a little longer than was initially expected, with the former English youth international set to start in the expansion club’s first-ever friendly against Scottish side St. Mirren today.
Facey was with NYCFC during their training camp in Jacksonville, Fla., but was initially expected to return to the Man City U-21s when New York began their camp in Manchester last week. NYCFC will be allowed to take up to four players on loan from Manchester City for the 2015 season.
Check out NYCFC's entire lineup here. You can watch a live stream of NYCFC's friendly with St. Mirren here.
OH, CAPTAIN
US star Michael Bradley has reportedly been named the new captain of Toronto FC:
Caldwell, 34, is still with the club, though faced two extended injury layoffs in the 2014 season, totaling 21 appearances for the Reds.
LIVE FROM MANCHESTER
New York City FC plays the first of two friendly contests in Europe on Tuesday, as they will face Scottish Premier League side St. Mirren at the City Football Academy.
It will be NYCFC's second game of the preseason after a 2-1 win over the Jacksonville Armada. The club will be streaming the game live on its website.
'CAPS GET ALLOCATION MONEY
Looks like the Vancouver Whitecaps got a little something out of the deal that brought Canadian-born defender Steven Vitoria to the Philadelphia Union on Monday. Shortly after the Union announced the signing, the Whitecaps revealed that they had received allocation money for the right of first refusal for Vitoria.
