From the category archives:

MLS

Ibrahimovic Spits Fire

by Philip Mboya on September 2, 2010

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how players often hate on their former clubs soon after transferring. It is a trend i see with most players. They normally go on and on about how switching clubs is the best thing that ever happened to their careers and that they are ready for a fresh start when in reality, we know its all a load of rubbish!

The bulk of them are in fact bitter to have been shown the door. Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has become the latest player to criticise his former club claiming their manager runs away from his problems.

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MLS Attendance Up over 7%

by David Wilson on September 1, 2010

MLS Daily (http://www.mls-daily.com/) keeps a running tab of MLS attendance figures, and through this past weekend’s games MLS attendance is up 7.03% over this time last season. Considering the economy and the attendance issues that MLB (http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2010/8/24/1647739/mlb-attendance-drops-cubs-vs) is having, Don Garber must be ecstatic with the numbers.

Leading the way as expected is the Seattle Sounders with an average home attendance this season of over 36,000 fans. The New York Red Bulls have benefited by moving into their soccer only stadium, as they have seen their home attendance jump almost 40%.

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MLS Weekend Recap

by David Wilson on August 31, 2010

Record breaking week for FC Dallas as they set a Major League Soccer record this past week with its 0-0 draw at Columbus. With the draw, Dallas extend its road unbeaten streak to 10 games (3-0-7). The other big news was that Thierry Henry finally scored his first MLS goal as the Red Bulls beat San Jose 2-0.

Here’s a rundown of all of this weekends MLS games:

Columbus Crew 0, FC Dallas 0
In addition to extending its road unbeaten streak, FC Dallas extended its overall unbeaten streak to 12 matches.

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Toronto FC v NY Red Bulls Report

by David Wilson on August 23, 2010

Saturday the New York Red Bulls visited Toronto and it was my annual trip to with my dad to watch a TFC game. Last season we saw TFC v Real Madrid. I was looking forward to game as it would give me a chance to see Thierry Henry and Rafa Márquez play.

We arrived at BMO Field and as we got nearer the stadium we could hear the sound of the fans singing. But these were not the TFC fans. These were the 50 or so Red Bulls fans who had made the trip up for the game and their singing added tot eh atmosphere.

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LA Galaxy Beat Red Bulls in MLS Cup Preview

by David Wilson on August 15, 2010

In front of a sold-out Red Bull Arena, the two best teams in Major League soccer met Saturday night with the LA Galaxy beating the New York Red Bulls 1-0 behind Edson Buddle’s 13th goal of the season.

With LA manager Bruce Arena watching from a suite after spending two days in a New Jersey hospital, Buddle’s 10th minute strike allowed the Galaxy to extend their lead in the Western Conference to an MLS-best 43 points.

After striking the crossbar in the seventh minute through a Chris Birchall drive, LA would not miss three minutes later.

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DC United fire coach

by David Wilson on August 4, 2010

Last-place D.C. United have fired coach Curt Onalfo and replaced him with assistant coach and former U.S. national team player Ben Olsen.

United have only won three games this season as they have struggled through the worst stretch in the teams history. United failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons, and this year’s record is the worst in MLS. They’ve been hit hard by injuries and bad signings, and their lone bright spot is 17-year-old rookie midfielder Andy Najar.

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Man United Hammer MLS All-Stars

by David Wilson on July 29, 2010

The MLS All-stars have never had a night like this.They had won five of their last six matchups against international competition, including a 1-0 win over Chelsea in 2006. And after seeing Man United struggle against the Philadelphia Union and Kansas City Wizards, there were quite a few people who expected Man U to lose for the second time on their U.S. tour.

Those thoughts ended within 25 seconds of the kickoff when Federico Macheda intercepted a weak pass by defender Kevin Alston and chipped a low shot past goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

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When Real Madrid played the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2005, they brought a star-studded lineup that included stars like Ronaldo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos and Luís Figo.

Five years later, the faces have changed, but Real Madrid will once again bring an all-star cast when they return to California next month on tour. Real Madrid will be bringing along their biggest names, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and World Cup winners Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos and Álvaro Arbeloa.

Other notable names on the list include Argentine internationals Gonzalo Higuaín, Fernando Gago and Ángel di María; Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart; and France standouts Karim Benzema and Lassana Diarra.

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#84 - Smash the UnionWhen he signed for the Seattle Sounders in October 2008, Freddie Ljungberg became the face of the new MLS franchise. Less than two years later Ljungberg is on his way out od Seattle/

Seattle coach Sigi Schmid confirmed yesterday what blogs have been reporting for weeks. That Ljungberg was looking for a way to get out of Seattle.

“Ljungberg is still [dealing] with the ankle but also, at this point, he is exploring options,” Schmid said. “So we’ll see how things proceed in the next three, four, five days.”

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Is Rafa Marquez heading to New York Red Bulls?

by David Wilson on July 21, 2010

In what would be a huge signing for Major League Soccer, Soccer America is reporting that Mexico star Rafa Marquez is close to signing for the New York Red Bulls.

Marquez who was one of Mexico’s stars in the World Cup will sign a three or four year deal worth around $2.8M a year.

From the Soccer America article:

Rafa Marquez to the New York Red Bulls? A done deal, or a very nearly, as near as you can get, done deal, I am informed. A three- or four-year deal at $2.8 million a year.

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