Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today that it has lost almost $1bn during 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
MLS was only two weeks into its historic 25th season when a halt was called to the campaign in March. It did not resume until July, with the MLS is Back competition in Florida, before a revised regular schedule resumed on 12 August.
“The overall [financial] impact is going to be deeper than we expected,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber.
Rookie midfielder Kelyn Rowe scored a pair of late goals and veteran goalkeeper Matt Reis kept a clean sheet in his first 90-minute performance of the preseason as the New England Revolution claimed a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Rowe broke a scoreless deadlock with an opportunistic finish in the 77th minute before capping the night with a stunning strike in the 84th minute, bringing his tally to four goals and four assists in five preseason games. The U.S. Under-23 midfielder has at least one goal or one assist in each of the Revolution’s preseason matches.
It’s now official, Thierry Henry will not be staying with Arsenal longer than Feb 15th. In fact the New York Red Bulls striker is expected back in the United States just two days later
There was hope that the veteran Arsenal player would stay with Arsenal until at least the end of the month but according to New York Red Bulls boss, Hans Backe, Henry is bent on returning to to the MLS side on 17th.
“When I spoke to him, he told me that he was 100 per cent coming back on February 17,” Backe said.
The New York Red Bull’s Thierry Henry came on as a second half substitute to a rapturous reception from the Arsenal fans, and then in pure Hollywood style, scored the winner against Leeds United tonight.
It took Henry less than 10 minutes to show the ineffective Marouane Chamakh how it is done as he took one touch to control Alex Song’s clever pass in his favourite inside left position and, before the Leeds defenders could react, he had planted the ball beyond keeper Andy Lonergan and into the far corner. A goal of pure class, and such a typical Thierry Henry goal.
2007 Record: 12-11-7 (3rd in East)
Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio (1st Year)
Key Players: Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reyna, Jozy Altidore
Key Pickups: Zach Thornton (Free Agency)
Key Losses: Clint Mathis (Ergotelis), Ronald Waterreus (Ret.)
2008 Outlook: Good
We don’t get many Ergotellis games on TV here in Alabama, which is a real shame. I will miss watching Clint Mathis play now that he has gone Greek. It’s fun to imagine what it would be like if Clint joined a Greek fraternity, instead of a Greek soccer team. It’s not that hard to imagine it either.
Even though the big news in the MLS recently was on the Superdraft there were three moves made near draft day by three teams in the Eastern Conference.
D.C. United acquires forward Fronco Neill on a one-year loan.
Franco was brought in on loan from Argentinos Junior to add some offense to D.C. United. And is expected to join the team for the beginning of the preseason. Neil will be added to the roster of D.C. United when he obtains his work visa and all the international transfer papers are complete. Since making his debut in the 2004-2005 season Neill has scored 10 goals in 60 games. D.C. United led the Eastern Conference in goals last year with 56 and with Neill now in the fold they add another dangerous forward to their already formidable front line.
I read in the Boston Globe today that DC United is in negotiations with Juan Sebastian Veron for next season at a cool price of $4 million a year. Veron who failed miserably in England and is now 32 years of age. My opinion is that that they over the hill former superstars is not the path that MLS should be taking.
Another aging player that the Galaxy is reportedly targeting is Celtic forward Maciej Zurawski. Zurawski, who is 31 years old, cannot make the starting lineup at Celtic. Yet he is supposedly the forward that the Galaxy needs to convert all those Beckham crosses.