Whitecaps ink Wagner and Tan 11 Mar 2011 Long Tan’s days as a trialist are over. Blake Wagner has made the return to MLS from Division-2. Both players signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps Friday after impressing the brass with their preseason performances.
Toronto FC trades for Chivas USA striker Gordon 11 Mar 2011 Toronto FC has made a deal to try and get some more goals in the lineup. The Reds sent midfielder Nick LaBrocca, who they acquired in 2010 from the Colorado Rapids, to Chivas USA for American striker Alan Gordon.
MLS issues mandates to its referees 11 Mar 2011 If Major League Soccer is true to its word, we can expect to see a rise in the number of cards and penalty kicks awarded in games this season. Commissioner Don Garber outlined some new points of emphasis for MLS officials in his season kickoff conference call Friday. Garber made it clear that the league was concerned over what it felt was the number of infractions that went unpunished in games last season.
FC Edmonton trialist Antoniuk gets shot with FC Dallas 11 Mar 2011 Dan Antoniuk’s trial with FC Edmonton may have gone too well. The San Diego Sockers, Antoniuk’s current indoor-soccer club, confirmed Friday that he won’t be returning to Cincinnati for the Professional Arena Soccer League’s North American Championship. Not because Antoniuk is still with FC Edmonton, but because he accepted a one-game trial with FC Dallas.
PPM Sidekicks pound Calgary United 11 Mar 2011 Last season, Calgary United FC was eliminated after the first game of the Professional Arena Soccer League’s North American Championships by giving up four goals to the California Cougars in the dying minutes. This season, the defending Canadian Major Indoor Soccer League champs didn’t leave anyone in suspense. Oswaldo Medina scored just nine seconds after the match kicked off, and the PPM Sidekicks del Estado de Mexico rolled to a 10-2 win, eliminating Calgary from the Cincinnati tournament with ease.
Impact unveils stadium renovation plan 9 Mar 2011 The Montreal Impact announced its plan to transform Stade Saputo into an MLS-ready facility. Owner Joey Saputo lifted the curtain on a plan to increase the stadium’s capacity from 13,034 to 20,431. The plan calls for 3,500 seats in a new west grandstand and 1,250 additional seats in the southeast and southwest corners. Another 1,000 seats will be installed in the east grandstand.
MLS needs to step in and stop preseason ugliness 9 Mar 2011 On Tuesday night, a preseason game between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake was abandoned in the second half because of what’s being described as an ugly brawl.
Gold Cup: Canada and the U.S. to rumble in Motown 8 Mar 2011 Canada couldn’t have asked for a tougher opponent to face in its 2011 Gold Cup opener. But playing the United States in Detroit is a public- and fan-relations bonanza. Canada will face the Americans June 7 at Ford Field, just a skip across the border. This means that fans in Southern Ontario have the chance to see Canada against the best CONCACAF has to offer, just by crossing the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor into the Motor City.
Sinkgraven not surprised by FC Edmonton’s 3-0 loss to FC Dallas 8 Mar 2011 FC Edmonton got a taste of MLS competition in its preseason opener Monday in Arizona, dropping a 3-0 decision to the reserve squad of MLS Cup finalists FC Dallas. Homegrown prospect Ruben Luna put FCD ahead just three minutes into the games as the Edmonton side, in only in its second day in Arizona, struggled to adjust to the pace of a team that is nearing the end of its preseason conditioning.
Whitecaps hang on to beat Seattle in entertaining Cascadia finale 7 Mar 2011 But, anyone who tuned in to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps hang on to beat the Seattle Sounders 3-2 in the finale of the Cascadia Cup — or any of the 4,000 people who packed what’s normally a training pitch in Tukwila, Wash — got to see about as entertaining a MLS preseason game as you’re ever going to see.