MLS confirmed that Manchester United, which thrashed the MLS All-Stars last season, will be back for more.Manchester United will provide the opposition for the All-Stars July 27 at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, a year after the Red Devils dominated the best in MLS in Houston.But, will the game resonate with Canadian fans? That’s up for debate.

Javier Morales’ performance was judged to be superior to that of Javier Martina.The Real Salt Lake midfielder was named the MLS player of the week by the North American Soccer Reporters on Monday. Morales scored twice and set up another goal as RSL decimated the Los Angeles Galaxy 4-1, only adding to Rio Tinto’s reputation as being the toughest place for a road team to go in all of North American pro sports.

Before the kickoff of the season, MLS headquarters instructed its officials to crack down on fouls in the box and to make absolutely certain that a player was in an offside position before raising the flag.More penalties, more cards, less offside calls — the recipe to boost scoring.We are clearly seeing the effect of the mandate. Fans will likely have to get used to seeing the flag stay down more often than not.

The Vancouver Whitecaps gave it their best shot to maintain their perfect season here yesterday against the Philadelphia Union and their boisterous Sons of Ben fan club —which cheers its heroes and jeers the opposition nonstop the entire game. They really did.But in the end the Caps simply couldn’t overcome a red card to striker Eric Hassli — his second yellow-card infraction of the day — forcing them to play a man down the final 35 minutes. The Union applied consistent pressure from there, finally converting an opportunity goal from Carlos Ruiz in the 79th minute to squeeze out a 1-0 win that might’ve been a different story otherwise.

Perhaps all Toronto FC needed was to be back at BMO Field. A week after a disappointing loss in the season opener in Vancouver, a much-improved TFC side won its home opener by a 2-0 score over the Portland Timbers.Striker Javier Martina led the way with his first two career MLS goals, but perhaps even more important than Toronto's scoring was the lack of a goal from the other side. The Reds' back line stood up against a persistent Timbers attack and kept the clean sheet, just a week after allowing four goals to the Whitecaps.

Kevin Harmse’s career has come full circle. The South Africa-born, Coquitlam B.C.-raised midfielder and defender has signed with the Whitecaps, after spending camp with the club. He was in the team’s dressing room after the 4-2 opening day win over Toronto FC. “Kevin is a physical player with MLS experience,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Teitur Thordarson in a release. …

Omar Salgado won’t have to wait until his 18th birthday to play in his first MLS game.The Vancouver Whitecaps have been successful in their efforts to get the No. 1 pick in the 2011 Superdraft cleared to play. Salgado is currently with the U.S. U-20 team as it prepares for the CONCACAF qualifiers in Guatemala, so he won’t be able to help the Whitecaps this Saturday in Philadelphia, where the club has a bit of a roster crisis because of international call-ups.

This week, both Canadian keepers are nominated for MLS Save of the Week. Sutton made a couple of fantastic stops on attempts from Seattle’s Fredy Montero in a 1-0 win, but the best was a reflex stop with his arm as Montero tried to get one upstairs from only a couple of yards out.Onstad, who is old enough to recall a time when players wore cotton jerseys, made a diving stop off a redirected Columbus Crew corner, as D.C. United won its opener by a 3-1 count.

Omar Bravo won the hearts and minds of soccer reporters across the continent, capturing the first Player of the Week award of the MLS season.Bravo, Sporting Kansas City’s Mexican Designated Player, scored twice as his new club travelled to Los Angeles and edged Chivas USA 3-2. As Bravo once starred for Chivas Guadalajara, the irony was too good to pass up.

MLS commissioner Don Garber thinks the temporary arrangements that the Vancouver Whitecaps have at Empire Field can be translated into other potential MLS expansion markets.A sold-out throng of 22,592 electrified the stadium as the Whitecaps beat Toronto FC 4-2.