Whitecaps date with Man City could come back to haunt them 14 Apr 2011 The right opponent, in this case, is Manchester City. But is it the right date? The Whitecaps announced Thursday that it will play Manchester City on Monday, July 18 at Empire Field. It’s part of the World Football Challenge series. But, how will that game stretch coach Teitur Thordarson’s ranks? A high-profile international is a great PR exercise. But, the Whitecaps are scheduled to play at home to the juggernaut that is Real Salt Lake on July 16, and then travel to San Jose on July 20.
Gordon scores again as TFC draws with Quakes 10 Apr 2011 Last week, Toronto FC and Chivas USA played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field. On Saturday night, the Reds drew 1-1 with the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium. Same scorelines, two radically different feelings. Saturday’s draw represented a decent result for TFC, securing its first road point of the season. Last week, a home draw against a poor Chivas side was a missed opportunity.
What a weekend! Four Canadian teams in action 8 Apr 2011 Program the PVR. Make sure your Internet connection is fast enough to allow for multiple streams. This weekend marks a landmark in Canadian soccer. Four professional clubs are in action; FC Edmonton and the Montreal Impact kick off their NASL campaigns Saturday with road games in Florida. And MLS? Toronto FC visits the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday night. And the Vancouver Whitecaps head to Texas to take on the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. Of the weekend’s action, only Montreal and FC Edmonton overlap.
Tchani still learning the ropes with Toronto FC 6 Apr 2011 After a successful rookie season with the New York Red Bulls, Cameroonian midfielder Tony Tchani knows how to adapt to change – whether it’s on the pitch or living in the bright lights of New York City. Tchani finds himself adapting to change once again as he joined Toronto FC along with teammate Danleigh Borman this past weekend. Both were part of the deal that sent former TFC captain Dwayne De Rosario to the Red Bulls.
Rimando named MLS Player of the Month 4 Apr 2011 The Player of the Month voting wasn’t just a statement about Nick Rimando the goalkeeper, it was a statement about Real Salt Lake, the club.
Morales wins battle of the Javiers for MLS Player of the Week 28 Mar 2011 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.
The super-duper MLS season preview 14 Mar 2011 It’s become obligatory for every sports journalist to provide season previews for the league he or she covers. It’s automatic, and a great space killer! In that vein, The 11 presents its “waited until the last possible second before the regular season” season preview! Why the wait? Because it’s hard to figure out the East. The West? Wow, a lot of power and depth there. As for the East? Last season, New York and Columbus and six other mediocre to bad to awful clubs were in the conference. New York and Columbus left them all in the dust.
Cann leaves TFC, begins holdout 2 Mar 2011 Adrian Cann can’t go on. Toronto FC’s reigning team MVP has walked away from the club, beginning a holdout as he continues to look for an improved contract from the club. Cann did not travel with the team to Charleston, S.C. where the Reds will participate in the Carolina Challenge Cup. Cann signed a four-year deal to come to Toronto FC last season, but he made a huge impression as the safety-first centre back, providing some stability in the club’s fragile back line. Both Cann and Toronto FC were working on a new deal, but Cann rejected the club’s latest offer before packing his bags.
MLS releases schedule, playoff format still undecided 10 Feb 2011 Major League Soccer released its full schedule today http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/new-rivalries-highlight-2011-mls-regular-season-schedule, but fans don’t yet know how many teams will make the playoffs this season, or if there will be wild-card slots again in 2011. League spokesperson Will Kuhns stated Thursday that “MLS is reviewing the playoff format and playoff schedule for 2011 and will announce details soon.”
How Akron became NCAA soccer’s talent factory 3 Feb 2011 It’s rare for Caleb Porter to take a break from his passion. The University of Akron head coach is a self-professed soccer junkie, constantly watching, reading about and developing tactics for the game so it was a strange thing for him to put everything aside for a month following his Zips’ 1-0 win over Louisville in the NCAA title match on Dec. 12. The championship was Akron’s first as a school. But given the stamp the 35-year-old Porter has put on the program in his five years in charge, it might not be the last.