Real Salt Lake Mid-Week Roundup, Major League Soccer Week 9-10

For the second time this season Real Salt Lake played a match following a stunning loss.The first was when they traveled to Portland following the the heartbreaking mid-week defeat in the CONCACAF final to Monterrey.They lost to Portland 1-0.After just a few weeks, RSL once again is fighting to regain it's confidence and composure after suffering the loss of it's best player and play-maker Javier Morales to a needless and reckless tackle from Chivas USA player Marcos Mondaini.A Look BackReal Salt Lake went into week nine of the Major League Soccer Season feeling shocked, confused and a little bit lost.After losing Javier Morales for what could be the rest of the season, there were a lot of question marks in the mid-field.Fortunately they would be hosting the Houston Dynamo at Rio Tinto Stadium, a place where they had a 28 match regular season unbeaten streak.Although Real Salt Lake was favored in the match, the emotions of the situation took over and they came out playing a bit flat and did not show the dominance that many expected early in the season.Both teams had good scoring opportunities late, but the result was a scoreless draw.Collen Warner, who has played well this ...

Agudelo to AS Roma, Donovan to Club America and Del Piero to the Galaxy

New York, NY (May 18, 2011)—The rumor mill is spinning wildly around Major League Soccer.The American investors who recently purchased AS Roma are reportedly eager to add an American star player to the “Yellow-Reds” to play alongside living legend, Francesco Totti, the club’s current captain. There is talk that Red Sox minority owner, Thomas DiBenedetto, is pushing to acquire America’s all-around best player, Landon Donovan, of the LA Galaxy, a move that could generate an estimated $14 million transfer fee for MLS.News reports indicate that if established American stars like Donovan prove to be a bit too expensive, AS Roma will turn its focus on young and emerging American stars with much promise, like 18 year-old Colombian-American star forward Juan Agudelo of the New York Red Bulls.Donovan’s name is also being mentioned repeatedly in Mexico’s Primera Division circles. Various news outlets, including ESPN Deportes, are reporting that Club America is seriously considering making an offer for the 29-year old American star, the US national team’s all-time leading scorer with 45 goals.There is also a rumor “in reverse,” an Italian star coming to America. Living legend, Alessandro Del Piero, Juventus FC's most celebrated striker of the last few decades, is reportedly interested ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs: May 18, 2011

LA senses danger around the cornerBruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are aware that there may be danger up ahead in the form of Chivas USA on Saturday at the Home Depot Center.“They’re probably full of confidence,” Galaxy midfielder Chris Birchall told LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan. “We see them every day and speak to a couple of their players, and from what (Chivas defender Ante) Jazic said to me is they’re feeling more of a team every weekend.“That’s good. We want to play any team when they’re at their best. At the moment Chivas is playing really well and it should be a great game and hopefully a lot of fans will turn out.“They have a lot of confidence right now, they have a new direction and they’re buying into it. That makes for a dangerous team.”Arena has a lot of respect for Chivas's new manager, Robin Fraser, a former Los Angeles Galaxy standout during the club's early years.“What always impressed me about Robin was the kind of character he had,” Arena said. “He wasn’t one of those players where you had to measure every word when you spoke to him. He wasn’t a guy with a major ego or attitude about ...

Texas Soccer:Youngster Bryan Mann Signs on at University of St. Thomas

17-year-old soccer starlet Bryan Mann from Texas, has made his choice clear; The University of St. Thomas is the place for him.As he mulled over the options presented before him in choosing the place of his university education, one of the challenges that weighed heavily on his mind was where was the best for him as a soccer player.Given his playing career to date, it’s no surprise that he chose a university that would help him not only academically but also sportingly. Bryan has 14 years of playing club soccer under his belt (playing throughout the southern states of Alabama, Florida and now Texas).Most recently he has been showcasing his talents with the semi professional side Galveston Pirates, who have recently joined the Houston Football Association, with whom he will continue playing during his studies.The Player Due to his exceptional speed and fluid movement with the ball at his feet, it became apparent to his recent coaches that his skills would be best utilised as a winger—playing down the flank, out sprinting and dribbling his way past defenders to help set up the ball for strikers in the danger area of the field.This selflessness has made Bryan a true team ...

MLS: New York Red Bulls’ Juan Agudelo the Man To Put USA Soccer on the Map

Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Eddie Johnson; three forwards the American media once touted to make an impact on the world stage. The hype for some was such that sports giant Nike became heavily involved, but almost 10 years later they're still scraping the egg from their faces. However unfulfilled these promises proved to be, that hasn't stopped media on both sides of the pond adding fuel to the debate that the MLS has once again uncovered another gem fit for the world stage. His name is Juan Agudelo, an 18-year-old Colombian-turned New Yorker, who has since pledged his footballing allegiance to the country that adopted him as an 8-year-old boy with the most humble of beginnings. Still living with his mother, it's hard to believe that Agudelo's career has taken off as quick as it has; the youngster has already appeared for the national team on four occasions, netting twice, the first of which set a record as the youngest scorer for the USA, and the second coming against Lionel Messi’s Argentina. Agudelo followed a different path to that taken by the majority of his compatriots. His natural ability prompted MLS side New York Red Bulls to sign him ...

This Is the Los Angeles Galaxy: Sean Alvarado

This is Part 12 in a series of articles on the players who will be playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Sometimes you have to get your share of knocks in order to come back stronger and develop a higher sense of resolve. For defender Sean Alvarado, he knows the feeling very well.During an MLS Reserve League match against Chivas USA this season, he suffered a torn ACL and is currently recovering from surgery. It does not take away from a young career with promise, highlighted by an outstanding career with Jorge Salcido's UCLA Bruins.Sean Alvarado, who claims Liverpool's Steven Gerrard as his role model, was born on September 20, 1987 in West Orange, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. Alvarado graduated from St. Benedict's Preparatory Academy in Newark under head coach Rick Jacobs.He led the Gray Bees to a 16th consecutive state title and a No. 4 national ranking in his final season while earning first-team All-American honors. As a player in the youth club circuit, Alvarado led Casa Mia to national titles between 2003-2005, an U-15 State Cup title with PDA Cantona and more State Cup titles with the Montclair Eagles.Alvarado's success led him to ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA: Major League Soccer’s Derby Continues

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy continue their 2011 Major League Soccer season when they take on Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California for the renewal of the Honda Superclasico, Major League Soccer's only city derby to date.Yes, the one-sided Honda Superclasico. The Superclasico that has seen the Galaxy dominate with a record of 12-3-6. Chivas USA have yet to get their hands on the prize since 2007, the only year they dominated the rivalry.But with the Goats issuing a warning with a 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls, this may have all the makings of a scintillating contest.The Galaxy are currently 5-2-5 (20 points) and are first place in the league, while Chivas USA are 3-3-3 (12 points), good for seventh in the MLS Western Conference.Los Angeles are coming off a 4-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, May 14 at Victoria Street."We just said that if we passed better we were going to create chances," Arena said earlier this week. "We continue to grow as a team and our passing is improving."Team captain Landon Donovan leads the league with seven goals this season.“It feels good to be on top of the league ...

New York Red Bulls vs. Chivas USA: Braun Triumphs 3-2 over Hopeless Red Bulls

The only thing missing tonight at Red Bull Arena was Hope. On the night that Red Bull Arena entered the Twilight Zone, Hope was nowhere to be found in Red Bull Arena. Their four-game unbeaten streak abruptly came to an end as the Red Bulls were humbled 3-2 by Chivas USA.No matter how loud and proud the South Ward enthusiastically chanted, they simply sounded hopeless. While there was no Hope, there was plenty of Braun to to go around. In layman terms, whatever chances the Red Bulls had of winning against Chivas USA was gone because there was no Hope within the confines of Red Bull Arena.When South Ward member, Hope sadly informed the rest of her colleagues that she wasn't going to attend the game may have inadvertently determined the fate of her beloved New York Red Bulls. It's understandable if some of you considers this to be absurd but the proof is in the pudding.Just as the game was about to go underway, Red Bull Arena experienced a power surge. Was it a power surge or the spirits of the RBA expressing their sadness about Hope's absence? Who knows?As a result, the game was delayed by 31 minutes. ...

2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 9

In this week's edition of the 2011 Major League Soccer Power Rankings, Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas shoot to the top after a couple of impressive victories this week.Meanwhile, the New York Red Bulls take a tumble after Chivas USA sends them crashing down to earth.All this and more as Bleacher Report presents you with Week 9 of the 2011 MLS Power Rankings.Begin Slideshow

COMMENTARY: The holdup to MLS aspirations for Orlando City might be stadium

The rumbles grow for Orlando City to be the cornerstone for a Major League Soccer franchise in the future. The president of The Ruckus, Lori Conlee, released in a pregame game-plan e-mail a few weeks ago that she had it on credible sources that there is active talk between the City ownership group and MLS. I do not have access to these sources, so I consider this a rumor. Recently, the website MLS:Rumors released an article that claimed Orlando City might be maneuvering around the New York Cosmos for the very next expansion, due to issues surrounding a potential stadium. But many consider MLS:R to be a dubious source of rumors, and they didn’t reveal the particular sources either. However, recently the MLS website itself revealed that the league had contact with Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf about an MLS team in connection with his latest stadium plan for the Vikings in Arden Hills, Minn., to the north of St. Paul. Many people look at the Twin Cities and see the barely-breathing NSC Stars of the new NASL. But Minnesota was one of the power markets of the classic North American Soccer League, posting well above-average attendance every year of ...