7Sep/110
Ex-FC Dallas Player Bobby Rhine Dead of a Heart Attack at 35
FC Dallas, its fans and the MLS community in general were in mourning today as news got out that former Dallas player Bobby Rhine had died of a heart attack while on vacation with his family in Florida.Rhine played with the Dallas Burn/FC Dallas from 1998 to 2008, at which time he retired and joined the club's front office. Eventually he took over play-by-play duties for the side's televised matches.Considered by many to be the face of the franchise, Rhine became one of the most popular members of the FC Dallas family, known for being a hard worker and overall great guy. His voice in the broadcast booth was one of my favorite parts of watching the Hoops play. Colleagues of his speak highly of his willingness to stop to talk and many members of local and national media have already begun to lament his passing.Within hours of the news getting out, Dallas supporters group The Inferno had organized a small memorial service at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, where a picture of Rhine hangs on the southeast corner of the stadium.Colorado Rapids defender Drew Moor, who played with Rhine at Dallas, expressed his sadness at Rhine's passing by calling ...6Sep/110
David Beckham: Soccer Star Ready to Get His Harry Potter on for Son’s Birthday
David Beckham is a wealthy man with the power to buy and sell anything in the world, regardless of what it might be. As it turns out, the soccer star is going to use some of that wealth to give his son, Brooklyn, the best birthday party ever at the castle featured in the Harry Potter movies. According to the report from the Daily Star, Becks and wife Victoria plan on renting the entire castle for Brooklyn's 13th birthday next March. But this claim is being disputed by a spokeswoman who said, "As far as I'm aware there's no Harry Potter birthday planned." That is likely just posturing because the family might want to keep it as much of a surprise as they can. What fun is a birthday party going to be if you already know that you are going to the Harry Potter castle seven months beforehand? You have to give Beckham credit for their originality because, of all the places in the world that a kid could have a surprise party, being able to get an actual castle featured in one of the most popular and lucrative film franchises in history is a major coup. In addition ...6Sep/110
David Beckham: Should He Stay with Galaxy or Return to England?
Over recent weeks, speculation has begun to bubble in English newspapers over whether David Beckham will renew his contract with L.A. Galaxy—continuing to enjoy playing football in America but also not expecting a call from England manager Fabio Capello anytime soon.Or he could take the biggest gamble of his career, return to England and try to force his way back into the national fold.As it stands, come November, David Beckham will be without a football club, his multi-million pound flagship contract with L.A. Galaxy comes to an end and football's golden boy has a huge decision to make.It seems highly unlikely that Bruce Arena would let one of his prize possessions go, but it may come down to whether David Beckham still has the passion to play in the U.S.In the MLS offseason, Beckham, along with other players such as Landon Donovan, have migrated to England in search of fitness and a new stage to work on.However, while Donovan enjoyed a successful spell at Everton, Beckham is much happier to stay on the training pitches and go about his work quietly. These training pitches belong to Tottenham Hotspur, and Beckham may take some of the credit for the recent Galaxy ...6Sep/110
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids: Come Back Soon, Robbie Keane
After dropping two critical points on the road, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will hope that fortune smiles on them on Friday when they host the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center. The Galaxy may have the best record in Major League Soccer at 14-3-10 (52 points), but with so many points dropped at and away from Victoria Street, the likes of the rival Seattle Sounders are holding sway. One obvious key to Friday's match is for Los Angeles to hang on to a lead as well as to play a complete 90 minutes of football. Actually, those are two obvious keys. "We got a good second goal and you think at that point we’re just going to say ‘Listen, we’re on the road, it’s one of those nights, don’t give up another goal and get out of here.’ We didn’t get it done," Arena told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno on Monday after their 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City. "We made too many individual mistakes, too many mental mistakes over the last ten minutes or so." Team captain/midfielder Landon Donovan was also one to find excuses for the club laying an egg against Sporting. "It always happens this time ...6Sep/110
MLS: LA Galaxy’s Frankie Hejduk Lays Egg in 2-2 Draw with Sporting Kansas City
Oh, Frankie Hejduk. What a waste, pal. You ruined what could have been a vital three points for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy by sticking your arm out and, in the process, allowing Omar Bravo to redeem for his inability to finish. The Galaxy wasted a Sean Franklin brace with some decrepit defending en route to an embarrassing 2-2 draw before a capacity crowd at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. You know, Frankie, I cannot wait for the day you finally retire from the Galaxy and from football, for all you're worth. You had to commit a penalty minutes from the end of the game. That cannot be tolerated when the MLS Cup Playoffs begin. Knowing how to position yourself when clearing a ball is fundamental. Where did they go? Did your brain get replaced by a can of Vienna sausages, as San Jose Earthquakes' fans suggested, Frank Yallop's cerebrum had been replaced by, Frankie? We all want to know the true story. Aside from the vitriol on a faded black hole in Los Angeles, the Galaxy should have lost this game 4-2. Twice, Sporting Kansas City had chances to equalize before Hejduk's Handballgate (actually it's Armballgate if ...5Sep/110
2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 25
Ahhh, Labor Day Weekend. For some players, that means a call to national team duty—from 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification to international friendlies. For others, it's a time for players to recharge their batteries and prepare for the September and October gauntlets.Still for others, it's a time to focus on U.S. Open Cup duty, and maybe play a makeup league game or two.Whatever the case may be, this week's MLS Power Rankings don't have a lot of movement for once, with few teams in action. But you can be sure that in Week 26's edition, there will be plenty. Let's take a look at this week's MLS Power Rankings.Begin Slideshow2Sep/110
FC Dallas: George John’s Return and How It Benefits Dallas
FC Dallas fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as it has been announced that George John's trade to English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers has been called off.The trade had seemed downright inevitable in past weeks. John left for Greece to obtain his passport, then went to Blackburn to visit and have a medical.In the time between John's last match with Dallas (a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union that saw him sent off on cards) and his return, the team continued their winning habits in CONCACAF Champion's League play despite suffering tough losses to the Seattle Sounders in both US Open Cup and league play.On the bright side though, the Hoops pulled off an incredible 3-2 comeback win over Sporting Kansas City in their last league match in August to ensure that the side would not go winless in MLS play during August. It was the first month this season in which they won just one match.George John returning to Dallas is just what this team needs right now. Many people, including myself, thought that the depth of the squad would allow them to soldier on without John and succeed, but the last couple of matches have proven ...2Sep/110
Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs: September 1, 2011
Berhalter injury updateOn Tuesday, Los Angeles Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter was diagnosed with a sprained right midfoot injury and was forced to wear a walking cast."We're going to work closely with the medical staff to try and get a gauge on it," Berhalter told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. "We'll take it week by week."The player-assistant coach noted that this was a "freak injury" and that a short-term memory was in the works heading into the match between Bruce Arena's Galaxy and Peter Vermes's Sporting Kansas City on Monday, Sept. 5 (Kickoff is at 3 p.m. PST and will be broadcast on the Fox Soccer Channel)."You can't control those things and I won't spend too much time worrying about the past," Berhalter said. "I just look forward, look to the future and do as much as I can to get back as soon as possible."With injuries to Leonardo, Sean Alvarado and now Berhalter, defenders like Sean Franklin and the relatively-untested Kyle Davies will play a key role in this grueling stretch of matches in September."Those are definitely options that we have [in Franklin and Davies]," Berhalter said. "We've been working at playing different guys in different positions. We can definitely get some ...1Sep/110