Report: Toronto FC, LA Galaxy and New York City FC Want to Sign Iker Casillas

Updates from January 28, 2014 Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has attracted interest from three MLS teams since he told the Wall Street Journal that he'd like to play in MLS. According to Fichajes.net (h/t Spanish newspaper AS), the LA Galaxy, Toronto FC and New York City FC are keen on signing the World Cup winner.  In order to pry Casillas out of Madrid, then one of the clubs would have to pay a fee of €6 million. Inside Spanish Football claims that the shot-stopper would command annual wages of about €6 million as well. TFC has already forked out several million dollars to acquire Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco on designated-player deals. The Reds have two other DPs in Michael Bradley and Gilberto, so they would have to offload two of them in order to afford Casillas. The Galaxy would also need to either sell one of their three designated players, or pay down Casillas with allocation money in order to sign him. The club's current No. 1 goalkeeper, Jaime Penedo, has been solid, but he does take a few too many risks and is 33 years old. Surely if Casillas is interested in signing with LA, the Galaxy brass will jump at the opportunity. NYCFC has ...

MLS’ Single-Entity Structure Is the League’s Biggest Obstacle

MLS is on the rise. Average attendance was at an all-time high in 2014, and a new eight-year TV deal with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes will begin this season. This is all great news, but the league's single-entity structure is still restricting growth. MLS defines its system on the Press Box page as "a single, limited liability company (single-entity). In the single-entity business structure, club operators own a financial stake in the League, not just their individual team." It sounds, and actually is, very confusing. Commissioner Don Garber said that the league wanted to be more transparent beginning this year. However, Garber also indicated that the single-entity system wouldn’t change in order to accomplish that goal. Also, it appears that Garber will have a serious fight on his hands during the CBA negotiations. According to Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated, the players are willing to go through a work stoppage in order to gain free agency. It's understandable that the players are pushing for free agency. Their contracts are owned by MLS and they want to have freedom to choose their team. However, the league doesn't want to go down this road. This isn't the only issue in a single-entity league. The ridiculous and confusing player ...

10 MLS Players Who Could Be on the Move in 2015

The 2015 MLS season hasn't kicked off as of yet and there are already rumors surrounding many of the league's players. Among these are Jermaine Jones, who has indicated that he wants to go back to Europe, per Doug McIntyre of ESPN. MVP Robbie Keane has also hinted at leaving the LA Galaxy, as noted on MLS' official website. Players who are rumored to be leaving MLS will be highlighted in this slideshow. The likelihood of each departure will also be analyzed, whether it's a contractual issue or interest from other clubs.  Here are 10 MLS players who could be leaving the league in 2015.Begin Slideshow

Why American Players Returning to MLS Is Good for the League and USMNT

The U.S. men's national team now has 13 MLS-based players from its World Cup squad after Jozy Altidore signed with Toronto FC. Some fans are worried about the mass exodus of USMNT players from Europe, but it's a positive for both the league and the team. Mix Diskerud agreed to a deal with New York City FC three days before Altidore moved to Toronto. Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, DaMarcus Beasley (who's now retired from international duty) and Clint Dempsey have all signed with MLS teams over the last 17 months. All of these men are crucial players on their respective teams. Bradley and Dempsey are also two of the richest MLS-based contract holders, per ESPN FC. U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann hasn't been shy in saying that he'd rather see his players in Europe. However, that doesn't have to be the case. When Klinsmann was asked by ESPN FC about Diskerud's decision to join NYCFC, the German tactician agreed with the midfielder's choice. "In [Diskerud's] case, there's no Champions League team in Europe on a higher level that asked him to join them, so the options he had were probably not as attractive to him as the option he chose." Diskerud has the potential to be ...

Toronto FC’s Potential Signing of Jozy Altidore Is a Sign of Positives to Come

Almost one year to the day since Toronto FC's acquisition of Jermain Defoe, the club have made another transfer splash. A deal to send the English striker to Sunderland in exchange for U.S. international Jozy Altidore and cash could soon be completed, per Gareth Wheeler of TSN. Altidore is subject to the allocation process, but it will be a fantastic move for TFC if the deal is confirmed. When head coach Ryan Nelsen was sacked last August, Toronto ended up missing the playoffs with the newly appointed Greg Vanney. President and CEO Tim Leiweke added to the controversy by announcing that he'd resign by June 30, 2015. Toronto FC fans were experiencing deja-vu. Their team hasn't made the playoffs since the club's inception in 2007. The failures of the 2014 season were especially disappointing due to the $100 million TFC spent to sign Defoe and Michael Bradley. Now, it appears that the club is starting to improve. TSN's Luke Wileman claimed that the squad appears to be happier than ever: This attitude was apparent before Defoe's expected departure and the Altidore rumours surfaced. Assuming the American international is signed, this will alleviate some of the pressure on general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. A few noted journalists questioned the Altidore signing, including ex-Canada international Jason deVos. However, the 25-year-old ...

MLS’s New York Clubs Aren’t Performing Like a Major Market

The New York Red Bulls, just six weeks removed from their appearance in the Eastern Conference final, have contributed to the recent drama in the Empire State. Their latest transactions, coupled with the Frank Lampard confusion—which is now resolved, per ESPN FC—are the reasons the city still isn't a top market in MLS. League commissioner Don Garber has aspirations of New York being one of the major markets in MLS, as suggested by Brian Sciaretta of American Soccer Now. However, their inconsistency has left Garber’s wish unfulfilled.  The Red Bulls' sacking of head coach Mike Petke was an odd decision. Petke guided New York to the 2013 Supporters' Shield, which is their only trophy under the new ownership. Sporting director Ali Curtis, who was hired just before the holidays, took full responsibility for the move, per MLSSoccer.com. When Curtis unveiled Jesse Marsch as Petke's replacement, the ex-forward claimed that he has "a vision" for the Red Bulls. The problem is that New York haven't had a lot of continuity, and that starts with the coach. Marsch is the 15th hire in team history and the eighth since Red Bull became the owners in 2006. It's ludicrous for New York to have nearly twice as many head coaches as the other original franchises. ...

Sporting Park Listed as Best MLS Stadium Experience of 2014

Sporting Park, home of Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer, was listed as the best stadium experience in MLS in 2014, according to a study by Paul Swaney of Stadium Journey. The study graded the top 100 North American stadiums. The criteria included concessions, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood and accessibility. Sporting Park was No. 17 overall on the list. Over 2000 venues were critiqued in the report. SKC averaged just over 20,000 fans per game during the 2014 season, up two percent from a year ago, via Paul Kennedy of Soccer America Daily. The Portland Timbers' Providence Park was the next stadium at No. 18 overall and second among MLS venues. It was also the host of the 2014 MLS All-Star Game.  Seattle Sounders' CenturyLink Field is ranked third in MLS and No. 34 on the top 100 list. The Sounders have the highest average attendance in the league at just under 43,000. BC Place, the Vancouver Whitecaps' home venue, was the fourth and final MLS stadium in the study. It was 90th overall.  MLS may not have the highest quality of soccer in the world, but the league set a record for average attendance this year, via World Soccer Talk. The figure has increased ...

Jozy Altidore: Latest Updates on Sunderland Striker’s Possible MLS Return

Updates from Thursday, Jan. 8 The New York Red Bulls are not willing to spend the money to bring back Jozy Altidore to the club, according to Doug McIntyre of ESPN. McIntyre claims that Altidore is seeking an annual salary of around $5 million to $6 million. However, the pressing issue is the transfer fee, which definitely won't be cheap. Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney revealed that the club will try to sign the American international, per Kurtis Larson of the Toronto Sun. Meanwhile, Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson admitted that the club is monitoring Altidore, via Jamie Goldberg of The Oregonian. It appears as if TFC and the Timbers will be the front-runners to sign Altidore. Both ownership groups will be aggressive during the offseason after the two clubs failed to qualify for the 2014 playoffs.   Original Text Sunderland forward and U.S. international Jozy Altidore is interested in returning to MLS, per ESPN's Taylor Twellman: Twellman claims that three teams are keen on signing Altidore. Toronto FC, Portland Timbers and his old club—the New York Red Bulls—are the potential suitors. Altidore has yet to score in 11 Premier League appearances this season. He has just one league goal since joining Sunderland last year, via ESPN FC. However, the ...

Report: New York City FC Close to Signing USMNT’s Mix Diskerud

New York City FC appears to have moved on from the Frank Lampard debacle. According to Ives Galarcep of Goal.com, NYCFC is closing in on the signing of U.S. international Mix Diskerud. Diskerud is out of contract after talks broke down between him and Norwegian club Rosenborg, per Sports Illustrated. The USMNT member was being courted by Xolos Tijuana in Mexico, per MLSSoccer.com, and the Columbus Crew, via Ryan Rosenblatt of SB Nation. STV claimed that even Scottish side Celtic was interested in Diskerud. However, none of those deals came to fruition, which meant Diskerud was still available on a free transfer. Now it appears as if one of MLS' newest teams is set to sign the Norwegian-born American international. NYCFC holds the top spot in the allocation ranking, so if Diskerud were to join the league, he'd go through that process due to the fact that he's a national team player. It's still unknown whether Diskerud would be signed as a designated player. NYCFC has used two of its three spots on Lampard and striker David Villa. If NYCFC agrees to a deal with Diskerud, it would be a great acquisition. The 24-year-old can complement the defensive qualities of Ned Grabavoy in midfield.  Diskerud is a ...

New York Red Bulls Fire Head Coach Mike Petke

The New York Red Bulls have confirmed that they've parted ways with head coach Mike Petke, per the team's official website. Assistant Robin Fraser has also been removed from the technical staff page of the club's site.  Dave Martinez of Empire of Soccer claims that the Red Bulls are lining up Jesse Marsch as the new coach. Marsch's last job was with the Montreal Impact in the club's first season in MLS. The always reliable Taylor Twellman has since confirmed Martinez's report:   Original Text The New York Red Bulls have fired head coach Mike Petke, per Kristian Dyer of Metro New York: According to Dyer, sporting director Ali Curtis sacked Petke after a meeting at Red Bull Arena. Goal.com's Ives Galarcep believes that the club's reasoning was due to a disagreement between management and the coach: Regardless, the move still comes as a surprise. Petke claimed the Supporters' Shield in 2013, which is the only trophy the club has won since the rebrand. He also helped guide the Red Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals this year. They lost to the New England Revolution 4-3 on aggregate.  There's also a rumor involving one of Petke's assistants, Robin Fraser, departing New York for Toronto FC, which was also reported by ...