Toronto Owners Will Vote On DP

Toronto FC’s board of directors will meet in the offseason to debate and decide whether or not the team should go after a Designated Player signing this winter, according to general manager Mo Johnston.

The topic of a potential DP signing for the only Canadian club in MLS has been on the front pages lately, with head coach John Carver lobbying vehemently for such an acquisition for much of the second half of this year. He even went so far as to link the possibility of his return to the sidelines next year with such a signing.

“I’ve gone on record and I’ll say it again, because no matter what happens, at the end of the season, if I’m going to be here at this club, we have to do something about it. We have to bring in that quality-type of player,” Carver was quoted as saying at the time. “We have to do it, because if we don’t, I will definitely, definitely go home. No buts about it.”

Johnston said the move must be green-lighted by the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., the owners of the club, but he already has two players in mind to fill the spot, should he be granted the opportunity.

“Everything goes to the board on the tenth of November,” said Johnston. “We’re looking forward to it; we think the idea will get passed and hopefully we’ll have a DP in January or February.”

Dwayne De Rosario has been linked with a move to the Canadian club. [ISI Photos]

A name that has been floated as a potential DP signing for Toronto is Dwayne De Rosario, a two-time Sierra Mist Goal of the Year winner and member of the reigning back-to-back MLS champion Houston Dynamo. A native of Scarborough, Ontario, De Rosario makes a cool $324,999.96 per year under his current contract, meaning he would only need a slight raise to enter DP territory. He is also extremely well-known and popular north of the border, seemingly making him a perfect fit for TFC’s roster.

“I think the fans would like [De Rosario] in the football club,” admitted Carver recently. “I think the franchise would like him in the football club, and I think if all things are right and he wants to come, and there’s an agreement between the two clubs, what a talent.”

Real Salt Lake 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Real Salt Lake home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
09/20	Chivas USA	26,391
05/03	LA Galaxy	25,571
03/29	Chicago Fire	20,272
10/09	NY Red Bulls	20,008
07/03	Houston Dynamo	17,898
10/18	FC Dallas	17,628
05/31	SJ Earthquakes	15,977
08/29	Colorado Rapids	15,257
04/12	DC United	13,193
07/12	Columbus Crew	12,378
07/28	Toronto FC	12,319
05/10	FC Dallas	12,173
06/21	NE Revolution	11,965
06/07	KC Wizards	11,327
06/18	SJ Earthquakes	10,333
2008 average		16,179.33
2007 average		15,080.13
	Change	+7.29%

New York Red Bulls 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each New York Red Bulls home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
07/19	LA Galaxy	46,754
10/18	Columbus Crew	18,546
04/05	Columbus Crew	17,119
06/21	FC Dallas	16,427
05/17	KC Wizards	15,755
08/10	DC United	15,038
09/27	Colorado Rapids	14,795
05/25	Chicago Fire	14,754
10/04	Toronto FC	13,756
08/24	Houston Dynamo	12,549
04/19	NE Revolution	12,047
09/13	Real Salt Lake	11,692
08/17	Toronto FC	11,119
06/05	Chivas USA	9,521
04/27	SJ Earthquakes	9,053
2008 average		15,928.33
2007 average		16,529.87
	Change	-3.64%

New England Revolution 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each New England Revolution home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
06/06	FC Dallas	54,045
08/30	LA Galaxy	39,256
08/09	Chicago Fire	19,240
10/04	Real Salt Lake	18,893
10/25	KC Wizards	16,764
06/28	Toronto FC	15,863
09/27	Columbus Crew	15,035
08/20	DC United	14,962
05/17	SJ Earthquakes	13,004
03/29	Houston Dynamo	11,116
05/03	Chicago Fire	10,858
06/18	NY Red Bulls	10,596
04/12	Colorado Rapids	8,309
05/29	DC United	8,159
09/11	Chivas USA	7,606
2008 average		17,580.40
2007 average		16,787.47
	Change	+4.72%

LA Galaxy 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Los Angeles Galaxy home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
04/03	SJ Earthquakes	27,000
04/26	Chivas USA	27,000
05/10	NY Red Bulls	27,000
06/21	Columbus Crew	27,000
07/04	NE Revolution	27,000
07/10	Chivas USA	27,000
08/21	Chicago FIre	27,000
09/06	Real Salt Lake	27,000
09/20	DC United	27,000
10/12	Colorado Rapids	27,000
10/26	FC Dallas	27,000
06/07	Colorado Rapids	25,129
05/24	KC Wizards	24,176
04/19	Houston Dynamo	23,401
04/13	Toronto FC	20,426
2008 average		26,008.80
2007 average		24,252.13
	Change	+7.24%

Houston Dynamo 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Houston Dynamo home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
10/18	LA Galaxy	30,361
08/31	Chicago Fire	22,554
04/06	FC Dallas	20,102
05/03	Chivas USA	20,058
10/12	DC United	17,531
05/31	NY Red Bulls	17,204
06/26	FC Dallas	16,933
08/02	Columbus Crew	15,371
05/10	Colorado Rapids	15,024
06/12	NE Revolution	14,655
09/07	KC Wizards	14,297
08/16	Real Salt Lake	13,579
06/08	Toronto FC	13,179
10/15	SJ Earthquakes	12,237
08/20	Chivas USA	10,908
2008 average		16938.87
2007 average		15882.67
	Change	+6.65%

Galindo Has Third Hernia Surgery

Chivas USA forward Maykel Galindo has successfully undergone hernia surgery for the third time in 2008, the club revealed on Wednesday. Suffering from a bilateral sports hernia, the injury has keep the Cuban forward off of the field for much of the 2008 season and his post-surgery recovery is expected to take another three months.

Galindo has undergone three hernia operations in 2008. [ISI Photos]

After scoring 12 goals in a breakout 2007 campaign, Galindo has been limited to ten appearances this season, notching just one goal and two assists over the course of the year. He will be forced to watch from the sidelines as Chivas USA attempts a run at MLS Cup, starting with this Saturday’s first leg of their opening-round matchup against Real Salt Lake at the new Rio Tinto Stadium. The second leg will take place on November 8th at the Home Depot Center, with the winner of the series advancing to play the winner of the Houston/New York series for the right to play for MLS Cup.

Toronto FC 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Toronto FC home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
08/23	NE Revolution	20,461
05/17	Columbus Crew	20,358
10/18	Chicago Fire	20,294
06/21	KC Wizards	20,293
07/19	SJ Earthquakes	20,264
08/03	FC Dallas	20,247
04/19	Real Salt Lake	20,219
06/14	Colorado Rapids	20,135
05/31	LA Galaxy	20,096
09/27	Houston Dynamo	20,074
04/26	KC Wizards	20,045
05/21	DC United	19,971
09/06	Chivas USA	19,863
05/01	NY Red Bulls	19,816
09/13	Columbus Crew	19,657
2008 average		20,119.53
2007 average		20,134.00
	Change	-0.07%

San Jose Earthquakes 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each San Jose Earthquakes home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
06/14	LA Galaxy	39,872
08/03	LA Galaxy	26,071
04/12	Chicago Fire	20,038
09/13	Houston Dynamo	10,526
10/25	Toronto FC	10,526
05/03	FC Dallas	10,515
10/11	Chivas USA	10,502
09/06	DC United	10,121
08/30	KC Wizards	10,089
09/27	Real Salt Lake	10,059
05/22	Houston Dynamo	10,046
08/16	NE Revolution	9,859
05/10	Columbus Crew	9,318
07/12	Colorado Rapids	9,107
07/27	NY Red Bulls	9,046
2008 average		13,713.00
2007 average		N/A
	Change	N/A

Beckham Loan Becomes Official

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham is officialy set to join up with AC Milan on January 7th, as his loan to the Italian giants became official on Thursday. The English superstar again stressed his commitment to his current club, saying he will return in a few months time to be with the team for the beginning of the MLS preseason next spring, but Milan officials are not hiding their willingness to attempt negotiating a longer deal than the two-month period that MLS is allowing at the moment.“The deal is for as long as David wishes,” said AC Milan’s vice chairman Umberto Gandini. “But I think he’s committed to MLS and LA Galaxy will bring him back after a couple of months I think. We thank them for letting him play and train with us.

“At our club, Beckham will have a lot of people and a lot of players that have his ability and his status so I think it will be very beneficial for him and the English game.”

Resulting from Beckham’s temporary move to the Serie A club, the Galaxy have been forced to cancel one of their overseas exhibitions that had been scheduled as part of their yearly world tour. The planned match against the Queensland Roar in Brisbane on December 11th has been shelved due to the potential timing of the loan, meaning Los Angeles will miss out from a reported $1 million appearance fee negotiated for the match. The game was expected to be a sellout in the 52,000-seat Suncorp Stadium. However, a game against an invitational all-star team five days earlier is still on as scheduled, with Beckham expected to take part.

“I think we were trying to be proactive more than anything,” said Galaxy president of business operations Tom Payne. “We had a bit of a concern with the timing of the second game. The worse scenario would have been if we had shown up there to play in front of 50,000 and we didn’t have key players."

FC Dallas 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each FC Dallas home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
05/18	LA Galaxy	22,331
07/27	LA Galaxy	21,020
03/30	Chivas USA	17,540
07/04	KC Wizards	16,765
06/15	Chicago Fire	14,738
10/11	Toronto FC	14,114
07/19	Colorado Rapids	12,289
09/28	DC United	12,138
04/12	NY Red Bulls	11,564
08/30	Columbus Crew	10,590
04/24	NE Revolution	10,453
05/24	Real Salt Lake	8,960
05/28	Houston Dynamo	8,541
10/02	SJ Earthquakes	7,173
09/04	Colorado Rapids	7,140
2008 average		13023.73
2007 average		15145.47
	Change	-14.01%

D.C. United 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each D.C. United home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
06/29	LA Galaxy	35,979
10/04	Chivas USA	28,145
04/26	Real Salt Lake	23,269
04/05	Toronto FC	20,161
09/13	FC Dallas	19,890
08/02	KC Wizards	18,731
05/24	Toronto FC	18,647
06/14	NY Red Bulls	18,622
05/08	Chicago Fire	18,605
06/22	SJ Earthquakes	17,922
08/23	Colorado Rapids	17,283
10/16	NE Revolution	16,672
08/30	NY Red Bulls	15,616
07/23	Houston Dynamo	14,660
04/17	Columbus Crew	13,329
2008 average		19,835.40
2007 average		20,967.07
	Change	-5.40%

Nicol, Khano Smith Punished

The Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee has handed down additional punishment to New England Revolution midfielder Khano Smith and also announced a fine for Revs head coach Steve Nicol.On top of the automatic one-game suspension and $250 fine for being red-carded, Smith will face an additional two-game suspension and $1,000 fine for being sent off during the Revolution’s 3-1 loss to the Kansas City last Saturday. Smith was responsible for a harsh challenge on Wizards midfielder Herculez Gomez that some have speculated may have been revenge for an ill-advised tackle by Gomez that broke Revs leader Steve Ralston’s leg a few weeks back.

Revolution head coach Steve Nicol has also been fined $1,000 by Major League Soccer for comments made following last weekend’s match that were critical of the officiating crew. Nicol was upset, not over Smith’s sending off, but a previous red card issued to Gabriel Badilla for apparently pulling down KC’s Claudio Lopez which resulted in a penalty kick.

“To send Badilla off just shows a lack of understanding,” said Nicol after the game, “and we really shouldn’t be too surprised because the last time Kevin Stott was here, he did the exact same thing. He showed a lack of understanding on Shalrie Joseph, so if we ever see Kevin Stott again, it won’t be too soon.”

Columbus Crew 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Columbus Crew home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
10/04	LA Galaxy	22,685
10/26	DC United	19,591
08/16	FC Dallas	17,647
07/05	Chicago Fire	17,172
09/06	NE Revolution	16,918
07/17	KC Wizards	16,117
05/24	NE Revolution	15,621
04/26	Houston Dynamo	15,271
03/29	Toronto FC	13,843
08/23	Real Salt Lake	12,448
06/28	Colorado Rapids	12,254
06/07	SJ Earthquakes	11,704
09/18	NY Red Bulls	10,881
05/03	KC Wizards	10,447
04/12	Chivas USA	6,733
2008 average		14,622.13
2007 average		15230
	Change	-3.99%

Chivas USA 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Chivas USA home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
08/14	LA Galaxy	27,000
06/19	Chicago Fire	24,143
10/25	Houston Dynamo	18,165
04/05	Real Salt Lake	17,251
06/28	NY Red Bulls	16,379
09/27	KC Wizards	14,783
07/05	SJ Earthquakes	13,561
10/19	Colorado Rapids	13,427
05/17	DC United	13,113
08/30	Toronto FC	12,561
05/31	Columbus Crew	12,388
08/23	SJ Earthquakes	12,209
05/11	NE Revolution	10,927
06/14	Real Salt Lake	10,573
04/20	FC Dallas	10,237
2008 average		15,114.47
2007 average		14,305.20
	Change in 2008	+5.66%

Colorado Rapids 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Colorado Rapids home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
07/04	NY Red Bulls	18,776
03/29	LA Galaxy	18,713
10/25	Real Salt Lake	16,047
04/19	SJ Earthquakes	14,919
05/24	Chivas USA	14,619
09/14	Chicago Fire	14,214
06/21	Houston Dynamo	13,220
05/04	DC United	13,115
10/04	Houston Dynamo	12,496
09/20	NE Revolution	12,223
06/01	FC Dallas	12,120
08/09	Toronto FC	11,752
05/15	Real Salt Lake	11,414
07/27	Columbus Crew	10,647
08/16	KC Wizards	10,609
2008 average		13,658.93
2007 average		14749
	Change	-7.39%

Chicago Fire 2008 Attendance

Below is a list of the announced attendances at each Chicago Fire home game in 2008, ranked from highest to lowest. At the bottom of the table is the yearly average for the club, compared with last year's numbers.

Date	Opponent	Attendance
08/02	Chivas USA	20,492
09/25	LA Galaxy	20,156
07/19	Real Salt Lake	19,578
08/16	DC United	19,560
06/07	DC United	19,256
05/17	Houston Dynamo	17,183
04/20	Kansas City Wizards	17,121
09/21	FC Dallas	16,923
09/06	NY Red Bulls	16,776
04/03	NE Revolution	15,553
06/28	SJ Earthquakes	15,276
07/12	Toronto FC	15,118
10/12	Columbus Crew	14,994
04/26	Colorado Rapids	14,251
10/23	NY Red Bulls	13,274
2008 average		17,034.07
2007 average		16,490.40
	Change in 2008	+3.30%

MLS Cup Trophy Gets An Extreme Makeover

Major League Soccer proudly unveiled the new MLS Cup trophy this morning, announcing that the completely-redesigned hardware will be named in honor of Philip Anschutz. The new sterling silver trophy was created by jewelers Tiffany & Co., who have been responsible for designing and crafting the MLS trophy since 1999.From the press release:
The Philip F. Anschutz championship trophy is 24" tall with an additional seamless base of 4 5/8". The trophy features fluid and dynamic handles that include 11 facets on the front and back, symbolizing the 22 players that participate in a soccer match. The gold star represents the championship club, which often incorporates a star into its team crest for each MLS Cup title it wins. The new trophy inherits select design elements from the previous two trophies, thereby honoring the League's history while moving forward. The bottom of the Philip F. Anschutz trophy features a map of North America, with a star identifying the location of each MLS market.

"Phil Anschutz has transformed the face of soccer in America," said MLS commissioner Don Garber at the unveiling ceremony. "Through his commitment and support, Major League Soccer has become an important part of the American sports landscape and an emerging player in the global soccer scene. "Phil's vision and deep love of the game have helped establish a vibrant Soccer Nation in America. We are honored to name the MLS championship trophy the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy."

MLS Daily Best XI

With the 2008 MLS regular season now in the books, it’s time to take a look back at those players whose performance exceeded all others at their respective position this year. I've offered up my MLS Best XI below; feel free to submit yours in the 'comments' section.

As a side note, MLS Daily will also be offering up our choices for league awards later this week, as well as a full MLS attendance analysis on a team-by-team basis.

GK: Will Hesmer - Columbus Crew
DEF: Gonzalo Segares – Chicago Fire
DEF: Chad Marshall – Columbus Crew
DEF: Jimmy Conrad – Kansas City Wizards
MID: Javier Morales – Real Salt Lake
MID: David Beckham – Los Angeles Galaxy
MID: Darren Huckerby – San Jose Earthquakes
MID: Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Columbus Crew
MID: Jaime Moreno – D.C. United
FW: Landon Donovan – Los Angeles Galaxy
FW: Kenny Cooper – FC Dallas

Rolfe Earns Weekly Honor

Chicago Fire forward Chris Rolfe has been named MLS Player of the Week for Week 31 in recognition of the stellar performance he put forth in his team’s final game of the regular season.

The fourth-year player secured his first career POW award by recording a hat-trick in the first half of Chicago’s 5-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls last Thursday, adding a pair of assists in the second half. Rolfe, 25, leads the Fire this season with nine goals, and now has 30 for his career.

“It was a good win and a great way to finish the regular season and head into the playoffs,” said Rolfe. “I think it might have been the first time since high school that I had a hat trick.”

Chicago will host the New England Revolution on Thursday in the first-leg of their semifinal playoff matchup. The Fire will be looking for some revenge against a familiar opponent, as New England has eliminated Chicago from the playoffs for three years running.

Goal #1:

Goal #2:

Goal #3:

Twellman Sidelined Indefinitely

Already reeling from the loss of captain Steve Ralston for the duration of the playoffs due to a broken leg, the news just got worse for the New England Revolution, who revealed on Tuesday that star forward Taylor Twellman will be sidelined indefinitely due to recurring concussion-related symptoms and has been ruled out for Thursday’s first-leg clash against the rival Chicago Fire.

Twellman may be sidelined for the rest of the year because of concussion symptoms. [ISI Photos]

Twellman initially suffered the head injury back on August 30th, when he was struck by the fists of Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin while scoring a goal in the first half of their 2-2 tie. Left bloodied by the collision, Twellman stayed in the game but was later diagnosed with a concussion, causing him to miss the team’s next fixture. He returned to the lineup for the following match and went on to play all 90 minutes in each of the Revolution’s final eight games, but is apparently still suffering from the effects of the injury.

“Taylor has been experiencing some ongoing issues related to the concussion he suffered against LA,” said Michael Burn, Revolution Vice President of Player Personnel. “Concussions, especially repeated concussions, are very dangerous and the most important thing for Taylor and his future – both off the field and on – is to get the rest he needs so he can return to normal as quickly as possible."

It hasn’t been a year to remember for Twellman, making only 16 appearances for the Revs in an injury-marred season. His eight goals in 2008 has pushed his career total to 99 in the regular season, putting him on the brink of becoming only the fifth player in MLS history to reach the 100-goal mark.

Twellman has also faded from the national team picture as the year has gone on, last earning a cap on 01/19/2008 when he played the first half of the United States’ 2-0 victory over Sweden in Carson, CA. He has been called up 30 times in his career, with six goals to his credit.

Official: Ljungberg To Join Seattle

MLS Daily has confirmed that former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has signed a contract to become Seattle Sounders FC’s Designated Player, and will be unveiled during an 11 a.m. press conference on Tuesday at Qwest Field. A public rally has been planned for 5 p.m. today to greet the superstar and welcome him to Seattle.

Photo proof: Ljungberg caught at a Seattle Starbucks earlier this week. [Echo]

According to the report, the Swedish star will be earning somewhere in the range of $5 million over the course of his two-year contract. If true, that would make him the third-highest paid player in MLS, behind David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

“It’s perfect,” Ljungberg was quoted as saying. “I love it here and this feels great.”

Ljungberg, who will turn 32 in April, spent 1998-2007 with Arsenal, scoring 46 goals in 216 appearances. He moved to West Ham in July of 2007 but would only be with them for one season, as the club opted to buy out the rest of his contract this past August, making him a free agent.

He has also made 75 appearances for the Swedish national team, scoring 14 goals from 1998-2008. He was on their roster for both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and captained the side in the recent Euro 2008 competition. Following their last game of the group stage, a 2-0 defeat to Russia, Ljungberg announced his retirement from international football, which means that Seattle won’t have to worry about losing the star for international matches which often fall in direct conflict with MLS fixtures on the calendar.

poll by twiigs.com

Joseph Apologizes For 'Payback' Comments

New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph has issued an apology for comments he made following the Revs' 3-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards this past Saturday night. His comments insinuated that Khano Smith's harsh tackle against Herculez Gomez was planned as retaliation for a Gomez tackle that resulted in a broken leg for Revs captain Steve Ralston a few weeks back. Smith was sent off immediately for the challenge, which resulted in Gomez having to leave the game at halftime.Following the match, Joseph was quoted as saying, “We knew coming in that we definitely wanted to give him payback and make him know we didn’t appreciate what he did to Ralston.”

He has now issued an apology for his comments:

“I want to apologize for my comments after our game on Saturday night against Kansas City. I was still caught up in the heat of the match. I regret implying that we were looking for payback. I know my comments don’t reflect the feelings of my teammates or the club.”

New England and Kansas City could meet up again in the playoffs, as both are in the Eastern Conference bracket. The Revolution will take on the Chicago Fire in their first-round matchup, while the Wizards have drawn the top club in MLS this season, the Columbus Crew.

Donovan Asks MLS To Set Him Free

Sunday afternoon may have been the last chance for fans of the Los Angeles Galaxy to catch a glimpse of Landon Donovan on the field, as reports are surfacing that the 20-goal scorer is ready to ask Major League Soccer officials to let him go to Europe, should a reasonable offer come in over the winter.

Donovan could be ready to walk away from MLS once more. [ISI Photos]

“I’d love to play in the Premiership, I think that would be incredible,” said Donovan after Sunday’s 2-2 draw against FC Dallas. “I’d love to play in Spain. I watch games every weekend and it’s exciting watching those games and I think I could contribute on a lot of teams."

Donovan, now 26, was famously unsuccessful in his only other go-round with European football – a miserable stay with German club Bayer Leverkusen. But the United States’ all-time leading scorer insists that he has grown and matured since returning to America in 2005, and is yearning for another chance to prove himself on a bigger stage.

“I’m ready and I wasn’t ready before in any way or capacity,” admitted Donovan. “I’m ready and I want to make the most of that. I’ve only got one career and I want to make sure that I give myself a chance.

“In my situation, I can’t be super picky, but if it’s the right offer and makes sense with the right team… there are a lot of ifs. I think the league is aware of my situation and I’ve had brief talks with Bruce [Arena] about it and let him know, but it’s still early."

Earlier this week, David Beckham revealed that he was trying to secure a short-term loan to Italian giants AC Milan in the MLS offseason so that he can maintain his fitness and remain in the picture for the England squad. The well-traveled superstar offered his support to Donovan while also hoping for his teammate to return to the Galaxy next year.

“I’d like to see him remain here but he’s 26 years old; I’ve heard the rumors about him going to Europe and if he does, good luck to him,” offered Beckham. “He’s a good player, everybody knows that, and he’s succeeded here in the U.S., so if he does get the chance to go to Europe and enjoy some success over there, it’s down to him.

“Obviously, I hope he stays here because he’s valuable to the team.”

Donovan has scored 84 regular season goals in his MLS career, adding 69 assists. He has won three MLS Cup trophies, including 2001 and ’03 with the San Jose Earthquakes, and the ’05 MLS Cup and US Open Cup trophies with the Galaxy. He is an eight-time All Star in his eight seasons played, and has also been capped over 100 times with the United States Men’s National Team.

The MLS Week That Was - Week 31

New York Red Bulls 2 – Chicago Fire 5

Chris Rolfe had maybe the best performance by an MLS player in 2008, racking up three goals and two assists on Thursday night to lead the Fire over the Red Bulls in a game that New York badly wanted to get a result out of. All three of Rolfe’s goals came in the first half, boosting his season total to nine. Juan Pablo Angel (14th of the season) and Macoumba Kandji (1st career goal) tallied in the losing effort.

Scoring:
CHI – Chris Rolfe 7 (Stephen King, Justin Mapp) 11’
NY – Juan Pablo Angel 14 (Dave van den Bergh) 32’
CHI – Chris Rolfe 8 (unassisted) 38’
CHI – Chris Rolfe 9 (Cuauhtemoc Blanco) 44’
CHI – Brian McBride 5 (Diego Gutierrez, Chris Rolfe) 53’
CHI – Daniel Woolard 1 (Chris Rolfe) 75’
NY – Macoumba Kandji 1 (Dane Richards, Chris Leitch) 88’

10/23/2008
Toyota Park
Attendance: 13,274

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Kansas City Wizards 3 – New England Revolution 1

Having already wrapped up a spot in the postseason earlier in the week, the Kansas City Wizards proceeded to go to New England and walked away with a decisive victory after the Revolution had two men sent off in the first half. Gabriel Badilla and Khano Smith will miss New England’s first-leg playoff match against the Chicago Fire due to red card suspension.

Scoring:
KC – Claudio Lopez 6 (penalty kick) 28’
KC – Davy Arnaud (Roger Espinoza, Claudio Lopez) 53’
KC – Own Goal (Michael Parkhurst) 88’
NE – Jeff Larentowicz 4 (unassisted) 90’

Ejections:
NE – Gabriel Badilla (Denied goal-scoring opportunity) 26’
NE – Khano Smith (Serious Foul Play) 42’

10/25/2008
Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 16,764

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Real Salt Lake 1 – Colorado Rapids 1

With the final Western Conference playoff spot on the line, a last-minute goal from Yura Movsisyan guided Real Salt Lake into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, coming at the expense of their rivals. RSL also claimed the season’s Rocky Mountain Cup for the second straight year, besting Colorado on the tiebreak of ‘away goals scored’ after ending the season with a 1-1-1 head-to-head record.

Scoring:
COL – Conor Casey 11 (Jordan Harvey) 19’
RSL – Yura Movsisyan 7 (unassisted) 90’

10/25/2008
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Attendance: 16,047

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Toronto FC 0 – San Jose Earthquakes 2

The San Jose Earthquakes outgunned Toronto FC on Saturday night, in a game featuring two teams that had already been eliminated from postseason contention during the previous week. This year’s ‘expansion’ club outshot last year’s by a 17-4 margin, including 10 shots on goal and two that found their way into the back of the net.

Scoring:
SJ – Ryan Cochrane 2 (Ronnie O’Brien) 49’
SJ – Shea Salinas 2 (penalty kick) 91’+

10/25/2008
Buck Shaw Stadium
Attendance: 10,526

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Houston Dynamo 1 – Chivas USA 1

In a matchup of the Western Conference’s top two clubs, Chivas USA and Houston fought to a draw. Though the standings did not change as a result of the final score, Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was sent off early in the second half for taking out Nate Jaqua in the box, meaning he will have to sit out next week’s playoff game against Real Salt Lake.

Scoring:
HOU - Dwayne De Rosario 7 (penalty kick) 52’
CHV – Jim Curtin 1 (unassisted) 90’

Ejections:
CHV – Dan Kennedy (Denied goal-scoring opportunity) 50’

10/25/2008
Home Depot Center
Attendance: 18,165

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FC Dallas 2 – Los Angeles Galaxy 2

Playing in perhaps his final MLS game for some time, Landon Donovan picked up his 20th goal of the season on a late penalty kick earned by Eddie Lewis. The 2-2 draw also featured Edson Buddle’s 15th goal of 2008 and David Beckham’s 10th assist. Neither team, however, will be playing when the playoffs start next week.

Scoring:
LA – Edson Buddle 15 (David Beckham, Eddie Lewis) 21’
FCD – Drew Moor 2 (Adrian Serioux) 34’
FCD – Victor Sikora 1 (Duilio Davino) 39’
LA – Landon Donovan (penalty kick) 79’

Ejections:
LA – Alvaro Pires (Serious foul play) 40’
FCD – Aaron Pitchkolan (Second caution) 49’

10/25/2008
Home Depot Center
Attendance: 27,000

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D.C. United 0 – Columbus Crew 1

Brad Evans’ late goal sent D.C. United packing, as the Crew’s 1-0 victory ensured that New York would get the final wildcard spot in the playoff race. United would have been in with a win, but were unable to pull it off, ending the season with their league-leading 15th loss. Columbus finished the season six points clear of second-place Houston, earning the 2008 Supporters’ Shield.

Scoring:
CLB – Brad Evans 5 (Frankie Hejduk) 77’

10/26/2008
Columbus Crew Stadium
Attendance: 19,591

D.C. United Eliminated In Final Game

The final playoff spot in Major League Soccer was decided on Sunday afternoon, with the Columbus Crew putting an abrupt end to D.C. United’s season with a 1-0 victory. United’s loss means that the New York Red Bulls have captured the second wild-card slot and, as the fifth team to advance from the Eastern Conference, will slide over to the Western bracket for the postseason, drawing back-to-back defending champions Houston Dynamo in the first round semifinal matchup.

Knowing that nothing less than a win would send them into the playoffs, United threw everything they had at Supporters’ Shield winners Columbus, but were unable to get anything past Crew keeper Will Hesmer. Brad Evans scored the game’s only goal in the 77th minute, giving Columbus a little bit of insurance and bringing an end to D.C.’s 2008 season.

“I can’t fault the guys – they did everything possible,” said United head coach Tom Soehn after the game. “They hit the post three times. I don’t know what more could have been done. We came up short as far as our chances.

“It’s been a really tough year in so many areas whether it’s injuries or personnel changes – it’s been nonstop. We’ve been on the wrong end of so many calls this year so we’re all going to take time to reflect,” Soehn continued. “We still have to use it as a springboard to make us stronger. It’s a frustrating time and everybody is going to do a lot of reflecting over the course of the offseason.”

Donovan Reaches 20 Goals

On Sunday afternoon, Landon Donovan became only the second MLS player to score 20 goals in a single season since 2002, reaching the magic number by converting a late-game penalty to help the L.A. Galaxy earn a 2-2 draw against FC Dallas.

Donovan became the ninth player in MLS history to record a 20-goal season [ISI Photos]

The game was of little importance in the grand scheme of things, as both the Galaxy and FC Dallas have long-since been denied of going to the postseason, but did feature the league’s #1 and #2 goalscorers in a head-to-head faceoff for the Budweiser Golden Boot. Coming into the game, Donovan held a 19-18 advantage over Kenny Cooper, with Galaxy teammate Edson Buddle in a tie for third place with 14 goals. As it turns out, Cooper would be the only one of the three not to tally on the afternoon, with Buddle getting on the scoresheet in the 21st minute and Donovan locking up the Boot in the 79th.

“I’m very proud of it,” Donovan admitted after the match. “I would have like, like most years, to have played more games. That’s the situation though, but given everything, I’m very proud of it. I really wanted to get to 20 goals; thanks to Eddie Lewis, today I got it. Not many people do it, here or anywhere else in the world.”

Before D.C United’s Luciano Emilio accomplished the feat last season, the last players to hit the 20-goal mark were former Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz and New England’s Taylor Twellman in 2002, when they notched 24 and 23, respectively.

MLS Announces Fines, Suspensions

Major League Soccer has handed out fines and suspensions to three individuals for their conduct in recent weeks, though not all of the penalized are players.

David Beckham, seen above getting a traffic ticket, was not one of the three people fined by MLS this week.

-> D.C. United President and CEO Kevin Payne has been fined $5,000 by the league ‘due to inappropriate conduct directed at an official’ following United’s 5-2 loss at the Los Angeles Galaxy a few weeks back.

-> Houston Dynamo forward Kei Kamara has received an additional one-game suspension and $250 fine for an elbow thrown at San Jose Earthquakes defender Nick Garcia during last week’s 2-1 win over the expansion club. The additional suspension and fine will be added to the automatic 1-game suspension and $250 fine issued to any player earning a red card, meaning the Sierra Leone striker will have to sit out Houston’s final game of the regular season against Chivas USA, as well as the first leg of next week’s semifinal playoff matchup.

-> FC Dallas midfielder Pablo Ricchetti has also been handed an additional 1-game, $250 fine after receiving a red card in the dying minutes of the club’s 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake last weekend. Ricchetti was sent off following a harsh tackle on RSL’s Will Johnson, but earned the additional punishment for following up his challenge by getting in the face of and shoving Salt Lake’s Ian Joy after being shown the red. He will miss Dallas’ season finale against the Los Angeles Galaxy and will now also be sidelined until the team’s second game of 2009.

Date Set For 2008 Expansion Draft

Major League Soccer has announced that the 2008 Expansion Draft will be held on Wednesday, November 26th. The draft gives Seattle Sounders FC a chance to add ten more players to their roster for the 2009 season, their first in the league. In addition to the ten players gained via the expansion draft, the club has already secured contracts for next year with goalkeeper Kasey Keller, striker Sebastien Le Toux and midfielder Sanna Nyassi.
Here’s a brief look at the major rules for this year’s expansion draft:

* Each one of the league's 14 current teams must submit a list of 11 protected players that cannot be drafted by Seattle.

* All players are fair game, with the exception of Generation Adidas players who have not been graduated at the end of the 2008 season and Designated Players who have a no-trade clause in their contract.

* Once a team has had one of their players selected, the rest of their unprotected players are taken out of the pool of eligible selections, meaning no team can have more than one player taken away by Sounders FC through this process. The 10-round expansion draft will leave four teams untouched.

As KC Clinches, Wolff's Status Uncertain

The Kansas City Wizards have officially clinched a spot in the playoffs by virtue of the New York Red Bulls’ 5-2 loss to the Chicago Fire on Thursday, but also learned this week that they may have to do without one of their key players as the postseason approaches.

Josh Wolff, who has provided a much-need spark for KC’s offense since returning from an 18-month stint in Germany, is carrying an injury into the final week of the regular season and could miss some or all of the Wizards’ postseason run. The ailment has been termed a fibular stress reaction in his lower leg, which is basically a less-serious version of a stress fracture, according to coach Curt Onalfo.

Wolff has played a big part in KC's resurgence, but may miss the playoffs. [ISI Photos]

“It wasn’t good news to hear,” said teammate Davy Arnaud. “Josh is important to the team. Everyone sees the stuff he does for us offensively, and also defensively he works hard, which maybe a lot of people don’t see. Having said that, we have to move on; injuries happen, and we have to deal with it.”

Wolff, who has scored three goals and added three assists since his return, missed last Saturday’s 3-2 last-minute victory over the San Jose Earthquakes, and will also sit out this weekend’s matchup against the New England Revolution, in hopes of healing by the Wizards’ first-round playoff match. In his absence, coach Onalfo hopes that other players continue to step up to fill the void.

“That’s why we have depth,” said the KC coach. “It’s unfortunate, but we’re going to stay optimistic that [Josh] will heal quickly and be able to contribute at some point down the line.”

Sounders FC Plans Open Tryouts

Hoping to follow in the steps of Chivas USA, Seattle Sounders FC has announced that it will host open tryouts in three Washington cities next month, with the grand prize being a spot on the 2009 Sounders roster. The auditions will be filmed for a reality TV series that will air in late January, with the finale following the Super Bowl on KING 5.
“Chivas USA has utilized the open tryout process very effectively,” said Sounders FC majority owner Joe Roth. “The 2007 winner plays for Chivas USA and the U.S. Under-20 National Team. We believe similar talent exists in the Northwest.”

Roth is referring to Chivas midfielder Jorge Flores, who won the first-of-its-kind reality show “Sueno MLS” last season, earning him the nickname “Sueno”. After playing just 14 minutes with the club in ’07, Flores has played nearly 600 minutes over 11 appearances in 2008 and even scored in back-to-back-to-back weeks earlier this season. He currently has three goals this season as Chivas USA prepare to enter the playoffs.

Here’s a list of the Washington tryout locations and times:

Sunday, November 9 – Spokane, WA
Plants Ferry Park
12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 15 – Tukwila, WA
Starfire Sports Complex
11:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 22 – Yakima, WA
Chesterley Park
11:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Rolfe Hat Trick Leads Fire

If Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero had a dream debut last week, Thursday’s outing could only be described as a nightmare. Chris Rolfe torched the New York defense for three first-half goals and tacked on two assists after the break to lead the Chicago Fire to an impressive 5-2 victory at rainy Toyota Park. Brian McBride and Daniel Woolard also tallied for Chicago, while New York got goals from Juan Pablo Angel and Macoumba Kandji in the losing effort.

Rolfe scored the seventh hat trick in MLS this season. [ISI Photos]

For the Red Bulls, knowing that a win or a draw would have virtually sealed a berth into the postseason makes their resounding defeat sting that much more. Chicago played like a team that needed no extra motivation, despite being given the chance to make things much harder on former head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who left the Fire at the end of last season to take the job in New York. After the final whistle, coach didn’t hold back.

“After a performance like that, I have a very big question mark as to if we deserve to be in the playoffs,” said Osorio after the match. “Collectively, except for one or two players, everybody else should be very ashamed of how we played. I think it is unacceptable. We let everybody down – mainly ourselves. I could criticize every single goal. From the first goal, I thought we were not doing what we were supposed to do. We were making [grade] school errors. We played very bad today.”

Rolfe was unstoppable on Thursday night, particularly in the first half, becoming the first player in Fire history to notch a hat trick in one half and the first MLS player to accomplish the feat since Brian Ching did so in April 2006 with the Houston Dynamo. The win also helped Chicago nail down home-field advantage in their semifinal playoff series against the New England Revolution.

“This it the first time I have had a hat trick since, if not college, then high school,” said Rolfe. “I think most people in the league know we are a good team and I think tonight’s game shows we are ready for the playoffs. We have a lot of respect for New England. They are a good team but we’ll be prepared and ready to play them.”

New York will now have to wait until Sunday afternoon to know whether or not they've played their last game of the season. Anything less than a D.C. United victory over the Columbus Crew will allow the Red Bulls to gain entry into the playoffs as the fifth team from the Eastern Conference, meaning they would slide over to the West bracket and face two-time defending champions Houston Dynamo in the opening round of postseason action.

Rolfe goal #1 - 11th minute
Rolfe goal #2 - 38th minute <--- Incredible strike.
Rolfe goal #3 - 44th minute

Beckham Loan Official By Friday

Major League Soccer is reportedly planning an announcement as early as Friday to confirm that superstar David Beckham will be joining up with AC Milan on a short-term loan when the winter transfer window opens in January, with his return to America slated shortly before the start of the 2009 MLS preseason.
“Nothing is confirmed yet,” Beckham’s agent Simon Oliveira told England’s Daily Mail. “But the intention is to go to AC Milan on loan for January and February. He would be going there with the view to keeping fit and being available for selection for England.

“The idea is he then goes back to the Galaxy to join up with their pre-season in March,” confirmed Oliveira. “He will not be joining AC Milan permanently. He had a five-year contract with the Galaxy and has three years left and every intention of fulfilling that.”

MLS commissioner Don Garber has echoed Oliveira’s statements, telling the media, “Discussions have taken place between AC Milan and the Los Angeles Galaxy regarding the possibility of a short-term loan agreement that would allow David Beckham to play for AC Milan during the MLS offseason. David remains an LA Galaxy player and will be here for the start of the 2009 MLS season.”

Returning to Europe became a viable option to the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder following head coach Fabio Capello’s ultimatum for Beckham to either find a way to be playing competitive soccer over the next four months or face getting axed from the England squad for good ahead of an international friendly in February.

“For the game against Spain, if he is not playing, he will not be in the squad,” said Capello, Beckham’s former coach at Real Madrid, before going on to praise the midfielder’s continuing role in his squad. “He is good for the group. This is very important – his influence. He knows everything; he transmits confidence in the other players.”

By joining up with Milan in the New Year, Beckham will restart his European club career after 18 months in the United States, going from playing alongside the likes of Peter Vagenas and Alvaro Pires to teaming up with Kaka, Ronaldinho, Seedorf, and Pato, among others. But not everybody is happy with the potential loan.

“I would think [given] the position the Galaxy is in and [the fact that] we’re rebuilding our team and trying to have a successful year, it would seem very odd to me if we were loaning out our top players at the start of the season,” said current Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena. “It would seem pretty odd to me to operate that way.”

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Champions League: Matchday Five

Matchday Five of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League is underway, with the two remaining MLS clubs heading in opposite directions.
- For D.C. United, last night’s 2-0 loss against Cruz Azul officially eliminates the possibility of them moving on to the next round; it should be noted that a win would have done little to stop the inevitable as well, having taken only one point through their previous four games.

In Mexico City, United fielded a squad of mostly reserves, so as to rest their regular starts for the final league game of the season. D.C. still has an outside chance to make the MLS playoffs, and head coach Tom Soehn did not want to jeopardize that chance by having his starting XI make the 2,000-mile trip.

If the reserves stood any chance of walking out of Estadio Azul with a point, that hope diminished throughout the game as United had three men sent off – including both goalkeepers who had made the trip – and watched Cruz Azul hit the back of the net once in each half. In the 36th minute, Nicolas Vigneri headed home a cross, while Pablo Zeballos put the icing on the cake just two minute from full-time.

Cruz Azul moves to the head of Group A on 10 points with the victory, three ahead of Deportivo Saprissa and CD Marathon. D.C. United remains in dead-last, with just one point from five games.

- For the Houston Dynamo, it’s a different story as they prepare to take on Pumas UNAM tonight on the road (10:00 p.m. EST, Fox Soccer Channel, Galavision). The newly-crowned Western Conference Champions of MLS are firmly entrenched in the middle of group B, with a 1-0-2 record and five points good enough for second-place at the moment. Pumas leads the group with one point more than the Dynamo, though the Mexican side also has played one game extra.

- Of note: The Montreal Impact (USL) have advanced to the quarter-finals with a game yet to play by way of a 3-0-2 record in group action thus far. Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against CD Olimpia of Honduras sealed the deal, sending the Canadian club to the next round.

Beckham To Join AC Milan in January?

After two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy, it's no surprise that David Beckham is reportedly seeking a return to Europe in some capacity in order to remain a viable candidate for selection to the England squad under Fabio Capello.The latest rumors have the former Manchester United star going to Italy in January to train alongside Ronaldinho, Kaka, Pato and company at AC Milan. Fueling the speculation, Milan's skipper has welcomed the winger with open arms in the media, even hinting that the club might try to complete a transfer for the MLS player if all goes well.

"If Beckham wanted to train with us, it wouldn't be a problem for me," said manager Carlo Ancelotti. "We would get to know a great champion. There were negotiations in the past but it did not work out. Now we may get somewhere."

Ancelotti is referring to the club's pursuit of Beckham during January of 2007; it was widely believed that AC Milan would be Becks' most likely destination if he chose to stay in Europe. In the end, the Los Angeles Galaxy won out with a contract (and endorsements deals) allegedly totalling $250 million over five years.

Beckham famously trained with English club Arsenal during the last MLS off-season to stay in form ahead of England's disappointing Euro 2008 qualifying run. A similar move this season would put the superstar back on the front pages in Europe and put the heat on Capello to keep Beckham in his plans for the 2010 World Cup.

"His presence is good for the group," Capello was quoted as saying recently. "Some people don't understand why, but he transmits confidence to the other players and it's positive. It's good for the group and David's presence is very important."