Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. NY-NY BUZZ GROWING
It's Rivalry Week in MLS and the New York vs. New York match-up (5 pm ET, ESPN and ESPN Deportes) is getting plenty of attention, especially given the news that New York City FC are apparently closing in on signing Andrea Pirlo. Even if it does turn out to be true, it seems the spending might not stop there.
2. RED BULLS DP PLANS
The Red Bulls are in action in midweek when they host Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night (7:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE). Now winless in their last five MLS games, New York Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch is planning to switch up his starting lineup in the quest to get back on track. Will the club be looking to add any more Designated Players? According to Ali Curtis, money isn’t an issue if the club finds the right player.
3. TRIALS AND TRAINING
There are a couple of familiar faces training with the Red Bulls at the moment. Not only has Will Packwood (pictured at right) joined the team on trial, but Shaun Wright-Phillips, brother of Bradley, is training with the club for a second week, although they insist this is just to help him maintain his fitness.
4. SETTING A TRAPP
It’s been a while since Columbus Crew SC fans have seen Wil Trapp, with the influential midfielder sidelined for most of the early season due to concussion symptoms. Yet according to head coach Gregg Berhalter, Trapp could make his return to action within the next two weeks.
5. TIMBERS HIRE NEW COACH
With things going really well on the field right now, the Portland Timbers haven’t wasted any time in hiring a new goalkeepers coach, bringing in Adin Brown to replace the outgoing Mike Toshack. Brown has a lot of shared history with the Portland Timbers and is described by head coach Caleb Porter as an “ideal fit.”
6. THE SECRET TO SUCCESS
With five wins in a row across all competitions, things are certainly looking good for the Timbers right now and club captain Jack Jewsbury believes his team is something special. Part of the success is down to the new players called upon and according to one such player, it’s just about being ready.
7. ORLANDO'S BALANCING ACT
With Saturday marking their first loss in six MLS games, Orlando City are still sitting third in the Eastern Conference. The club is committed to trying to win something this season, though the Lions are also looking to help their younger players develop.
- SANDOVAL’S CHANCE TO SHINE?
Devon Sandoval got the start for Real Salt Lake on Sunday as Alvaro Saborio missed the game due to personal reasons. With RSL boss Jeff Cassar stating he doesn’t expect Saborio to rejoin the side now until after the Gold Cup, does that give Sandoval enough time to impress?
9. THE FUTURE PLAYS NOW
Hundreds of top youth players from MLS academies and other clubs have gathered in Westfield, Indiana this week for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs. The event helps determine the DA's 2014/15 champions, and along with a concurrent showcase event for lower-finishing teams, provides crucial scouting opportunities for US youth national team coaches like Tab Ramos and Javier Perez. You can read more about the action here, and even watch live when Real Salt Lake's Arizona academy and FC Dallas meet in U-17/18 play on Wednesday (6:30 pm ET, streamed live on ussoccer.com).
10. THE NIELSEN STORY
Jimmy Nielsen, former Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper and current Oklahoma City Energy head coach, achieved plenty of success with SKC toward the end of his playing career, but none of that may have been possible had he not overcome his gambling addiction. Meanwhile his former club announced on Monday that they have waived James Ansu Rogers, a 21-year-old forward selected in the third round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft (53rd overall).
11. USWNT MARCH ON
The US women’s national team pushed aside Colombia in the FIFA Women's World Cup on Monday, securing a 2-0 victory over their 10-woman opponents to set up a quarterfinal match-up against China in Ottawa this Friday. Yet, while the win was relatively comfortable, there were several points to take away from the performance.
12. CLASH OF THE COMMONWEALTH
In Monday’s other Women’s World Cup game, England won a knockout game for the first time in their history, beating Norway 2-1 to set up a quarterfinal against host nation Canada, who will again play at BC Place in Vancouver.
13. MEXICO SWITCH FOCUS
With their Copa America campaign over, Mexico now turn their attention to the Gold Cup. Ahead of that tournament, Miguel Herrera’s side have arrived in Orlando to start preparing for their friendly against Costa Rica at the Citrus Bowl this Saturday.
14. OLYMPIC SETBACKS
Things aren’t going well for Trinidad & Tobago in their quest to qualify for the 2016 Olympic soccer tournament as visa issues meant they arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday with just 12 players, five of whom weren’t even on the initial roster. However, they appear to have caught a break as Suriname, their first opponents in Caribbean qualifying, have withdrawn from the competition due to similar issues.
- A VERY SPECIAL TEAM
Meanwhile, the LA Galaxy got a little bit bigger on Monday as the reigning MLS Cup champions signed 30 new players to compete in their newly-assembled Southern California Special Olympics Unified Soccer Team.
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