Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. REVOLUTION OUT TO RUIN LANDON’S PARTY
Sunday marks the MLS Cup final between the LA Galaxy and the New England Revolution (3 pm ET, ESPN, UniMas, UDN in US, TSN1, RDS2 in Canada). It’s also Landon Donovan’s final competitive game, and while the Galaxy star looks to finish his career with a trophy on a squad that has built a real bond, both internally and in the LA community, the Revs will be doing everything they can to spoil his party.
Get your ultimate pregame fix this afternoon by watching the official MLS Cup Press Conference featuring both head coaches and their star players at 2:30 pm ET by clicking here.
2. GHOSTS OF THE PAST
Will this be the year the New England Revolution win their first MLS Cup? When the LA Galaxy and the Revolution meet, it will offer mixed emotions for Galaxy assistants Matt Reis and Pat Noonan, both of whom played for the Revs and are still haunted by their previous MLS Cup defeats.
3. ENTER THE ARENA
Jay Heaps has turned the New England Revolution into true title contenders this season, but is some of his success built on foundations laid by his LA Galaxy counterpart, Bruce Arena? For his part, the veteran Arena is looking to add yet another trophy to his portfolio on Sunday and ahead of the MLS Cup final, Arena gave an in-depth interview on a variety of topics with SI.com.
4. HOUSTON NARROWING IN ON NEW COACH?
The Houston Dynamo completed their first signing of the offseason on Thursday, adding academy product Jose “Memo” Rodriguez to a Homegrown Player contract. Meanwhile, on the international front, the club's new general manager, Matt Jordan, has already identified a list of players the club is pursuing, while media reports linked former Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle with the club's vacant head coaching position.
5. BORCHERS HEADING TO PORTLAND?
Have the Portland Timbers finally solved their problems at center back? If reports being heard on Thursday are true, then they’ve certainly gone a long way to doing so, acquiring Real Salt Lake defender Nat Borchers in exchange for allocation money.
6. SOUNDERS EXTEND SCHMID, OTHERS NOT AS LUCKY
The Seattle Sounders have begun making moves ahead of 2015, signing head coach Sigi Schmid to a multi-year contract extension while declining the options on eight of their players. The club also confirmed the retirement of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann and defender Djimi Traoré, although the latter could still have a role with the club.
7. YEDLIN’S DEPARTURE DATE
DeAndre Yedlin’s impressive sophomore year continues as the young Sounders Homegrown fullback has been voted US Soccer’s Young Player of the Year. The MLS season concluded, it does not seem Yedlin will be getting too much of a break, as he’s expected to join his new team very soon.
8. COACHING THE COACH
We all know about MLS players heading overseas for training spells during the offseason, but what about head coaches? The Colorado Rapids' Pablo Mastroeni is currently with English Championship side Middlesbrough, having been invited by former teammate Altor Karanka in order to “further his education.”
9. PORTUGUESE PURSUIT?
With their roster already boasting four players aged 20 or younger, could Orlando City be pursuing another youngster? The latest rumors have the Lions linked with 20-year-old Colombian winger Carlos Rivas. As for possible expansion draft targets, it looks like Eddie Johnson might not be available after all, as according to EJ himself, D.C. United will protect him.
10. ESPINDOLA FACING BAN
One reason D.C. United might choose to hold onto Eddie Johnson could be the fact that Fabián Espíndola is reportedly facing a lengthy suspension for shoving an assistant referee after United’s Eastern Conference playoff loss to the New York Red Bulls.
11. NYCFC PRESEASON PLANS AND TRANSFER TARGETS
While New York City FC have unveiled a preseason schedule that will see them train and play in both the US and England, what’s next for the team in terms of player signings? NYCFC Football Director Claudio Reyna is a man who would know, but you'll have to try to read into his words.
12. EXPANDING ON THE STATE OF THE LEAGUE
Tuesday’s State of the League address covered a variety of subjects in a single sitting (WATCH it here), and for those hoping to delve even further into some of the topics, Commissioner Don Garber sat down with ESPNFC.com’s Jeff Carlisle to elaborate.
13. CUBO WANTS LA?
Will Erick “Cubo” Torres be staying in MLS? According to the latest rumors, Torres wants to stay, but only if he can play for the LA Galaxy, who just happen to have a DP spot opening up. Meanwhile, another former Chivas USA player, Eric Avila, seems to be a man in demand in Mexico.
14. TOUGH TESTS AHEAD FOR THE USMNT
Jurgen Klinsmann has frequently spoken of the need for the US national team to challenge themselves against the very best, and it looks like that’s apparently what they’ll be doing next summer as they look set to face the Netherlands and Germany just a few days apart. They will not be the only US team playing top-notch European competition, as the US women's national team announced February away friendlies against France and England.
15. AND THE WINNERS ARE…
It's awards season in MLS, and on Thursday the Seattle Sounders' Obafemi Martins won the AT&T Goal of the Year award, while the New York Red Bulls' Luis Robles won the Save of the Year. Meanwhile, if MLS top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips ever claims the media did him in for the Volkswagen MVP award, no one will be able to fault him.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
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LA Galaxy refurbish soccer field in South Central I MLS WORKS
New England Revolution owner Robert Kraft to pull double duty for MLS Cup
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