Real Salt Lake say they expect to move on to the CONCACAF Champions League finals ahead of tonight’s decisive second-leg showdown against Deportivo Saprissa (10 pm ET, Fox Soccer).
RSL’s run in this tournament has been backed by fans and opposing teams throughout MLS. Manager Jason Kreis talks about how fans in San Jose, Calif., were full of well wishes during the opening match of the MLS season.
Watch the latest edition of MLSsoccer.com’s Champions League 360, in which you travel with the team to Costa Rica and find out about a shoulder bump tradition that lives on. (VIDEO)
According to many reports, it would seem that Real Salt Lake are not only playing against Saprissa tonight, but also against their fans. Midfielder Andy Williams, who scored his first international goal at the Ricardo Saprissa Stadium, is in agreement.
Today is also D-Day for Andy Najar as the reigning MLS Rookie of the Year announces whether he will represent the USA or Honduras after a year of speculation. It’s big enough news that he’s going to make his revelation in a press conference today.
If Najar’s is a fairy-tale story, how about the Vancouver Whitecaps? Once upon a time they had major question marks surrounding the forward position. Today they’re trying to decide who to start among three players who have all produced. And management says another striker might be on the way.
Scoring matters. His debut goal for the Seattle Sounders last Saturday is admittedly what is keeping O'Brian White in the starting lineup over Nate Jaqua in Seattle “by a nose.”
Here’s the story of the Chicago Fire striker who worked in a butcher’s shop. The writer in question has a clever idea for a T-shirt for the new Section 8 idol.
Dwayne De Rosario would have been a forward … had he joined the Houston Dynamo. That deal was very much in the works before the New York Red Bulls swooped in.
Who knew it? According to Crew defender Andy Iro, when the Columbus Crew face EPL side Newcastle United this summer, it will be a battle of kindred spirits. He says the two organizations are very similar. And that’s coming from a Newcastle fan.
Crew fans thinking that Brad Friedel’s return to the club could be happening in the summer when his Aston Villa contract runs out, think again. The Villans are reportedly set to offer him a deal to stay one more year, making him an EPL player into his 40s.
That news comes on the heels of a report about Friedel’s former soccer academy, which will be up for sheriff’s sale and still owes creditors millions of dollars.
There has been a lot of talk about Rise & Shine, the movie about Jay DeMerit’s unlikely soccer career which took him to the EPL. But in an article by England’s The Guardian, the real story is the friendship between DeMerit and the film’s creator.
Europe’s a different animal. For example, bet you didn’t know they sometimes reference The Muppet Show when they want to insult people. That would never happen stateside, now would it?
All eyes in Europe today will be focused on the UEFA Champions League first leg quarterfinal matchups featuring Real Madrid hosting Tottenham Hotspur (2:30 pm ET, Fox Soccer and Fox Deportes) and Inter Milan welcoming former Real Madrid star and current Schalke forward, Raúl (2:30 pm ET, Fox Sports Net).
Lastly, CONMEBOL confirms that Costa Rica is the leading candidate to take Japan’s spot in the 2011 Copa América. The federation admits the USA were never a consideration. (SPANISH)
MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:
Man of the moment, Dwayne De Rosario, joins Monday’s edition of ExtraTime Radio
Have the young Seattle Sounders found a new leader?
Beckham’s shift to central midfield pays off for LA Galaxy
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