The David Beckham "Summer of Scorn" rolls on....

In an interview Beckham gave to the Associated Press he states that he will be having some words with Landon Donovan in the next couple of days. We would love to be a fly on THAT wall.

Here's what Becks said....


"...in 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism. It's important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon either this evening or over the next couple of days."

So, shall we queue those Zidane to the Galaxy rumors again? Nah....

Could this be the first time a player is fined by a league for a tweet on Twitter?

It seems whenever Seattle plays some kind of controversy surrounds either a player, a coach or the outcome of the game. Today was no exception. During the 31st minute of Houston at Seattle Sounders FC, Sounders striker Fredy Montero got onto a pass from Nate Jaqua and the center ref appeared to wave play-on even though the linesman closest to the goal felt it went in. The goal was awarded to Seattle and Montero prompting Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching, away with the national team to text in a tweet on Twitter:

"Ref in seattle just cheated the dynamo. What a joke. Not even close. Ref is a cheat"

What do you think?

Let's go to video....



By the way, speaking of Twitter, make sure you follow MLSR on our Twitter Feed where you get the rumors is small byte sized pieces (pun intended). We're at about 942 followers and our 1,000th follower will win a special MLS related prize.

According to various sources within MLS and Red Bull New York, it appears that Maccabi Haifa defender Leonid Krupnik has signed with the Red Bulls or is in the final stages of reaching an agreement with the MLS side. The Ukrainian born Krupnik, played college ball in the United States before being drafted in 2002 by Metrostars. He was signed by Metrostars in 2002 but never made an official appearance with the club. He than went on to play for the Willmington Hammerheads and Charleston Battery before embarking on a career in the Israeli top flight. In four seasons in Israel, Leonid appeared in 102 league matches and scored two goals. In the most recently completed season he helped Maccabi Haifa clinch their 11th Israeli Premier League title. He helped anchor the teams defense starting in 30 of the clubs 33 league matches. The Red Bulls are hoping that Leonid can help stabilize the clubs back line as it prepares for participation in the CONCACAF Champions League which will commence later this month.

Photo courtesy of The Back Post...

Onetime Toronto FC target, Aberdeen's winger/striker Jamie Smith is set to sign with Colorado as is Argentine striker Facundo Diz, who has long been rumored to be joining the mile high club.

Excerpt courtesy of the Denver Post:

In addition to signing 30-year-old French defender Julien Baudet, the Rapids — pending any paperwork snafus — will add 30-year-old Argentine striker Facundo Diz, formerly with Atletico Platense, and 28-year-old Scottish winger Jamie Smith, who was last at Aberdeen and played with Rapids assistant Steve Guppy at Celtic.

The Rapids will have to drop one player to make room for the full trio, Smith said.

According to French source L'EQUIPE, Davies has signed with Sochaux. However no official word has been released from club nor player.

Sochaux has been in the market for a striker and may just have one. Their top scorer Mevlut Erding left the club for PSG and the speedy Charlie Davies could be the answer. He is expected to complete his move by this Thursday.

Following the Kansas City Wizard's loss to Seattle in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup, Wizards coach Curt Onalfo had some harsh words for Seattle's star striker.

Courtesy of the Kansas City Kansan:

"It's a bitter taste for us," Onalfo said. "It was devastating to get the penalty call in the 90th minute. It was a blatant dive. For me as a MLS coach, it was the worst I've felt in terms of being cheated of a game."

But Onalfo feels the Wizards can use the call as a rallying point in an effort to close in on the playoffs during the second half of the MLS season.

"I was furious after the game and I told the guys to use that energy or anger down the road," he said.

Onalfo was also not afraid to hold anything back
regarding Montero himself.

"I think he's a punk," he said. "And I'll say that."

As counterpoint the following photos appeared on Dave Falks's Examiner blog:

Penalty or Punk? What do you think?

Timbers Army has new reason to cheer. The long sometimes frustrating and difficult road to PGE Park renovations to accommodate MLS has finally come to an end. With a great outcome.

Courtesy of the The Oregonian:

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard emerged from their final negotiating session just before 2 p.m. today after finalizing a $31 million deal to renovate PGE Park for the team's 2011 Major League Soccer debut.

And just in time.

The City Council's 2 p.m. meeting includes measures that would exempt the project from the city's competitive bidding requirements and give Paulson and his company full authority to hire designers and builders for the project.

The long-awaited deal scales back the changes from what was previously envisioned by $6 million to fit within the available budget. The details on the changes are not yet available.

The excellent Kansas City blog, Down the Byline has figured out the mystery player who may be coming to the team. It is Zoltán Hercegfalvi a 29 year old Hungarian striker who has

So I have been doing a little research since I posted about Thad's post on a potential new player for KC. I ended up checking the Wizards wikipedia, and on the current roster, there is a new player listed, Zoltán Hercegfalvi out of Hungary, someone updated Hercegflavi's wikipeida page yesterday with the information that he was joining the Wizards. Finding that information I went and googled for articles about Hercegfalvi joining KC. I came across this one from the first of July about Hercegflavi coming to Kansas City for a medical. It appears that the deal maybe some sort of loan, although google translate isn't always helpful.

Could the Columbus Crew winger be headed back to Europe? If the following rumor is correct maybe he will be playing against national team teammate Clint Dempsey in London. Or perhaps he will play against Americans Guiseppi Rossi and Jozy Altidore in Spain?

Rogers has been scouted intensely since a breakout performance at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and he had an impressive game vs Grenada in the first US match in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and was named Man of the Match.

NEWARK (AP) — Spectators can soon ride the train to the games at the Meadowlands sports and entertainment complex.

NJ Transit officials on Wednesday set July 26 for the opening of rail service from Hoboken and Secaucus Junction to the Meadowlands. The CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer title match will be played at Giants Stadium that day.

Initially, trains will operate for stadium events that figure to draw more than 50,000 people. These include Giants and Jets preseason and regular season games, major concerts and Gold Cup soccer matches.

Trains will run every 10 to 20 minutes from Hoboken and Secaucus beginning 31/2 hours before events and up to two hours afterward.

NJ Transit will announce daily service schedules at a later date.

So now what excuse will New Yorkers have for not supporting the Red Bulls?

With last nights Houston Dynamo victory over the Charleston Battery and Seattle Sounders defeating the Kansas City Wizards, it sets up a second match between the 2 teams within 10 days to be played in Seattle. They will be meeting on Saturday at Qwest Field at 1:00 pm PDT for their regular season match. Then they will meet again for the US Open Cup Semifinals on July 21st at the Starfire Sports Complex which may be changed to Qwest because the Emerald City Supporters (ECS), Seattle's largest supporters group, has asked the Sounder Alliance for a such a move and to also have FSN broadcast it. There are multiple things that tie the two clubs together. Here are a few of things which intertwine.


Houston features several personalities with Northwest connections, including 2 former USL-1 Sounders. Central defender Craig Waibel played his collegiate career at the University of Washington. He then played for the Spokane Shadow of the USL PDL in 1998 and 1999 where he played with Brian Ching when Ching was the rookie of the year in the PDL. Craig went on to Seattle from 1999-2002. Brian Ching, currently with the US National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup starred and graduated from Gonzaga. Later he was with the Sounders in 2001 and 2002.

Mike Chabala also played for the University of Washington. Tally Hall is a native of Gig Harbour Washington. Houston forward Cam Weaver played for Seattle University where he helped the Redhawks win the NCAA Division II Championship in 2004. He was the USL-1 Sounders top scorer in 2005 as a rookie. Dominic Kinnear, the Dynamo head coach played for the Sounders 1995 USL-1 (A-League) Championship team.

Seattle features several players with ties to Houston including some having played for the Dynamo. Sounders Lamar Neagle played with Houston's Danny Cruz at UNLV. James Riley played with the colorful Kei Kamara in San Jose in 2008. Brad Evans became a team mate of Brian Ching on the US National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Patrick Ianni was drafted by the Dynamo in the 2006 MLS Super draft. Nate Jaqua went to the Dynamo in a trade in 2007 and played for them until he left for Cashpoint SCR Altach before returning to MLS in Seattle.

An extra mention is Sounders Osvaldo Alonso Moreno who has a special tie to Houston. He defected from Cuba while the team was in Houston,TX to face the Honduran national team during the 2007 Gold Cup. In 2008 he played for the Charleston Battery team that defeated the Dynamo then the Sounders on their way to the US Open Cup Final where they were defeated by DC United. It was the second year in a row the Dynamo were eliminated by the Battery.

With personal rivalries there is always trash talk between friends that helps motivate players. This can lead to a couple of very intense games both within the league and in the Cup.

Our good friend Kartik Krishnayer at MLSR partner MajorLeagueSoccerTalk.com continues his series examining the "Summer of Soccer" with a critical eye. We love this stuff and though you would too so we present this article to you in its entirety. Be sure to read Part 1 of this series here.

Summer of Soccer Continues

The 14 matches that were played during the first week of the ‘Summer of Soccer’ drew 168,687. All games were part of entities owned or marketed by Soccer United Marketing(SUM).

The Gold Cup kicked off this week. By Sunday, three of the nine doubleheaders that constitute the group phase were played. The other 6 will be contested this week.

Here’s how this week’s events fared …

The three Gold Cup doubleheaders are marketed(Ch-ching!) by SUM.

Do you think the USSF are scratching their collective heads over the attendance at the US match in Seattle? I didn’t expect a full Qwest Field, but only 15G? I suspect there will be as many expanations as there are fans. So here are a couple of starters…

SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, July 8, 2009) – Real Salt Lake and XanGo, LLC announced today a three-year renewal of the Major League Soccer club’s historic title jersey-front sponsorship; financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The original contract, announced in November, 2006, made history in being the first jersey-front sponsorship in U.S professional sports. Since that time, several other MLS clubs have announced similar partnerships with major global brands.

With the renewal of the jersey-front sponsorship between these two growing Utah entities, Real Salt Lake expressed its appreciation for XanGo’s ongoing commitment to the club and the game of soccer. The current 2009 campaign marks the third season that the XanGo brand has been emblazoned across the front of Real Salt Lake’s home and away jerseys, a partnership that has spanned the entirety of RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis’ tenure on the sideline, the opening of RSL’s new Rio Tinto Stadium home in Sandy last October, and the clinching of the team’s first-ever playoff berth shortly thereafter.

“We are very pleased to continue our partnership with XanGo, and to represent their brand on our jersey through the 2013 season,” said Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium President Bill Manning. “XanGo is a great asset to the Utah business community and we appreciate their continued support of our organization.”

Utah-based XanGo is the recognized creator and international market leader in the health and wellness from the mangosteen, a prized fruit from Southeast Asia. XanGo’s multi-year deal with Real Salt Lake includes signage and promotional opportunities at the world-class Rio Tinto Stadium, the continuation of the annual XanGo Cup international exhibition contest each summer, and representation on select adidas/RSL training and off-field gear to promote the XanGo/RSL partnership.

“As a global company that prides itself in innovation, XanGo is very pleased to have joined Real Salt Lake in this partnership as the first jersey-front sponsors in U.S. professional sports, and we are happy to see other major brands follow our lead and support soccer in North America,” said XanGo Founder/Board Member Gordon Morton. “This partnership is ideal for XanGo and our global brand in the sense that our brand goes wherever the team plays and that soccer is the world’s game. We promise that XanGo and its more than one million Distributors worldwide will continue to support Real Salt Lake both at home and abroad.”

Real Salt Lake and XanGo will continue to be synonymous with the outstanding roster of international soccer events heading to Rio Tinto Stadium, beginning with the fourth annual edition of the XanGo Cup this Saturday, July 11, against Mexico’s Club América. The “Summer of Soccer” in Sandy continues in three weeks’ time with the 2009 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 29, and concludes on Labor Day weekend with the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador on Saturday, Sept. 5.

www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com

On July 7, 2009, international soccer star Zinedine Zidane made a surprise visit to the 12th Annual adidas Elite Soccer Program (ESP) at the MLS Colorado Rapids practice field in Denver, Colorado. This premier youth development program was attended by the top 102 youth players in the nation who were surprised by Zidane’s arrival and then treated to the opportunity of a lifetime as they ran drills with him on the field.

PHOTO CREDITS: Jamie Schwaberow / RCA / Denver CO

When does product placement look out of place? When does cross-promotion cross the line? Maybe when players show up in Rave Green and "spokesmodels" blow similarly shaded vuvuzelas on a game show?? What do you think? Is this MLS promotion genius or is the price wrong? Marketing miracle or madness? ACES we already know what you think....

Thanks to SoundersFC.com for the following video:

This article appears courtesy of MLSR partner USOpenCup.com



USOpenCup.com Quarterfinal recap
MLS regains control as Rochester is lone USL club remaining in Semifinals

MJ make way for "Special K"

The following comes from friend of MLSR RSLFM.com

Kreis is almost certainly casing a much-needed striker. ...This in the aftermath of Yura Movsisyan's sudden signing wtih Denmark's Randers FC (to be likely followed-up with a negotiated transfer fee that will releasre Yura immediately).

RSL GM Garth Lagerwey confirmed the Kreis in Mexico story on tonight's local SLC radio show. Is RSL now in the Bofo mix? If not, who else? Stay tuned.

“Chris is a player that I’ve tracked for a number of years,” Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “He is an experienced midfielder with good qualities on both sides of the ball who I feel he will be able to contribute immediately as we push for a playoff position.”

Prior to joining the Galaxy, Birchall had spent his entire club career in the England with the exception of a short loan stint in Scotland during the 2007/08 campaign. Born in Stafford, England, Birchall began his club career with Port Vale, playing nearly 80 league games. He made his debut for the club during the 2001/02 season and spent five seasons at Vale Park before being sold to Coventry City in August 2006.

Birchall went on to score twice in nearly 30 games during his time with Coventry City, while also enjoying loan spells with St. Mirren in Scotland and Carlisle United. In January 2009, Birchall signed a contact through the end of the season with Brighton & Hove Albion of England’s League One. He helped the club avoid relegation, playing in nine games in the midfield as Brighton finished three points clear of relegation to League Two.

An established international, Birchall has appeared 32 times for Trinidad and Tobago, scoring four times. Eligible to play for the country as his mother was born there, Birchall helped T&T reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, the country’s first-ever appearance in the tournament. He scored in a 1-1 draw with Bahrain in the first leg of the two nation’s World Cup Qualifying playoff in November 2005. The Soca Warriors won the second leg 1-0 to book their spot at the World Cup.

Birchall played in all three of his country’s games at the tournament, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each. This year, he has played in four of Trinidad & Tobago’s five CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, starting three of the matches.

The following match report excerpt comes courtesy of MLSR partner, Prost Amerika Soccer. You can read it in it's entirety here.

July 7 - Seattle

A very late Seb Le Toux penalty enabled Sounders to progress to a semi final date with Houston after a hard fought battle against the Kansas City Wizards. In doing so they gained some revenge for the only home defeat they have suffered this season. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman hauled down Fredy Montero as the little Colombian attempted to round him three minutes from time. Le Toux made no mistake with the late opportunity, and it was just about a deserved victory.

Wizards manager Curt Onalfo dropped Claudio Lopez to the bench, and Jimmy Conrad, Davy Arnaud and Roger Espinoza were away on Confederations Cup duty. Sigi selected King, Sturgis and Nyassi in midfield to make up for the absent Evans, Ljungberg and Alonso. Pat Ianni deputised for Tyrone Marshall, also on cup duty with Jamaica.

With Houston winning 4-0 earlier in the day, both sides were playing for a home draw in the semi final.

137 seconds in and Montero blasted the first opportunity of the match wide....

This live event has ended.

Seattle Sounders FC players Steve Zakuani, Sebastien Le Toux and James Riley are featured in the July issue (click the lower right page corners to read the story at the previous link) of D-List Magazine.

The guys pose wearing new styles from 'Deli.' There are sidebar interview notes as well.

James Riley: "...living a balanced, positive lifestyle is my daily ritual."

Sebastien Le Toux: "Drew Carey is a very nice guy and he is very funny."

Also recently in Seattle-area magazines:

SeattleMet.com: Sound Off

The following article originally appeared courtesy of David Falk the Sounders FC examiner.

Seattle Sounders FC players Steve Zakuani, Sebastien Le Toux and James Riley are featured in the July issue (click the lower right page corners to read the story at the previous link) of D-List Magazine.

The guys pose wearing new styles from 'Deli.' There are sidebar interview notes as well.

James Riley: "...living a balanced, positive lifestyle is my daily ritual."

Sebastien Le Toux: "Drew Carey is a very nice guy and he is very funny."

Also recently in Seattle-area magazines:

SeattleMet.com: Sound Off

Follow all the games live on www.USLLive.com

Follow on Twitter by following #usopencup

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