Just as Portland seems to get its stadium-renovation house in order, we get this report of potential problems with Vancouver’s plan to use BC Place as a temporary home for its 2011 MLS expansion team.
(And for those of you who have done just about enough reading for one morning, here’s a local TV report.)
Here’s hoping things word out for the Highway 99 part of the I-5 rivalries.
By this time next week, Seattle Sounders FC could have its first trophy. Or it will have added an on-field element to the unfolding off-field rivalry with DC United. Or both.
As we count down to the Wednesday final at RFK, here’s a Q&A with Sebastien Le Toux, from the U.S. Soccer site.
Real Salt Lake mauled the oddly up-and-down Chivas USA tonight, 4-0.
The result keeps Sounders and Chivas tied in the MLS point totals, although CUSA still has two games in hand. And the result also pulls pesky RSL to within three points of the Sounders and Chivas.
Well, we had our nice little debate about whether Freddie Ljungberg should remain at forward at the expense of either Fredy Montero or Nate Jaqua.
However, coach Sigi Schmid seemed to imply today that nothing is further from his mind.
"Freddie did what we needed done in that game (at Houston)," Schmid said. "What we asked him to do was play higher and to play more as a traditional striker. But, I think anytime you can put a guy back on the field who has scored 10 goals for you, that definitely helps the team."
That guy
…Things were different at Sounders practice this morning as several hundred youth soccer summer campers watched from the the Qwest Field stands.
After training — which included a short reserve game against the PDL Seattle Wolves — the players addressed the crowd, saying a little something about themselves. Then the players handed out postcard-sized autographed pictures of themselves.
Here are some of the things the Sounders’ told the crowd:
Taylor Graham: His favorite annimals are giraffes and sasquach.
Sanna Nyassi: “I love to sleep, man.”
Fredy Montero (in English): “Hi everybody. I like Seattle. I
…I’m staring down at the Sounders pitch at Qwest Field, and there is absolutely no evidence that the Seahawks played an NFL game here on Saturday. No lines. No numbers. No Hawks or NFL logos. Maybe a trace of a back end-zone line behind the goals, but the pitch is pristine.
That, of course, is the promise that the Sounders have made with their fans from the beginning. No football lines on the soccer pitch.
The little wiggle room them left for themselves involves what they call “ghosting,” markings that remain faintly visible even after the best efforts
…I got this interesting note from the MLS office, spelling out the playoff procedure with the example of if the season ended today. … And if it did, Seattle would be a wild card paired once again with the Houston Dynamo who they are 2-0-1 against in league and Open Cup play.
Here’s the MLS note:
…If the MLS regular season ended today, defending MLS Cup Champions Columbus Crew (10-3-9, 39 points) and two-time MLS Cup Champions Houston Dynamo (11-6-7, 40 points) would secure the top seeds in their respective conferences. The Chicago Fire (10-5-8, 38 points) and
Toronto FC not only lost it game to Chivas USA over the weekend, but the club also lost midfielder Carl Robinson and defender Adrian Serioux due to yellow card accumulation. And that means they will both miss the Reds visit to Qwest Field on Saturday.
Here’s a report from the CBC.