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MLS Major League Soccer

MLS Announces 2007 Competition Calendar and Key Dates

March 1, 2007 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


NEW YORK (Thursday, March 1, 2007) - Nearly a month into the Major League Soccer preseason, teams are taking shape and gearing up for opening day. The 12th Major League Soccer season kicks off on Saturday, April 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET (live on ABC) when the Colorado Rapids host D.C. United in the opening of their new stadium - Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Four more MLS matches take place on April 7, and the opening weekend rounds out with one match on Sunday, April 8 as the defending MLS Cup Champions Houston Dynamo face the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Today marks a key date for all 13 MLS teams as they must be roster and budget compliant. In order to be compliant teams must be inline with the following:

no more than 18 players on the Senior Roster

no more than 10 players on the Developmental Roster

no more than 4 Senior Internationals*

no more than 3 Youth Internationals (subject to trades)**

team salary budget must be equal to or less than the cap set forth by the League

* Toronto FC may have three (3) additional Senior International players as long as those three players qualify as domestic for US-based teams.

** Toronto FC may have five (5) Youth Internationals

Already during preseason many MLS teams have participated in matches against each other and against formidable international competition. D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo are competing in the quarterfinal stage of the CONCACAF Champions Cup versus CD Olimpia of Honduras and Puntarenas FC of Costa Rica respectively. The second legs of the home-and-home contest are today as United host CD Olimpia at RFK Stadium at 7 p.m. ET and the Dynamo host Puntarenas FC at the Texas A&M University Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas at 9 p.m. ET. D.C. United hold a large advantage after defeating CD Olimpia 4-1 in Honduras on Feb. 21. Houston lost their away match 1-0 to Puntarenas FC and is looking to come out victorious and move on to the semifinal stage. Both matches will be carried live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Espanol.

Elsewhere in MLS teams are participating in international trips to prepare for the upcoming regular season. Real Salt Lake will play matches on a 10-day trip to Spain, during which they will also take in a match at the famed Estadio Santiago Bernabeau as partner club Real Madrid face Getafe on Saturday, March 3. The Chicago Fire are currently in Spain where they will play at least three matches during a 12-day trip. FC Dallas, currently in Brazil, will play four matches and train at Brazilian-partner Club Atletico Paranaense's training center. The Colorado Rapids recently returned from a trip to Mexico where they went 3-0-1, the only blemish coming in a 2-2 tie against famed Mexican club Cruz Azul. The Rapids travel to Europe on March 8 and will train in London for five days at partner-club Arsenal FC's training center before heading to Spain on March 14 to play a series of friendly matches that will culminate in a game versus Valencia FC who currently sit in fourth place in La Liga, Spain's first division. For up-to-date preseason news log onto www.mlsnet.com.

The following is the 2007 MLS Competition Calendar and 2007 Key Dates. Schedule subject to change.

MLS COMPETITION CALENDAR - 2007

March 1, 2007:

28-player Roster Deadline

Teams must be at 18 players on senior roster, 10 on developmental roster, 4 senior internationals, 3 youth internationals

March 5, 2007:

Waiver Draft

April 9, 2007:

First date Senior Roster players may be waived without financial charge to team salary budget

April 13, 2007:

Primary Transfer Window closes

June 1, 2007:

College Protected list finalized (all college players from 2007 SuperDraft either on roster or waived)

June 15, 2007:

Secondary Transfer Window opens

August 15, 2007:

Secondary Transfer Window closes

September 14, 2007:

Roster Freeze Date / Trade and Discovery Deadline

KEY DATES - 2007 SEASON

February 21, 2007:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals

Houston Dynamo at Puntarenas FC, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

D.C. United at CD Olimpia, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

March 1, 2007:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals

Puntarenas FC at Houston Dynamo, College Station, Texas

CD Olimpia at D.C. United, Washington, D.C.

March 13-15, 2007:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals - 1st leg

April 3-5, 2007:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Semifinals - 2nd leg

April 7-8, 2007:

MLS First Kick - Opening Weekend

April 12, 2007:

MLS Primetime Thursday debuts on ESPN2

FC Dallas @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:00 p.m. ET

April 17-19, 2007:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Finals - 1st leg

April 24-26, 2007:

CONCACAF Champions Cup Finals - 2nd leg

June 6-24, 2007:

CONCACAF Gold Cup

June 30-July 22, 2007:

FIFA U-20 World Cup (Canada)

June 26-July 15, 2007:

Copa America (Venezuela)

July 10, 2007:

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date (round-of-16) - 8 MLS teams enter tournament

July 19, 2007:

2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, ESPN2, Telefutura

MLS All-Stars vs. Celtic FC, 9 p.m. ET

Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Denver

July 24, 2007:

SuperLiga begins

August 7, 2007:

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date (quarterfinals)

August 14-15 2007:

SuperLiga semifinal matches

August 18-September 9, 2007:

FIFA U-17 World Cup (Korea)

August 29, 2007:

SuperLiga final

September 4, 2007:

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date (semifinals)

October 2, 2007:

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final

October 21, 2007:

MLS Regular Season concludes

November 18, 2007:

MLS Cup 2007

RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.

About Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is the premier professional soccer league in the United States and features stars from the United States and around the globe. Entering its 12th season in April 2007, the League is preparing for a year like none before, as two new soccer-specific stadiums open and a new team kicks off in Canada. Toronto FC, the 13th team in MLS, begins play this season at soccer-specific BMO Field in Toronto. The Colorado Rapids also open their new stadium, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, when the season begins. The League now features six soccer-specific stadiums that are home to seven of the League's 13 teams. The 2007 MLS season opens April 7 with the Rapids hosting D.C. United at 3:30 ET live on ABC. Major League Soccer's national television partners are ABC/ESPN, Univision, Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español and HDNet. The 13 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official Web site at www.MLSnet.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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