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Published on March 16, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Red Bull Arena - Grand Opening this Saturday

Three and a half years after its groundbreaking ceremony, the Red Bulls' dream house finally comes to life this Saturday when the club celebrates the Grand Opening of Red Bull Arena. At the center of the festivities, the Red Bulls will host Brazilian squad Santos FC, led by Robinho and Neymar, at 6 p.m. ET, live on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports en Español, and MSG. In Manhattan, the Empire State Building will be lit in the red and white of the Red Bulls' kit from dusk on March 19 until approximately 2 a.m. on March 22. The first MLS match in Red Bull Arena is a week later when the Red Bulls host the Chicago Fire on March 27, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com at 7 p.m. ET. Check out recent reviews of the stunning venue at AOL Fanhouse and SI.com.

Team-by-Team Look at Offseason Roster Moves

Below is a list of significant roster moves that occurred since the end of the 2009 season. Each new acquisition is listed as follows: Position Name (Nationality). This list is a sampling and does not include players drafted in 2010.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Chicago Fire

Coach:

Carlos de los Cobos (first season).

IN:

F Collins John (Netherlands); M Julio Martinez (El Salvador); D Krzysztof Krol (Poland).

OUT:

Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Brandon Prideaux (retired), Chris Rolfe, Gonzalo Segares.

Columbus Crew

Coach:

Robert Warzycha (second season).

IN:

F Sergio Herrera (Colombia).

OUT:

Alejandro Moreno.

D.C. United

Coach:

Curt Onalfo (first season with club)

IN:

F Danny Allsopp (Australia); M Christian Castillo (El Salvador); F Adam Cristman (USA); M Kurt Morsink (USA); G Troy Perkins (USA).

OUT:

Luciano Emilio, Fred, Christian Gomez, Ben Olsen (retired, now an assistant coach)

Kansas City Wizards

Coach:

Peter Vermes (second season with club)

IN:

G Jimmy Nielsen (Denmark); M Stéphane Auvray (Guadeloupe), D Pablo Escobar (Colombia), M Ryan Smith (England/USA).

OUT:

Adam Cristman, Kevin Hartman, Herculez Gomez, Claudio Lopez, Kurt Morsink.

New England Revolution

Coach:

Steve Nicol (ninth season with club)

IN:

G Preston Burpo (USA), M Niouky Desire (Senegal); D Cory Gibbs (USA).

OUT:

Chris Albright, Jay Heaps (retired), Jeff Larentowicz, Steve Ralston, Wells Thompson.

New York Red Bulls

Coach:

Hans Backe (first season with club)

IN:

D Chris Albright (USA); M Joel Lindpere (Estonia); D Roy Miller (Costa Rica); M Carl Robinson (Wales).

OUT:

Alberto Celades, Danny Cepero, Walter Garcia, Carlos Johnson, Jorge Rojas.

Philadelphia Union

Coach:

Peter Nowak (first season with club)

IN:

D Danny Califf (USA); M Fred (Brazil); F Alejandro Moreno (Venezuela); D Michael Orozco (USA); G Chris Seitz (USA); M Roger Torres (Colombia).

OUT:

None - inaugural season.

Toronto FC

Coach:

Preki (first season with club)

IN:

D Ty Harden (USA), M Jacob Peterson (USA).

OUT:

Danny Dichio (retired), Amado Guevara, Carl Robinson, Adrian Serioux.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Chivas USA

Coach:

Martín Vásquez (first season with club)

IN:

M Osael Romero (El Salvador); D Michael Umaña (Costa Rica)

OUT:

Jim Curtin, Kevin Harmse, Jesse Marsch (retired), Paulo Nagamura, Bojan Stepanovic, Shavar Thomas, Sasha Victorine (retired).

Colorado Rapids

Coach:

Gary Smith (second year as head coach)

IN:

M Danny Earls (Ireland); M Jeff Larentowicz (USA); D Oscar Murillo (Colombia); M Wells Thompson.

OUT:

Facundo Diz, Jordan Harvey, Jacob Peterson.

FC Dallas

Coach:

Schellas Hyndman (second year with club)

IN:

G Kevin Hartman (USA).

OUT:

Dave van den Bergh, Pablo Ricchetti.

Houston Dynamo

Coach:

Dominic Kinnear (seventh season with club).

IN:

M Adrian Serioux (Canada).

OUT:

Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden.

LA Galaxy

Coach:

Bruce Arena (second full season with club)

IN:

D Alex (Brazil); M Juninho (Brazil); D Leonardo (Brazil).

OUT:

Stefani Miglioranzi, Tony Sanneh, Leonard Griffin.

Real Salt Lake

Coach:

Jason Kreis (fourth year with club)

IN:

F Álvaro Saborío (Costa Rica).

OUT:

Clint Mathis, Yura Movsisyan, Chris Seitz.

San Jose Earthquakes

Coach:

Frank Yallop (sixth season with club).

IN:

F Eduardo (Brazil); M Joey Gjertsen (USA); M Javier Robles (Argentina).

OUT:

Darren Huckerby (retired), Shea Salinas.

Seattle Sounders FC

Coach:

Sigi Schmid (second season with club)

IN:

Blaise Nkufo (Switzerland, to join in July).

OUT:

Sebastien LeToux.

MLS First Kick 2010 Schedule

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Philadelphia Union at Seattle Sounders FC, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2/Deportes, ESPN360.com)

Friday, March 26, 2010

Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick package)

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Toronto FC at Columbus Crew, 4 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick package)

Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas, 4 p.m. (Telefutura)

Chicago Fire at New York Red Bulls, 7 p.m. (ESPN/Deportes, ESPN360.com)

D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards, 8:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick package)

Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes, 9 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español)

New England Revolution at LA Galaxy, 11 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español)




Major League Soccer Stories from March 16, 2010


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