NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Major League Soccer

This Week in MLS

July 20, 2010 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


The AT&T MLS All-Star team that will face 2009 English Premier League champion Manchester United on July 28 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas was announced Monday. On a media teleconference, MLS All-Star Head Coach Bruce Arena discussed his 11 selections, the challenge of having several players with international club games next week, and the prospect of facing Manchester United and manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"[Ferguson] is a legend - arguably the most successful club coach in the history of the game," Arena said. "It'll be quite an honor to be on the sideline with him. It's exciting, this game, not only for the players and the fans, but certainly it will be for myself and Dominic Kinnear."

MLS All-Star Roster:

Goalkeepers: Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy)*, Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) &

Defenders: Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)*, Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew) *, Jamison Olave (Real Salt Lake)*, Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA) &, Heath Pearce (FC Dallas) &, Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire) &, Kevin Alston (New England Revolution) &.

Midfielders: Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC) *, Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire)* Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake) *, Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew) *, Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union) &, David Ferreira (FC Dallas) &, Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) &, Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution) &, Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids) &.

Forwards: Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy) *, Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy) *, Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls) &, Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo) +, Jaime Moreno (D.C. United) +

Unavailable: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)

* Denotes selection to First XI Team + Denotes a Commissioner's Selection & Denotes Coach's Selection

MLS Week 16 rewind

FC Dallas put an end to Real Salt Lake's club-record undefeated and shutout streaks in a 2-0 victory. The LA Galaxy lengthened their lead atop the Western Conference with a 2-1 win against D.C. United, while the Columbus Crew did the same in the East in a top-of-the-table clash with the New York Red Bulls. Philadelphia Union continued their good form at home with a dramatic 2-1 win against Toronto FC, ending that club's long unbeaten run. For all the highlights of Week 16, click here.

Manchester United on tour

The opposition for the MLS All-Stars in the 2010 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, Manchester United, continue their tour this week with a pair of games against MLS opposition, facing Philadelphia Union on Wednesday at PPL Park, then taking on the Kansas City Wizards on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Manchester United began their tour Friday with a 3-1 victory against Celtic FC at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

SuperLiga nears semifinals

The New England Revolution have already qualified for the semifinals, while the Houston Dynamo are on the verge, entering the final round of group games in SuperLiga 2010.

The Revolution take on Monarcas Morelia on Tuesday in Group B with a third semifinal berth in three appearances in the tournament already locked up; the Chicago Fire, already eliminated, will face Pumas UNAM.

In Group A on Wednesday, the Houston Dynamo will entertain Puebla F.C. knowing a draw will be enough to book their passage to the final four. Chivas USA play host to eliminated Pachuca needing a victory and hoping Puebla defeats Houston.

Zizzo signs with MLS Former U.S. Under-20 national team player and UCLA standout Sal Zizzo has signed with MLS and will learn his club after a weighted lottery is conducted Wednesday afternoon at the League office. Zizzo, 23, played for Hannover 96 in Germany's Bundesliga before being loaned to Fortuna Dusseldorf last year. He suffered a knee injury and underwent surgery seven months ago and has been cleared to play. A creative attacker from either flank, Zizzo logged eight goals and 14 assists in two seasons at UCLA. Zizzo's new MLS club will announce his acquisition Wednesday afternoon.

MLS quotables

"What I've realized more than anything is the power of a moment. I'm a sports fan, and growing up, when you witness a special moment, you realize what it can do. One of those moments for me was watching Kirk Gibson hit that home run in the World Series as a Dodger fan. You'll always have that in your head. And I'm realizing now that I'm home that people have that memory and always will, of us beating Algeria and doing something special that hadn't been done in a really long time. It just shows you how powerful a moment in sports can be." -- LA Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, to The Washington Post

"I keep scoring against New York, so we have to keep playing them." -- Columbus Crew forward Emilio Renteria, after scoring his second goal this season vs. New York

"We need to move forward. We need to forget this game as soon as possible. My biggest concern is how the players view it and whether or not they can move on quickly. We haven't lost a game in a long time so it feels brand new." -- Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis after his team's first loss in 11 games

"Obviously this is preseason for them and we know that, but I think a few years ago you see teams get beat in these types of matches. We're not easy to beat now, not just San Jose but other teams in the league as well. There's a good standard." -- San Jose Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop, after the 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur

Previewing Week 17: July 22-25, 2010 (all times ET)

Thursday, July 22

San Jose Earthquakes at LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes / ESPN360.com)

The San Jose Earthquakes had last weekend off from league play, but still reached a scoreless draw with English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium.

With Landon Donovan back in the lineup, he and Edson Buddle returned the Galaxy to their winning ways Sunday. Each U.S. World Cup team member scored in LA's 2-1 win against D.C. United.

Teammates on the Trinidad & Tobago team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Chris Birchall (LA Galaxy) and Cornell Glen (San Jose Earthquakes) could face off for the first time in MLS. The two played in all three matches in Germany, the first appearance by the Caribbean nation in the World Cup.

Saturday, July 24

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

FC Dallas won for the fourth time in five games and extended their unbeaten streak to seven games in huge 2-0 win Saturday against Real Salt Lake, the hottest team in MLS coming into the game.

Toronto FC saw their lengthy unbeaten streak come to an end in dramatic circumstances with the stoppage-time penalty kick in Philadelphia. It was TFC's first loss in nine league games and 12 games in all competitions, dating back to a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on May 1.

Brek Shea's two-goal effort vs. San Jose on June 5 started FCD's current hot streak, and he continued it against RSL with a goal and an assist. Dallas is now five points Real in the Western Conference standings.

Toronto FC defeated FC Dallas in the first meeting between the teams - and have not won since. FCD has won three of the intervening contests, with two draws.

Houston Dynamo at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick package)

The teams are meeting for the second time in three weeks, after having played to a scoreless draw July 10 in Houston. That was the last MLS game for the Dynamo; the Crew went 1-1 in two games last week.

The Crew extended their lead atop the Eastern Conference to five points in their 2-0 victory against New York on Saturday evening, coming on the heels of a midweek home loss to Kansas City.

The Dynamo are looking to advance to the semifinals of SuperLiga for the third time in three tries, which they can achieve with at least a draw Wednesday vs. Mexico's Puebla FC.

Chivas USA at Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick package)

Real Salt Lake saw their club-record unbeaten and shutout streaks come to an end in the loss to FC Dallas on Saturday. It was RSL's first loss in 11 league games, since a 1-0 loss at Columbus on April 24. Real allowed their first goal since May 29, the shutout streak snapped at 567 minutes, fourth-longest in MLS history.

Chivas USA will return to league action after trying to qualify for the SuperLiga semifinals at midweek. Chivas USA need to defeat Pachuca and have Puebla defeat the Houston Dynamo to reach the knockout stage.

Chivas USA forward Justin Braun returns to his hometown Salt Lake City. Braun was the leading scorer in the state of Utah during his junior and senior years in high school; he was playing for amateur side Olympique Montreux in an adult tournament at The Home Depot Center when discovered by Chivas.

It's the second meeting of the season between the expansion class of 2005. Fabian Espindola's dramatic winner in the 89th minute May 22 at The Home Depot Center gave Real a 2-1 victory.

Sunday, July 25

Colorado Rapids at Seattle Sounders FC, 11 p.m. (FSC / FSE)

While they've lost just once since May 15, the Colorado Rapids saw their winless streak reach five games in Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards, a result that didn't please head coach Gary Smith.

Seattle Sounders FC put an end to a four-game winless run in their last league match, a dramatic 1-0 victory at D.C. United. Roger Levesque, making his first league start since April 22, scored the last-minute game-winner.

On Sunday, Sounders FC met touring Celtic FC and went down to a 2-1 defeat after going a man down in the 29th minute when goalkeeper Terry Boss was sent off. David Estrada scored Seattle's lone goal.

The teams are meeting for the second time this season. The Rapids went to Qwest Field on May 29 and came away with a victory, the game's lone goal scored by Conor Casey.

Check out the Major League Soccer Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from July 20, 2010


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central