MLS Weekly Newsletter - July 14, 2008

Published on July 14, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release

This Week's MLS Matches SuperLiga: Match Day 2 Chicago's John Thorrington Wins Player of the Week for Week 16 Five Coach's Selections and Two Commissioner's Picks for MLS All-Star Game Announced Tomorrow Midseason Leading Candidates for Newcomer and Rookie of the Year

MLS Week 17: July 10-12, 2008

(All times Eastern)

Thursday, July 17

Kansas City Wizards at Columbus Crew, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN / ESPN Deportes)

This is the final meeting of the season between the clubs. The all-time series is tied at 16-16-4. Columbus has won the first two meetings this year, 2-1 and 3-0. "El Piojo" and "El Mellizo" meet once again as Argentine stars Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Claudio Lopez look to lead their respective sides to victory - each has scored three goals this season and Schelotto leads the league with eight (8) assists. The Wizards will have to score first if they hope to continue their four-game undefeated streak - Columbus is 7-0 when scoring the first goal, Kansas City is 0-4 when conceding the first.

Saturday, July 19

San Jose Earthquakes at Toronto FC, 3:00 p.m. (HDNet)

This is the first meeting between the League's newest clubs - Toronto FC a 2007 expansion team, and San Jose a 2008 expansion side. San Jose captain Ronnie O'Brien played 13 games for Toronto FC last season and registered four assist. He was traded to San Jose during the offseason and Toronto acquired allocation money and a first round draft pick in the 2009 SuperDraft. Ryan Johnson's goal last week ended a 281-minute scoreless streak for San Jose. The Earthquakes are winless in their last six League games. Newly acquired strikers Darren Huckerby (England) and Scott Sealy (Costa Rica/KC Wizards) will look to make their first appearances in the Bay Area for the Earthquakes on Saturday. Huckerby, a 32-year Englishman, played for Leeds United, Manchester City, Coventry City and Norwich City, where he was named club player of the year in 2007. In four seasons with Kansas City, Sealy has registered 28 goals and five assists.

Los Angeles Galaxy at New York Red Bulls, 6:30 p.m. (FSC / FSE)

66,237 fans were on hand to watch last year's goal frenzy between the clubs at Giants Stadium. Juan Pablo Angel scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute to give New York a 5-4 victory. New player acquisitions by the Galaxy (Eduardo Dominguez) and the Red Bulls (Jorge Rojas, Juan Pietravallo) may see their first minutes with their new teams on Saturday. The roles are slightly reversed this season when these teams step on the field for their only meeting in New York, as the Galaxy sit in second place in the West and have the better record at 6-6-4, 22 pts. New York sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at 5-6-5, 20 pts. Last year New York was in third place in the East with a 9-7-3 record, while LA was fifth in the Western Conference with a 3-7-5 record.

Real Salt Lake at Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m. (DK / MLSLIVE.tv)

Real Salt Lake's 2-0 victory over Columbus last week moved the team into the top spot of the West for the first time in the club's four-year history. The clubs met earlier this season as Cuauhtemoc Blanco snatched a 1-1 draw for the Fire with a second-half stoppage-time goal. Real Salt Lake's last victory against the Fire was a 3-1 result on June 3, 2006. John Thorrington's game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Toronto last week gave Chicago its first victory at home since April 26. However, Thorrington will miss this week's game due to yellow card accumulation.

Colorado Rapids at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (DK / MLSLIVE.tv)

FC Dallas is searching for their first victory in League play since June 15. Their last League game was a 1-1 tie versus Kansas City on July 4. The Rapids came from behind in a 1-1 tie versus San Jose on Saturday, with Conor Casey getting a late goal to save the point for Colorado. The Rapids enter this match with a 12-game losing streak on the road against FC Dallas. Rapid forward Tom McManus has been a nice addition to the Rapids attack. He is tied for the League lead in goals by first-year MLS players with four (4). Dallas holds the all-time series advantage, 23-15-6.

Chicago Fire Midfielder John Thorrington Voted Player of the Week for Week 16

Chicago Fire midfielder John Thorrington was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 16 of the 2008 season. Thorrington scored the game-winning goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as the Fire defeated Toronto FC 2-1 at home on Saturday night. The victory improved Chicago's record to 7-5-3 (24 points), as they sit third in the Eastern Conference, nine points behind New England. For more on Thorrington's performance, click here.

The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.

SuperLiga Update: Match Day 2

The second annual SuperLiga tournament kicked off on Saturday as the best of the United States were pitted against club teams from the Mexican first division with prestige, pride, and a $1 million top prize at stake.

The clubs from MLS and the Mexican clubs split the opening round of games 2-2, as the Houston Dynamo (4-0 winnver over Atlante) and the New England Revolution (1-0 over Santos Laguna) emerged victorious in their opening games. Defending champions Pachuca CF downed Chivas USA 2-1 in its opener and the Chivas de Guadalajara - D.C. United rivalry continued with a 2-1 victory for the Mexican visitors.

The entire tournament is being televised live by Univision's TeleFutura Network in the United States. Televisa will air games in Mexico. All games are available live in English on www.SuperLiga2008.com and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes Radio.

The SuperLigaâ¢ Final will be held on August 5 at a U.S. venue to be determined. The complete schedule follows (all times Eastern):

Major League Soccer Stories from July 14, 2008

'Quakes weekly update - San Jose Earthquakes
Chivas USA Weekly Update - Club Deportivo Chivas USA
Wizards weekly update - Sporting Kansas City
Fire weekly update - Chicago Fire FC
MLS Weekly Newsletter - July 14, 2008 - MLS
RSL weekly update - Real Salt Lake
Earthquakes Waive Midfielder Joe Vide - San Jose Earthquakes
Santos Laguna arrives today ahead of Wednesday's crucial match vs. Chivas USA - Club Deportivo Chivas USA
Kansas City Wizards Acquire Allocation Money from San Jose Earthquakes for Forward Scott Sealy - Sporting Kansas City
Earthquakes Sign English Forward Darren Huckerby and Add MLS Veteran Forward Scott Sealy - San Jose Earthquakes
TFC and San Jose Involved in Trade - Toronto FC
Cuauhtemoc Blanco Statement - Chicago Fire FC
Revolution News - New England Revolution
Revolution Make Transactions - New England Revolution

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