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Major League Soccer

MLS Weekly

June 9, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


MLS Week 12: June 12-15, 2008

Thursday, June 12

New England Revolution at Houston Dynamo, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes)

Despite their postseason dominance, the Dynamo have never beaten the Revolution during the regular season. They carry a 0-2-3 all-time regular season record versus the Revs. This is the second of two meetings this season; New England won the first, 3-0 at home. Although Houston is undefeated at home this season, the Revolution are one of the best teams on the road, having lost only once in six games.

Saturday, June 14

Colorado Rapids at Toronto FC, 7:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

The Rapids have won only one of five road games this year. Toronto holds the best home record in the league (4-0-2). Having earned a starting role over the past few weeks, Toronto FC forward Jeff Cunningham has regained head coach Jon Carver's confidence by scoring in two consecutive games.

New York Red Bulls at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (HDNet)

This I-95 rivalry continues Saturday night as the Red Bulls look to stop a resurgent D.C. United team that is riding a three-game unbeaten streak. At age 34, all-time career goals leader and "MLS Original" Jaime Moreno continues to rank among the top scorers in the league. He currently sits in third with five goals. Moreno has scored 22 career goals against New York. Although D.C. United has allowed more goals than any team in the league (23), the Red Bulls are among the lower scoring teams in MLS, averaging 1.1 goals per game.

Columbus Crew at Kansas City Wizards, 8:00 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

The Crew head into the match having been held scoreless through four league games. The goal drought has seen Columbus fall to third place in the Eastern Conference. With a win on Saturday, Columbus has an opportunity to tie the all-time series record. The Wizards currently hold a slim one-game advantage (16-15-4) The Crew have a four-game road losing streak against Kansas City. All four losses came at Arrowhead Stadium; this game will be played at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Los Angeles Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes, 10:00 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

- These California rivals find themselves at opposite ends of the Western Conference standings, as LA sit in the top spot with a 5-4-2 record and 17 points. San Jose sit at the bottom with a 3-6-1 record and 10 points.

- After defeating Columbus on Saturday, the Earthquakes look to win consecutive games for the first time this season.

Real Salt Lake at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. (DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

Chivas USA hold a 7-2-3 all-time record over Real Salt Lake and have won the past four meetings by a combined score of 11-3. Real Salt Lake's Argentine playmaker Javier Morales is tied for first in the League in assists with six. Chivas USA is 6-0-1 all-time at home versus Real Salt Lake.

Sunday, June 15

Chicago Fire at FC Dallas, 3:00 p.m. (Telefutura)

The battle for the 2008 Brimstone Cup gets underway on Sunday as both teams enter the match reeling from 2-1 defeats. Since 2001, the trophy has gone to the winner of the season series between the clubs - FC Dallas has won all except for one (in 2001). FC Dallas enter the game with a three-game winless streak, but they have never lost to the Fire at Pizza Hut Park.

All times Eastern, live broadcasts in parentheses; schedule subject to change

Houston's Brian Ching Player Voted Player of the Week for Week 11

Dynamo forward Brian Ching was voted MLS Player of the Week for Week 11 after registering two goals and an assist in Houston's 3-1 victory over Toronto FC on Sunday. The win propelled Houston into a tie with the Los Angeles Galaxy for first place in the Western Conference. This is the third Player of the Week award for Ching, who won previously in Week 1 of the 2006 season and Week 16 of the 2004 season while playing for the San Jose Earthquakes. Houston is back in action on Thursday, June 12, at 9 p.m. ET, on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes when they host the New England Revolution. For more on the Player of the Week 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/.

Toronto's Jeff Cunningham One Away From 100

The fiery Jamaican-born forward started the season on the bench for Toronto and was sitting on 96 career goals. Since being inserted into Toronto FC's starting lineup, Cunningham has scorched the net for two goals in his last two appearances and is one goal from becoming just the fourth player in MLS history to reach 100 goals.

Cunningham's resurgent form (3g in 10 games) has already matched last year's season production with Toronto (3g in 16 games). He chose to wear the No.96 on his jersey last season to represent the number of goals he has scored in MLS..

Only three players have reached the 100-goal mark in MLS: Jaime Moreno (117), Ante Razov (110), and Jason Kreis (108). Moreno and Razov, both MLS Originals, remain active and continue to help lead their teams. Moreno has five goals for D.C. United this year.

The Race to Coach the 2008 MLS All-Star Game; Current Rankings as of June 9

As the votes come in to determine which players will represent MLS against West Ham United on July 24, several coaches find themselves in prime position to coach at the 2008 MLS All-Star Game. The MLS All-Stars will be led by the coach with the most points per game as of Sunday, June 29.

Revolution head coach Steve Nicol is the front runner as of June 9 with 1.92 points per game. The Revs have 23 points through 12 games. Chicago Fire head coach Denis Hamlett (1.90 ppg) and Columbus Crew head coach Sigi Schmid (1.73 ppg) are right on Nicol's heels. Each coach has six games to improve their points-per-game average and a head-to-head matchup on July 5. If Steve Nicol manages to retain his lead he will be the first coach since Peter Nowak to manage the MLS All-Stars twice and the first to coach at consecutive All-Star games.

Coach Rankings for MLS All-Star Game (Ranked by points per game)

1. Steve Nicol (New England Revolution) - 1.92 ppg

2. Denis Hamlett (Chicago Fire) - 1.90

3. Sigi Schmid (Columbus Crew) - 1.73

4. Ruud Gullit (Los Angeles Galaxy) - 1.55

5. John Carver (Toronto FC) - 1.55

6. Juan Carlos Osorio (New York Red Bulls) - 1.50

7. Dominic Kinnear (Houston Dynamo) - 1.42

8. Fernando Clavijo (Colorado Rapids) - 1.36

9. Preki (Chivas USA) - 1.27

10. Curt Onalfo (Kansas City Wizards) - 1.20

11. Jason Kreis (Real Salt Lake) - 1.09

12. Tom Soehn (D.C. United) - 1.08

13. Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes) - 1.00

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