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Roster Freeze Deadline Looms - This Week in MLS

September 9, 2013 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Roster Freeze Deadline Looms

The countdown to the MLS Cup Playoffs gets more serious this week as Friday the 13th marks the day when all teams will lock in their rosters for the remainder of the season. If any of the League's 19 teams want to make any final trades or acquisitions, those deals must be made before 5 p.m. Friday, although transactions may be announced after that time.

All teams will be looking to improve their squads before the deadline, but the most active may be the clubs closest to the playoff red line in the standings.

With just eight weeks remaining in the season, more than half the League's teams find themselves in a weekly battle to stay above the red line, as only the top five in each conference will qualify for the postseason. In the Eastern Conference, just seven points separate fourth-place Philadelphia from eighth-place Columbus. In the Western Conference, six points separate third-place Los Angeles from eighth-place San Jose.

Watch for roster movement this week as the dramatic playoff race looms.

Week 29 National Broadcasts

Wednesday, September 11

Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ET (TSN, RDS2)

Friday, September 13

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

Saturday, September 14

D.C. United vs. LA Galaxy, 4:00 p.m. ET (UniMás)

New York Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC, 7:00 p.m. ET (TSN2, RDS2)

Quotables

"He's that little pit bull out there...He's not only a very good player, but he's also a very experienced player and he's a winner. Those qualities are missed when he's not out there, so to be able to add another player like that into the middle of the midfield really helps us. That's our engine room. We're missing a little bit when he's not in there."

Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes on veteran midfielder Paulo Nagamura

"I've got eight games left to get back out there and use the energy that I had from the rest that I got. See if I can help turn things around...I just try to do my thing, try to motivate guys and try to make the guys around me better."

Timbers captain and center midfielder Will Johnson is looking forward to getting back on the field after missing the team's past four games while waiting for a broken bone in his shoulder to heal.

"I don't like to sugar-coat anything. We have three tough away games and we have to face up to it. It's going to make or break our season. As a team, we have to stand up and be counted as man and either say, 'We're going to achieve something great,' or we're going to let our season crumble... We have to put our chests out, work hard, and be mentally prepared for all these games and make it hard for every team we play."

Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker explains how crucial the next three games are.

"It's never easy. It's always unpredictable. There are ups and downs. We've been on a lot of ups, and now this is a down. We're going to see how we recover. We're going to see what we're made of."

Landon Donovan on the USMNT 12-game winning streak coming to an end with 3-1 loss to Costa Rica

"I always like playing here and scoring goals here, especially in a game we needed the points. It was an ugly road win, but we needed it."

Edson Buddle of the Colorado Rapids after a 1-0 win in which he scored against his former team, the LA Galaxy.

"It's huge, it's one of those days in Union history where we will look back 10 or 15 years from now and see a bunch of players at PPL Park and say we were there when we affiliated with YSC Academy and the school."

Nick Sakiewicz CEO and Operating partner of the Philadelphia Union on the opening of their new high school for soccer specific student-athletes

Sweet Tweets

@Tim_Cahill - September 4 - Tim Cahill, New York Red Bulls

Boys working hard @NewYorkRedBulls back to the gym for me #rehab ill be back soon #RBNY pic.twitter.com/Z4fYzsF7xs

@Ddwyer14 - September 8 - Dom Dwyer, Sporting Kansas City

Well @OrlandoCitySC it's been real, home time for me now! Thank you everyone for everything! #MissionAccomplished pic.twitter.com/e8fOZPNXoz

@divaio9 - September 9 - Marco Di Vaio, Montreal Impact

Very Important victory for the playoff race.. So happy for the goals and the 3 points. #Allezimpact

@NickRimando - September 9 - Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake

@jonnysteele22 pigs must be flying, you scored with your right foot. Amazing bro. Hahaha

‏@MilosKocic30 - September 9 - Milos Kocic, Portland Timbers

It felt weird playing my old team last night. Glad we got 3 very important points! Moving on to Chivas and hopefully new 3 points!

‏@JebBrovsky - September 9 - Jeb Brovsky, Montreal Impact

Wish I could have been at the @BeyondSport conference in Philadelphia this weekend. Improving the world through sports. #NothingBetter

Playoff Scenarios

Chivas USA will be eliminated from playoff contention IF

- Chivas USA lose or draw vs. Portland Timbers

Toronto FC will be eliminated from playoff contention IF

- Toronto FC lose or tie vs. Chicago Fire on Wednesday AND Toronto FC lose or tie vs. New York Red Bulls on Saturday (must lose one game)

OR

- Toronto FC lose vs. Chicago Fire on Wednesday AND

- Philadelphia Union win vs. Houston Dynamo on Saturday AND

- Chicago Fire win vs. New England Revolution on Saturday

D.C. United had been eliminated

MLS Week 29 Previews

Wednesday, September 11

Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. (TSN, RDS2)

- The Fire have won the last four meetings between the teams, including all three encounters a season ago. TFC has not defeated Chicago since a 4-1 win May 8, 2010, a span of six games without a victory in the series.

- The Fire have taken points from their last three trips to BMO Field. Toronto FC have never won at Toyota Park.

- Mike Magee scored his first goal since Aug. 3, still second in the MLS Golden Boot standings with 15, but it wasn't enough to keep the Fire from losing their second consecutive road game, 2-1 at Seattle on Saturday.

- Toronto FC saw their current winless run reach five matches, suffering their heaviest loss of the season in a 4-0 defeat in Portland on Saturday evening.

Friday, September 13

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m. (NBCSN)

- Sounders FC won their fourth consecutive match, a 2-1 win against Chicago at CenturyLink Field on Saturday. The club's MLS record winning streak is five games, set in 2010 and 2012.

- Lamar Neagle has scored in each of the last two matches for Seattle, while goalkeeper Michael Gspurning allowed a goal for the first time in 311 minutes - sixth-longest streak in MLS this season - in the win vs. Chicago.

- Real return to action after a week off, having scored four goals in each of their last two matches, last a 4-2 win vs. Portland on Aug. 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL lead MLS with 52 goals this season; they have scored multiple goals in 12 of the last 16 games.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and Real have won both. First-half goals from Luis Gil and Robbie Findley sent RSL on their way to a 2-1 victory March 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium, and Kyle Beckerman and Findley scored on either side of halftime in a 2-0 RSL win June 22 in Sandy.

- The teams could be on track for another meeting in the MLS Cup Playoffs. They've met each of the last two years, including in the Western Conference Quarterfinals a season ago, when Sounders FC advanced 1-0 on aggregate.

Saturday, September 14

Montreal Impact vs. Columbus Crew, 2 p.m.

- Marco Di Vaio scored a pair of goals - his league-leading fourth multiple-goal game - in Montréal's 4-2 win at New England on Sunday. Di Vaio now leads the MLS Golden Boot race with 17 goals; he's scored five goals in his last four games.

- Patrice Bernier also scored a pair of goals, converting a pair of penalties, in the win vs. New England. All four of Bernier's goals this season have come from the penalty spot; he is 10-for-10 in converting penalties in his two MLS seasons.

- Brian Bliss lost for the first time since taking over as interim head coach of the Crew in their 3-0 defeat at Sporting Kansas City on Friday. The Crew have been shut out in three of their last four matches.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Matias Sánchez and Dominic Oduro scored first-half goals to lead the Crew to a 2-0 win June 15 at Crew Stadium; Montréal's Marco Di Vaio and Dominic Oduro of Columbus traded goals four minutes apart as the teams reached a 1-1 draw on April 14 at Stade Saputo.

D.C. United vs. LA Galaxy, 4 p.m. (UniMas)

- D.C. United became the first team mathematically eliminated from playoff contention following their 1-0 loss at Chivas USA on Sunday, extending their winless streak to five games.

- United still have yet to win away from RFK Stadium, now 0-11-3 on their travels. Four teams have gone through an entire MLS season without a road victory, last Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2012. United still have games at New England, Toronto and Kansas City this season.

- The Galaxy saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in a 1-0 home loss to Colorado on Saturday evening, their second consecutive loss to the Rapids this season.

- The latest installment of the one of the most enduring rivalries in MLS history, the Galaxy have a eight-game unbeaten streak vs. United. Since a 4-1 D.C. win in 2008 at RFK Stadium, the Galaxy have won four times with four draws, including a 3-1 win in Carson last March 18 in the only meeting between the teams.

New York Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC, 7 p.m. (TSN2, RDS2)

- The Red Bulls won their second consecutive match and matched their season-high with four goals in a 4-1 win at the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon, as both Thierry Henry and Jonny Steele scored a goal and added an assist.

- The teams are playing for the third time this season. Tim Cahill scored a pair of goals - including the game-winner in the 89th minute - to give the Red Bulls a 2-1 victory April 27 at BMO Field; they played to a scoreless draw July 20 in Toronto.

- The Red Bulls have an nine-game undefeated streak alive (6-0-3) vs. Toronto FC, dating back to June 24, 2009, a 2-0 TFC win at BMO Field. The Red Bulls have won their last four home games vs. TFC, and have won all three meetings lifetime at Red Bull Arena (with a 10-1 goal differential).

Philadelphia Union vs. Houston Dynamo, 7:30 p.m.

- Union saw their winless streak extended to four matches and were shut out for a second consecutive game in a 1-0 loss at San Jose on Sunday evening. It's the longest winless run of the season for Philadelphia.

- The Dynamo had their winless streak stretched to four games with their third loss in that time, a 4-1 defeat by the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo have conceded 12 goals in the four-game stretch.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Ricardo Clark scored the game's only goal in the 59th minute for a Dynamo victory July 6 at BBVA Compass Stadium.

- The Dynamo have never won at PPL Park, the teams reaching draws in their first two meetings in Chester before Union's 3-1 win last Sept. 23.

Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution, 8:30 p.m.

- Diego Fagundez scored for a third consecutive match in the Revolution's 4-2 home loss to Montréal on Sunday. Fagundez also has a pair of assists in that time; he has 10 goals for the season. Kelyn Rowe scored his fourth goal over the last four matches in the loss to the Impact.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and New England has won both. Jerry Bengtson scored the game's only goal to give the Revolution a victory March 9 at Toyota Park, and Juan Agudelo and Kelyn Rowe scored in a 2-0 Revs win August 17 in Foxborough.

- The win in the first meeting was New England's first league win in Bridgeview since 2006, ending a nine-game winless run in league and cup play. The Revolution have won four of the last five matches between the clubs, after going more than five years without a league win vs. Chicago.

Colorado Rapids vs. FC Dallas, 9 p.m.

- Making his first start since Aug. 3, Edson Buddle scored for a third consecutive match in the Rapids' 1-0 win at the LA Galaxy on Saturday evening. The Rapids have lost just once in their last 11 matches, dating back to June 29.

- Vicente Sánchez recorded his second assist in three games, making his fourth appearance since joining the Rapids.

- Fábian Castillo set up a pair of goals in FCD's 3-1 win against Vancouver on Saturday evening in Frisco, and now has four assists in the last four matches. FC Dallas have two wins and a draw in their last three matches.

- Jair Benitez scored his first goal of the season and it was one of the goals of the season, a blast from just inside the halfway line that sailed over the head of Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted and under the crossbar.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. An 11th-minute goal from Jackson gave FC Dallas a 1-0 victory as the clubs met on the opening weekend of the season in Frisco. On June 1 in Commerce City, Colorado's Atiba Harris and Blas Perez of FC Dallas each netted twice to leave the teams in a 2-2 draw.

Chivas USA vs. Portland Timbers, 10:30 p.m.

- Erick Torres scored his seventh goal in nine matches since joining Chivas USA, in their 1-0 win against D.C. United on Sunday evening at StubHub Center. Torres has scored the last five goals Chivas has scored, over the last four matches.

- Diego Valeri pulled into a tie for the MLS league lead with his 12th assist (with Philadelphia's Sebastien Le Toux), and also scored his sixth goal of the season in the Timbers' 4-0 home win vs. Toronto FC, snapping a two-game losing slide.

- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Rodney Wallace, Diego Valeri and Will Johnson all scored in a 3-0 Timbers victory, May 12 in Portland.

- Chivas has won four of the six meetings all-time in the league series, including all three meetings between the teams a season ago, including both matches at Jeld-Wen Field.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 10:30 p.m.

- The Earthquakes won for a sixth consecutive home game, defeating Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Sunday. It's the club's longest home winning streak since winning 12 in a row over the end of the 2001 season and the start of 2002.

- Whitecaps FC saw their winless streak extended to four games in a 3-1 loss at FC Dallas on Saturday, their third defeat in that run.

- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Camilo Sanvezzo and Kenny Miller scored second-half goals to lead Whitecaps FC to a 2-0 win Aug. 10 at BC Place; San Jose's Chris Wondolowski and Vancouver's Corey Hertzog traded goals as the teams ended in a 1-1 draw April 6 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

- Whitecaps FC have not lost to the Earthquakes in Vancouver; the Quakes have not lost to Vancouver in their three home matches.

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