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MLS Major League Soccer

The Pitch: MLS Weekly Newsletter

June 30, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Volume 15: June 30, 2008

* This Week's MLS Matches * New England's Steve Ralston Wins Player of the Week for Week 14 * Only Two Days Remaining to Vote for the All-Star First XI * New England Revolution's Steve Nicol to Coach MLS All-Stars for Second Consecutive Year * Eight MLS Teams in Action Tomorrow in US Open Cup Third Round

MLS Week 15: July 3-5, 2008

Thursday, July 3

Houston Dynamo at Real Salt Lake, 10:00 p.m. (ESPN2 / Deportes)

* This will be the first meeting between the clubs in 2008, and it could be vital for playoff positioning at the end of the season. The teams are currently tied for second in the Western Conference with 19 points. * Goalkeepers Pat Onstad (Houston) and Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) could be in for a long night as the teams rank 1st and 2nd in shots taken - Real Salt Lake 192 and Houston 190. * Real Salt Lake is one of only two teams yet to lose at home this season (Toronto FC). * Houston's last win came nearly a month ago, June 8 at home versus Toronto FC.

Friday, July 4

Kansas City Wizards at FC Dallas, 7:00 p.m. (HDNet)

* There's a heavy South American contingent in this Fourth of July clash. The Wizards attack is led by Argentines Claudio Lopez and Carlos Marinelli and Colombian Ivan Trujillo. FC Dallas counters with Colombian Juan Toja, Brazilians Andre Rocha, Ricardinho and Marcelo Saragosa, and Argentines Pablo Richetti and Dario Sala. * With a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday, the Wizards snapped a seven-game winless streak in League play dating back to April 20, and will look to win back-to-back games for only the second time this season. * FC Dallas forward Kenny Cooper ranks fourth in the Budweiser Goal Scoring standings with eight goals. When Cooper scores FC Dallas usually wins. The Hoops are 16-1-5 all-time when Cooper scores.

New York Red Bulls at Colorado Rapids, 9:30 p.m. (DK / MLSLIVE.tv)

* This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this year. The Red Bulls hold the all-time series advantage with a 13-11-3 record. * Red Bulls' starting right fullback Hunter Freeman was drafted by the Rapids in 2004 and appeared in 47 League games before being traded to New York in 2007. * Rapids playmaker Christian Gomez looks to return after missing this team's 2-1 defeat in Columbus last Saturday, due to injury. * Both teams have yet to win a game this season while allowing the first goal - their combined record is 0-12-2.

New England Revolution @ Los Angeles Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. (DK / MLSLIVE.tv)

* This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this year. Each club sits atop their Conference as New England has a 9-4-3 record with 30 points and LA has a 6-5-3 record and 21 points. * Revolution Forward Taylor Twellman returned to the lineup and played 11 minutes versus Toronto FC last Saturday, after suffering several injuries that have kept him out most of the season. He remains the Revolution's all-time leader in goals (7) and assists (3) against the Galaxy. * Steve Ralston's two goals last week gave him six on the season, and leave him only one behind his career mark for goals in a season (7 goals in 1996, 1997, 2001). * Matt Reis, who appeared in 39 games for LA from 1998-2002, has a 4-0-2 record against LA with three shutouts and 0.67 goals against average. * Galaxy forward Edson Buddle has scored in four straight games dating back to June 7. His streak ranks second in MLS this season as teammate Landon Donovan recorded a four-game scoring streak early in the season.

Saturday, July 5

Chicago Fire @ Columbus Crew, 8:00 p.m. (FSC / FSE)

* This is the first of two meetings between these Eastern conference clubs. Columbus currently sits second in the Eastern Conference with 23 points; Chicago sits two spots behind Columbus with 19 points and a game in hand. * The game pits two of the League's most dynamic attacking players in Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) and Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew). They are tied for second in assists with six apiece. * Since joining Chicago, Blanco has significantly improved his team's fortunes. The Fire have improved by 21.8% at this time last year, going 12-7-8 and making it to the Eastern Conference finals last season. * The Fire has seen success on the road in recent years at Columbus. They are 4-0-2 at Columbus Crew stadium dating back to July 3, 2004.

San Jose Earthquakes @ Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. (FSC / FSE)

* This is the first of three meetings between the two clubs in 2008. The Earthquakes have never lost to Chivas going 2-0-2 against the Southern California club during the 2005 season. * San Jose is winless in their last four League games and will look to break through at The Home Depot Center. * Head coach Frank Yallop returns to The Home Depot Center for the second time this season. The Earthquakes lost to the Galaxy 2-0 on April 3.

New England Revolution Midfielder Steve Ralston Voted Player of the Week for Week 14

Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 14 of the 2008 season. Ralston scored both goals in the Revolution's 2-1 victory over Toronto FC. The victory propelled the Revolution to a 9-4-3 record, with 30 points. They lead the Eastern Conference by four points ahead of the Columbus Crew (8-4-2, 26 points). After missing four games to start the season with a dislocated shoulder, Ralston has been New England's catalyst on offense scoring six goals and adding three assists for the Revolution who have been without star forward Taylor Twellman due to injury.

The 34-year old Ralston, one of only four current MLS players to have played in each of the League's 13 seasons, is adding to his already impressive resume, which includes Rookie of the Year honors in 1996 and all-time MLS records for career assists (124), games played (348), games started (345) and minutes played (30,773). Surprisingly, this is only the second time Ralston has received the Player of the Week award. He captured the award in Week 8 of the 1997 season with the Tampa Bay Mutiny. The Revolution return to action Friday, July 4 when they travel to take on the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Galaxy at 10:30 p.m. ET. For more on Ralston'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/.

Voting for All-Star First XI Closes on Wednesday; Top Vote Getters by Position & Overall Votes Revealed

The final push for the All-Star First XI is on. Online voting for the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game closes on Wednesday, July 2 at 11;59 p.m. Fans can vote for the All-Star First XI online at www.mlsnet.com by selecting one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards. Fans can vote up to 10 times per day. The online fan balloting program, which concludes on Wednesday, July 2, will comprise 25 percent of the total vote for the All-Star First XI, with coaches and general managers, players, and media each holding 25 percent of the vote to combine for the remaining 75 percent.

The MLS All-Star First XI will be announced on Thursday, July 10 and the All-Star Reserves and Commissioner's Selections will be announced on Tuesday, July 15.

2008 MLS All-Star Game Voting: Top Vote Getters by Position, Through June 29

Forwards-

1. Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy

2. Danny Dichio (Toronto FC)

3. Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)

4. Alejandro Moreno (Columbus Crew)

Midfielders-

1. David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy)

2. Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire)

3. Amado Guevara (Toronto FC)

4. Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)

5. Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew)

6. Maurice Edu (Toronto FC)

Defenders-

1. Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew)

2. Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

3. Jim Brennan (Toronto FC)

Goalkeepers-

1. Greg Sutton (Toronto FC)

2. Jon Busch (Chicago Fire)

Top Ten Overall Vote Getters, Through June 29, by percentage of overall vote

1. David Beckham 4.84%

2. Landon Donovan 3.67%

3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco 3.23%

4. Amado Guevara 2.14%

5. Dwayne De Rosario 2.13%

6. Frankie Hejduk 2.12%

7. Greg Sutton 2.10%

8. Guillermo Barros Schelotto 1.80%

9. Maurice Edu 1.80%

10. Robbie Rogers 1.62%

New England Revolution's Steve Nicol to Coach MLS All-Stars for Second Consecutive Year

Steve Nicol, who coached the MLS All-Stars to a victory in 2007, has earned the honor of coaching the team again by leading the Revolution to a successful first half of the season in which the Revs have recorded the most points per game through games played on June 29. Nicol's team defeated Toronto FC 2-1 on Saturday night, earning the Scottish-born coach the opportunity to lead the League's best against West Ham United on July 24 at BMO Field in Toronto.

The Revolution sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 9-4-3 record with 30 points, and have recorded 1.875 points per game. Nicol edged Columbus Crew head coach Sigi Schmid for the honor, as Schmid and the Crew have an 8-4-2 record, good for 1.857 points per game. As head coach of the MLS All-Star team, Nicol will select five players and his coaching and training staff. If players selected for the All-Star First XI are unavailable due to international duty, injury or other commitments, Nicol may decide on alternates.

It's a Busy Week for Major League Soccer Teams in Third Round of the US Open Cup

Eight Major League Soccer teams are in action tomorrow in the Third Round of the US Open Cup. Fans can access live scoring for four of the matches on www.MLSnet.com including the Richmond Kickers vs. New England Revolution, Rochester Rhinos vs. D.C. United, Miami FC at FC Dallas and Cleveland City Stars vs. Chicago Fire. Below is the schedule that can also be accessed at www.usopencup.com.

US Open Cup Third Round Schedule, Tuesday, July 1

Richmond Kickers (USL-2) at New England Revolution (MLS)

Veterans Stadium - New Britain, Conn., 7:00 PM

Broadcast: Online Radio (New England), www.MLSnet.com

Houston Dynamo (MLS) at Charleston Battery (USL-1)

Blackbaud Stadium, Charleston, S.C., 7:30 PM

Broadcast: USL Live

New York Red Bulls (MLS) at Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2)

Lawrence E. Knight Stadium (Broadneck HS), Annapolis, Md., 7:30 PM

Kansas City Wizards (MLS) at Carolina Railhawks (USL-1)

WakeMed Soccer Park - Cary, N.C., 7:30 PM

Broadcast: USL Live

Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) at DC United (MLS)

Maryland SoccerPlex, Boyds, Md., 7:30 PM

Broadcast: English/Spanish Radio (DCU) 107.3 FM (Rochester)

Cleveland City Stars (USL-2) at Chicago Fire (MLS)

Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill., 8:30 PM

Broadcast: Online Video (Cleveland), www.MLSnet.com

Miami FC (USL-1) at FC Dallas (MLS)

Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas, 8:30 PM

Broadcast: www.MLSnet.com

Chivas USA (MLS) at Seattle Sounders (USL-1)

Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Wash. - 10:00 PM

Broadcast: USL Live

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