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The Pitch: MLS Weekly Newsletter

May 11, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


The Pitch: MLS Weekly Newsletter

Volume 8: May 11, 2009

- Philadelphia Union Officially Unveiled as League's 16th Team

- Red Bulls forward Macoumba Kandji Wins MLS Player of the Week for Week 8

- Chivas USA Continue Inspired Play; D.C. United keep Eastern Conference lead

- Rookie Spotlight: D.C. United Midfielder Rodney Wallace

- This Week's MLS Games

Philadelphia Union, Major League Soccer's 16th Club, Unveils Logo and Colors

With Philadelphia's City Hall serving as an appropriately historic backdrop for the momentous announcement, and hundreds of supporters on hand, Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter unveiled Philadelphia Union as the name of Major League Soccer's 16th club. The region's newest professional sports team simultaneously revealed its logo and colors, which can be seen at its official web site www.philadelphiaunion.com.

Union references the original Thirteen Colonies, which established the foundation of the United States of America. The club's colors are navy blue and gold, symbolizing the uniforms of the American Continental Army, accented by the lighter shade of blue found in the Philadelphia Flag. The primary symbol of a rattlesnake is derived from Ben Franklin's political cartoons and was featured in multiple editions of the Pennsylvania Gazette during the 1750's. The rattlesnake was utilized to emphasize the necessity of colonial unity and serve as a reminder of the danger of disunity. Franklin's rattlesnake gained enormous popularity and evolved into a primary symbol of the American Revolution.

Complementing the rattlesnake, thirteen stars are displayed along the base of the crest as another nod to the Thirteen Colonies of the Union. The crest's interior shield represents Philadelphia's Coat of Arms, which is found in both the Flag of Philadelphia and the Seal of the City of Philadelphia. "Jungite aut Perite", a Latin translation of "Join or Die", is featured in the club's secondary logo. "Join or Die" was displayed by Ben Franklin in unison with the rattlesnake to stress the importance of colonial unity.

Philadelphia Union will play in a state-of-the-art 18,500 seat waterfront stadium in Chester, Pa., beginning in 2010.

Macoumba Kandji Wins MLS Player of the Week for Week 8

New York Red Bulls forward Macoumba Kandji was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 8 of the 2009 season. Kandji recorded a goal and added two assists as the New York Red Bulls stormed past the San Jose Earthquakes 4-1 last Friday night at Giants Stadium.

Kandji, 23, from Dakar, Senegal is in his first full MLS season. The 6-foot-4-inch forward attended the Georgia Military College before making his professional debut with the USL's Atlanta Silverbacks. Kandji made his MLS debut while on loan from the Silverbacks on September 27, 2008. The Red Bulls purchased Kandji's rights during the offseason and placed him on their Senior Roster. This marks the first Player of the Week award for Kandji and first for a Red Bull player since Angel received the honor in Week 20 of the 2008 season. For more on Kandji's award 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/.

Thornton, Chivas USA earn another shut out; D.C. United remain in first place in the Eastern Conference

Chivas USA beat Real Salt Lake 1-0, behind a Paulo Nagamura wonder strike, for their seventh win of the season (7-1-1, 22 points). They increased their Western Conference lead to eight points over Seattle Sounders FC (4-2-2, 14 points), and continue to outpace all Eastern Conference teams for the best record League-wide. Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton recorded the 64th shutout of his career, moving him one behind San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon and 16 behind Kansas City Wizards keeper Kevin Hartman, the MLS All-Time shutouts leader with 80.

The Los Angeles Galaxy showed resiliency coming from behind in both matches of their West Coast road swing. Mike Magee notched a goal in the 94th minute to give the Galaxy a hard earned draw against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. In their second match of the week, Alan Gordon scored late in the first half to give the Galaxy a valuable road point in front of a hostile Seattle Sounders FC crowd at Qwest field.

D.C. United and Toronto FC, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference battled to a 3-3 draw. In a match that featured three lead changes and three goals scored in the final six minutes, a Jaime Moreno penalty kick in the 92nd minute gave United the late equalizer. The tie allowed United to gain the vital home point to remain atop the Eastern Conference with 14 points, one better then Toronto FC.

Rookie Spotlight: Rodney Wallace D.C. United Midfielder

Rodney Wallace has quietly been making an impact in his rookie season with D.C. United. After being a key piece on a Maryland national championship team that featured MLS rookies Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy), and Graham Zusi (Kansas City Wizards), Wallace has settled into his role as a free flowing defender/midfielder on the left side. On a team full of battle tested MLS veterans, Wallace has started all nine games and played all l but 17 minutes this season. The number six overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft has lived up to his Generation adidas billing, one of the top underclassmen prospects, scoring two goals and adding three assists in his first nine professional appearances.

To see what it's like to make an impact in MLS as a rookie, check out Rookie Life here.

This Week's MLS Games: May 16-17, 2009

Saturday, May 16

Chicago Fire at Toronto FC, 4:00 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- A monster match in the Eastern Conference: Two clubs separated by one point look to gain ground on the pack and possibly overtake D.C. United for first place. Last October at BMO Field, Toronto forged a 3-2 victory over Chicago when Rohan Ricketts scored twice. Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco has performed well in Toronto, with a goal and two assists in three games - plus an MVP performance in last year's All-Star Game against West Ham United. The Fire (2-0-6) enter as the only unbeaten team in MLS.

Colorado Rapids at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- After his first start at forward, Revolution leader Shalrie Joseph said he let out "a scream of relief" when he ended his team's goal drought at 269 minutes in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Chicago. The Revs' offense ranks last MLS, but they welcomed creator Steve Ralston back from injury for a 30-minute stint. Colorado has not played an MLS match since its convincing win against Real Salt Lake on May 2.

Houston Dynamo at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- Both teams are riding high after notching victories at home last week. The Red Bulls were sparked by MLS Player of the Week Macoumba Kandji, whose goal and two assists led the Red Bulls to a 4-1 victory over visiting San Jose, and helped snap a three-game losing streak in League play. Houston defeated FC Dallas 1-0 on a Kei Kamara strike to improve their record to 3-2-2, 11 pts. The teams tied their first meeting of the season 0-0, but Houston has never defeated New York at Giants Stadium.

Seattle Sounders FC at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- Seattle hits the road for the fourth time this season and first time versus FC Dallas. Sounders FC are 1-1-1 on the road and will look to capitalize on an FC Dallas team struggling for form. FC Dallas sit at the bottom of the standings in the Western Conference with a 1-6-1 record with 4 points. With the return of Fredy Montero from a one-game red card suspension, Seattle will look to go forward and attack with Montero and Freddie Ljungberg, who is returning to full fitness to lead Seattle.

Kansas City Wizards at Real Salt Lake, 9:00 p.m. (DK, Match Center)

- Both teams are thirsting for a victory after two losses and a draw in their last three games, respectively. RSL hasn't lost at home and hasn't won on the road, extending both streaks last week with a wild 2-2 home draw at midweek against the LA Galaxy (when three goals were scored in stoppage time) and a 1-0 loss Saturday to Chivas USA. The Wizards have been paced by two World Cup veterans during their past five matches: Claudio Lopez (Argentina) and Josh Wolff (USA) have combined for all six Kansas City goals in that time, Wolff with four and Lopez with two (as well as two assists).

D.C. United at Chivas USA, 11:00 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

- Chivas USA continued to distance themselves from the pack as they recorded their League-leading seventh win of the season last week in a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake. They seek their third consecutive victory over D.C. United dating back to last season. United has a 5-2-1 edge in the all-time series, but Chivas USA has won the past two meetings. United is riding a five-game unbeaten streak and will look to spoil Chivas USA's early dominance of the League.

Sunday, May 17

Columbus Crew at Los Angeles Galaxy, 3:00 p.m. (TeleFutura)

- It took until the eighth week of the season, but the defending champion Columbus Crew finally won their first game. Now they travel to the site of their MLS Cup success to take on the Galaxy, who extended their unbeaten streak to six games (1-0-5) with a 1-1 draw Sunday in Seattle. The Crew have an undefeated streak of their own alive (1-0-4). If goalkeeper William Hesmer returns from injury to start Sunday, the Crew could have their 10 returning starters from MLS Cup on the field together for the first time since the season opener at Houston on March 21.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 11, 2009


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