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This Week in MLS

Published on June 21, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


2010 MLS Cup Champion Colorado Rapids set to visit White House on Monday

On Monday, June 27, President Obama will welcome the reigning MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids to the White House to honor their 2010 championship season. In conjunction with the ceremony with the President at the White House and through MLS W.O.R.K.S., the Rapids also will hold a soccer clinic on the South Lawn for children from two organizations that support military families and survivors (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors [TAPS] and Military Families United).

2011 AT&T MLS All-Star Game voting update: Philadelphia defense dominates Twitter vote

From July 17 to 20, fans utilized Twitter as a write-in ballot for the MLS All-Star Game. All players were eligible, and four of the top five vote-getters on Twitter are Philadelphia Union players - three defenders who did not make the media-selected online and text ballot - plus goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon (see final Twitter vote ranking below). Among goalkeepers who have played at least 10 games, Mondragon's 0.86 goals against average is third in MLS behind LA's Donovan Ricketts and Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando.

Through two weeks of online and text voting for the First XI, Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Rafa Marquez and Kasey Keller all continue to lead at their respective positions - having received the most combined votes. Online and text voting concludes July 5 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Leaders in Fan Voting (as of June 20, 2011):

Top 10 on Twitter (June 17-20):

1 Carlos Valdes (PHI)

2 Sheanon Williams (PHI)

3 Charlie Davies (DC)

4 Jordan Harvey (PHI)

5 Faryd Mondragon (PHI)

6 Kasey Keller (SEA)

7 Thierry Henry (NY)

8 Nick Rimando (RSL)

9 Jack Jewsbury (POR)

10 Chris Pontius (DC)

Top 5 Goalkeepers (overall)

1 Kasey Keller (SEA)

2 Donovan Ricketts (LA)

3 Nick Rimando (RSL)

4 Faryd Mondragon (PHI)

5 Kevin Hartman (FCD)

Top 7 Defenders (overall)

1 Rafa Marquez (NY)

2 Tim Ream (NY)

3 Omar Gonzalez (LA)

4 Jay DeMerit (VAN)

5 Danny Califf (PHI)

6 Sean Franklin (LA)

7 Mamadou Danso (POR)

Top 7 Midfielders (overall)

1 David Beckham (LA)

2 Dwayne De Rosario (NY)

3 Joel Lindpere (NY)

4 Brek Shea (DAL)

5 Kyle Beckerman (RSL)

6 Jack Jewsbury (POR)

7 Juninho (LA)

Top 5 Forwards (overall)

1 Landon Donovan (LA)

2 Thierry Henry (NY)

3 Charlie Davies (DC)

4 Chris Wondolowski (SJ)

5 Luke Rodgers (NY)

Top 10 in Text Voting

1 Justin Mapp (PHI)

2 Dominic Oduro (CHI)

3 Sean Franklin (LA)

4 Omar Gonzalez (LA)

5 Brek Shea (DAL)

6 Matt Besler (SKC)

7 Chris Pontius (DC)

8 David Beckham (LA)

9 Benny Feilhaber (NE)

10 Geoff Cameron (HOU)

Quotables

"I've played in a lot of stadiums before. It was a great atmosphere playing at Barcelona, playing at Arsenal, playing some big games in the World Cup, but I have to say the fans are amazing. Credit to them, they are amazing - they didn't stop singing, they were there an hour before the game outside singing. Wow. Amazing."

-- New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry on the atmosphere at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland.

"It is a team game. If you are missing players, you are missing players it is all a part of it. We have missed Landon Donovan for about seven games this year, if you use that as an excuse, you are not putting yourself in a position to win any games."

-- LA Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena on missing Landon Donovan

"At the end of the day, systems help, but they can go either way," Pause said. "A lot of it is the players that you have out there, the mindset and the work you put in during training. We've done a much better job of being prepared and going into games as a unit with a game plan of what we're trying to achieve."

-- Chicago Fire captain Logan Pause the team's performance under Frank Klopas

"I think that I'm one of these people that expect a lot as a player and as a coach. There is a side of me that realizes that there are growing pains with a young team, but I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. If it's not good enough, it's not good enough. No matter where you are in the building process."

-- Chivas USA Head Coach Robin Fraser on managing a young team on the field.

"I'm still saying we are rebuilding. It's clear that once the (transfer) window opens, we will have to get some players because we need them. We don't have enough quality."

-- Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter on to status of his roster

Sweet Tweets

@kylemartino - June 15

Congrats to my former teammate @Alecko11 who has joined @PhilaUnion as youth technical director. #Esky

@TealBunB - June 16

Love you Dad RT @MLS #SKC forward @TealBunB's Father's Day salute to his dad, former Wizards forward Alex Bunbury. http://bit.ly/j78x1f #MLS

@RobbHeineman - June 16

At last!!! @merrittpaulson joins twitter! Bet he gets fined by b4 i do! Welcome from @sportingkc #merrittstwitterfinetotal

@Juninho19LA - June 19

Me and my roomy #Chad get goals and we win. very happy! Lets go LA

@stuholden - June 19

Kickin it in DC with @CharlieDavies9 post USA game! Good win!!! yfrog.com/ke7adyj

@dwaynederosario - June 20

NY Red Bulls 3-3 Portland Hard fought game tonight vs Portland. What a crazy second half. Great fan support in Portland, well done...

According to the Elias Sports Bureau: The men of summer

The longest day is upon us, signaling the start of summer. That's welcome news for some MLS players, whose goal totals have perennially soared with the temperature. Among current players, Brad Davis of Houston is the best example. His career strike rate is 13 percent higher in summer (20 goals in 94 games) than it is at other times (12/144). Andy Williams has scored nearly twice as many goals during summer (19 in 149 games) than during spring and fall combined (10/163), and Steven Lenhart's summertime production is similarly higher (9-for-30 vs. 8-for-42).

Among MLS goalkeepers, look for Kasey Keller (11 shutouts in 23 matches during summer), Matt Pickens (14 in 39), and Jon Busch (26 in 71) to shine in the coming months if they follow past form.

Week 15 match previews: June 22-26, 2011 (home team listed first; all times ET)

Wednesday, June 22

Philadelphia Union vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- Sporting Kansas City have not lost in five games. Currently, five teams are yet to win consecutive games (Chicago, Columbus, New England, Toronto, Vancouver).

- Last week, C.J. Sapong netted his second goal of the season and first since opening day. He has a goal and an assist in his past two matches.

- The Philadelphia Union are undefeated at PPL Park this season (4-0-3). No opponent has scored more than one goal in a game on the Union's home turf.

- In their first meeting last year (June 10, 2010), these teams combined for six cautions and one ejection. Kansas City won 2-0.

Chicago Fire vs. Real Salt Lake, 8:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- RSL earned its first win in Toyota Park last year, defeating the Fire 1-0. Their all-time record at is 1-2-2 in Chicago.

- The Fire earned their ninth draw of the season in their 1-1 game against New England last week. That's tied with Toronto for most in the league.

- Fabian Espindola scored in RSL's 1-1 draw against, his second goal in as many matches. It's the first time since May of last year that he has scored in consecutive games.

- In RSL's first three games in May, they didn't give up a single goal (1-0-2). Since then, they've given up six goals and only recorded one shutout (1-2-1).

Thursday, June 23

Seattle Sounders FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 10:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

- The Red Bulls have not lost in their last six games, but only have one win in that time (1-0-5). However, the Red Bulls do cling to sole possession of first place in the East.

- Fredy Montero scored the game-winning goal for the Sounders last week against Toronto, his third of the year. The forward has had plenty of success against the Red Bulls in the past, scoring four goals in five games played.

- Thierry Henry stayed hot as he notched a goal and an assist against the Timbers. He's now tied with Landon Donovan for the league lead in goals with eight.

- Sounders defender Jeff Parke's 132 appearances for New York ranks fifth on the club's all-time list. In 2008, Parke was selected by the Sounders in the third round of the expansion draft.

Saturday, June 25

Philadelphia Union vs. Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- Philadelphia had only one shot on goal in last week's loss to Vancouver. The Union are currently last in the league in total shots taken with 135 - almost 20 fewer than the next lowest (D.C. United 151) and nearly 100 fewer than the league leader (Seattle 230).

- Mwanga leads the Union in goals with four; all have come in his last six games. He has one goal in two career games against Chivas.

- Chivas USA have four players tied for the team lead in goals with three each (Alejandro Moreno, Justin Braun, Marcos Mondaini, Nick LaBrocca).

- Philadelphia defeated Chivas USA, 3-0 in their meeting at PPL Park last year.

D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo, 8:00 p.m. (Galavision)

- The Dynamo have dominated the series against D.C., going 7-3-1 overall. But all three of their losses have come at RFK stadium (2-3-0).

- Charlie Davies scored his first goal in his past five games in the 1-1 tie against Real Salt Lake. It was his seventh of the season, third most in MLS.

- Earlier this season, rookie Will Bruin had his breakout game against D.C. where he recorded a hat trick in his team's 4-1 victory. Bruin has not scored since that game on April 29.

- D.C. United are 2-2-3 at RFK Stadium this season. They have been outscored on their home turf 12-9 thus far.

FC Dallas vs. Portland Timbers, 8:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- The team that wins this game could be decided by whoever scores first. Their combined record when opening the scoring is 12-0-1.

- Brek Shea scored his sixth goal of the season last week and second in as many games. It's his first time scoring in consecutive games in his career. His six goals are also a career best for a single-season.

- Portland captain Jack Jewsbury recorded a goal and an assist in his team's 3-3 tie against New York last week.

- The Timbers will be gunning for their first road win in franchise history when they visit Pizza Hut Park. They're current road record is (0-4-2). FC Dallas has played well at home where they are 5-2-2 this season.

Sporting Kansas City vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 8:30 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- The first meeting between these teams was a wild affair as Sporting held a 3-0 lead in the second half, before Vancouver battled back with two stoppage time goals to earn a draw.

- Teal Bunbury's last goal came against the Whitecaps on April 2, when the teams last met.

- Sporting have been rejuvenated by the opening of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The team is 2-0-1 since it opened on June 9 (including a 1-0-1 mark at home).

- Vancouver snapped a three-month winless streak with a 1-0 win over Philadelphia last week. The club had been winless since their inaugural MLS game on March 19.

Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC, 9:00 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- TFC has yet to win a game away from home this season, while RSL holds a 4-1-2 record at Rio Tinto Stadium in 2011 MLS matches.

- Following an excellent 5-1 start to the season and a run to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, Real Salt Lake have won just one game since May 7.

- Toronto has suffered from sporadic offensive output in recent weeks, contributing to their 8-game winless run.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy, 6:30 p.m. (FOX Soccer)

- The Galaxy lead the all-time series in one of the League's top rivalries, with a 24-15-7 record against the Earthquakes.

- Steven Lenhart scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 road win at D.C. United two weeks ago, and San Jose will need him to return to form after being shut out by Kansas City last week.

- The Earthquakes are 3-0-1 in their last four home games against the Galaxy, and will hope to continue that success.

- The Galaxy are unbeaten in their last nine games and currently boast the league's best record, a lead they've held since May 1.

Sunday, June 26

Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN)

- The Red Bulls have yet to win a game in their eight visits to Toyota Park, posting a record of 0-5-2 since 2006.

- The Fire are undefeated (1-0-3) while allowing just one goal in those four games since naming Frank Klopas as head Coach.

- Despite sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings with 23 points, the Red Bulls have only won once in seven away games this season.

Seattle Sounders FC vs. New England Revolution, 4:00 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- These teams combined for 11 goals in their two matches in 2010.

- Sounders star striker Fredy Montero has scored against the Revolution in each of the last two seasons.

- New England are looking to snap a six-game winless run that dates to May 14. The team has only scored three goals in that time, but has earned draws in the last two games.

- The Sounders have made CenturyLink Field, formerly known as Qwest Field, a fortress in recent years, but have been more vulnerable at home this year with a 3-2-3 record.

Columbus Crew vs. Colorado Rapids, 8:00 p.m. (MLS Direct Kick Package)

- The Crew have dominated the series between the two MLS original teams in recent years, holding a 4-1-1 record over the Rapids since 2008.

- After a slow start, Rapids striker Conor Casey has scored in three of the last four games, and is looking like the player who scored 40 goals in his previous three seasons.

- The Crew are 3-0-1 when their leading scorer, when Andres Mendoza, puts the ball in the back of the net.

- The Rapids have conceded just four goals in eight away games this season.

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Major League Soccer Stories from June 21, 2011


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