Kick Off: Red Bulls host D.C. United tonight on ESPN2 and Canada finally get a win

News  |  Videos  |  Schedule & Stats  |  Clubs  |  Fantasy  |  Shop Forward To A Friend Kick Off: Red Bulls host D.C. United tonight on ESPN2 and Canada finally get a win Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning: 1. PONTIUS MAKES THE SQUAD As the New York Red Bulls get set to host D.C. United on Wednesday (8 pm ET, ESPN2 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada), the visiting team could be about to welcome back fan favorite Chris Pontius. The United midfielder feels he's ready to go, and it seems his teammates are happy to have him back. 2. MONTREAL MOURNING With the LA Galaxy enjoying perhaps one of their strongest seasons to date, the Montreal Impact will be wary of the threat they pose when the two sides meet tonight (7:30 pm ET, TSN & RDS in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US). The impact squad will also look to rally around Homegrown player Karl Ouimette, whose sister passed away last week. 3.STILL TRYING TO SCORE The Whitecaps continue their search for a first goal in five games when they take on the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday (10 pm ET, TSN & RDS2 in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US), and it's becoming tough for Carl Robinson to know which strikers to pick. Their opponents tonight did concede three on Sunday, but they have just completed a move which should help shore up their back line. 4. NEW PRESIDENT UNVEILED IN ATL Further south, one of the league's newcomers announced some big news on Wednesday morning, as MLS Atlanta named Darren Eales, executive director of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, as their first club president. Eales brings substantial EPL experience to his new post, but he also bears an impressive resume in US soccer, having played at both the college and professional levels on this side of the pond.  5. CANADA FINALLY WIN After a 16-game winless streak that lasted almost two years (698 days, to be precise), the Canadian national team has finally won another game, beating Jamaica 3-1 (watch highlights here). However, while Benito Floro is pleased with his first victory, he knows there is still plenty of work to do. 6. MEXICO GRAB A RESULT Mexico also had a good night, beating Bolivia 1-0 in Colorado. It was Miguel Layún who scored the game's only goal, and while that means Chivas USA's Erick Torres didn't score on his El Tri debut, he did draw plenty of praise from manager Miguel Herrera. 7. REPLACING MAGEE The Chicago Fire announced a new signing on Tuesday, securing French forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle (at right). The new striker may well have been brought in to help replace Mike Magee, as news quickly followed that the reigning MLS MVP is out for 6-8 months following hip surgery. 8. UNION EYEING TROPHY While the Philadelphia Union attempt to secure a playoff place, they also have one eye on the US Open Cup final on Sept. 16 and the chance to win the club's first trophy in their fifth season. Interim head coach Jim Curtin knows what that success would mean to the city, but could the final prove to be one of his last games in charge? 9. KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR While it's not official yet, it seems it's just a case of filing paperwork before Zat Knight becomes the latest member of the Colorado Rapids squad. The Rapids could certainly use some reinforcements at center back and, according to head coach Pablo Mastroeni, "he's a guy who comes in with instant credibility." 10. DYNAMO DYNASTY The Houston Dynamo already have a USL PRO affiliate in the form of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, but according to a report on Tuesday, the club is pursuing their own team in McAllen, Texas, located near the Mexican border in the Rio Grande Valley. While nothing is offical, the Dynamo confirmed they are looking at multiple options, with head coach Dominic Kinnear saying, "I think the ideal model is Los Angeles and what they're doing with Galaxy II." 11. BROKEN BESLER Eric Kronberg is nearing his return to the Sporting Kansas City lineup, and because the club's back-up goalkeepers have done just fine in his absence, a far bigger worry for the club might be the fact that Matt Besler is now suffering an almost identical injury. 12. BECKERMAN, MORALES BOTH STARS While Real Salt Lake may live by the mantra of "the team is the star," there's perhaps no single player more central to their success than Kyle Beckerman, as the 32-year-old drives RSL toward yet another successful playoff berth. You could argue that Javier Morales is equally important to Real Salt Lake for other reasons, but the Argentine midfielder also deserves credit for helping pave the way to MLS for other South American stars, such as Diego Valeri and Federico Higuaín. 13. JAMAICAN HOPE As they prepare to host the Caribbean Cup in November, Jamaica suffered a setback with their loss to Canada on Tuesday. Yet with a number of young MLS players in their squad, the North American league will prove vital to any future success the Reggae Boyz might enjoy. 14. PLAY TO STRENGTHS Having served as a special advisor to the US national team during the 2014 World Cup, Berti Vogts knows plenty about Fabian Johnson, and with the right back yet to secure a regular starting place with German side Borussia Monchengladbach, Vogts, one of the club's most iconic former players, has advised his old side to stop playing Johnson out of position. 15. BUT ... HE ALREADY HAS A TEAM Turf wars, both current and anticipated, between the established New York Red Bulls and incoming New York City FC are something most MLS fans are looking forward to. Apparently that excitement extends overseas as well, because one English writer suggests that NYCFC bolster their forward line with former Manchester City player Bradley Wright-Phillips, using a transfer fee. He's probably not too familiar with the MLS roster rules. MLSsoccer.com Musts MLS Fantasy: Double Game Week! What players should you pick up? Berhalter confirms Columbus Crew interest in Kamara Can Bradley Wright-Phillips really become the new goal king?