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Kick Off: DC United face tall order vs. RBNY on NBC; ESPN2 playoff doubleheader set for Sunday
Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. REWARD THE FAITH
The New York Red Bulls travel to RFK Stadium on Saturday to take on No. 1 seed D.C. United in the 2nd leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal (2:30 pm ET, NBC and UDN) and, with a 2-0 lead over their opponents, they’re bringing plenty of fans with them as well, which should help contribute to another big crowd for these MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T. (WATCH THE VIDEO PREVIEW HERE.)
2. MORE OF THE SAME?
Having conceded four goals in the 1st leg, the Columbus Crew will look to better balance their attack and defense when they travel to Foxborough to take on the New England Revolution in the other Eastern Conference semifinal on Sunday (5 pm ET, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes). Meanwhile, the Revs are hoping for more of the same. (WATCH THE VIDEO PREVIEW HERE .)
3. CHOOSING THEIR MOMENTS
Real Salt Lake travel to StubHub Center on Sunday (7:30 pm ET, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes in the US, TSN2/RDS2 in Canada) knowing a scoring draw against the LA Galaxy will take them through to the Western Conference Championship. However, they'll need to be careful in defense, as LA's Gyasi Zardes will be waiting to try and further boost his already impressive sophomore season.
4. ANOTHER SEATTLE SELL-OUT
If FC Dallas want to advance to the Western Conference final when they take on the Seattle Sounders on Monday (10:30 pm ET, NBCSN and UDN in the US, TSN2/RDS2 in Canada), then not only will they have to repeat their impressive feat of keeping Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins off the board, but they’ll have to do it in front of a sold-out CenturyLink Field. ( WATCH THE VIDEO PREVIEW HERE.)
5. CURTIN CALL
After a long consultation, the Philadelphia Union are set to hold a press conference on Friday morning and speculation is they’ll be announcing Jim Curtin as their full-time head coach. Meanwhile, Curtin's predecessor has been named head coach of the US Under-15 team.
6. TALKING TORRES
It's been a little over a week that the new ownership group was introduced for the second team in LA, which will launch in 2017. And already the speculation is rampant when it comes to the team name and colors.
7. RAPIDS' NEW HIRE
The Colorado Rapids have taken their first step to try and remedy a disappointing 2014 season with the hiring of Irishman Pádraig Smith as their new sporting director. Smith joins the Rapids after having spent the last three years working for UEFA.
8. PROLONGED PRESEASON
It looks like several of Orlando City’s new squad members will be getting some extra preseason training in January with five players heading overseas for training periods in Europe. US Under-20 stars Tommy Redding and Tyler Turner are heading for a spell with Portuguese giants Benfica.
9. SIMPLY THE BEST
The Portland Timbers have announced their end of year awards and, hardly surprisingly, Diego Valeri was named as the Players’ Player of the Year, while Diego Chara, Alvas Powell andLiam Ridgewell also picked up accolades.
10. PIATTI SET FOR SURGERY
Tendinitis in his left knee limited Ignacio Piatti in his debut campaign with the Montreal Impact, but the Argentine midfielder is set to undergo surgery to fix the problem. The expectation is that he'll be ready to go for the 2015 season.
11. VEGAS PARKS AND REC
Las Vegas is continuing the push for an MLS expansion team. Under the latest proposals, their planned stadium would be packaged with a number of park projects and a parking garage, aimed to ease residents’ concerns.
12. GOING INTERNATIONAL
The season may be long over for the San Jose Earthquakes, but not for all of their players, asboth Cordell Cato and Victor Bernardez have been called up to their respective national teams for upcoming games. You can check out the full list of all the MLS players who’ll be involved in international action right here.
13. CANADIAN CALL-UPS
The Canadian national team has also announced their roster for an upcoming camp in Florida and, with a welcome return for Russell Teibert, it’s possibly their strongest squad to date. However, one player not named is AT&T Rookie of the Year candidate Tesho Akindele, who the latest rumors suggest will be taking part in the USA’s November camp instead.
14. FULHAMERICA
The US national team have an upcoming game at London's Craven Cottage, which is home to Fulham FC, a team with plenty of close ties to the US given their history with American players over the years. And perhaps none embody that link moreso than MLS legend Brian McBride.
15. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Yesterday marked US forward Jozy Altidore’s birthday and a couple of MLS teams tried to use the occasion to extend an invitation. Chicago Fire forward Mike Magee handled his own personal outreach, while Orlando City also made a play.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
MLS Insider: Death, Taxes and the never ending allure of 5v2
ExtraTime Radio: Boswell on BWP and playoff pressure
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