1. TORONTO'S NEW ERA
Greg Vanney has been in charge of Toronto FC for over a year now and, while it hasn’t been completely smooth sailing, he looks on course to guide the club into the playoffs for the first time. Qualifying for the postseason would no doubt be a huge step for TFC, with Vanney going as far as to say that “we’re rewriting the history of who we are and who we are we going to be."
2. RED BULLS RETURN TO TOWN HALL
The New York Red Bulls held their second town hall meeting of the year on Wednesday -- safe to say this one had a much different vibe than the contentious affair back in January. There were plenty of interesting details revealed in the meeting, but it wasn’t entirely good news for the Red Bulls on Wednesday, as defender Roy Miller is set to miss six to eight weeks with an MCL strain.
3. KLINSMANN STILL ANGRY
Jurgen Klinsmann would prefer not to talk about the 2015 Gold Cup, with the US national team coach apparently still angry about how things went in that tournament. In other news, while he may not be at the camp due to a nagging calf injury, it seems like DaMarcus Beasley will feature largely in Klinsmann's future plans.
4. GUZAN STILL NO. 1
Klinsmann also revealed that Brad Guzan will remain as the US’ No. 1 ‘keeper until at least after the Confederations Cup playoff against Mexico. Tim Howard may be set to serve as Guzan's deputy; just don’t call him a backup.
5. OLYMPIC PREPARATIONS
The US U-23 team is in action today against England (2:40 pm ET, ESPN3) in the first of two final warm-up matches before the start of Olympic qualifying. The squad features eight MLS players, as well as a number of standouts from this summer's U-20 World Cup team keen to make an impression on the team.
6. A RED FLAG FOR FLORO?
With a number of stars returning to the roster, Canada is expected to get past Belize in World Cup Qualifying as manager Benito Floro demands complete focus. However, with many still struggling to understand Jonathan Osorio’s absence from the roster, some are starting to question Floro himself.
7. RSL RESHUFFLE CONTINUES
As Real Salt Lake continue to reshuffle their front office, Andy Carroll (not that one) has been named the club’s new chief business officer. Carroll has been with RSL since 2012 and played a large part in securing the club’s jersey sponsorship deal with LifeVantage.
8. LAST CHANCE TO SHINE?
With just four starts this season, Columbus Crew SC winger Kristinn Steindorsson is facing what could potentially be an important opportunity to impress head coach Gregg Berhalter this weekend when Crew SC host FC Dallas on Sunday (7 pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes).
9. ST. LEDGER LOOKS BACK
It may have taken Sean St. Ledger a while but, at the third time of asking, the Republic of Ireland international appears to have finally settled down with an MLS club. As St. Ledger looks back at the journey that led him to Colorado, he feels one of the most daunting tasks for many foreign players is just taking that first step.
10. ADAILTON UNDEGOES SURGERY
The Chicago Fire will be without center back Adailton for their playoff push after the defender underwent core muscle repair surgery on Tuesday. The Brazilian is set to miss six to eight weeks following the operation.
11. IS MINNESOTA MAKING PROGRESS?
With Minnesota United FC’s fans ready to take the next step into Major League Soccer, could the team be closing in on a site for their new stadium?
12. MIAMI MOVING FORWARD
Things have been quiet of late in regards to a potential MLS expansion team in Miami as the prospective ownership group led by former LA Galaxy star David Beckham continues the search for a stadium location. But in comments to Sky Sports, Beckham says there could be some news to share in the next couple of months.
13. RECORD-BREAKER
A record was broken in the USL on Wednesday evening, as Matt Fondy, formerly of the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA, scored a hat-trick to not only set a new single-season scoring record with 21 goals but also to secure Louisville City FC’s place in the 2015 USL playoffs.
14. COPA AMERICA STILL BOUND FOR US?
It seems like everyday there's been new news about the Copa America Centenario. The latest report sees CONMEBOL president Juan Angel Napout declaring that “the announcement will be made official soon.”
15. THE LONGEST GAME
Whether you’re a fan of penalty kick shootouts or not, the majority of supporters and players will be grateful for them, simply because they ensure there will never be a repeat of the game from 1971, played between the Rochester Lancers and the Dallas Tornado, which lasted 176 minutes.
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