An Open Letter to Sepp Blatter Concerning the MLS and Football in America

Dear Mr. Blatter: It is hoped that you will read this open letter, as the reason for my letter is due to some comments you made on New Year's Eve about the MLS and World Football in America. In an interview with world TV station Al Jazeera, you ended 2012 by criticizing Major League Soccer (MLS) and United States Soccer in general. You said that football has not left an impact on America in spite of the 1994 World Cup. While respecting you and the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), criticism of the MLS and football in the USA is unwarranted. The reasons are many, but the following will suffice.  Cascadia Cup Before talking about the Cascadia Cup, the definition of Cascadia is in order. Cascadia is the region which includes British Columbia (Canada), Washington State (USA) and Oregon (USA). The Cascadia Cup includes the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps. It has been played every year with the three clubs that belong to the MLS. One of the matches of the Cascadia Cup was between Seattle and Portland on October 7, 2012. The venue was at CenturyLink Field located at Seattle, Washington. The stadium was filled with 66,452 ...

Cincinatti Bengal’s Ochocinco to Tryout for MLS Sporting Kansas City

Chad Ochocinco (Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver) is going to try out for Sporting Kansas City. If things go well during his four-day invite, it is expected that the tryout will be extended. While many people are thinking that this is a publicity stunt in response to the NFL Labor problems, I tend to disagree.My reasons are the following:Chad Ochocinco grew up around soccer during his childhood in Miami Florida. He even played it in high school before opting to play American Football.Ochocinco is friends with Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. He also visited Spain where he met with Real Madrid greats such as Jose Mourinho, Kaka, and Ronaldo.We also have examples of people who excel in many sports and have a tendency to participate during a certain period. One of the notable example is Brian Jordan who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in baseball and as a safety for the NFL Team Buffalo Bills.Who can forget Charlie Ward who was able to balance basketball, baseball, and American Football? The more a person is an expert in different sports, the more he or she can use their talent.My recommendation is to let Chad Ochocinco be Chad Ochocinco.Read more MLS news on ...

LA Galaxy Vs. FC Dallas Preview: Match for MLS Cup Berth

LA Galaxy and FC Dallas will be facing each other tonight for a spot at the MLS Cup. Both teams are part of the MLS Western Conference and have come this far. The stakes are high for both teams; both will be playing to win. It has not been an easy road for these teams, though, and both know it. The winner will be facing the victorious Colorado Rapids who have a berth in the MLS Cup after defeating the San Jose Earthquakes. Let us take a look at the two teams in order to make a prediction.Begin Slideshow

Alvaro Saborio Wins 2010 MLS Newcomer of the Year Award

Real Salt Lake striker Alvaro Saborio has just been named MLS Newcomer of the Year for his impressive first season with the team. Saborio out-polled Thierry Henry and Joel Lindpere from the New York Red Bulls. He signed with Real Salt Lake in the beginning of the 2010 MLS season as part of a loan agreement between the team and FC Sion in Switzerland.  Saborio started the MLS season and rose like a meteor with 12 goals and four assists within 27 appearances. He also left a great impression in the CONCACAF Champions League with six goals for Real Salt Lake. While Saborio and Real Salt Lake are becoming a big hit in the football/soccer world, his contract expires at the end of December 2010. It appears that Real Salt Lake, Alvaro Saborio and FC Sion are trying to hammer out a deal which would leave the striker in Salt Lake City, Utah. The response of Saborio has been that if Real Salt Lake wants him to remain with the team, he will do that. At the present time, there have been no comments about the deals between Real Salt Lake and FC Sion concerning the future of Alvaro Saborio.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Toronto FC Defeats Arabe Unido To Leave CONCACAF Champion League With Dignity

Toronto FC faced Arabe Unido at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The game was simply a way for both teams that did not advance in the CONCACAF Champion League to save face. The most exciting moment in the game came when Nick LaBrocca received a free kick for Toronto FC. He proceeded to send it to Nana Attakora Gyan who surprised goalie Jose Calderon of Arabe Unido with his direct kick to one of the corner posts. The result was a goal for Toronto FC in the first half of the game, but it did not save the team or Arabe Unido in the game. It appeared that both teams were just playing to attempt a decent showing with little effort. R. Garcia-Orozco was the referee who applied yellow cards to both teams on an equal basis for misconduct. F. Caesar and O. Londono of Arabe Unido received yellow cards. Gargan, Garcia, Henry and Lindsey of Toronto FC received yellow cards as well. The attempts of both teams to substitute did not make any difference except that Toronto FC was able to leave the CONCACAF Champion League with dignity. Toronto FC 1-0 Arabe Unido BFO Field Toronto, Ontario, Canada Most Valued Player: Nick LaBrocca Group A CONCACAF Champion League Classification Cruz Azul  (Mexico)     10 Real Salt Lake  ...

Monterrey Comes From Behind To Defeat Seattle Sounders in Exciting CONCACAF Game

Monterrey faced the Seattle Sounders FC in the Estadio Tecnologico located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The result was an exciting game with a historical moment. The referee was Marlon Alfonso Mejia. The first half was dominated by the Sounders as they had the possession of the ball and field. They appeared consistent with Sergio Perez scoring the first goal at 27 minutes followed by Michael Fucito within the end of the first half. Sergio Perez scored with a direct kick while Michael Fucito scored with an assist from Nate Jaqua. The second goal was the result of a foul which lead to a yellow card being issued to Jesus Arellano of Monterrey. Zach Scott of the Sounders received one early for anti-sporting activity. It appeared that the Seattle Sounders FC was going to convert into being the first MLS club from the USA in winning a game inside Mexican Territory. It was not the case since Monterrey started the second half of the game emboldened and strengthened with a positive attitude and the support of its home stadium. Seattle srated to weaken in response to the onslaught with Monterrey and Mike Seamon receives another yellow card for the Sounders. They started playing in a ...

Beckham Vs Donovan: Which Of The Two Are the Greatest In 21st Century Soccer?

Landon Donovan and David Beckham have a history in U.S. and English Football/Soccer respectively.Both men are playing for the MLS team the LA Galaxy. While there have been reports of rivalry and competition, I usually have the burning question as to which of the two are the greatest. I would like to extend an invitation to the writers at Bleacher Report and outside of it to leave comments as to who is the best football/soccer player of the 21st Century.Enclosed is a segment dedicated to these two 21st Century soccer personalities.Please feel free to leave your comments about who is the greatest.Begin Slideshow

Breaking News: Real Salt Lake Puts Out The Chicago Fire In Utah

Real Salt Lake faced the Chicago Fire at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. It was a decisive game for both teams since Real Salt Lake is in second place in the MLS Western Conference and the Chicago Fire is in fifth place in the MLS Eastern Conference. Chicago Fire was also starting its first game under its new President Julian Posada, who deserves to be congratulated. The game started with Real Salt Lake dominating from the beginning until the end. The team from Utah was great in its distribution, consistency, and organization when it came to playing a solid football/soccer game. The only goal was brilliantly executed by Alvaro Saborio for Real Salt Lake with a right-foot kick towards the left side of the goal net within 45 minutes of the game. The goal was the result of a penalty committed by Wilman Conde of the Fire against Ned Grabavoy of Real Salt Lake. Conde was expelled from the game for his offenses against Grabavoy. It appeared that he did not learn his lesson when he received the yellow card during the beginning of the game. The referee Jorge Gonzalez was fair since he awarded a yellow card for Kyle Beckerman of Real Salt Lake for misconduct ...

Chicago Fire Names Julian Posada As Its First Latino President

The Chicago Fire have named Julian Posada as team president. He will also be in charge of the administration and planning of the club. Julian Posada was born in Indiana to Colombian parents, and received his Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University. He is also a graduate of Michigan State University. Before his appointment, he worked as director general of "Hoy," which is a Latin magazine based in Chicago. He is also the president and founder of the Magazine "Cafe" in the same city. Posada thanked the Chicago Fire for naming him as president, and considered it to be an honor as a supporter of soccer, especially the Chicago Fire, and as a businessman. He also talked about the opportunities for Chicago and the Fire in an environment which has become receptive to soccer. The Chicago Fire are currently in fifth place in the MLS Eastern Conference, with players such as Carlos Cobos and Nery Castillo. While I am a supporter of CD Chivas USA, it is a pleasure to announce this news as a writer who was born in Ohio to Cuban parents. The news has left me speechless, and full of emotion since soccer and our community is growing. My best wishes for the ...

Breaking News: New York Red Bulls Defeat Colorado Rapids at The Big Apple

The New York Red Bulls beat the Colorado Rapids 3-1 at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey in front of a sold-out crowd. Thierry Henry, Tim Ream, and Dane Richards scored for the Red Bulls. Omar Cummings scored for the Rapids. Thierry Henry scored the first goal of the game within 17 minutes with a direct kick into the left side of the goal post. Henry was assisted by Joel Lindpere in scoring the first goal. Tim Ream scored the second goal of the game after an assist by Tony Tchani in 32 minutes. The Rapids had posession of the ball and Tchani received it by mistake. He kicked it in the direction of Ream. He then proceeded to do a clean-cut kick into the center of the goal post in 32 minutes. Dane Richards scored the third and final goal for the Red Bulls in 58 minutes. Juan Pablo Angel assisted Richards in scoring the last goal of the Red Bulls. The Colorado Rapids were quick to prevent the game from becoming a shut out. Omar Cummings scored the only goal for his team with a distant kick that landed in the side of the goal post before entering the net. The game itself was one in which both ...