[elsk]

He had a decent sophomore season besides slumping during the beginning. I'm expecting big things from him this year.

His little brother also plays for the reserves/academy of DC United right?
Btw, we're not clear here if DC United is going to let him (Andy) play in the pre-olimpic tournament.

MLS does allow teams to sign players from other leagues during transfer windows; the MLS primary registration window runs from January 23rd to April 16th, and the secondary window is June 27th to July 27th. The league typically will not pay transfer fees to acquire players, so I believe everyone who's come in has left their old club on a free. Note that any capped USMNT players or former MLS players cannot directly be signed, as they must undergo an oddball process known as "allocation order".

Could you explain a little more that last part?

[aggro crag]

The subscription price for MLS Live is pretty good. I may use this as an excuse for getting a Roku as well.

Oh yeah, go Galaxy. Buddle, Juninho, and Becks back? Holy cow.

[sazabirules]

His little brother also plays for the reserves/academy of DC United right? Btw, we're not clear here if DC United is going to let him play in the pre-olimpic tournament. Could you explain a little more that last part?

I know his brother Cristhyan is with the Academy. I think he may have more brothers but I'm not sure if they're in the DCUA.

[Guileless]

How can they call it MLS Live and not have a 360 app?

[Help Me!]

Any truth to the rumor that Orlando is the next expansion team?

[XenoRaven]

Maybe this is the year I should start watching MLS. Guess I'll give it a shot. I've been down on it for a long time. But things might be better now than when I last watched.

[added_time]

Maybe this is the year I should start watching MLS. Guess I'll give it a shot. I've been down on it for a long time. But things might be better now than when I last watched.

I've been watching ever since TFC joined the league 5 years ago. It seems like it's got better since then for sure! (or maybe I have just become used to it?)

[xbhaskarx]

MLS, for the love, place a team in the southeast. Carolina awaits with open arms.

Carolina already has an MLS team: the Vancouver Whitecaps

[xavi42]

Went to a couple of Sounders games last year. Epic fun!

[Help Me!]

Carolina already has an MLS team: the Vancouver Whitecaps

How's the tailgating? Easy to get to?

[DoctorWho]

Loving all the soccer-specific stadiums. MLS, for the love, place a team in the southeast. Carolina awaits with open arms.

If these eventually show-up in FIFA I'd be interested in picking up the game.

[Clydefrog]

Excite! Hoping a MLS team will lift the CCL trophy this year

[~Devil Trigger~]

woah, Montreal is in the game

[ATF487]

I thought this was merging with the football thread this year...oh well.

Revs fan, things seem to be improving for the first time in awhile. I liked the poaching of one of Bayern's second team players, and Heaps seems to be changing the training regimen, in a good way.

We still need a SSS, but I might make it out to more games this year

[xbhaskarx]

How's the tailgating? Easy to get to?

Easy to get to Vancouver from Carolina? Sure just take the 10 west and then 5 north.

I was attempting to make a joke, the Carolina Railhawks coach and a good chunk of the team from last year are now with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

[gutshot]

Another Union fan here. Last year was fun. I'm interested to see how the team does without Le Toux. Also excited to see if Adu will be a more important piece to the team, now that he will have a full off-season of training with the squad.

[captmcblack]

LETS GO METRO.

...at least until the Cosmos come to NYC!

[Help Me!]

Easy to get to Vancouver from Carolina? Sure just take the 10 west and then 5 north. I was attempting to make a joke, the Carolina Railhawks coach and a good chunk of the team from last year are now with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

I was just following up on your joke.

I swear this is the year I watch more MLS. Le Toux moved to Vancouver, right?

[Acid08]

I went to one San Jose Earthquakes game years ago when Donovan was still there. Was pretty cool, they had good pretzels and dipping sauce.

[xbhaskarx]

...at least until the Cosmos come to NYC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aPy8I8t62w

[platypotamus]

We should do a GAF MLS fantasy league.

I'm in if this happens.

[aggro crag]

I'm in if this happens.

Yeah, me too. I'd watch a lot more of this MLS season if we do one.

[Judderman]

LETS GO METRO. ...at least until the Cosmos come to NYC!

I doubt they're ever coming, despite the push from The Don.

If these eventually show-up in FIFA I'd be interested in picking up the game.

Yeah, EA is lazy when it comes to designing more stadiums for FIFA. I'm tired of using "Century Park Arena" when I use the Red Bulls. I still picked up FIFA 12 though, so I'm part of the problem.

We should do a GAF MLS fantasy league.

Count me in.

[Remy]

Could you explain a little more that last part?

I can certainly try.

Allocation order is determined by how terrible a team was over the previous season. Officially the league states "The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2011 season, taking playoff performance into account."

Expansion teams always come first, follow by the worst regular season team from the previous year, up through everyone who didn't make the playoffs, then the wild card loser, the conference semi-final losers (worst regular season records first), conference final losers, mls cup loser, mls cup winner. So this year, Montreal is first, and LA is last.

Now this order applies both for any drafts the league does (Superdraft, supplemental draft, waiver draft, re-entry draft) as well as "the allocation process". The way the allocation process works is that whenever a player who triggers the process comes in (again: anyone capped for the USMNT, or any former MLS player who got a transfer fee when they left), there's a conference call. They ask the team at the top of the order if they want the player or not - if they do, the call ends, otherwise they move down the order until someone takes the player.

The cost of taking a player is that you then move to the bottom of the allocation order. So when Eddie Johnson came back a few weeks ago, they had the first allocation process call of the year, and Montreal took him (and promptly flipped him to Seattle). Montreal is now at the BOTTOM of the allocation order - they would have dibs after LA, should a player drop that far.

While the process is an attempt to be equitable for talent, it's mostly broken. Most teams high in the order will grab players and promptly flip them to the teams that want them for money or draft picks or other players (again, see the Johnson trade). There aren't enough incoming players in the span of a year to make passing on a player necessarily a smart move. I think there were 4 last year.

EVEN MORE CONFUSINGLY, sometimes a player will sign with the league and rather than go through this process, they go through a weighted lottery. But that process isn't so well documented.

[DTLIONS1013]

The Columbus Crew - Charleston Battery preseason match is being streamed live here

http://www.thecrew.com/news/2012/02/...-challenge-cup

[Rafa=FedKilla]

Sup brahs.

[xbhaskarx]

So which team will have the best new chant this year, RSL or the Timbers?

[elsk]

I can certainly try. Allocation order is determined by how terrible a team was over the previous season. Officially the league states "The allocations will be ranked in reverse order of finish for the 2011 season, taking playoff performance into account." Expansion teams always come first, follow by the worst regular season team from the previous year, up through everyone who didn't make the playoffs, then the wild card loser, the conference semi-final losers (worst regular season records first), conference final losers, mls cup loser, mls cup winner. So this year, Montreal is first, and LA is last. Now this order applies both for any drafts the league does (Superdraft, supplemental draft, waiver draft, re-entry draft) as well as "the allocation process". The way the allocation process works is that whenever a player who triggers the process comes in (again: anyone capped for the USMNT, or any former MLS player who got a transfer fee when they left), there's a conference call. They ask the team at the top of the order if they want the player or not - if they do, the call ends, otherwise they move down the order until someone takes the player. The cost of taking a player is that you then move to the bottom of the allocation order. So when Eddie Johnson came back a few weeks ago, they had the first allocation process call of the year, and Montreal took him (and promptly flipped him to Seattle). Montreal is now at the BOTTOM of the allocation order - they would have dibs after LA, should a player drop that far. While the process is an attempt to be equitable for talent, it's mostly broken. Most teams high in the order will grab players and promptly flip them to the teams that want them for money or draft picks or other players (again, see the Johnson trade). There aren't enough incoming players in the span of a year to make passing on a player necessarily a smart move. I think there were 4 last year. EVEN MORE CONFUSINGLY, sometimes a player will sign with the league and rather than go through this process, they go through a weighted lottery. But that process isn't so well documented.

Wow. Thanks, I guess :P
Btw, the transfers of player inside the league (like lets say Marvin Chávez from Dallas to SJ) are free or how that works?

[Remy]

Wow. Thanks, I guess :P Btw, the transfers of player inside the league (like lets say Marvin Chávez from Dallas to SJ) are free or how that works?

There's certainly no league-mandated transfer fee or cut that they get (like the FA does), but generally transfer of players around the league does appear as a trade for other players or draft picks, or involving "allocation money". That lovely thing is a nebulous amount of cash each team is given based on a variety of factors. Check the roster rules, although given the secrecy around the amounts of allocation money both given and used in deals, expect to be even MORE mystified there.

[xbhaskarx]

"New ESPN Soccernet app now available for iPhone. Scores, alerts, news, Press Pass & more. http://t.co/gQk9QVIa"

I just tried it and as of now the only two menu options are Prem and MLS...

[Alrix]

I want to support my local team and become an MLS fan, I do, but seriously? The Red Bulls?

I can't do it.

[TheVisualizer]

I want to support my local team and become an MLS fan, I do, but seriously? The Red Bulls? I can't do it.

You won't need to wait too much longer, the Cosmos will back soon, then you will have an alternative to supporting the New Jersey Pink Cows

[bucknuticus]

Go crew. Ok, thats the most attention me and the majority of Columbus will pay to the crew for the rest of the year. :P

[bluemax]

:bow return of the king

:bow :bow

[platypotamus]

I want to support my local team and become an MLS fan, I do, but seriously? The Red Bulls? I can't do it.

Could always go with DC, Philly, or New England... all the stuff on the east coast is pretty close together.

[Karakand]

yessss ifc finally uploaded it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubDIx3669Jw

[Remy]

You won't need to wait too much longer, the Cosmos will back soon, then you will have an alternative to supporting the New Jersey Pink Cows

San Jose plays in Santa Clara. (4.6 miles to San Jose, per Google Maps)
New York plays in Harrison (9.5 miles to NYC, per Google Maps)
RSL plays in Sandy. (13 miles from SLC, per wikipedia)
LA plays in Carson. (13 miles from downtown LA, per wikipedia)
Chicago plays in Bridgeview. (13 miles from the Loop, per wikipedia)
Philly plays in Chester. (15 miles to Philly, per Google Maps)
Dallas plays in Frisco. (28 miles to Dallas, per Google Maps)

I long for the days when people outside of NYC understand that Harrison (and Newark) are still part of the metro area. Or that a stadium is not just going to magically rise out of the ground in Manhattan no matter how much Don Garber wants to will it into existence.

[xbhaskarx]

I'm in if this happens.

Yeah, me too. I'd watch a lot more of this MLS season if we do one.

Count me in.

Coming soon: MLS Fantasy Manager

[xbhaskarx]

Second division NASL announces ambitious expansion plans

In a Tuesday statement, the league announced that its board of governors “unanimously approved the parameters for the upcoming wave of expansion teams to join the league for play in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.” The NASL said it is in “active discussions with prospective owners in over 20 markets.” The league replaced the Montreal Impact, now in MLS, with the expansion San Antonio Scorpions and already has committed to adding a team in Ottawa in either ’13 or ’14, depending on when refurbishment of the city’s Canadian Football League stadium is completed.

[Hieberrr]

Aww yeah! This will be my first full season of following, so I am pretty hyped. I'll be at the March 7th TFC-Galaxy CCL match :O~

[shoplifter]

Go crew. Ok, thats the most attention me and the majority of Columbus will pay to the crew for the rest of the year. :P

You should really come out to a few matches. Come hang out in the Nordecke and drink with us.

[eattomorro]

Hope the Whitecaps have a much better season this year, the preseason has me hopeful!

All best to the many teams this season, except the timbers and sounders, they suck. ;p

[bigwinnerx]

[xbhaskarx]

The Whitecaps just waived Lee Nguyen. They have so many attacking options I doubt they will miss him... they're definitely my pick to be the most improved team this year.

[platypotamus]

Sounders looked pretty good in the Community Shield match last night, very encouraging!

[xbhaskarx]

So the options for fantasy appear to be:

MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager
ESPN FC Manager MLS

Does anyone who wants in have a strong preference for one over the other? If not I say we go with the MLS one.

[windowlurker]

This is one hell of a logo, I love it.

[sefskillz]

MLS, for the love, place a team in the southeast.

thissss. so many times over.

[TheVisualizer]

my Union are in midseason form

our preseason friendly in Costa Rica against Belen F.C. got ended prematurely by the refs after a little fracas broke out on the field

so much for having enough veteran leadership...

http://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/3/...es-fight-belen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Xc9yHaPz7No

[platypotamus]

So the options for fantasy appear to be: MLS Fantasy Soccer Manager ESPN FC Manager MLS Does anyone who wants in have a strong preference for one over the other? If not I say we go with the MLS one.

I was in the ESPN one last season with some friends. It was ok, but not great. Kind of had some issues with dudes being misclassified in the wrong positions, new players taking forever to be in their DB, and stat errors that took awhile to fix, so I support trying the MLS one :)