The on-going coaching search for next year’s expansion club Seattle Sounders FC continues today with the news of their approach of New England assistant Paul Mariner. The Boston Globe had this little blurb in their write-up after last night’s game:

Mariner told the Arizona Republic recently he is interested in the position.

Sounders FC is an MLS expansion team set to play next season. Mariner also told the Arizona Republic he interviewed for the head job with the Chicago Fire earlier this year.

“If [becoming an MLS head coach] doesn’t happen, I’ll probably stay with [Steve Nicol], and then move on and work in Asia in media and coach,” Mariner told the newspaper.

Mariner joins the rumors of Sigi Schmid and current Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer for the expansion club’s opening. I have also heard they were interested in former Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo.

So on one hand you have Schmetzer and the other now Mariner. I think either one is a perfect fit for the club. Mariner is a head coach in the waiting for the most part. He’s been waiting on the right situation and an expansion club is just that I believe. If he doesn’t take this job in Seattle I look for him to wait it out until one of the 2011 expansion clubs. For some reason I just don’t see him going to Philadelphia.

My feels are still that Schmetzer will stay on board with the club as it’s coach once they move into the big league.

It sure is getting down to that final stretch of games. In a blink of the eye we will be in playoff mode. Hard to believe this season has gone by this quickly here. Still plenty of soccer to be played but there are some clubs out there that wish they had a little more time to play catch-up here.

Our normal weekend slate continues again in week 25. Five games on Saturday with a lone game on Sunday afternoon. New England and Chivas got the week started off last night with the Revs dominating the second half with four goals to blank the Goats. However the game was a lot closer than the 4-0 scoreline suggested.

What all do we have this weekend to look at? Let’s just dive right in and see. As always feel free to post any and all predictions on the weekend below. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on the weekend.

Continue Reading…

While some thought Hunter Freeman’s facebook profile was under attack or having a prank pulled on by someone, the status posted there was indeed true. Freemen is headed north to join Toronto FC today according to SBI and other sources.

Here are some more detals on the trade: It includes a clause that will force TFC to give the Red Bulls a 2011 second-round MLS SuperDraft pick if Freeman re-signs with Toronto FC at any point in 2009 (Freeman’s MLS contract is up on Dec. 31 and he is set to join Norwegian club IK Start on Jan. 1). If Freeman returns to MLS after 2009, his MLS rights would revert back to the Red Bulls, with no compensation being owed to Toronto.

The move for Toronto means they are trying to add some sort of depth now after seeing their roster get picked apart a week ago by national teams. Honestly its a bit too little too late here from the Reds. Plus they won’t even get to keep Freeman after the season is up as he is set to head to Norway after his contract ends in January.

I guess desperation breeds trades like this. Continue Reading…

Seriously. As much as some thought their bid was a joke, Ottawa is not going down without a fight here as we head into almost less than a month before that expansion bid deadline that MLS dropped on potential cities.

Ottawa’s expansion group issued this press release in hopes to stay up with the competition. In all honesty, they got a long way to go before they will even be considered, even if the owners have deep pockets.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Sept. 12, 2008) – Eugene Melnyk, owner of Senators Sports & Entertainment (SSE), will hold a news conference to officially launch the bid to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Ottawa and present details to build a new world-class stadium.

The news conference will take place Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 9 a.m. at Scotiabank Place’s Gate 1 entrance.

Melnyk will be joined by SSE chief executive officer Roy Mlakar and chief operating officer Cyril Leeder. Members from all levels of the National Capital Region’s soccer community have also been invited.

What do you all think? Still a joke of a bid or do they have a realistic shot here?

You better believe it. From the emails I’ve gotten from the Borough Boys in New York, this process to get a second team in New York is still a go. Today on Bloomberg.com, baseball’s New York Mets say they are in discussions with MLS about placing a club in a separate venue near their new baseball stadium in Queens.

“We’re not resting,” David Howard said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio’s “On the Ball” program, airing Sept. 13. “Before even Citi Field is completed, we’re looking to see what might be next for us. There’s a lot of opportunity and potential.”

The league would welcome another New York team, Dan Courtemanche said.

“We’ve had preliminary discussions,” he said. “A second team in New York would provide a true local rivalry for the Red Bulls and increase the overall popularity of the league in the area and nationally.”

We all know this has been called a ‘pet-project’ of MLS Commissioner Don Garber for some time. And with Fred Wilpon leading the charge, that is a good thing too. He’s got some very deep pockets and would instantly make a splash in this league.

Should those other expansion hopefuls be worried that the league is having discussions with Wilpon and his group? If I were St. Louis or Portland…or Montreal I would be.

Not even a few short weeks after turning down an offer to become the general manager with the LA Galaxy, Peter Vermes has turned down another job in Major League Soccer. A

According to SBI, Vermes has now turned down a head coaching position with next year’s expansion club, Seattle Sounders FC.

According to sources, Seattle has already reached out to three different coaching candidates, including Vermes and at least one current MLS head coach. Current Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer had been believed to be the front-runner for the Sounders FC position when the club was formed, but it has become clear that Henderson is looking for a head coach with MLS experience. Schmetzer was recently identified as a candidate for the job by Seattle general manager Adrian Hanauer.

From what I’ve heard up in Seattle, Schmetzer seems the most likely candidate to take the position. He is familiar with everything Seattle and having Chris Henderson (a former MLS player) as the club’s technical director will help him out in the MLS aspect of the job. But don’t be shocked to see them go after Sigi Schmid here either in the off season.

But why is Vermes not moving away from Kansas City at the moment? He’s helped build this club to where it is at today. They went from a veteran lead club to a very young club through the draft over the last couple season and probably even into next year with the amount of picks they will have again in the draft. Some also believe he is eager to take a position with thew new Philadephia club in 2010 (he’s from that area originally).

I like Vermes, but for some reason I just don’t see him as a head coach in this league though I am willing to hold out my judgment until that day comes. He seems fit to figure things out in the front office with being a technical director or a general manager. Sure his moves with the Wizards haven’t been great yet but that club is still moving in a positive direction. Anytime you have a heavy flavor of youth on a club there is always going to be growing pains.

Was this the right move for Vermes? What’s better a club with tons of youth in KC or building an expansion club? Some like the expansion challenge and others don’t.

Its been a while since we saw the New England Revolution dominate like they did during the early and mid summer months here. For various reasons the Revs have cooled off and have moved down the standings in the process. Injuries and a tough schedule can be to blame, so would tonight’s MLS Primetime Thursday clash with Chivas USA be considered a must-win?

Eh, not really. Its not a desperation mode game for the Revs but it could be for the visitors.

So what are some questions going into tonight’s battle in Foxborough?

Who’s banged up more?: The injured list looks a bit packed right now between these two clubs. Here is a clip from the game preview on the league’s website:

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – OUT: FW Adam Cristman (R toe surgery); QUESTIONABLE: FW Kheli Dube (R adductor strain); PROBABLE: MF Steve Ralston (back spasms); FW Kenny Mansally (R ankle sprain); MF Khano Smith (L knee sprain); DF Gary Flood (L ankle sprain); DF Rob Valentino (R knee sprain) … CHIVAS USA — OUT: FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery); DF Lawson Vaughn (R knee sprain); MF Raphaël Wicky (R ankle surgery); DF Alex Zotinca (R knee surgery); DOUBTFUL: FW Justin Braun (L groin strain); MF Jesse Marsch (fractured jaw); QUESTIONABLE: DF Claudio Suárez (R hip strain); DF Carey Talley (L thigh strain); GK Zach Thornton (L thigh strain)

Yikes. Now some of these guys for both clubs are expected to play but should New England miss another game with Steve Ralston, I think their offense will suffer in a big way.

Oh yeah throw in international call ups and suspensions and this one could get interesting:

INTERNATIONAL DUTY: NE: Gabriel Badilla (Costa Rica) … CHV: Sacha Kljestan (USA); Shavar Thomas (Jamaica)
SUSPENDED: NE: Amaechi Igwe (caution accumulation; through Sept. 11) … CHV: Alecko Eskandarian (through Sept. 11); Sacha Kljestan (caution accumulation; through Sept. 11)

By the looks of things, no Kljestan will be tough for Chivas to overcome.

Crowded schedule: Both clubs know all about playing a lot of games right now. New England is playing their 11th competitive game in just a little over a month tonight. Chivas isn’t too far behind playing their 10th game in that same time span. Neither have handled the packed schedule all that well but Chivas does have a bit of an advantage coming off a pair of wins in league play.

Who to watch out for: Taylor Twellman. As long as Twellman is good to know, so should the Revs. I think he will show up in this Primetime clash tonight and make a huge impact and Chivas just won’t have the offense to keep up. Though keep an eye out for Ante Razov, he’s played pretty well in recent weeks…but the thing is the New England defense is much better than the Toronto defense that he totally hammered.

What the result means: A win for New England keeps them in the Supporter’s Shield race. A loss or a draw keeps people doubting them here. For Chivas a win holds off San Jose for another week but a loss or a draw gives the Quakes that much more hope.

WVH Prediction: New England 2, Chivas 1