Gus Johnson is becoming America's sweetheart of an announcer.

Sports fans love to hear him on the call for whatever sport it is. Search for Gus Johnson tweets the next time he is calling a game and you will see what I mean.

He should be calling MLS games. Unfortunately, he is signed to FOX and MLS has a television deal with ESPN. So while this may not be possible at this time, we can still suspend belief and imagine why Johnson should call the top U.S. league's matches.

Here are three simple reasons we would love Johnson to call MLS matches.

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The Los Angeles Galaxy have won back-to-back MLS Cups, and now they have kits that denote their place atop the American soccer world.

In an introduction ceremony for the 2013 roster, the Galaxy introduced a brand new secondary kit that will be worn during the upcoming Major League Soccer season. The Galaxy's Twitter feed sent out a look at the players modeling their new digs at the event on Wednesday night:

Though the jersey remains mostly the same at first glance, there are a few noticeable changes in design from last year's model.

Most notably, if most Galaxy fans didn't know what a quasar was prior to Wednesday—don't worry, we had to Google it, too—they will become awfully familiar with the new kit. The quasar, which is a luminous galactic nucleus, plays a prominent role in the changes.

Showing up most noticeably at the left collarbone, the quasars in that area are meant to signify each of the Galaxy's four MLS Cups. There are three silver ones, for the Cups in 2002, 2005 and 2011, with a gold quasar placed atop the others to congratulate the Galaxy on their triumph last season.

In a statement released with the kit's unveiling, Adidas product manager pinpointed all the areas where the quasars show up unbeknownst to the initial glance (per MLS' official website): 

We're staying with the blue theme and we're really kind of focusing in on the quasar. We've got the embossed pattern of that quasar that kind of runs through their home primary on the sash, but now it's embossed on the away up on the right shoulder and also on the left hem.

While we may have gone with something most wouldn't have to look up in an astrological dictionary, the quasar works beautifully with this kit. The design is both respectful to the Galaxy's intergalactic nickname and serves a purpose in honoring the past championships. It also helps that the silver and gold provide a nice contrast to what was a relatively ordinary kit design in 2012.

Paying homage seemed to be a pretty big point of emphasis for Adidas' kit design team. Not only is the Galaxy franchise honored with the new digs, their fans and city also both get a notable place on the jersey. 

On a standout jock tag, the phrase "This Is LA" is transcribed in bold lettering. That is meant to honor the city of Los Angeles and the fans, who oftentimes chant that particular phrase when cheering on from the stands. 

Again, jerseys are as much for fans as players. To honor fans while not outwardly pandering—the Galaxy also use the "This Is LA" phrase quite regularly—is a smart move. It allows those in attendance to feel like a real part of the team. 

The only other major changes of note are an alteration of the number design and that the three stripes down the sleeve are now printed. The stripes are the same design and color, so that's ultimately only worth minor note—especially for fans, who are unlikely to notice much of a difference.

As for the numbering, it's just fine. No one is going to write in their diary about it on Wednesday night, but it's by no means ugly. 

Overall, the Galaxy had one of the MLS' best kits prior to the changes, and this secondary look is a thing to behold. The designers did a wonderful job of staying true to the past while incorporating new innovation, so it's very hard to find anything wrong with this look. 

Overall Score: 9.5/10

(Note: All photos in this article are provided by the Twitter feeds of the Los Angeles Galaxy and team insider Adam Serrano.)

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The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have launched their new kit for the 2013 season, which will be worn this Saturday in the season opener against Toronto.

According to a statement released by the club, the kit was launched at an exclusive event for season ticket-holders, and is now available for sale.

“Today’s kit reveal continues to build momentum as we lead up to the start of our third season in Major League Soccer on Saturday,” said Jay DeMerit, Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain. “The primary kit and its unique design speaks to the club, the environment within which we play, and pays tribute to the long and deep rooted history Whitecaps FC has in Vancouver. We will all wear the new primary kit with honour as we represent this city and province.”

The 2013 kit is thought to be inspired by the city of Vancouver, with the fundamental elements of the club's pre-existing kit (colors, logo and brand) all remaining the same. It is also an "evolution of the original MLS primary kit" according to the statement, which the club launched in 2010.

As the video above highlights, the kit is a predominant white outfit that features deep blue thin strips running diagonally across the front of the jersey as well as thicker blue strips that run down the shoulders and upper sleeve.

The tag of "since 1974" also sits on the back and inside the necktape as a nice gesture towards the club's 39-year history in the city of Vancouver. 

The Canadian flag on the left sleeve and the Major League Soccer logo on the right arm are both nice touches.

As with most jerseys these days, the kit is a lighter fabric material that will invariably hug the players more as they perform out on the pitch. It is said to be lighter than that of the jersey last year, and should feel better on the players when they play.

As a whole, it's a pretty simple but elegant-looking kit.

The designers haven't done too much to the kit—which is both good and bad to some extent—though the blue stripes down the sleeves are nice. Having the Canadian flag, the MLS logo and the "since 1974" tags are all nice touches as well.

As far as all-white kits go, this one is definitely one of the best.

Overall: 9 out of 10

What do you think of the new Vancouver Whitecaps kit?

Comment below or hit me up on Twitter:  Follow @dantalintyre

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The Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer have unveiled their new uniforms for the 2013 season and we'll help break down the positives and negatives of them.

Here's the official announcement of the unveiling of these new uniforms made by Adidas, courtesy of the Sounders' Twitter page:

And here it is...the new Sounders home kit brought to you by adidasus! More here: sndrs.com/29ft instagr.am/p/WQaxnZE4v4/

Now, let's take a look at the different styles of the home, away and goalkeepers versions of the uniform, as modeled by the team's players, also per the Sounders' Twitter feed:

Here we have @eddie_johnson7, @brad_evans3, @mgspurning, mdr7 and @stevezakuani11 in the new kits! instagr.am/p/WQdXKSE4j6/

Let's break it down piece by piece. Of course, you can see the home and away jerseys for yourself by visiting the Sounders' official website.

Home Uniform

The Sounders didn't do too much change to their home version of the uniform, but a few additions have been made. You can view the uniform here, courtesy of the Sounders' Instagram page.

A rave green theme remains constant in the shirt, but the blue stripe going down the side has been made a bit thicker this time around. It appears the Sounders did away with the whitish striping on the front of the jersey, which really didn't go with the color scheme in the first place.

I will say that I like the addition of the Space Needle on the pectoral area that extends to the bottom of the shirt, which is obviously the most notable symbol of Seattle and is done in a creative fashion.

That thicker blue line going down the side takes us to the shorts and blends together beautifully. The bottoms also feature the player's number at the bottom and the three Adidas stripes on the side match the color of the jersey. Underneath that is a rave green stripe that takes us to the socks.

The socks are nicely done and match perfectly with the rest of the uniform. I particularly like the inclusion of three blue Adidas stripes on the bottom in order to keep the blue-green color scheme going throughout.

I'm not in love with rave green, but the home uniform matches perfectly throughout and the Space Needle looks pretty cool.

Grade: B+

Away Uniform

The color scheme on the away uniform is much more likable in my eyes, now if only the Sounders could play all of their games on the road. You can get a view of these uniforms here, courtesy of the Sounders' official site.

The dominant color in this uniform is a dark green hue and it's far more appealing than the rave green of the home version. However, Seattle does a great job of incorporating the home colors as two faded stripes colored rave green and blue run from the shoulder to the bottom of the shirt.

That same bright-green color is featured in the Adidas stripes that go from the neck, down the arm, to the wrist of the long sleeve top.

The shorts continue the dark green theme and feature the three Adidas stripes on the side in bright green. Like the home shorts, the player's numbers are once again on the side near the bottom of the shorts.

Seattle remained the same from top to bottom as the socks match the dominant color in the top and bottom, and three rave green Adidas stripes run on the side of the calf.

As I mentioned earlier, I love the dark green version of this jersey. It does a great job including the home colors as well and the Sounders did a great job matching throughout.

Grade: A+

Goalkeeper Uniform

For a look at this version of the Sounders' goalkeeper uniform, click here, courtesy of the Sounders' Instagram page.

The dominant color on the top is white, but there is a thick black stripe on the shoulder that helps the three white Adidas stripes really stand out. The black is a nice addition to the jersey as it is necessary to offset the white a bit.

The shorts continue the white theme, but again black is included in the three Adidas stripes on the side and in the number at the bottom of the shorts.

The socks are once again all white with some black trim on three white Adidas stripes at the top of the socks.

I would've liked to see a bit more black included in this jersey, but that doesn't erase the fact that the keeper version is a nice change from the last one and looks very classy. I'd hate to be the guy that has to wash these things after games, though.

Grade: A

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With the MLS season set to kick off this weekend, teams across the league are unveiling new kits for 2013. Sporting Kansas City released its fresh look for this year and will be looking to repeat last year's accomplishments in style.

After finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2012, the club will not rest idly on its laurels, and management will hope the uniforms are not the only improvement the team makes this season. 

But if it is, the team is still doing alright. Sporting Kansas City shared the new jerseys via its Twitter:

John Moncke, the club’s Vice President of Stadium and Brand Revenue, is certainly excited about the change. He told SportingKC.com’s Kurt Austin the following:

Fashion is an important element of the Sporting Kansas City brand and the new 2013 primary kit takes this focus to new levels. We wanted the jersey to be a modern kit that imbues the ethos of our brand, so we played a very hands-on role in the design process.

The American game continues to reform and modernize, and the MLS teams must make this point clear with their kits. With this new primary strip, Sporting KC is doing its part.

The sleek Adidas jerseys present an intriguing balance between the club’s signature dark and light blue colors.

While the team is bringing in the new, it is not completely throwing out the old. The contrast between the colors and the thick line separating the jersey’s two tones symbolizes the city’s unique location on the border of Kansas City and Missouri, as Austin notes.

There is no devil in the details of this kit, either. The trendy logo is ideally placed on the left side, while the club’s sponsor—Ivy Funds—is prominently displayed without being gaudy.

With a talented team and a fresh new look, Sporting Kansas City fans should be looking forward to Saturday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Union.

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Major League Soccer's the Montreal Impact have revealed a third new jersey for the 2013 season, according to a statement on the club's website.

Here is a snippet of the club's statement:

“Our third jersey is perhaps the most vibrant reflection of the values we always wanted to instill in this club: we must be proud of our roots, we must always respect those who have come before us and no matter the challenges, we must always stay true to our colours,” added Joey Saputo.

The jersey was reportedly done to honor the inaugural season and jersey of 1993, which is very similar to the version the Impact wore two decades ago.

Granted, some stylistic and technical changes have been made, but in essence, the jersey is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago, as shown in the video below.

This year's edition is much darker than the one they fielded 20 years ago, but the blue and black stripes still remain true to the original design. A collar has been kept, though revamped to "hold it's shape better," according to the club's statement, while the jersey itself is far more close-fitting than before, with a slimmer fit implemented across both the chest and the arms. 

As far as acknowledging the past goes, this is a very solid and appropriate gesture by the current Impact management, and they've done a good job keeping with the original style and design that they wore back in 1993.

Yet what is more special is the fact they've also managed to make a very nice looking jersey, and one that would be fine even if it were not commemorative.

The very fact that it is just adds to the kit overall.

The slimmer style holds well with the current way in which jerseys are made and will no doubt fit well on the players, and the collar and neck area as well is effectively constructed. Simply put, there are few areas not to like about this jersey and it should be a great fit for the Impact players.

It looks great and is an appropriate nod to the past by recognizing where the club has come from and how important that still remains to them today.

For that, it's hard to fault this kit at all here.

Overall: 9.5 out of 10

What do you make of the Montreal Impact's new 2013 kit?

Comment below or hit me up on Twitter:  Follow @dantalintyre

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Major League Soccer marks its return to action with a full slate of weekend games to kick off the 2013 campaign.

Coming off an offseason full of roster moves, each team’s coaches, players and fanbases are eager to see how their squad will fare in the new year.

Here’s your game-by-game guide to this weekend’s action.

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Sporting Kansas City has made a number of changes to their roster over the offseason. One thing that hasn't changed: This team is incredibly talented and, honestly, the best team in MLS—in my opinion, they are the favorites to win the 2013 MLS Cup.

You're probably thinking that I'm biased toward my hometown club. Let's look at the facts, shall we?

Sporting KC has won the regular season title in the Eastern Conference each of the last two seasons. If not for a poor performance in their first playoff match last season, they may have made the MLS Cup final last season, all other things being equal.

The club is also the reigning U.S. Open Cup champion, having won the title in a thriller over the Seattle Sounders last August.

Their league-leading defense remains intact. Goalkeeper of the Year Jimmy Nielsen and Defender of the Year Matt Besler return to lock down opposing forwards.

Besler, who signed a new contract over the break, has been getting some national team attention. He played all 90 minutes of the scoreless draw against Canada in January.

Honduran international Roger Espinoza may have left for Wigan Athletic on a free transfer, but the club has his replacement in Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber, obtained in a trade with the New England Revolution, was also called in to Camp Cupcake.

Veteran midfielder Julio Cesar, now with Toronto FC, was allowed to leave, but the club believes Spaniard Oriol Rosell will grow into a younger version of Cesar. Obtained from Barcelona last summer, Rosell played all 90 minutes of the 1-0 home win over Houston in last season's playoffs.

Another reason for optimism is the play of Peterson Joseph, also referred to as the Haitian Xavi. Formerly of Sporting de Braga in Portugal, Joseph featured in 10 matches in the 2012 regular season, starting four times.

While forward Kei Kamara, the club's leading scorer in 2012, is currently on loan to Norwich City FC in the English Premier League, manager Peter Vermes is not without options up front. 2011 Rookie of the Year C.J. Sapong is just one of the goal scorers Vermes can call on.

Kamara's potential departure may have been one reason forward Claudio Bieler was signed as the fourth DP in club history in December. Bieler scored 20 goals in 36 matches for LDU Quito, helping the club clinch a spot in the Copa Libertadores with a third-place finish in the Ecuadoran first division.

Teal Bunbury should be back soon from a season-ending knee injury suffered on August 26. Young forward Soony Saad and 2012 first-round SuperDraft pick Dom Dwyer will also try to make Vermes' job that much more difficult.

MVP finalist Graham Zusi, who led MLS in assists with 15 in 2012, has also been known to put the ball in the net himself on occasion.

Keeping in mind the fact they will start CONCACAF Champions League play in August, Sporting KC also made changes that increased the depth of talent available.

Defender Ike Opara and defender/midfielder Josh Gardner, obtained from San Jose and Montreal, respectively, will add depth, as will Yann Songo'o. If that last name seems familiar, his brother Franck plays for Portland.

And last, but certainly not least, midfielder Mikey Lopez, off with the US U-20 MNT for World Cup qualifying, will begin the work of learning the way Sporting KC plays when he returns from Mexico.

Vermes, selected to coach the MLS squad in this summer's All-Star game to be held at Sporting Park, is another reason this team should be considered favorites to win the MLS Cup. His determination to simply focus on the next 45 minutes of play does not let the team get too high after a win or too low after a loss.

Now, I could be wrong about all of this, but having been around these guys enough over the last couple of years, I don't think I am. These guys are hungry to prove they can win titles. On Saturday, they will begin to try to do just that when they kick off the 2013 campaign in Philadelphia.

Do you agree with me or do you think I'm just full of it? Let me know what you think down in the comments.

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The 2013 MLS season begins next week and the league has been trying to create a little preseason buzz by unveiling several new team jerseys in the days leading up to kickoff.

But before all of the new jerseys have even been released, the Colorado Rapids stole the damn show.

What makes the Rapids jerseys different from any other team shirt we've seen? The names of every season ticket holder are printed on the jerseys.

This is the coolest thing a team could do for the fans, short of free tickets for everyone. No, it may be even cooler than that. 

"It's a brilliant idea," Rapids season ticket holder Kevin Pugh told me via email. "It really demonstrates nicely how much the Rapids organization truly values its season-ticket holders, and fans in general. It's an honorable place to have 'The Pugh Family' listed in support (we're on the back, just below the number)." 

That's the right word: honorable.

While many teams try to sell the notion that being a season ticket holder is an honor in and of itself, this is the perfect way to honor a club's greatest fans.

Being a fan of a professional sports team can be rather one-sided. We pay our money to purchase tickets to games, parking, food, team apparel and whatever else they try to sell to us. We do all of this for the distinct privilege of getting whatever modicum of excitement the team can provide that season, be it a trip to the playoffs, a championship or a win over the archrival from down the street.

Cheer, rinse, repeat. That's the life of a fan, so it is really neat when a team decides to thank the most dedicated fans in such a tangible way.

Per MLS, this is the first time the season ticket holders names have been printed on a team's jerseys in league history, and we suspect it's the first time it's ever been done anywhere in the world.

Sevilla fans could pay to have their faces put inside the numbers on players jerseys, which is also super cool, if not a total money grab. For Rapids fans, this feels like a bit more of an honor as the money had already been grabbed.

Well, yes and no. While the Rapids do have a rabid group of supporters, the idea of getting their names on the jerseys certainly helped boost season ticket sales. 

"I love the idea, not only because I think it looks pretty cool on the jersey but because it launched a huge boost in season ticket holder numbers since Tim Hinchey came aboard as the president," Chris 'UZ' White, managing editor of Burgundy Wave explained via email.

"There are only about 2,000 names on that shirt as it stands right now, but we would have to fill almost the entire shirt with the near doubling in season ticket holder numbers since it was launched. As someone who loves to see DSGP get more full every season, it's awesome all around." 

White brings up an interesting point in that the Rapids have created an instant tradition more and more fans will want to be part of each year. Now that they've done it once, they can't ever stop, even as the fanbase continues to grow.

I asked MLS if it knew of any plans to reprint the jerseys during the season to account for any influx of new season ticket holders, and it seems late sign-ups will be out of luck for this season, but one can assume the jerseys will be updated each year with new and returning supporters.

Pugh told me the team was upfront about its plan, as it was clear some time ago there was a deadline to get your names on the jerseys. He also explained that with the current design, there is, indeed, much room for growth. 

"If you look at the design, you'll see that there's still plenty of room to add names without altering the design. Many of the shadowed hoops are created not with names, but with other words such as 'Colorado Rapids' or 'We Bleed Burgundy' repeated throughout the stripe/hoop. It's clearly intended to hold the design and allow for additional names."

There is an absolute certainty that teams around the world will be stealing this idea. The top clubs in the world may have a hard time fitting every single name of every single season ticket holder on their kits, but there are certainly creative ways to accommodate the fans for those bigger clubs.

For a club like the Rapids, this is gold. Well, burgundy-tinted gold, at least. 

Truth be told, the Rapids third jerseys are pretty cool too, incorporating the design and color scheme of the Colorado state flag to bring with the club on the field. But while state pride is nice, the pitch of making fans feel like they are literally out on the field with the team is a public relations win for the ages.

Kudos to the Rapids and Adidas for the jersey idea of the year. This takes personalizing team jerseys to a whole new level.

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Orlando City are making plans to be the next big thing in U.S. soccer. The Florida franchise, who compete in the USL Pro league, have paid $4 million for land on which they reportedly intend to build a $110 million stadium (via Orlando Sentinel).

They don't have planning permission and they don't have an official invite to become an MLS expansion team yet, but we can only assume both are believed sure-fire certainties by the club's owners—led by president Phil Rawlins, the ex-pat Englishman who is also a director at Premier League club Stoke City, and bolstered by a "significant investment" this month from Brazilian businessman Flavio Augusto da Silva.

"Orlando believes in MLS," reads the slogan on a campaign website the club have recently launched, inviting fans to sign a petition backing their proposed elevation to the top tier of U.S. soccer. Add your support and you're advocating the following call to arms:

I believe in MLS in Orlando! I want to give my support to Orlando City SC in their bid to bring a second major league franchise to Orlando, and urge the governments at City, County and State level to do everything within their power to help make this happen.

Orlando City currently play at the Florida Citrus Bowl, but that venue is not deemed suitable to meet MLS requirements. Instead, an "18,000-25,000 seat stadium" with covered stands is proposed in an "urban, downtown location," the total cost of which is estimated at $110 million.

Land purchased in Parramore, Orlando, appears to fit that description perfectly. It would locate the stadium close to the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic basketball team, and comes with the selling point of bringing 890 construction jobs to the area.

Last March, MLS commissioner Don Garber visited Orlando's official pub and took part in a rowdy town-hall style meeting concerning the club's aspirations for expansion. "Garber we ready," was the message unveiled by fans, and Garber emerged saying the franchise were but a new stadium away from being an obvious choice.

Said Garber in March 2012, as per MLSsoccer.com:

No. 1 in any expansion process is ownership and we have that in place. No. 2 is the right market that will support it and, No. 3 is the facility. I think we have a good market here, the right ownership group and we haven’t begun the process on the facility. Until we’re able to get further on that, it’ll just force us to continue to work harder on the last piece of the puzzle.

MLS currently has 19 franchises and is seeking a 20th. Talk has been rife of a second team in the New York area (as a point of record, the Red Bulls actually play in New Jersey), with the reformed Cosmos the most obvious candidatem, but nothing is imminent and the Cosmos are barely a team yet, let alone a viable MLS proposition.

There is currently no MLS franchise in the southeastern United States. The Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny both left departed in 2001 and left soccer fans in the area needing to travel huge distances to Washington D.C. or Houston to get a taste of MLS action.

That could be about to change.

The Orlando franchise was only formed in 2010, but have already become established. Their average crowd in the NASL was up towards 7,000 for the 2012 season and the team became USL Pro champions at their first attempt in 2011. Last season they were beaten by the Wilmington Hammerheads after reaching the playoffs.

Orlando City's campaign website goes big on the economic benefits that would come with MLS expansion. An estimated "$1.2 billion" boost to the local economy is projected over 30 years, along with 250 long-term jobs and a chance to grow awareness of the area "nationally and internationally."

They also do a great selling job on soccer itself, backing up claims of the sport's continuing growth in the U.S as follows:

It's a convincing argument; one that will have Floridian soccer fans extremely excited and one they can get behind by signing the petition.

Providing their new stadium gets the go-ahead, it seems very much like MLS is set to join NBA and Disney World as a major attraction in Orlando.

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