The Houston Dynamo will take to the field at Robertson Stadium on Saturday night to take on in-state rival FC Dallas.

The game will be the first of two home-and-home matches to determine possession of El Capitán.

El Capitán is a Civil War mountain howitzer which is awarded to the two-game series winner.

Houston has won El Capitán in three of the past five seasons, but Dallas took possession in 2010 with a 1-0-1 record.

The second game of the series will be played in September 24 in Frisco.

Houston (3-4-5) will be looking to end a five-game winless streak and continue its domination of the head-to-head series against Dallas.

The Dynamo leads the series 9-4-6 all-time.

Will Bruin and Cam Weaver continue to lead the team with a combined seven goals this season, with midfielder Brad Davis leading the MLS with six assists.

He scored his first goal this past Saturday against the New York Red Bulls. 

After Saturday’s match, the Dynamo will hit the road to face the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, June 4.

They will return to Houston for consecutive home games against Chivas USA on June 11 and the Columbus Crew on June 18.

Houston is currently 3-4-5 with 14 points and sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Dallas is in second place in the Western Conference with a 6-3-3 and 21 points.

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Ajax finished off their two-game mini tour of Americas North West with a display of football that felled the Timbers. 


Dutch giants Amsterdam Ajax finished off their two-match tour of the US with a resounding 2-0 victory over MLS new boys Portland Timbers on Wednesday night at JELD-WEN Field.

Scotsman Johns Spencer's team spent most of the night chasing shadows in pursuit of the ball and were taught a real footballing masterclass as the Dutch side portrayed the Dutch "Total Football" style of play that is so well-documented.

The sellout crown of over 18,000 may well have been disappointed with the final result but must have left the stadium pleased to have witnessed one of the founding fathers of world football grace their corner of the world.

In a match that Ajax more or less dominated from start to end, it took 17 minutes for the first goal to be scored with a close range effort from Lorenzo Ebecilo and although the Amsterdam side were clearly the better of the two on show, it took until the last minute before Demy de Zeeuw added another to round the match off in style.

In the Timbers defence, finding themselves playing a friendly match in the middle of the season isn't ideal and with the lineup being shuffled to allow fringe players and returning injured players some game time, the Portland side weren't at full strength and at times during the match this showed as they were outclassed in every department.

This defeat at home by Ajax belies their MLS form so far this season, going 5-0 in their previsou matches at the JELD-WEN Field, but the two friendlies they have played there have both ended in defeat, perhaps showing a bit of guile by head coach Spencer in saving his best players for the most important journey of MLS football.

Portland were limited in opportunities in this match, perhaps due to a lowered strength team being placed upon the park, perhaps due to the alternate 4-4-3 formation trialed on the night. Whatever the reason, opportunities were slim on the ground with Pore having a couple of chances in the first half being the closest they came to even hitting the target.

The second half fared no better for the home side and even the introduction of five substitutes couldn't bring about a goal for the home support to cheer. A triple chance in the 57th minute was the best opportunity the Timbers had when Horst headed towards goal only for Eddie Johnson to hit the post with Lowry picking up the rebound but his shot was saved by Ajax keeper Verhoeven.

Ajax could have added another goal just prior to this but a Daley Blinid shot struck the crossbar before going over.

Incidentally, Portland now go back to MLS duty against DC United, who were the other MLS side to have been beaten by Ajax on this mini tour by the Dutch side with the two squaring off on Sunday.

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The Honda SuperClasico returns! Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy look to continue their dominance against Robin Fraser's Chivas USA in Major League Soccer's derby.

The Galaxy are 5-2-5 (20 points) and are hanging on to their top ranking in the MLS standings by a needle. Chivas USA are currently 3-3-3 (12 points) and are seventh in the MLS Western Conference.

Keep it here on Bleacher Report, the open-source sports network, for continuing coverage of the 2011 Major League Soccer season.

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Following last year's World Cup, the New York Red Bulls made two massive acquisitions that helped to change the face of Major League Soccer.

Those midsummer moves came in the form of the signing of Rafa Marquez and Thierry Henry, both of whom played for Barcelona the season before and found themselves out of favor with Pep Guardiola.

In the case of Marquez, he was able to recapture his prior success with the Red Bulls and never seemed to have any problems adapting to the style of MLS.

But in Henry's case, he was unable to recapture his old form, scoring just two goals in 12 matches and was unable to score in the playoffs as the Red Bulls were knocked out by the San Jose Earthquakes.

However, Henry's play started to be poor since the infamous hand ball against Ireland in the UEFA World Cup playoff, and continued on throughout the remainder of his season with Barcelona and for France in the World Cup.

After last season, many people wondered if Henry had anything left in him and with players such as Juan Agudelo and Tm Ream around him, how well would he be able to produce for the Red Bulls in the 2011 season.

During the first three matches of Henry's season, he was unable to score and the Red Bulls went 1-1-1 in the process. But just when it appeared time that the Red Bulls needed him most, Henry was able to score his first goal of the season against San Jose on April 16.

This started Henry's goal scoring stretch that saw a brace in his next match at DC United in a 4-0 blowout and goals at the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA.

Right now, the Red Bulls are on top of the Eastern Conference table and are tied with both Houston and DC United in the Eastern Conference for most goals scored.

But from here, Henry can only help the Red Bulls continue with one of the most notable offenses in MLS.

With Juan Agudelo alongside him on top, Henry and Agudelo can combine to be the most feared striker combo in MLS history. And now that they have acquired Dwayne de Rosario, the Red Bulls are going to be viewed as one of the strongest candidates to hoist the MLS Cup at the end of the season.

Throughout their history, the Red Bulls have consistently been under pressure to perform to championships but have been unable to do so.

The Red Bulls have never been able to hoist the MLS Cup and have only reached one MLS Cup final back in 2008, where they lost 3-1 to the Columbus Crew.

Besides their MLS Cup run, the Red Bulls have only been able to win a playoff series one other time; in 2000 over the Dallas Burn.

Despite a lack of history of winning, the New York Red Bulls best ever chance of winning the MLS Cup is this year.

But if Thierry Henry is able to continue his recent exploits and the rest of the Red Bulls team can fulfill expectations and not lose matches against weak opponents (such as Chivas USA at home last weekend), the Red Bulls can certainly win the MLS Cup this year.

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For the second time this season Real Salt Lake played a match following a stunning loss.

The first was when they traveled to Portland following the the heartbreaking mid-week defeat in the CONCACAF final to Monterrey.

They lost to Portland 1-0.

After just a few weeks, RSL once again is fighting to regain it's confidence and composure after suffering the loss of it's best player and play-maker Javier Morales to a needless and reckless tackle from Chivas USA player Marcos Mondaini.

A Look Back

Real Salt Lake went into week nine of the Major League Soccer Season feeling shocked, confused and a little bit lost.

After losing Javier Morales for what could be the rest of the season, there were a lot of question marks in the mid-field.

Fortunately they would be hosting the Houston Dynamo at Rio Tinto Stadium, a place where they had a 28 match regular season unbeaten streak.

Although Real Salt Lake was favored in the match, the emotions of the situation took over and they came out playing a bit flat and did not show the dominance that many expected early in the season.

Both teams had good scoring opportunities late, but the result was a scoreless draw.

Collen Warner, who has played well this season, started in place of the injured Morales.

Following the match head coach Jason Kreis critiqued his play by saying, “It wasn’t horrible, it wasn’t good either. He didn’t check the box and answer his questions. He didn’t put the flag in the ground and say this position is mine, either.”

The biggest positive for this team is that they got past the emotional first match following the big injury.

A Look Ahead

Real Salt Lake has a full week off before traveling to play at FC Dallas next Sunday night. They will no doubt take advantage of the extra day of rest and training time to prepare for the rematch of the playoff game last season that sent Real Salt Lake home for the season.

Both teams are doing well in the Western Conference with FC Dallas leading by just one point, but  they have played three more games than RSL. Both teams are also dealing with injuries to key players.

FC Dallas comes into the match with a five match unbeaten streak, including a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union.

At 5-1-1, Real Salt Lake has the best record of any MLS team through seven games. They trail the Galaxy by three points but have played five less matches.

They will have a good opportunity to move on without Morales and give others a chance to step up and perform.

A result for Real Salt Lake on the road would be a very positive step in the right direction.

News and Notes

Real Salt Lake leads the league in goals allowed with just two all season.

The also lead in off side calls, and rank high in number of corner kicks taken per game. They had nine against Chivas USA.

RSL reserve players Luis Gil and Donny Toia both saw action in the U-20 International Match against France this week. Gil scored in the 54th minute and played the full 90 minutes.

Sundays match against FC Dallas starts at 5:00 MST and can be seen locally on KMYU 2.2 (Comcast 22 / Dish Network 12)

It can also be heard on ESPN 700 in Utah.

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New York, NY (May 18, 2011)—The rumor mill is spinning wildly around Major League Soccer.

The American investors who recently purchased AS Roma are reportedly eager to add an American star player to the “Yellow-Reds” to play alongside living legend, Francesco Totti, the club’s current captain. There is talk that Red Sox minority owner, Thomas DiBenedetto, is pushing to acquire America’s all-around best player, Landon Donovan, of the LA Galaxy, a move that could generate an estimated $14 million transfer fee for MLS.

News reports indicate that if established American stars like Donovan prove to be a bit too expensive, AS Roma will turn its focus on young and emerging American stars with much promise, like 18 year-old Colombian-American star forward Juan Agudelo of the New York Red Bulls.

Donovan’s name is also being mentioned repeatedly in Mexico’s Primera Division circles. Various news outlets, including ESPN Deportes, are reporting that Club America is seriously considering making an offer for the 29-year old American star, the US national team’s all-time leading scorer with 45 goals.

There is also a rumor “in reverse,” an Italian star coming to America. Living legend, Alessandro Del Piero, Juventus FC's most celebrated striker of the last few decades, is reportedly interested in playing for the LA Galaxy. If the 36 year-old Italian icon is just interested in collecting a few more paydays and playing leisurely in sunny Southern California, he is in for a big surprise. The expectations will be high. If he does not believe it, he can ask David Beckham.

"Play in America? That could be a possibility,” Del Piero is quoted in the Italian press. “It’s a country that I do like. I could also take advantage of such an opportunity by going to watch the LA Lakers play…” (Alessandro surely missed this year’s NBA playoffs and did not watch the Lakers get trashed by the Dallas Mavericks! Not much to watch anymore, Alessandro!).

Dominican youngster wins “Sueño MLS” 2011 competition presented by Allstate.

Showcasing soccer's global appeal, MLS recently announced that Dominican Republic born forward Birnes Adames won the “Sueño MLS” 2011 field player search. His accomplishment earned the 18-year old an invitation to join one of the Philadelphia Union's Academy teams as his home town of Camden, N.J., falls within that region.

Adames, born in Santa Cruz de Mao, Dominican Republic, was one of 1,200 aspiring players that competed in regional tryouts in Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia. The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation renowned for its ability to produce world class baseball players. But as we can see, the country is also home to first class native soccer talent.

16 year-old Anthony Hall from Dallas, Texas, beat out two other finalists to win the Allstate "Good Hands" top goalkeeper designation.

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LA senses danger around the corner

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are aware that there may be danger up ahead in the form of Chivas USA on Saturday at the Home Depot Center.

“They’re probably full of confidence,” Galaxy midfielder Chris Birchall told LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan. “We see them every day and speak to a couple of their players, and from what (Chivas defender Ante) Jazic said to me is they’re feeling more of a team every weekend.

“That’s good. We want to play any team when they’re at their best. At the moment Chivas is playing really well and it should be a great game and hopefully a lot of fans will turn out.

“They have a lot of confidence right now, they have a new direction and they’re buying into it. That makes for a dangerous team.”

Arena has a lot of respect for Chivas's new manager, Robin Fraser, a former Los Angeles Galaxy standout during the club's early years.

“What always impressed me about Robin was the kind of character he had,” Arena said. “He wasn’t one of those players where you had to measure every word when you spoke to him. He wasn’t a guy with a major ego or attitude about him.

“I think because the way he always conducted himself you would expect that he could become a good coach. The biggest mistake people make is saying a former player could be a good coach. Most people don’t realize they’re players, not coaches, and to be a coach is a whole different mindset.

“I think he was one of the few that you would say if he wanted to be a coach that he would do a good job."

Forward Mike Magee is aware that the Goats' progress makes them a team not to be taken lightly.

“They’re definitely good. Even when they weren’t getting results, they were playing really well,” Magee told Morgan. “Things just weren’t going their way, but they’re one of the hottest teams in the west.

“It’s a tough time to be playing them right now.”


High hopes for the Galaxy

As for the Galaxy, they look to build on their own wave of confidence after what they hope was a breakthrough victory on Saturday against Sporting Kansas City.

“I’ll tell you, I can’t be more proud of our team,” Arena told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “It was a real challenging week…A lot of teams could use that as an excuse and our guys performed great. We had a chance of winning all three games as well but came up a little short.”

Team captain Landon Donovan was impressed by goalkeeper Josh Saunders filling in for the ill Donovan Ricketts.

“We come in [Saturday] and our goalkeeper—who we think is the best goalie in the league—can’t go and we have a guy waiting to step in that, when Bruce tells us he has to play, nobody bats an eye,” Donovan said. “Josh has been great for the last few years.”

Defender Omar Gonzalez agrees.

“Every single time Saunders comes in he has a great game,” Gonzalez said. “We have full confidence bringing him in. The team doesn’t change. It’s just a sign of how deep we are.”

Midfielder David Beckham was confident the Galaxy would get another result.

“For confidence, it was a big thing,” Beckham said. “We needed to get back to our winning ways and finishing off teams. I think we did that. The goals that we scored, the possession that we had in the second half set it up right for us, but it’s just another three points and we move on to the next game.”


Finally, says Juan Pablo

For forward Juan Pablo Angel, he couldn't be any more relieved to get his scoring touch back.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Ángel told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “I wish I could have gotten off to a better start in the first eight to 10 games, but I wasn’t concerned at all. It takes a little bit of time to adjust, for people to get to know you, for you to get the rhythm going and it’s a long season.”

Angel's goal in the 64th minute was the just the second of the season for the Colombian international.

“I’ve been feeling really well, the last couple of games in particular, against New York and against Philadelphia I’ve been feeling really, really well,” Angel said. “I knew it was just a matter of time.”

“He’s a guy who has a made a living off scoring goals so it helps confidence wise,” Donovan added. “He’s been playing really well the last few games and he’s done a good job of getting all his teammates involved.

“We’re all happy to see him score. You can tell the last couple of weeks you’re seeing the Juan Pablo of old, that we’re used to and I think he’s about to hit his stride.”


Landon Donovan...off to AS Roma?!

Donovan has been linked with a possible move to Italian Serie A outfit AS Roma thanks to new ownership under Thomas DiBenedetto of Boston, Massachusetts.

"We are obviously scouting players everywhere and we are obviously interested in the American products, both in MLS and abroad," DiBenedetto told MLSsoccer.com's Greg Seltzer. "I obviously can't tell you any names, but we want only the best for our team."

DiBenedetto has connections with Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Revolution.

"We observe with a lot of interest the MLS business model," stated DiBenedetto, a friend of New England Revolution owner Robert Kraft. "Especially with regard to marketing in the local communities, the new soccer-specific stadiums and the league structure with a commissioner with real powers. And anyway, in MLS, there are some of the best businessmen in the world of sport."

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17-year-old soccer starlet Bryan Mann from Texas, has made his choice clear; The University of St. Thomas is the place for him.

As he mulled over the options presented before him in choosing the place of his university education, one of the challenges that weighed heavily on his mind was where was the best for him as a soccer player.

Given his playing career to date, it’s no surprise that he chose a university that would help him not only academically but also sportingly. Bryan has 14 years of playing club soccer under his belt (playing throughout the southern states of Alabama, Florida and now Texas).

Most recently he has been showcasing his talents with the semi professional side Galveston Pirates, who have recently joined the Houston Football Association, with whom he will continue playing during his studies.

The Player

Due to his exceptional speed and fluid movement with the ball at his feet, it became apparent to his recent coaches that his skills would be best utilised as a winger—playing down the flank, out sprinting and dribbling his way past defenders to help set up the ball for strikers in the danger area of the field.

This selflessness has made Bryan a true team player and is unique in today’s game that is full of prima donnas with superstar mentalities.

Bryan has made the All District Varsity team in two of the past three years whilst making the County Varsity side in the other of the three while studying at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas. During his time at Clear Creek he was chosen for the All District team in both his junior and senior years and has been a huge contributor to the team that has made back to back trips to the state playoffs.

Endorsements

Clear Creek principal Scott Bockart, was full of praise for the young man stating. 

"It’s an awesome accomplishment to be on the receiving end of a college scholarship," said Bockart. "We, as a school, are really proud of how he has represented Clear Creek High School in his years here.”

Chris Cobb, who coached Bryan at Clear Creek was also full of praise saying,

“It has been a pleasure to have had Bryan in the soccer programme here at Clear Creek for the past four years. He made a dramatic impact on our program with his dedication on and off the field which influenced all his teammates around him at every level. The focus and desire he showed has been an example for so many others and his passion for the game of soccer is unparalleled. Although we will miss him here at Clear Creek, I am sure he will relish the experience which will see him move onto bigger things. His style of play will have as much an impact with his new team as it did with ours.”

St. Thomas coach Aaron Champenoy was also full of enthusiasm at the prospect of Bryan’s upcoming arrival,

“I’m really excited to bring Bryan in.” he said.

Talking about what he expects in the future from Bryan he continued on,

“Bryan will bring good experience to the team and will mesh well with the current set of players, especially as he already knows some of them. For Bryan, the main changes he will find include the step up in playing ability from High school soccer but I know that he is more than capable of the change and I am looking forward to integrating him into the playing squad.”

Before signing his letter of intent with the University of St. Thomas, Bryan had been noticed by many different schools.

But the overall factors that made his decision weigh in favour of his final choice came down to education, closeness to family & friends, and also the chances that would be afforded him upon the soccer field.

Soccer is in his blood and it’s a great draw for someone so young to know he will most probably see some playing time whilst still a freshman.

Mann himself is overjoyed at the chance presented to him saying,

"This is a great opportunity to play soccer at a great academic school. I look forward to the challenge ahead.”

Current Galveston Pirate coach Brendan Keyes can not speak highly enough of the player quoting,

"Bryan is hard working, loyal and intelligent on the field, couple this with his appetite to work and fight for his team mates, he deserves the rewards he gets. As a player, Bryan is a great example of a young player coming through the ranks who works hard and listens to instructions. As he grows as a player and individual, his presence will enhance on the field and dressing room where his leadership qualities will be an asset to me as a coach. His commitment is second to none and never complains wherever I ask him to play on the field and as a coach, he’s a player that makes my job a joy.”

University Achievements

Mann has chose wisely in St. Thomas as they have been named in the top tier of US News & World Report’s "America’s Best Colleges" list, offering master’s degrees in the Western United States for the past 17 years and currently sit 27th out of 572 universities in 2011 rankings.

UST’s low student to faculty ratio of 11:1 continues to further enhance the stock of the University.

On August 2nd 2010, The Princeton Review named UST as one of the best colleges and universities in the West with the education services company selecting the school as one of 120 institutions it recommends that students apply to.

The Cameron School of Business at UST has also joined an elite group of institutions that have achieved business accreditation from The Association of Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB international). Only 620 schools of business, 5 percent worldwide, have earned this distinguished hallmark of excellence with UST being the only private university in Houston to achieve this.

Soccer at UST In only it’s fourth season in competition, the 2010 UST Celts Mens Soccer Team qualified for its first NAIA National championships. Further firsts came with a ten game winning season, ending 10-6-2 going into the Nationals and it was also the first time the Celts made the finals of AII Conference Tournament and for the third year running, the same team earned the number two seeding in the NAIA Association of Independent Institutions tournament.

The Future

Bryan Mann has a bright future ahead of him, both academically and within soccer. If he keeps up the hard work and keeps his head in the books, we will no doubt hear big things about the 17 year old.

For now though, he can carry on with the enjoyment of starting at a new University, making new friends and playing his part on a new soccer team. We shall be watching his progress with anticipation.

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Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Eddie Johnson; three forwards the American media once touted to make an impact on the world stage. The hype for some was such that sports giant Nike became heavily involved, but almost 10 years later they're still scraping the egg from their faces.

However unfulfilled these promises proved to be, that hasn't stopped media on both sides of the pond adding fuel to the debate that the MLS has once again uncovered another gem fit for the world stage.

His name is Juan Agudelo, an 18-year-old Colombian-turned New Yorker, who has since pledged his footballing allegiance to the country that adopted him as an 8-year-old boy with the most humble of beginnings.

Still living with his mother, it's hard to believe that Agudelo's career has taken off as quick as it has; the youngster has already appeared for the national team on four occasions, netting twice, the first of which set a record as the youngest scorer for the USA, and the second coming against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

Agudelo followed a different path to that taken by the majority of his compatriots. His natural ability prompted MLS side New York Red Bulls to sign him straight from their youth academy rather than have him go through the college sports route, a rare commodity in American sports.

There were rumours the youngster was close to signing with Colombian side Millonarios, but the Red Bulls battled hard to keep hold of their prized asset. Their desperation to keep hold of this prodigious talent is paying dividends. What has impressed fans and pundits alike is the fact that a young striker has managed to stand out in an attack-minded team boasting the talents of Thierry Henry, among others.

After making only seven appearances for the New York side, Agudelo has notched two goals. However, it was his second club goal for the team that drew attention from media worldwide.

Against the Red Bull’s bitter rivals DC United late last month, Agudelo completed a 4-0 rout with a deft flick-come-volley which shocked DC's home support into silence and then quiet recognition. It was a goal fit for Henry's scrapbook and resembled the Arsenal legend's famous volley against Manchester United in 2000.

Inevitably, comparisons are quickly being made between the two. It is certainly too early for that but you cannot discount Henry's influence on the youngster. Agudelo seems just as humble and grounded as Henry, spending lots of time talking to his fans on Twitter.

Unlike Adu, Altidore and Johnson, Agudelo appears more than content to stay in the CONCACAF region to develop naturally like Bolton’s Stuart Holden, Fulham's Clint Dempsey and talk-of-the-town Manchester United starlet Javier Hernandez

Adu was once the world's most talked-about young prospect, the man Nike backed to the hilt. Now he is plying his trade on loan at lowly Turkish second division side Caykur Rizespor. Altidore, similarly, has failed to impress at Villarreal and formerly on loan at Hull City and is on loan at Bursaspor in the same country. 

Of course, adjusting to life abroad can be hard, more so at such a young age when so few hail from the same place as you. On that you can argue the three who have fallen by the wayside all moved abroad too soon.

Yet the feeling is that players as good as Agudelo need a platform better than the MLS. This summer's preseason friendly at Arsenal's Emirates Cup may prove to be a step in that direction. A loan move to Europe may then quickly follow suit.

Regardless, Americans young and old are hoping New York Red Bulls and MLS pull out all the stops to keep hold of their young prodigy. By doing so, it is hoped they ensure his development continues on the same trajectory as fellow Latino Hernandez. If it does, remember the name....

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This is Part 12 in a series of articles on the players who will be playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.

Sometimes you have to get your share of knocks in order to come back stronger and develop a higher sense of resolve. For defender Sean Alvarado, he knows the feeling very well.

During an MLS Reserve League match against Chivas USA this season, he suffered a torn ACL and is currently recovering from surgery. It does not take away from a young career with promise, highlighted by an outstanding career with Jorge Salcido's UCLA Bruins.

Sean Alvarado, who claims Liverpool's Steven Gerrard as his role model, was born on September 20, 1987 in West Orange, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. Alvarado graduated from St. Benedict's Preparatory Academy in Newark under head coach Rick Jacobs.

He led the Gray Bees to a 16th consecutive state title and a No. 4 national ranking in his final season while earning first-team All-American honors. As a player in the youth club circuit, Alvarado led Casa Mia to national titles between 2003-2005, an U-15 State Cup title with PDA Cantona and more State Cup titles with the Montclair Eagles.

Alvarado's success led him to more dominance as a defender for the UCLA Bruins. After seeing limited action in 2005, Alvarado broke through in his sophomore year with nine starts in 18 appearances at the center back position. He led the Bruins to the NCAA Division I College Cup Final, where they fell to Tim Vom Steeg's UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

In 2007, he missed the entire season due to knee surgery and successfully applied for a medical redshirt. In 2008, Alvarado saw some action as a junior and earned the team's Coaches Award for a successful recovery from surgery.

2009 was Alvarado's curtain call. He started all 20 games he played, earned All Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors on a UCLA side that features current Galaxy bookend Michael Stephens.

This year, Alvarado was signed by the Galaxy as a homegrown player, but was unable to showcase his talent as his season was cut short due to injury.

Indeed, one must take a few steps back in order to take several steps forward. When Sean Alvarado takes those steps forward, expect big things from this defender in the years to come.

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