As the Houston Dynamo prepare to kick off their final season at Robertson Stadium, the question among fans and media alike is if they can return to the form that brought them two consecutive MLB Cups.

Their first test of 2011 will be against the Philadelphia Union, a team that beat Houston in the first game ever between the two teams, 3-2 on May 29, 2010 in Houston.

In their second match, they battled to a 1-1 tie on Oct. 2.

The Dynamo will have a younger look this season, with 40 percent of the squad yet to play in an official game.

Against the Union, the Dynamo will start Tally Hall in the net, with Jason Garey and Will Bruin slated to start at the forward position.

On defense, head coach Dominic Kinnear will go with Hunter Freeman, Bobby Boswell, Jermaine Taylor and Andre Hainault.

Rounding out the starting line up against the Union will be Corey Ashe, Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer and captain Brad Davis at midfield.

The Union will counter with captain Faryd Mondragon in goal while Carlos Ruiz and Sebastien Le Toux filling the forward spots.

Kyle Nakazawa, Brian Carroll, Stefani Miglioranzi and Justin Mapp will start at midfield.

On defense, Carlos Valdes, Jordan Harvey, Sheanon Williams and Danny Califf will start.

The Dynamo have listed midfielder Colin Clark as unavailable with an injured left knee. Forward Brian Ching is listed as doubtful.

Union defender Juan Diego Gonzalez is listed as questionable with a left hip flexor strain.

Game time slated for 7:30pm in Houston.

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Is there a team in more disarray than Toronto FC? In the club’s fifth year of existence it will be playing under its sixth coach. Its star-player wants out and its 2010 team MVP left preseason camp because of a gripe about his contract. The team has still never made the playoffs.

And now there’s another team in Canada to steal talent and fans from the Reds.

Things can only get better from here for Toronto, right?

Aron Winter is the new head coach, a former Dutch National Team member. He promises Toronto fans that the team will play an attacking attractive style of soccer. And after having Preki, who some criticized as a drill sergeant coach, this new system should seem more fun and inspiring, especially as they finished fourth in the league in fewest goals scored (33).

He’ll have arguably one of the best midfielders ever in MLS, Dwayne De Rosario. He’s a two-time league MVP and he’s a clutch performer in both regular season and the playoffs. Last season he scored an MLS career-high 15 goals to go along with three assists. He’s the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The leading man, however, is unhappy. He says he feels he has outperformed his contract and deserves a new, more deserving deal. Part of that dissatisfaction could be because of how he has played and produced far more than Toronto’s two Designated Players (Julian de Guzman and Mista—now released). After scoring a goal in September last year, he mimed signing a check and mouthed “Pay me.”

This offseason he went on trial with legendary Scottish club Celtic. He did so, however, without the knowledge or permission of Toronto FC or MLS. They let him stay on trial once they found out though, but when De Ro asked for a short-term loan they immediately said no.

He isn’t the only one to want more from TFC management. Last season’s team MVP—who made around $65,000 in base salary—left training camp demanding a new contract. He returned eight days later, but there seems to be a problem here between the team’s top players and ownership. Did De Ro’s situation make it easier for Cann to make his statement? This is the kind of off-field extracurricular activity that could tear teams apart.

On the field, apart from these two, the Reds have a great starting goalkeeper in Stefan Frei. A good athlete in net, Frei improved upon his rookie numbers in 2010 posting a 1.32 goals against average and a 70 percent save percentage.

Frei will need to continue to improve because the defense has been pretty weak. Once again TFC allowed over 40 goals throughout the season. The team made a nice move in an attempt to improve its backline, trading for Nathan Sturgis, the 23-year-old defender that was on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Along with Sturgis is Nana Attakora. The 21-year-old has been a member of the team since its existence. The hope is that his presence, although a young player, will be a stabilizing force as the team rebuilds and attempts to make the playoffs for the first time ever.

There is talent on this team, but there has been a lot of instability and in-house arguing. De Rosario says he won’t be a distraction, that he will play as if there was no problem, but if the team isn’t winning how happy will he remain?

The team has fallen short and underachieved with some solid lineups. With so much going on off-the-field it’s hard to imagine things straightening themselves out.

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One of two expansion teams in 2011—and the second team in Canada—the Vancouver Whitecaps seem to have a squad set-up for more success in the future than right now.
Only three players are in their thirties, and only five more are over the age of 26. The Whitecaps held the first overall selection in the MLS Super Draft and chose a player they were familiar with, but cannot play with them until he turns 18-years-old in September. Also, only five players played in MLS last season.

If Vancouver is going to be competitive, let alone surprise the league and sneak into the playoffs, they will rely heavily on veterans on defense: goalie Joe Cannon and defender and captain Jay DeMerit.

DeMerit has enjoyed a Cinderella-like soccer career. After being turned down by MLS he moved to England and briefly joined teams in the ninth and seventh-tiers of English soccer, until in 2004 he impressed Watford coaches in a scrimmage and was invited to a trial with the team. He signed with the club and was a regular in the lineup until this past summer. He also was a starter for the USMNT during the previous World Cup.

Named team captain, DeMerit brings valuable soccer experience, toughness, and determination. Plus, he'll anchor the backline.

Cannon is a 12-year MLS veteran. He became the face of the San Jose Earthquakes the past few years and got them off to a hot start last season, but an ankle injury ended not only his season, but his tenure with the club. He will be a stabilizing force when he is fit to play, but currently he is still recovering from that ankle injury. Jay Nolly will hold down the fort for him.

A lot of players will really need to step up for Vancouver to win games. The corps of forwards is extremely thin. No. 1 draft pick Omar Salgado—who trained with Vancouver last year—has played well in the preseason and is an exciting prospect, but due to FIFA age restrictions will not be able to suit up for the team until September.

The Whitecaps management made Frenchman Eric Hassli its first-ever Designated Player. The forward came from FC Zurich in Switzerland and has a strong build (6’4”, 200 pounds) and seems to be a physical force to be reckoned with, but his ability to score goals is suspect. In the past two seasons he only scored seven goals, which is pretty poor for a forward, let alone one signed as a DP.

John Thorrington and Shea Salinas are midfielders that bring a lot of MLS experience and are solid players, however, like Cannon, have long injury histories that make what kind of impact they have on the field questionable.

The team has retained 11 players from its USSF Division-2 side—including defender Wes Knight, midfielder and former Juventus product Davide Chiumiento and 18-year-old midfielder Russell Teibert—and it will be interesting to see how they adapt to the new league.

With a tremendous lack of experience and the large potential for injuries, opportunities for playing time will be wide open. Will the young guys step up and compete hard for the chance to get on the pitch, or will it be a situation where someone is playing by default because there is no one else?

The learning curve must be quick, or the Whitecaps first season—despite the great support from its fans—could be a rocky road.

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On the heels of losing Blaise Nkufo, the Sounders have signed Argentine midfielder, Mauro Rosales. 

Rosales, 30, has been capped 10 times by Argentina.  He has played for the gold-medal winning team at the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2001 FIFA U20 World Cup and the 2004 Copa America (runners-up). 

“Mauro brings a lot of experience to our team,” Sounders' coach Sigi Schmid said in a news release. “He’s a playmaking type of midfielder with good quickness and clever passing. We’re excited to have him join our team.”

“I am very excited to start playing for the Sounders,” said Rosales. “This is a great opportunity, to play in this league and for one of the biggest teams in the USA. I’m especially happy to be joining such fantastic players and staff and such a great organization.”

Rosales isn't new to the Sounders entirely. He trained with the team during the off-season in Florida.

The 30-year-old midfielder has played in over 400 matches in all competitions in Europe and South America, scoring 39 goals in matches with the Old Boys, Ajax and River Plate.

Terms of the contract have not been announced.

The Sounders take on the New York Red Bulls, Saturday night in New York.

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"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress."—Charles Dickens

In less than a day, the New York Red Bulls will open their 2011 MLS season against the Seattle Sounders at the most electrifying soccer-specific stadium in the United States, Red Bull Arena.  

While covering the Red Bulls Media Day, which entailed the team practicing before their Q&A session, I have to admit that it felt good to be back at Red Bull Arena and to catch up with other journalists and the Red Bulls staff.

As I watched the team practice, the only voices I paid attention to in the 25,000 empty seats of Red Bull Arena were the players. During their session, I was already visualizing the southward section where I will hear the Viking Army, the Garden State Supporters and the Empire Supporters Club bringing their ruckus and inspiring the fans to disrupt their opponents' flow.

Last year's 2010 MLS season was a memorable one. With the opening of Red Bull Arena, the signings of manager Hans Backe, Joel Lindpere, Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, and the emergence of Bouna Coundoul, Dane Richards, Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo, Red Bull fans have many things to be proud off.

Despite their regular-season Eastern Conference-leading success, the Red Bulls and their fans were bitterly stunned at Red Bull Arena when the San Jose Earthquakes and two Bobby Convey goals ended the Red Bulls' quest for the MLS Cup. Following their elimination, the only thing Red Bull fans could do was simply wait for the 2011 MLS season to begin while hoping the management doesn't make too many drastic changes.

No longer with the team is Juan Pablo Angel. While he will be missed, Red Bulls fans will salivate over the potential of 18-year-old sensation Juan Agudelo and the team's potential attacking firepower.

Much like Persephone leaving the Underworld, Red Bull fans have many reasons to look forward to the 2011 MLS season. For the first time in a long time, the New York Red Bulls have a realistic opportunity to give their fans something they've been yearning for for the past 16 years.

And I'm not talking about pomegranate seeds. I'm talking about the MLS Cup.

The Red Bulls have a chance to demonstrate to their fans and serve notice to every MLS team that they will be a force to reckon with. While fans were patient last year, that may not be the case this year.

All of this begins on Saturday, March 19, 2011 at Red Bull Arena. There's nothing else to explain, analyze or justify. The Red Bulls have their players and now it's up to the team to simply produce goals and win.

To see more of Bill Menzel's Red Bulls Media Day photos, please go to this link.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for Latino Sports. You may follow him on Facebook at Covering Soccer and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer and @LatinoSports143. Please email your questions and comments to Cesar at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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The Sounders dropped their season opener to the Galaxy on Tuesday night, 1-0.

In many cases, this was a tale of two halves. The Sounders created many opportunities in the first half. Unfortunately, we all watched as the Sounders were unable to finish on those many opportunities.

All was looking well going in 0-0 at halftime in rain-drenched Qwest Field. The Galaxy came out looking different in the second half, as did the Sounders.

Juninho took a pass from Todd Dunivant at 35 yards. The Sounders defense failed to close in on Juninho, and he took a blazing shot past Kasey Keller to give the Galaxy all they needed to win the match. The Sounders continued to look flat in the second half. Long passes to nowhere and poor play throughout gave the fans no hope of a comeback.

One of the bright spots so far has been the play of Osvaldo Alonso. He is looking better than last year, if that's even possible. The defense continues to look weak, with Leo Gonzalez starting the season with a yellow card, which surprises no one. Jeff Parke and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado seem to always be a step behind. James Riley is carrying the defense when he can.

Sounders fans saw the regular-season Seattle initiation of Erik Friberg, O’Brian White and Lamar Neagle. Friberg and White both had good shots on goal, both narrowly missing the target.

On a side note, Blaise Nkufo is no longer with the team. Apparently a disagreement over playing style has lead to yet another DP leaving the Sounders fold. Regardless of the reason for his departure, the Sounders were 8-1-2 with him in the starting lineup. He will be missed.

The Sounders take on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Saturday at 4:30 PT.

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Los Angeles and New York get a lot of the glitz and glamour, but is there a better team, a team more well-rounded than Real Salt Lake?

The team was unsuccessful in defending its MLS Cup championship, but as a team, they looked as dangerous as ever.

Finishing second in the Western Conference, Salt Lake had the Newcomer of the Year award winner, surrendered the fewest goals in the league (20) and had the best goal differential (plus-25).

The best thing to like about the 2011 version of this club? It returns practically everyone from the core of last year’s team; actually, an impact player was added to its roster.

An elite team with continuity from year-to-year is very dangerous.

Alvaro Saborio made a huge impact on the team in his debut season in MLS, scoring 12 goals and winning the Newcomer of the Year award. He was rewarded for his efforts with a new Designated Player contract. He’ll need to be just as strong this year, with Robbie Findley leaving and trying his hand in Europe.

Findley wasn’t a major contributor last year, struggling with form and injuries and missing time because of his inclusion on the World Cup squad. But when he was around teams still had to think about him.

Now, however, it’s all up to Saborio.

He’ll have plenty of support in the midfield, though. Javier Morales is the stand-out of this unit. He’s a playmaker in the center of the midfielder who can both get his own shot off and create for others. He’s also aided by Andy Williams, a playmaker himself with good pace and newcomer Arturo Alvarez.

Alvarez is an offensive-minded player who many think will thrive with this club. He’s a bit temperamental at times, but he has been a prominent player on all his teams while in MLS and will only improve RSL.

Backing them up is midfielder and team captain Kyle Beckerman. He is a tenacious player who always goes in hard in his challenges on the ball and he is a good leader.

The stingy defense is led by goalkeeper Nick Rimando. His quick reflexes helped him post the second best goals against average in the league (0.67) and the most shutouts (14). He also finished third in save percentage (78 percent).

In front of him is as solid a group as any, headed by Jamison Olave—the centerback is the best player on the backline. He is joined by Nat Borchers, Robbie Russell and Chris Wingert.

Like any team, avoiding injury will be the biggest issue this team has. It will be a little more difficult to do with so many games.

There are MLS matches and US Open Cup matches. The team also qualified for Superliga and is currently in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Depth and overwork will test this team.

A second strike partner will need to be found to support Saborio. Cody Arnoux came to the team in a special draft and he impressed Everton enough to earn a one-year contract with Everton in 2009.

Fabian Espindola had a goal and an assist in the team’s recent 2-0 victory over Saprissa in the Champions League, so options are there.

This is a very dangerous team with talent, key players signed to long-term contracts and youth to develop.

They won the 2009 MLS Cup as a heavy underdog, but now this club will aim to become a dynasty and win another trophy, this time as a legitimate threat.

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The Houston Dynamo will have a new, younger look in 2011 when they take the field against second-year Philadelphia Union, a team with nine new offseason acquisitions, in Saturday’s season opener with a 7:30p.m. start at Robertson Stadium.

Despite being an expansion team, Philadelphia won the teams’ season series last year with a dramatic 3-2 stoppage-time win in Houston in May and a 1-1 tie in Philadelphia in October.

The Dynamo begins the 2011 season with a full 40 percent of the roster yet to participate in a game with the club.

Their offseason moves yielded 10 players who have yet to make their Houston debuts. Houston acquired three players via draft (Kofi Sarkodie, Will Bruin, Evan Newton), three via trade (Colin Clark, Jason Garey, Jordan Graye), two via international signings (Hunter Freeman, Jermaine Taylor) and two via the Dynamo Academy (Alex Dixon, Josue Soto).

MLS SuperDraft picks Kofi Sarkodie and Will Bruin both ended the preseason competing for starting spots. No Houston rookie has ever started an Opening Day match, and only Geoff Cameron, in 2008, has played at all as a rookie in an opener. Eighth-year head coach Dominic Kinnear has only started one rookie on Opening Day in his coaching career: Danny O’Rourke in 2005 with San Jose.

At 19 years, 362 days, defender Kofi Sarkodie could become the youngest player in Houston history to start an MLS match if he gets the nod on Saturday. The current Dynamo record is held by midfielder Danny Cruz, who scored in his first MLS start on May 22, 2010 at the age of 20 years, 139 days.

Midfielder Brad Davis led the Dynamo offense in the preseason with four goals and six assists in only 535 minutes. Davis notched five goals and 12 assists in league play in each of the last two years to earn team MVP honors. His preseason goals included one penalty kick and three direct free kicks; his six assists included four from corner kicks.

Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall is expected to start in net, taking over for the departed Pat Onstad. Although Hall has played only five MLS games, he has made 18 starts for the Dynamo in all competitions over the past two years, twice tying the club record with 10 saves in a single match.

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National Football League and reality star Chad Ochocinco is set for a four-day tryout with the Sporting Kansas City's Major League Soccer club.

The club said Wednesday that after the tryout it would determine whether to extend the trial period.

"We're always searching for players who can help our team and bringing in new talent,” Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes said. “We know that Chad is an exceptional athlete and that he loves the sport of soccer, and he did play a lot when he was younger. We're excited to see how his skills will translate once he arrives next week and begins training with our team."

“Due to the NFL lockout, I’m excited to be able to follow my childhood dream of playing for a Major League Soccer team,” Ochocinco stated.  He also went on to say he started playing soccer at age four but chose to focus on football in high school. He emphasized that he was thankful to Sporting Kansas City for giving him the opportunity.

The NFL reality star considers many of the sport’s biggest stars as close friends, including New York Red Bulls Designated Player Thierry Henry, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho.

In January, Ochocinco visited Ronaldo, Kaka and the rest of Real Madrid’s squad and was introduced to Manager Jose Mourinho.

Ochocinco was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Oregon State University. He went on to become the most distinguished wide receiver in Bengals history and holds the team’s all-time records in receiving yards, receptions and touchdown receptions.

Ochocinco is also one of only six players in NFL history to compile 10,000 or more receiving yards with a single team.

Away from the playing field, Ochocinco has become a media sensation with a massive fan following. He appeared on Dancing with the Stars after having his own reality TV show on VH1 called Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch and co-hosting The T.Ocho Show with Terrell Owens and Sports Soup on the Versus Network.

We can't help wondering if this is another futile attempt for Ochocinco to grab more of the limelight during the lockout. 

Chad, you may have played soccer well as a child. Please stick with the one thing you are good at—American Football.  You will eventually become that "Ultimate Catch" when you stop trying so hard!

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In 2010, the New York Red Bulls went from having the worst record in the MLS to first place in the Eastern Conference. Their Atlantic Cup rival, D.C. United, is poised to make a similar ascent up the standings.

After finishing last season with the worst record in MLS, and failing to qualify for the playoffs for a third consecutive year, D.C. made a lot of changes to its roster, picking up some very recognizable names.

Joseph Ngwenya, Josh Wolff, Pat Onstad, Dax McCarty and Charlie Davies will all represent the Black and Red on the pitch this season.

Ngwenya, Wolff and Davies were all brought in to help an impotent offense that was the only team in MLS last season to not score 30 goals (21). All the attention will be on Davies, however.

It seems like ages ago Davies was a promising USMNT forward who wowed fans with his blistering speed, earned their respect with his tireless hustle and got their attention with his “Stanky Leg” goal celebration. Then a car accident nearly took not only his soccer career, but his life as well.

Davies has persevered, though, and has finished his rehab. His parent club, FC Sochaux, thought he was unfit for first team action with them, so he needed a fresh start. In a surprising twist, he wound up exactly where it all fell apart for him.

Fans around the world, especially American fans, will watch Davies closely; Is he still as fast? Can he score? What’s going to happen if someone comes in with a hard challenge? Can he be the great player we thought he would be before the accident?

It’s a lot to live up to, but Davies seems to realize what he’s gotten himself into, relishes it and just wants to focus on becoming first-team fit again.

He’ll have plenty of support behind him in the midfield. Andy Najar, last season’s Rookie of the Year, will be joined by Designated Player Branko Boskovic, Santino Quaranta and Dax McCarty. Najar was the team’s leader in goals scored last season, and the team’s lack of talent will thrust him into a starring role. But it won’t be all up to him this year.

The majority of the team is young, so McCarty will provide the leadership this squad lacked last year. He’s only 23 years old, but he’s been in the league since 2006 and made it to the MLS Cup final last season with FC Dallas. He’s getting increased looks from the USMNT and was the team’s captain in its January friendly against Chile.

The big names have come on offense, but the defense is a bit thin. It was supposed to be homegrown product Bill Hamid’s time to shine in net, but he suffered a shoulder injury early in preseason.

Backup Steve Cronin was also injured, so it’s up to 43-year-old Pat Onstad—who retired and signed with D.C. to be an assistant coach, only to unretire to fill out the goalie position—to lead a relatively unfamiliar unit. Outside of rookie Perry Kitchen, the team’s first round pick, the rest of the defense is a bunch of unknowns.

A big problem for United is that while the additions are of high-profile names, do they still bring talent or are they working on big names alone? Teams get rid of players for all different reasons, but make no mistake about it: Ngwenya, Wolff and Onstad were all let go by their respective teams. Wolff only scored two goals last season, Ngwenya netted only one goal and Onstad retired. And can Davies stay healthy?

The defense looks to be the weakness, but the other positions are full of potential and promise. Things may start out a little rocky, but this team does have the talent to at least sneak into the playoffs.

If anything, this team gives the faithful fans something to be optimistic about despite the performances over the past few years and the possibility that the team may be moved.

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