Major League Soccer (MLS) Rumors - For the time between the games

REPORT: Houston Dynamo at Seattle Sounders FC - Post Match Report

2009-07-12T04:31:00.005-04:00

Montero's goal is likely to always remain controversial.

This was an important game for both teams in the league standings and each club had multiple starters out due to injuries and national team call ups. Even though neither team was at full strength this turned out to be a well played entertaining game. Houston had more starters not playing but came out and showed they were still a team that should not be taken lightly or thought of as a "B" Dynamo team. Ricardo Clark fresh from his US National team experience at the Confederation Cup made it clear why the Dynamo midfielder is an important part of Houstons team by controlling the midfield and creating scoring opportunities.

Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis along with forward Kei Kamara created several scoring threats, making the Sounders defense look unorganized and lackadaisical. Sounder Patrick Ianni played in slow motion several times acting like he had all the time in the world to clear the ball inside the 18. He would try to control it, rather than just clear it out of danger, allowing one of the Dynamo players time to step in and steal the ball away. One of those times Ianni failed to clear the ball inside the 6 yard box it cost the Sounders dearly when Dynamo Dominic Oduro stole the ball then passed it to Brian Mullen and who the passed it to midfielder Brad Davis who put it past a helpless Kasey Keller for the score.

In the 31st minute the Sounders midfielder Steven King passed the ball into the corner to Nate Jaqua who crossed it to Fredy Montero who chipped it over Houston keeper Pat Onstad. It appeared as if Mike Chabala cleared it off the line only to have the linesman signal it a goal. It may never be determined without a doubt whether this controversial call was a goal or a great save.

There were multiple other chances for both sides to score in the remaining 15 minutes with this end to end action game. Both sides were unable to convert their scoring chances before the half time whistle blew, leaving the score 1 to 1.

To start the second half the improbable happened in that Patrick Ianni rectified his first half performance by scoring in the 1st minute of the second half. With his back to the goal he chipped it over his head and it went into the far corner for a goal. He said after the game he did not know it went in until Fredy Montero was saying to him "goal, goal". Thus with one kick he wiped out a first half of poor play by putting Seattle up 2 to 1 over Houston.

Both teams had several opportunities throughout the rest of the game, making it a very entertaining match. However, neither side was able to score before the final whistle. This first ever meeting between Houston and Seattle gave the Sounders several other firsts: Their first come from behind victory home or away, Brian Schmetzer’s first win as a head coach and Patrick Ianni's first goal of the year.

Next up for both teams is a rematch on Tuesday July 21st at the Starfire Sports Complex in the US Open Cup semifinal game. A meeting Houston coach Dominic Kinnear is likely looking forward to for revenge, but is uncertain he will find it any easier on the compact artificial turf field at Starfire where the fans are within a few feet of the pitch.

SUMMEROFSCORN: Donovan and Beckham to Face Off In Meeting

2009-07-12T00:26:00.002-04:00

The David Beckham "Summer of Scorn" rolls on....

In an interview Beckham gave to the Associated Press he states that he will be having some words with Landon Donovan in the next couple of days. We would love to be a fly on THAT wall.

Here's what Becks said....

"...in 17 years, I have played with the biggest teams in the world and the biggest players and not once have I been criticized for my professionalism. It's important to get this cleared up and I will be speaking to Landon either this evening or over the next couple of days."

PHOTO: Zinedine Zidane at Galaxy Match With Becks

2009-07-11T23:55:00.004-04:00

So, shall we queue those Zidane to the Galaxy rumors again? Nah....

VIDEO: "Ref Is A Cheat." - Says Brian Ching

2009-07-11T23:32:00.008-04:00

Could this be the first time a player is fined by a league for a tweet on Twitter?

It seems whenever Seattle plays some kind of controversy surrounds either a player, a coach or the outcome of the game. Today was no exception. During the 31st minute of Houston at Seattle Sounders FC, Sounders striker Fredy Montero got onto a pass from Nate Jaqua and the center ref appeared to wave play-on even though the linesman closest to the goal felt it went in. The goal was awarded to Seattle and Montero prompting Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching, away with the national team to text in a tweet on Twitter:

"Ref in seattle just cheated the dynamo. What a joke. Not even close. Ref is a cheat"

What do you think?

Let's go to video....

By the way, speaking of Twitter, make sure you follow MLSR on our Twitter Feed where you get the rumors is small byte sized pieces (pun intended). We're at about 942 followers and our 1,000th follower will win a special MLS related prize.

INCOMING:Leonid Krupnik to Red Bulls

2009-07-10T23:58:00.002-04:00

According to various sources within MLS and Red Bull New York, it appears that Maccabi Haifa defender Leonid Krupnik has signed with the Red Bulls or is in the final stages of reaching an agreement with the MLS side. The Ukrainian born Krupnik, played college ball in the United States before being drafted in 2002 by Metrostars. He was signed by Metrostars in 2002 but never made an official appearance with the club. He than went on to play for the Willmington Hammerheads and Charleston Battery before embarking on a career in the Israeli top flight. In four seasons in Israel, Leonid appeared in 102 league matches and scored two goals. In the most recently completed season he helped Maccabi Haifa clinch their 11th Israeli Premier League title. He helped anchor the teams defense starting in 30 of the clubs 33 league matches. The Red Bulls are hoping that Leonid can help stabilize the clubs back line as it prepares for participation in the CONCACAF Champions League which will commence later this month.

PHOTO: Zoltán the (Kansas City) Wizard (DONE DEAL)

2009-07-10T19:56:00.006-04:00

Photo courtesy of The Back Post...

INCOMING: Strikers Jamie Smith and Facundo Diz to Colorado Rapids (CONFIRMED

2009-07-10T14:11:00.005-04:00

Onetime Toronto FC target, Aberdeen's winger/striker Jamie Smith is set to sign with Colorado as is Argentine striker Facundo Diz, who has long been rumored to be joining the mile high club.

Excerpt courtesy of the Denver Post:

In addition to signing 30-year-old French defender Julien Baudet, the Rapids — pending any paperwork snafus — will add 30-year-old Argentine striker Facundo Diz, formerly with Atletico Platense, and 28-year-old Scottish winger Jamie Smith, who was last at Aberdeen and played with Rapids assistant Steve Guppy at Celtic.
The Rapids will have to drop one player to make room for the full trio, Smith said.

AMERICANS ABROAD: Charlie Davies inches towards Sochaux move.

2009-07-10T08:53:00.003-04:00

According to French source L'EQUIPE, Davies has signed with Sochaux. However no official word has been released from club nor player.

Sochaux has been in the market for a striker and may just have one. Their top scorer Mevlut Erding left the club for PSG and the speedy Charlie Davies could be the answer. He is expected to complete his move by this Thursday.

REPORT: "I think he's a punk!" Kansas City's Curt Onalfo Lashes Out at Seattle's Montero As Kansas Crashes Out of Open Cup

2009-07-09T22:05:00.007-04:00

Following the Kansas City Wizard's loss to Seattle in the Quarterfinals of the US Open Cup, Wizards coach Curt Onalfo had some harsh words for Seattle's star striker.

Courtesy of the Kansas City Kansan:

"It's a bitter taste for us," Onalfo said. "It was devastating to get the penalty call in the 90th minute. It was a blatant dive. For me as a MLS coach, it was the worst I've felt in terms of being cheated of a game."

But Onalfo feels the Wizards can use the call as a rallying point in an effort to close in on the playoffs during the second half of the MLS season.

"I was furious after the game and I told the guys to use that energy or anger down the road," he said.

Onalfo was also not afraid to hold anything back
regarding Montero himself.

"I think he's a punk," he said. "And I'll say that."

As counterpoint the following photos appeared on Dave Falks's Examiner blog:

Penalty or Punk? What do you think?

VIDEO: Santino's Return to Glory

2009-07-09T21:07:00.003-04:00

REPORT: Portland Deal Finally Done At Last!

2009-07-09T20:57:00.004-04:00

Timbers Army has new reason to cheer. The long sometimes frustrating and difficult road to PGE Park renovations to accommodate MLS has finally come to an end. With a great outcome.

Courtesy of the The Oregonian:

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard emerged from their final negotiating session just before 2 p.m. today after finalizing a $31 million deal to renovate PGE Park for the team's 2011 Major League Soccer debut.

And just in time.

The City Council's 2 p.m. meeting includes measures that would exempt the project from the city's competitive bidding requirements and give Paulson and his company full authority to hire designers and builders for the project.

The long-awaited deal scales back the changes from what was previously envisioned by $6 million to fit within the available budget. The details on the changes are not yet available.

INCOMING: Zoltán Hercegfalvi to Kansas City Wizards?

2009-07-09T20:39:00.002-04:00

The excellent Kansas City blog, Down the Byline has figured out the mystery player who may be coming to the team. It is Zoltán Hercegfalvi a 29 year old Hungarian striker who has

and last played for Budapest Honvéd FC scoring 13 goals in 51 appearances.

Here is an excerpt from Down the Byline:

So I have been doing a little research since I posted about Thad's post on a potential new player for KC. I ended up checking the Wizards wikipedia, and on the current roster, there is a new player listed, Zoltán Hercegfalvi out of Hungary, someone updated Hercegflavi's wikipeida page yesterday with the information that he was joining the Wizards. Finding that information I went and googled for articles about Hercegfalvi joining KC. I came across this one from the first of July about Hercegflavi coming to Kansas City for a medical. It appears that the deal maybe some sort of loan, although google translate isn't always helpful.

Continue reading here...

VIDEO: Dynamo Stadium Opening Date Could Be Mid-Season 2011

2009-07-09T17:59:00.005-04:00

The former projected date was by beginning of the 2011 season. Should the deal go through, it still would be huge for MLS

Courtesy of our good friends at dynamo planet.com

VIDEO: CONCACAF VideoSignals 7-8-2009

2009-07-09T14:59:00.000-04:00

OUTGOING: Robbie Rogers to Tottenham? Atlético Madrid?

2009-07-09T13:54:00.007-04:00

Could the Columbus Crew winger be headed back to Europe? If the following rumor is correct maybe he will be playing against national team teammate Clint Dempsey in London. Or perhaps he will play against Americans Guiseppi Rossi and Jozy Altidore in Spain?

Rogers has been scouted intensely since a breakout performance at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and he had an impressive game vs Grenada in the first US match in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and was named Man of the Match.

A source close to MLSR and within US soccer media has sent us the following:

I'm hearing that there is preliminary european interest in Columbus's Robbie Rogers. He could be the next player to move overseas. The interest is coming from Tottenham Hotspur from the Barclay's Premier League in England and Atlético Madrid in La Liga in Spain. I'll brief you on anything else I hear in the future.

Which club would Rogers better fit into in your opinion? Which would be more likely to help in his development?

REPORT: Redemption - The Return of Santino Quaranta

2009-07-09T06:01:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of Behind the Badge.

Santino Quaranta is a popular figure among many on MLSR even among non-DC United fans. His return to United has been one peppered with some beautiful goals. In a world where we've all made mistakes or done things we're not so proud of, his recovery and rise back to footballing glory has been inspiring. And now it is complete.

Last night, Santino Quaranta gots his first cap for the U.S. Men's National Team since January of 2006. Then, in the second half, he scored the game-winning goal. And it all happend on his home pitch at RFK Stadium. In front of his family, friends and fans. All this, after battling back from what was a crippling drug addiction. 'Tino was understandably emotional after the game, coming close to tears on several ocassions.

Read on at Behind the Badge.

REPORT: New Meadowlands Train Service May Benefit Red Bull's Giants Stadium Attendance

2009-07-09T00:12:00.003-04:00

NEWARK (AP) — Spectators can soon ride the train to the games at the Meadowlands sports and entertainment complex.

NJ Transit officials on Wednesday set July 26 for the opening of rail service from Hoboken and Secaucus Junction to the Meadowlands. The CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer title match will be played at Giants Stadium that day.

Initially, trains will operate for stadium events that figure to draw more than 50,000 people. These include Giants and Jets preseason and regular season games, major concerts and Gold Cup soccer matches.

Trains will run every 10 to 20 minutes from Hoboken and Secaucus beginning 31/2 hours before events and up to two hours afterward.

NJ Transit will announce daily service schedules at a later date.

So now what excuse will New Yorkers have for not supporting the Red Bulls?

VIDEO: Real Salt Lake's 2010 Prototype Jersey

2009-07-08T23:18:00.002-04:00

REPORT: Seattle Sounders FC Gets Double Dynamo Duel in 10 Days

2009-07-08T18:03:00.003-04:00

With last nights Houston Dynamo victory over the Charleston Battery and Seattle Sounders defeating the Kansas City Wizards, it sets up a second match between the 2 teams within 10 days to be played in Seattle. They will be meeting on Saturday at Qwest Field at 1:00 pm PDT for their regular season match. Then they will meet again for the US Open Cup Semifinals on July 21st at the Starfire Sports Complex which may be changed to Qwest because the Emerald City Supporters (ECS), Seattle's largest supporters group, has asked the Sounder Alliance for a such a move and to also have FSN broadcast it. There are multiple things that tie the two clubs together. Here are a few of things which intertwine.

Houston features several personalities with Northwest connections, including 2 former USL-1 Sounders. Central defender Craig Waibel played his collegiate career at the University of Washington. He then played for the Spokane Shadow of the USL PDL in 1998 and 1999 where he played with Brian Ching when Ching was the rookie of the year in the PDL. Craig went on to Seattle from 1999-2002. Brian Ching, currently with the US National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup starred and graduated from Gonzaga. Later he was with the Sounders in 2001 and 2002.

Mike Chabala also played for the University of Washington. Tally Hall is a native of Gig Harbour Washington. Houston forward Cam Weaver played for Seattle University where he helped the Redhawks win the NCAA Division II Championship in 2004. He was the USL-1 Sounders top scorer in 2005 as a rookie. Dominic Kinnear, the Dynamo head coach played for the Sounders 1995 USL-1 (A-League) Championship team.

Seattle features several players with ties to Houston including some having played for the Dynamo. Sounders Lamar Neagle played with Houston's Danny Cruz at UNLV. James Riley played with the colorful Kei Kamara in San Jose in 2008. Brad Evans became a team mate of Brian Ching on the US National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Patrick Ianni was drafted by the Dynamo in the 2006 MLS Super draft. Nate Jaqua went to the Dynamo in a trade in 2007 and played for them until he left for Cashpoint SCR Altach before returning to MLS in Seattle.

An extra mention is Sounders Osvaldo Alonso Moreno who has a special tie to Houston. He defected from Cuba while the team was in Houston,TX to face the Honduran national team during the 2007 Gold Cup. In 2008 he played for the Charleston Battery team that defeated the Dynamo then the Sounders on their way to the US Open Cup Final where they were defeated by DC United. It was the second year in a row the Dynamo were eliminated by the Battery.

With personal rivalries there is always trash talk between friends that helps motivate players. This can lead to a couple of very intense games both within the league and in the Cup.

REPORT: SUM-mer of Soccer Continues as SUM, US Soccer, and MLS Relationship Examined

2009-07-08T16:49:00.003-04:00

Our good friend Kartik Krishnayer at MLSR partner MajorLeagueSoccerTalk.com continues his series examining the "Summer of Soccer" with a critical eye. We love this stuff and though you would too so we present this article to you in its entirety. Be sure to read Part 1 of this series here.

Summer of Soccer Continues

The 14 matches that were played during the first week of the ‘Summer of Soccer’ drew 168,687. All games were part of entities owned or marketed by Soccer United Marketing(SUM).

The Gold Cup kicked off this week. By Sunday, three of the nine doubleheaders that constitute the group phase were played. The other 6 will be contested this week.

Here’s how this week’s events fared …

Summer of Soccer Attendances
Opponents	Venue	Date	Event	Att
Panama v Guadeloupe	Oakland-Alameda Cty Col. Oakland, CA	Sun, Jul 05	Gold Cup	32,500
Nicaragua v Mexico	Oakland-Alameda Cty Col. Oakland, CA	Sun, Jul 05	Gold Cup	32,500
Honduras v Haiti	Qwest Field, Seattle, WA	Sat, Jul 04	Gold Cup	15,387
USA v Grenada	Qwest Field, Seattle, WA	Sat, Jul 04	Gold Cup	15,387
Jamaica v Canada	Home Depot Center LA, CA	Fri, Jul 03	Gold Cup	27,000
El Salvador v Costa Rica	Home Depot Center LA, CA	Fri, Jul 03	Gold Cup	27,000
Port. Timbers v B. Munich II	PGE Park, Portland, OR	Thu, Jul 02	Friendly	9,340

			total	84,227
			average	21,057

The three Gold Cup doubleheaders are marketed(Ch-ching!) by SUM.

Do you think the USSF are scratching their collective heads over the attendance at the US match in Seattle? I didn’t expect a full Qwest Field, but only 15G? I suspect there will be as many expanations as there are fans. So here are a couple of starters…

US fans have become sophisticated enough to not come out in droves for a ‘B’ team.

US fans have become sophisticated enough to not come out for Gold Cup that doesn’t lead to the next Confederations Cup.

It appears there were no fireworks directly related to the Qwest Field matches(I don’t even know if that’s possible). Anyway, it was the 4th and MLS attendances were strong.

Any ideas why the crowd was so sparse in Seattle?

How Does the Gold Cup Impact MLS Soccer

USMNT Gold Cup MLS Same Day Attendance v Average
Group Play	6/7/2007	07 Avg	7/4/2009	09 Avg
Houston	12,017	15,883
Columbus			14,370	13,056
Colorado			19,680	13,045
Kansas City			10,385	9,789
FC Dallas			14,327	9,306
Los Angeles			20,609	19,292

“Soccer United Marketing manages marketing, public relations and operations for the Gold Cup tournament.”

Now what exactly does that mean in terms of revenue for SUM? Just a straight management fee? Maybe a percent of merchandise sales? Points here or there or fixed income? Does its position with MLS create for SUM a conflict of interest or a complementary relationship? Hint: As in many life scenarios, it’s both.

MLS owes its survival to the the creation of, and continuing operations of SUM. The Gold Cup, and by that I mean CONCACAF, is a clients of SUM. Some of the revenues that Soccer United Marketing receives will eventually be distributed to MLS teams, in particular the teams not yet making a profit(the majority of the league’s teams). That’s the complementary part. Then there is servicing the client to maximize its revenues which may or may not coincide with the best interests of MLS. Yes, the July 4 direct conflict is the most recent case in point.

That’s the tightrope that SUM is continuously perched upon.

As we can see, in ‘07 Houston’s match on the day of a USMNT Gold Cup match was below it’s eventual season average. Whereas this year, it being July 4, all teams had attendances higher than their current averages despite the fact that the games in Colorado, Kansas City and Dallas were played as the US was playing Grenada in its Gold Cup opener. It is clear that CONCACAF and FIFA must be aware of the uniqueness of July 4 in the USA and at the very least shouldn’t schedule any future USA matches on the 4th. And if a match does get scheduled, it should end no later than 5pm EDT. This would mean any team in the league with a July 4 match, bundled with fireworks/concerts in the evening, would not be competing directly with the US team.

July 4 and MLS Briefs

This is only the 2nd time the US Men have played on Jul 4. The last time was a loss to Brasil in the 1994 World Cup, before the league began play(1996).

Even though the Galaxy drew more than its season average, it was the lowest ever attendance for a Jul 4 match. That’s saying something since LA has played at home on the 4th every year since the league’s inception. And in case you were wondering, Colorado is the only other team that has played at home on the 4th every year.

Jul 4th Matches - Current MLS Cities
	GP	Average
Chicago	1	10,387
Colorado	11	46,569	Mile High
Colorado	3	18,847	Dick’s
Columbus	2	15,542
Dallas	10	16,276
Houston	1	8,497
Kansas City	4	14,363
Los Angeles	7	55,744	LA Coliseum or Rose Bowl
Los Angeles	7	25,138	Home Depot
New England	2	19,945
Salt Lake	3	20,541
San Jose	3	32,617

Congestion for some

US Open
Jul 7	Jul 21 or Jul 22	Sep 2
Qtr Finals	Semifinals	Final
DCU, Houston, KC, Seattle

Seattle was off this week, DCU is off next week, so Houston and KC will be playing 3 matches in 8 days during the Jul 4-11 time period.

==========

CONCACAF Champions League
Jul 28 - Jul 30	Aug 4 - Aug 6
Prelim First Leg	Prelim Second Leg
DCU, RBNY, TFC

DCU and TFC play MLS league games on Jul 25 and August 2. That means they will each play 4 times during the period Jul 25-Aug 6(13 days). RBNY play an MLS game on Jul 25, but are off the week of August 2.

PHOTO: New 2010 Real Salt Lake Jersey Revealed, XanGo Renews Sponsorship

2009-07-08T16:29:00.004-04:00

Photo courtesy of f4denz

SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, July 8, 2009) – Real Salt Lake and XanGo, LLC announced today a three-year renewal of the Major League Soccer club’s historic title jersey-front sponsorship; financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The original contract, announced in November, 2006, made history in being the first jersey-front sponsorship in U.S professional sports. Since that time, several other MLS clubs have announced similar partnerships with major global brands.

With the renewal of the jersey-front sponsorship between these two growing Utah entities, Real Salt Lake expressed its appreciation for XanGo’s ongoing commitment to the club and the game of soccer. The current 2009 campaign marks the third season that the XanGo brand has been emblazoned across the front of Real Salt Lake’s home and away jerseys, a partnership that has spanned the entirety of RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis’ tenure on the sideline, the opening of RSL’s new Rio Tinto Stadium home in Sandy last October, and the clinching of the team’s first-ever playoff berth shortly thereafter.

“We are very pleased to continue our partnership with XanGo, and to represent their brand on our jersey through the 2013 season,” said Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium President Bill Manning. “XanGo is a great asset to the Utah business community and we appreciate their continued support of our organization.”

Utah-based XanGo is the recognized creator and international market leader in the health and wellness from the mangosteen, a prized fruit from Southeast Asia. XanGo’s multi-year deal with Real Salt Lake includes signage and promotional opportunities at the world-class Rio Tinto Stadium, the continuation of the annual XanGo Cup international exhibition contest each summer, and representation on select adidas/RSL training and off-field gear to promote the XanGo/RSL partnership.

“As a global company that prides itself in innovation, XanGo is very pleased to have joined Real Salt Lake in this partnership as the first jersey-front sponsors in U.S. professional sports, and we are happy to see other major brands follow our lead and support soccer in North America,” said XanGo Founder/Board Member Gordon Morton. “This partnership is ideal for XanGo and our global brand in the sense that our brand goes wherever the team plays and that soccer is the world’s game. We promise that XanGo and its more than one million Distributors worldwide will continue to support Real Salt Lake both at home and abroad.”

Real Salt Lake and XanGo will continue to be synonymous with the outstanding roster of international soccer events heading to Rio Tinto Stadium, beginning with the fourth annual edition of the XanGo Cup this Saturday, July 11, against Mexico’s Club América. The “Summer of Soccer” in Sandy continues in three weeks’ time with the 2009 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 29, and concludes on Labor Day weekend with the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador on Saturday, Sept. 5.

www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com

VIDEO: Zinedine Zidane Sighted at Colorado Rapids's Stadium - DSG Park

2009-07-08T15:48:00.003-04:00

Zinadine Zidane Makes Surprise Appearance At Colorado Rapids Stadium For Adidas Elite Soccer Program from MLS Rumors on Vimeo.

PHOTOS: Zinedine Zindane Spotted at Colorado Rapids Practice Field, Adidas Elite Soccer Program

2009-07-08T15:30:00.004-04:00

On July 7, 2009, international soccer star Zinedine Zidane made a surprise visit to the 12th Annual adidas Elite Soccer Program (ESP) at the MLS Colorado Rapids practice field in Denver, Colorado. This premier youth development program was attended by the top 102 youth players in the nation who were surprised by Zidane’s arrival and then treated to the opportunity of a lifetime as they ran drills with him on the field.

PHOTO CREDITS: Jamie Schwaberow / RCA / Denver CO

VIDEO: Sounders FC Invades The Price Is Right

2009-07-08T14:34:00.008-04:00

When does product placement look out of place? When does cross-promotion cross the line? Maybe when players show up in Rave Green and "spokesmodels" blow similarly shaded vuvuzelas on a game show?? What do you think? Is this MLS promotion genius or is the price wrong? Marketing miracle or madness? ACES we already know what you think....

Thanks to SoundersFC.com for the following video:

REPORT: MLS Reigns in US Open Cup Quarterfinals, Rochester Lone USL Side Still In It

2009-07-08T14:20:00.003-04:00

This article appears courtesy of MLSR partner USOpenCup.com

USOpenCup.com Quarterfinal recap
MLS regains control as Rochester is lone USL club remaining in Semifinals

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Quarterfinals

Rochester (USL-1) 2:1 Wilmington (USL-2)

D.C. United (MLS) 2:1 Harrisburg (USL-2)

Charleston (USL-1) 0:4 Houston (MLS)

Seattle (MLS) 1:0 Kansas City (MLS)

Follow the Open Cup on Twitter & Facebook

The Rochester Rhinos may be the only USL team left in the tournament, but they have been here before. The Rhinos will make their third appearance in the Semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after a 2-1 victory over the Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Second Division. For the Rhinos, it will be their first appearance in the final four since 1999, the year they won the Open Cup.

They will travel to Boyds, MD on July 21 to face D.C. United, the club that beat them in the 1996 Open Cup Final. United got past a USL Second Division club of their own, knocking off the Harrisburg City Islanders 2-1.

In the other Semifinal, the Houston Dynamo will make their way to the Starfire Soccer Complex in Tukwila, WA on July 21 where they will face the Seattle Sounders. The Dynamo exorcized some demons on Tuesday night, eliminating the Charleston Battery at Blackbaud Stadium, something they have been unable to do in the 2007 and 2008 tournaments. The difference in Seattle’s 1-0 win over Kansas City was an 89th minute penalty kick that Sebastien Le Toux converted for the game’s only goal.