According to SBI, Major League Soccer have blocked New York’s $200,000 bid for Atlanta Silverbacks striker Macoumba Kandji. The reason? MLS think $200,000 is too much for an MLS team to pay a USL team. The 23 year old Senegalese striker has been one of the top players in the USL First Division this year and has been one of Juan Carlos Osorio’s top targets. The Red Bulls traded Zach Thornton to Chivas USA for allocation money which went towards the bid for Kandji. Juan Carlos Osorio will now have to look at their other MLS based targets to find the forward they’ve been chasing for the past few months after the departure of Jozy Altidore. 

My Opinion? I think this is another heavily questionable move by Major League Soccer, which did nothing to justify the “Major” in its name. The league has not allowed the Red Bulls to bring in another quality player, which they can afford, and would help improve a franchise. MLS needs New York to be one of the top teams in the league, seeing as they are located in arguably the biggest market in the United States. The move stems from a MLS-USL rivalry, which is one of several things hindering the progress of the sport in this country. This begs the question, are MLS teams outgrowing Major League Soccer and its questionable transfer practices? Whether its the discovery claim rule(which most managers in the league seem to agree is absurd), questionable transfer decisions, or incredibly low salary cap, I think its quite clear that this league needs to change. 

What do you think of the decision? Are the single entity structure’s days numbered? What would you tell Mr. Garber about this decision? 

SBI is reporting that Benny Feilhaber is currently in talks with Major League Soccer, that could see him signing a 3 year contract with the league. The New England Revolution are at the top of the allocation list currently, which means if Feilhaber does sign with the league, he will most likely be headed to New England. We reported that Feilhaber was being targeted by Danish side AFG Aarhus, but he has made it known that he would prefer a move back to the United States. Benny has found it hard to crack the first team at Derby County after manager Billy Davies was fired. What do you think of the move? Good for Benny? Good for the Revs? 

Commissioner Don Garber revealed that MLS has reached an agreement with Brian McBride, during Thursday nights All Star game. The details will be announced tomorrow afternoon by MLS. The deal took longer than expected because Toronto FC had the first claim to McBride’s rights and negotiations with Chicago Fire, who McBride wants to join, had stalled. It appears MLS have successfully stepped in and reached an agreement and the details will be released tomorrow. McBride returns to Major League Soccer after successful four year tenure with English Premier League club FulhamCheck back tomorrow for all the details on McBride contract with MLS, and the details of the deal between Chicago Fire and Toronto FC.

Real Salt Lake defeated defending champion DC United in penalty kicks to win the second annual SUM U-17 MLS Cup held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Col. The final, which was held Thursday morning, was the culmination of the weeklong tournament that saw 14 teams compete for the crown of best U-17 team in the country. (San Jose did not field a squad, while the host Rapids fielded two.)The competition was marked by the phenomenal play of Real Salt Lake striker James Rogers. Rogers, who just completed his freshman year at Highland High School in Salt Lake City, scored an unbelievable seven goals in his team’s five games. An all-state selection last season, Rogers scored RSL’s only goal in regulation in the final game against DC United.Rogers’ story also goes beyond his success at the SUM Cup. Rogers, who was born in 1993, arrived in the United States in 2004 as a refugee from war-torn Sierra Leone. He will likely be a sought after prospect after his success at both the SUM Cup and his participation in the Olympic Development Program last winter.Another player who had a standout tournament were DC United supersub Michael Burgos, who despite not starting in any games, scored four goals for DC. Burgos tallied DC’s only goal in the final and had two goals in United’s 3-0 semifinal victory versus Chivas USA.DC United’s Peado Boue and Travis Pittman, along with FC Dallas’ Gabriel Funes also had outstanding tournaments.With the victory RSL qualifies for both the prestigious Dallas Cup and U-17 Clubs Youth World Cup.

The Colorado Rapids debuted their third kit in style with a 0-0 win over Tigres, after a dramatic penalty shootout that saw the Rapids win 7-6. Tigres, who are coming a disappointing 13th place finish in the Primera Division, are a joint partner of the Rapids and were playing COlorado for the first time. The game had all the signs of a friendly with the Rapids using a ridiculous nine substitutes during the match.

However, the home fans were not disappointed as Colin Clark, who was named man of the match Friday for his play in the Rapids 4-0 hammering of the Red Bulls,  scored the deciding penalty. The win brings the Rapids all time record in international friendlies to an even five winds and five losses. Colorado will net battle an international foe when they take on Everton at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Aug. 3.

The biggest development of the game was the Rapids wearing their newly released third kit for the first time. The kit is the first in team history to feature red and not burgundy. The red is an apparent nod to their partner club Arsenal of the English Premier League.

Today is going to be a busy day for Major League Soccer managers, as they have to meet roster compliance by midnight. Managers must balance their salary cap, and decide which players to keep, as any “semi-guaranteed” contracts become permanent. Meaning any player with a semi guaranteed contract will be payed through December 31st, should they be kept past today. This is definitely one of the worst days to be a player in MLS, as there will surely be several players released throughout the day. DC’s Franco Niell has been released, along with Columbus’ Nicolas Hernandez, who do you think is next?

According to 3rd Degree, Major League Soccer has rejected a $1 Million dollar bid from an unknown European club for FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper. Cooper, who has English citizenship as a result of his father, has been in good form for FC Dallas this season, scoring 7 goals in 14 starts. The 23 year old Striker spent 3 years with Manchester United before joining FC Dallas, and has earned 2 caps with the United States Mens National Team. The european transfer window is fast approaching, and we would not be surprised if there are further bids tabled for the young striker. How much do you think MLS should ask for Cooper? Any thoughts on what club might have been interested?

The crosses and chances were there for the Rapids against the Houston Dynamo Saturday night, but the finishing was not. It was a game of missed opportunities for the Rapids, as only one of the team’s 15 shots were on target. While 0-0 draw moved the Rapids into a tie for fifth in the Western Conference, head coach Fernando Clavijo knew his team had squandered a golden opportunity.

“We had five or six very good chances that we didn’t finish,” Clavijo said after the match. “We need more production from different players.”


One player that may see his playing time decreased is Jamaican striker Omar Cummings. Cummings, who has started ten games for the Rapids this season, is likely to get demoted in favor of Conor Casey, who seems to have recovered from a knee injury that left him sidelined for the first two months of the season. Cummings had at least five headers at net against the Dynamo, however, none of them were put on net.


Clavijo mentioned that while Cummings is trying his hardest, the results just aren’t there.


“Omar is working hard, but you need to finish. A striker is measured by his goals,” said Clavijo, who also complimented Casey’s workrate inhis twenty minutes of play.


Look for Casey to start alongside Scotish attacker Tom McManus against the Crew next week. Despite Casey’s return to full strength, the injury bug once again bit the Rapids as midfielders Jacob Peterson and Christian Gomez were taken out due to injury. Peterson was taken out after suffering a knee inury due to a yellow card tackle by Houston defender Craig Waibel, while Gomez was taken out minutes into the second half with an apparent leg injury.


Clavijo felt the referees could have done more to protect the players.


“Gomez was a marked man. I thought the officials were meant to protect skill players, that did not happen in today’s match,” Clavijo said.


While the finishing at the offensive end was below par, the defense at the back played well. Despite only having three defenders at the back, the Rapids had few mistakes during the game. U.S. national team midfielder Pablo Mastroeni looked very comfortable anchoring the back three, where he was accompianed by Ugo Ihemelu and Facundo Erpen. Clavijo called the three, “the best three defenders in the league.”


Wingers Colin Clark and Terry Cook both provided crosses into the box, while a 89th minute header by Clark hit the woodwork and bounced harmlessly away. Expect Cook to return to the starting lineup after Peterson’s injury. The Rapids next take the pitch against the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium on Saturday night.

The Colorado Rapids, who take on the Houston Dynamo tonight at 7:30 p.m., are searching for some much needed points. The team has dropped three out of its last four matches and will need at least a draw to get out of its current sixth-place dwelling. The return home to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is a well needed one for the Rapids. Four of the Rapids’ five victories this season have come at home.

Colorado is once again without the services of goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, who should be returning from his national team duty after this match. The Rapids may also be without captain Pablo Mastroeni, who reinjured his back in the Untied States’ 8-0 crushing of Barbados. Check back into Americansoccerreader.com Sunday for a recap of the Saturday’s match.

Steven Goff wrote a great article based on conversations with Santino Quaranta about the players battle with drug addiction. The young DC United Midfielder/Forward discusses the last few years of his life, and his destructive addiction to pain killers. I suggest every single Major League Soccer fan read this story, great work by Steven Goff, who is always a class act. ead the article Steve Goff Washington Post