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The Atlas rumors apparently aren't that high at this point, but if the article is to be believed, the team has held talks with Bravo. No word on whether that was a potential permanent deal or just a loan deal while KC is in the offseason.
I'm heading back to England next week for the off season and already have a few things in the pipeline including a week in Spain to relax, friends birthdays, London (on more then 1 occasion), Christmas and New Year all to come. I simply can't wait to see my best friends, Mom, Dad, my Nan, family and of course Lauren. I'm coming home to you all....... and I can't wait :-) In the meantime Kansas City, keep your eyes and ears pealed, you may be hearing me sooner then you think ;-)
When CEO Robb Heineman announced earlier this year that he had signed a 30 year old Mexican striker from Guadalajara I was a little skeptical. I was even more skeptical when he had announced that he was to remain on loan with Guadalajara until the start of the season for KC. However, Omar Bravo shot down my judgments and quickly rose to the MLS elite.
Injuries may have disrupted Mauro Rosales’ MLS Cup quest, but they didn’t keep the Argentine winger from being the second Sounder honored in quick succession. MLS announced on Tuesday that Rosales was voted the 2011 MLS Newcomer of the Year, finishing ahead of fellow finalists Luke Rodgers (New York Red Bulls) and Eric Hassli (Vancouver Whitecaps). Rosales, who signed with the Sounders in March after leaving River Plate in Argentina, scored five goals and distributed 13 assists in just 22 starts (26 appearances) this season.
Seattle's Rosales named Newcomer of the Year | MLSsoccer.com
Tabbed by new U.S. Men’s National U23 Team coach Caleb Porter as one of four goalkeepers to participate in the 37-player supercamp as preparations for Olympic qualifying and the 2013 FIFA Under-20 World Cup begin, Kempin hopped on a flight to Duisburg last week along with eight other players from MLS. We had a chance to speak to Kempin about his time at the training camp, which ends Wednesday.
Let’s now consider the candidacy of Peter Vermes, a coach I put on my hot seat early in the year. For the first few months of the season, Sporting Kansas City did not have a home stadium, and rather than drift down into the bottom of the league the team survived to finish first in the Eastern Conference. There was certainly talent on the team due to some shrewd signings like Omar Bravo, but it was the team’s growth around some young players like C.J. Sapong and Teal Bunbury that really pushed it over the top. Graham Zusi is now being discussed as a potential USMNT call-up and Omar Bravo, while a proven international talent, could have struggled more in integrating himself to MLS like so many others have before him.
Klinsmann's departure from the 4-3-3 in favor of the 4-4-2 was an interesting development made more interesting by its success. I thought Buddle was dangerous in spurts and Altidore was given more license to drift wider and further back with a forward pegged up top. I'd love to see the 4-3-3 integrated properly into this side, but a part of me still sees the value in having a pair of target strikers.
This was the last we’ll see of the hash tagged #USMNT as a collective unit until players gather at the Home Depot Center in January. (Mostly MLS men, plus some from Scandinavian leagues.) Regardless of what they said, no one in the program wanted to go into the holiday period carrying the burden of a three-game losing streak, with just one win in seven matches under Klinsmann, with precious few goals to review. So, the W was a biggie as Ws go in friendlies. Sure, it’s a little bit like winning your 5K division when there’s only three other runners – and one of them is running in a gorilla suit. But, what the heck? You got the first-place ribbon!
The next six weeks just got easier for Jurgen Klinsmann, USMNT - Daily Soccer Fix
"I tell you, this has absolutely been the messiest year I’ve ever been involved with in my 32 years of coaching," said coach Hans Backe, 59, who was hired by Soler before the 2010 season. "I think it’s only one time in my career I’ve had these kind of problems with the team. It has to be cleaned up for next year, and things have to change."
American captain Carlos Bocanegra has made his 100th appearance for the U.S. soccer team. The 32-year-old central defender from California started in Tuesday night's exhibition game against Slovenia in Ljubljana, becoming the 12th American member of the century club.
U.S. captain Bocanegra makes 100th appearance - Soccer - SI.com
In case you needed more proof that the business of soccer is slowly, but surely, turning into a big-money affair in the United States, look no further than this: Time Warner has apparently agreed to pay the Los Angeles Galaxy $55 million over 10 years for the right to broadcast their games in English and Spanish. Put another way, that's just about $2 million less than Fox Soccer Channel paid for national rights to broadcast MLS during the 2011 season.
Time Warner Pays LA Galaxy $55 Million For Broadcast Rights - SBNation.com
Just seven games into the season, the Sounders had lost four of their top offensive players, were 2-2-3 and their season seemed to be slipping away. Despite having as much financial resources as any team in the league, coach Sigi Schmid's hands were basically tied. The reality was, he was going to have to figure out how to salvage the season with the talent that was already at his disposal.
SBN Soccer Awards: Sigi Schmid Named Top MLS Coach - SBNation.com