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Mark the calendars, schedule the vacation now. The 2012 MLS schedule is out. MLS unveiled the schedule for all 323 regular season matches on Thursday, signifying the beginning of the longest season in league history, beginning on March 10. Each of the league’s 19 teams will play 34 games in 2012, and every regular-season game will be televised live this season. US network partners ESPN, NBC and Univisión (TeleFutura, Galavisión and Univisión Deportes) will broadcast a total of 89 matches this year, while 30 games featuring Canadian clubs will air on TSN/TSN2 in English and RDS/RDS2 in French.
MLS reveals 2012 schedule, including MLS Cup in December | MLSsoccer.com
Livestrong Sporting Park, prepare for the spotlight. Major League Soccer released the 2012 schedule and Sporting Kansas City's state-of-the-art stadium will be on national TV seven times. Also, worth noting this year, the longest road trip for Sporting will be just two games -- something that will happen 10 times throughout the season though.
Livestrong Sporting Park to host 7 nationally televised games in '12 - KansasCity.com
Fresh FC Nürnberg loan recruit Omar Gonzalez had a rough first day on the job, suffering a knee knock from a collision with fellow American Timothy Chandler on Thursday afternoon, according to the German club's website. The 23-year-old LA Galaxy center back did not finish his first training session and the club has announced he will undergo an MRI exam on Friday. It is not yet known if the US call-up will be available when Nürnberg host a friendly against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday afternoon.
American Exports: Gonzalez hurt in first day at Nurnberg | MLSsoccer.com
f you have been following Sporting Kansas City at all in 2011, you probably have stumbled across a few blogs dedicated to our boys in blue. Maybe you have found more than just a few but a plethora of blogs. It can be a lot to follow and doesn't even begin to account for SKC talk on other platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Big Soccer. When looking at other teams we are in the top echelon of fan based blogs. Some have complained online we actually might have too many blogs, or that the blogs do not do enough to stand out. Personally I think it is fantastic to have many blogs to choose from, and over the next few weeks as we start through the pre-season I will be giving reviews of the various blogs covering SKC. If you want to see a list of all the current SKC blogs, check our News Sources post (currently 25 sources).
Brian Ching isn’t going to retire. In fact, he’s ready to join the Montreal Impact. The longtime Houston Dynamo forward told the Houston Chronicle that he has reversed course on talk of retirement after he was drafted by the Impact in the MLS Expansion Draft in November, and that he will give it a go when the club begins camp ahead of its inaugural season in MLS.
Ching won't retire, ready to join Montreal preseason camp | MLSsoccer.com
Another week of former SKC Wizards updates, some extra news this week as well. By now you've heard about Craig Rocastle signing with the Missouri Comets, but there's other news as well. Eddie Johnson's club career continues to spiral down for him, as he's already out at Puebla in Mexico. Apparently the forward failed his physical and was not fit and was released basically 2 days after showing up in Mexico. Not the direction you want your club career to be going in. Another former Wizard though moving in the other way, is Yura Movsisyan could be moving on again. The latest rumor has Movsisyan linked with a move to England and 3rd place side Tottenham. Finally, former player and interim head coach, Brian Bliss has picked up a second job along with being Crew GM. Bliss has also been named as an assistant coach on the US U-20 team. He will server as an assistant under Tab Ramos. There aren't a lot of other players playing right now, mainly it's those that are playing indoor. Here's the update.
Landon Donovan did not lead Everton to victory in his return match for the club, but he will not have to wait long to get another chance at that. Donovan and Everton will take on lowly Tamworth of England's fifth division in a third round FA Cup match on Saturday. The Toffees are considered the heavy favorites in the match that could see Donovan score his first goal for the club in just under two years.
The Colorado Rapids concluded their coaching search on Thursday, announcing that FC Dallas assistant Oscar Pareja would take over the head coaching responsibilities at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Pareja, who replaces Englishman Gary Smith, spent the last five seasons on the Dallas coaching staff, where he served as reserve team coach and academy director. Under his watch, the FC Dallas youth system has had six players promoted to the first team, the most in Major League Soccer, and the academy was ranked the best in the country in 2011.
Rapids hire FC Dallas assistant Pareja as head coach | MLSsoccer.com
Players from across the pond have been making their way to MLS shores since the league began. But over the history of Project 40 and Generation adidas, only one other player from England signed a deal from college to MLS: Seattle’s Steve Zakuani. Dwyer grew up in London before leaving to play at Tyler Junior College in 2009, and his signing makes it two Brits to join MLS in this manner.
Generation adidas: 5 things to know about Dom Dwyer | MLSsoccer.com
After finally receiving a call up to the US Men's National Team, Omar Gonzalez has backed out of camp in order to go on loan. The LA Galaxy defender is headed to Germany to play for FC Nurnberg until mid-February. The 2011 MLS Defender of the Year will be joining the team at their training camp in Belek, Turkey.