MLS Never Sleeps: Some Off-Season Links

By: Laurie | December 2nd, 2008

Given that the MLS Cup was just a little over a week ago, you might think that everybody in the league would be taking a little breather.

Not so much.

Here are links to a few of the rumors and newsy bits that are floating around this week. (And be sure to stop by MLS Offside and our MLS team blogs, where we’re covering some of these stories in more depth.)

Philly breaks ground! Or I guess technically Chester breaks ground. Whatever. We’re going to have a stadium somewhere in Pennsylvania. (And how cool is it that the Sons of Ben supporters group celebrated the festivities by taking donations to fight hunger?)

“Columbus Crew coach Sigi Schmid! You just won the MLS Cup! What are you going to do? You’re going to Disneyla… Wait. What? You’re going to Seattle?!?” That is the rumor now that Sigi’s out of contract, although Columbus is reportedly trying desperately to keep him. (I’m pretty sure that Sigi-to-Seattle would explain the Brad Evans and Pete Vagenas expansion draft picks.)
Many were waived. Few were chosen. There was, in fact, only one pick in the waiver draft — Mike Petke is heading back to New York.
When is next season’s schedule released? I hear it’s today but I’m not seeing anything with details. (Check out MLS Offside later — we’ll update you.) But I have what I really care about — the date for Seattle’s opening home game at Qwest Field — March 19. Start buying beer for the tailgate now.
And Juan Carlos Osorio is thinking about the greener grass of Cali? Or maybe not.
Generation Adidas is heading overseas, where they’ll do fun stuff like play several EPL reserve squads, attend some matches, and Christmas shop for mom at Harrod’s and/or the Chelsea Mega Store. (Because no mom can have too many Anelka jerseys.)
As always in happens in the off-season, a few players have been linked to MLS, including the truly pretty Portuguese international Nuno Gomes. How many are just trying to sweeten their deals elsewhere with an “I’ll go to MLS” threat? We’ll know in a couple of months.
Good news for Galaxy and Chivas fans: A 10% ticket tax proposal was beaten back. Not so good news is that a 2% tax proposal is still alive. Think they just started with ten to scare people and make them think that two wasn’t such a bad deal?
This is a bit late, but the Houston Dynamo got a consolation prize last week after their shock playoff loss to the New York Red Bulls. They beat Luis Angel Firpo of El Salvador to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, which makes them the only MLS team still alive in the competition. Not-so-trivial fact: This was the Dynamo’s 48th match of the year. Can you say “fixture congestion”?