Zeno
Ancient
We didn't have an MLS thread yet for this season. I realize not a lot of people watch it but the league is steadily improving and producing young players who are making jumps from MLS Youth Sides to the full team. MLS Developmental Academies are far from perfect and an obvious work in progress but it is something that we have something besides Bradenton to produce potential future national team players.
My DC United is terrible this season but the play of 19 yr old Bill Hamid is encouraging, you don't see many goalkeepers that young playing with such poise(youngest GK in MLS history to record a win--previously it was Tim Howard), their other academy product Andy Najar is unfortunately Honduran(I wish he were US eligible) but he is playing as well as any recent 17 yr old has in MLS.
The Galaxy are the class of the league still--even without Donovan, Beckham and Buddle. They have their own academy product playing very well right now...Tristan Bowen (a US U-20 player). He has scored in back to back games now.
More and more soccer specific stadiums are opening or being built...NY opened their Red Bull Arena this year and Philadelphia Union will open theirs later this summer.
Further expansion is on the horizon too. Vancouver & Portland starts next year (both in renovated stadiums--not new and not soccer specific unfortunately). Montreal starts in 2012. I wish they had expanded to the south rather than add another Canadian team and still think they have expanded too much too fast but it is what it is.
My DC United is terrible this season but the play of 19 yr old Bill Hamid is encouraging, you don't see many goalkeepers that young playing with such poise(youngest GK in MLS history to record a win--previously it was Tim Howard), their other academy product Andy Najar is unfortunately Honduran(I wish he were US eligible) but he is playing as well as any recent 17 yr old has in MLS.
The Galaxy are the class of the league still--even without Donovan, Beckham and Buddle. They have their own academy product playing very well right now...Tristan Bowen (a US U-20 player). He has scored in back to back games now.
More and more soccer specific stadiums are opening or being built...NY opened their Red Bull Arena this year and Philadelphia Union will open theirs later this summer.
Further expansion is on the horizon too. Vancouver & Portland starts next year (both in renovated stadiums--not new and not soccer specific unfortunately). Montreal starts in 2012. I wish they had expanded to the south rather than add another Canadian team and still think they have expanded too much too fast but it is what it is.