2008 US Open Cup - Real smash 'Quakes

San Jose Earthquakes 0-4 Real Salt Lake

Last night's US Open Cup Qualifier was nothing short of a complete disaster for San Jose. From the get go it was obvious coach Frank Yallop wasn't ready to risk his best for the match as Ronnie O'Brien didn't even suit up for the game. Without their top play maker in the mix, the Earthquakes only real chance was an outstanding defensive performance, but this notion was dismissed early when defenders Jay Ayres and Ryan Cochrane collided resulting in a double sub in the first 15 minutes. From that point on, San Jose was dead in the water.

Real's Beckerman scored six minutes later. Done 1-0, the 'Quakes looked to be in trouble, however the true knockout blows didn't come till the 33rd minute when Salt Lake scored twice in less then a minute.

From then on, it was just a matter of killing the clock.

With the win, Real advances to the second round of qualifying where they will take on the Columbus Crew on May 27th.

2008 US Open Cup - MLS teams get into the mix

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake
7pm MT - Rice Eccles Stadium
Tickets

With just 118 days to go till the final match, the MLS is about to start their US Open Cup Qualifiers. Tonight sees the worst American team by record from 2007 take on the newest top-level side. At stake, the chance to meet the Columbus Crew in the second round of qualification on May 27th.

If Real is to make it to the Cup officially, they will need to do two things. First, they will have to beat a MLS side in a US Open Cup related competition, something they have never done, and second, they will have to win three games in a row, something else I do not think they have done. The good news for them is San Jose should allow them to get off to a great start.

The Earthquakes have impressed me so far this season, but only because they are an expansion side. The fact that they are not getting blown apart shows good for the coaching staff, but in the end, they really don't have what it takes to become a big contender.

This should give Real the opening they need to get into the second round of qualification. With the season so young and no other tournaments on the schedule, my guess is coach Jason Kreis will put his best foot forward. That means they will be pressuring the 'Quakes with their surprisingly strong attack. As far as defense, even if they wilt like they did against DC, with just two goals from four games, I don't think San Jose has the firepower to exploit the issue.

At the end of the day, this should be a victory for the royals from Utah.

Sadly, this game will not be televised anywhere. It might end up on one of these three radio stations, but I'm not sure: English - KALL 700am (Salt Lake), Spanish - KTUB 1600am (Salt Lake), KLOK 1170am (San Jose)

MLS commish threatens to move Houston again if stadium deal is not reached

MLS commissioner Don Garber has drawn the line with the city of Houston by basically saying help build the Dynamo a stadium or the team will move. His exact words:

It is inconceivable that MLS will allow the team to continue playing as a secondary tenant in a college football facility after the League moved the team due to the challenges at San Jose State.

While another relocation would be equally traumatic, we both must consider our options to ensure that the team has a path to economic success. We learned an important lesson in San Jose: a passionate fan base is not enough to support the economics of operating a professional sports team. The team needs a soccer-specific stadium to ensure success.

Is someone over reacting or might der commish truly be looking at the Earthquakes/Dynamo and be thinking 'Miami Wanderers'*?

Whatever the reason, this letter is pretty much a bunch of spit to the face for Dynamo fans. Yes, teams need to make money, but to so callously say 'give us what we want or else' is really disappointing. It didn't work in San Jose so what makes Garber think it will fly in Houston? And what does this signal to the thousands of Dynamo fans that show up match after match? To me it means MLS might not yet be one of the big three sports in America, but they care as little about the fans as most in those leagues seem to.

By the way, I find it very interesting that Garber points out that San Jose didn't work because it doesn't have a stadium, yet the Earthquakes have just started playing again without a stadium deal in place. I guess they will have two years to make it work or Garber will threaten to take the team elsewhere. Hay, after he moves the Dynamo, Houston will be available.

As far as the actual stadium issue, it looks like the City of Houston and the Dynamo are at an impasse caused at least in part over the growing cost of the stadium (it is now priced at $105m, up from $80-90m).

Mayor Bill White has said all along that he didn't plan on using tax dollars for the construction of the site, which the Dynamo seemed okay with, however they now are saying 'the club and the City would share the cost of the project.'

Stadium deals have never been an easy thing, however this one could easily become one of the worse (although the DC situation might still be able to top it).

* I picked Miami because it seems like MLS really wants to go there, just like they really wanted to go to Houston. Plus, there has been stadium talk there of late. Anyway, I have no idea if there is even a city in mind.

San Jose close to a stadium deal - City agrees to $132m deal

The Earthquakes return to San Jose is close to becoming permanent as the city and team owner Lew Wolff have agreed to a $132m deal that could lead to a stadium by 2010.

Although this is great news for the club, there are still a number of hurdles such as getting City Council approval for the deal.

So what is in the agreement? Wolff will purchase 66 acres of land by the airport (click on map to see the site) from the city for $132m. Wolff will set aside 18 of these acres for a possible stadium, while the other 48 will become home to retail, office and a 300-room hotel.

However, in order to build the stadium, Wolff still needs the city to rezone 78 acres of land he owns elsewhere in San Jose from industrial to residential. If they do, Wolff will take the profits from the development of that site to pay for the stadium out by the airport.

Before any of the residential development can take place, the city needs to change the zoning, an environmental study needs to take place and Wolff must find a developer.

If all these items happen and if the City Council approves the $132m airport land deal, as expected, then the Earthquakes will likely have a new home.

If this does not happen, could San Jose become the first city to lose a MLS team twice?

Roma and San Jose Earthquakes soon to be linked

MLS's own San Jose Earthquakes might be about to get a powerhouse corporate big brother as 'Quakes co-owner John J. Fisher has been linked again to a purchase of Italian heavyweights AS Roma. Fisher has been pursuing the club since last summer.

One of the main issues Fisher will need to overcome if he does moves to own Roma is the image American owners have thanks in large part to what has happened in the EPL. Although Italy is a very different league, Fisher would keep current club President Franco Sensi on as honorary President.

With $2.4 billion in wealth and a proven history in the game, Fisher might just be the person to prove that American ownership of a top soccer side does have to be horrible.

Can San Jose finally attract Latino fans?

On Sunday, 50,000 fans watched two U-23 sides compete in a friendly in Oakland. The fact that Mexico was one of those two sides, explains the numbers. So obviously there are a lot of soccer fans of Latino heritage in the area (there is a non-news flash). Now the question is can the new San Jose Earthquakes develop a relationship with this community that will result in them turning out to 'Quake matches?

The good news is the new ownership did not waste this chance to start reaching out.

Fans streamed through the gates under a San Jose Earthquakes banner. Earthquakes tickets were on sale. And the Earthquakes had a suite filled with key members of the Hispanic community, in an effort to make connections and create marketing opportunities.

The past version of the Earthquakes, like most of the league, failed miserably in their attempts to bring in more Latino fans, however a lot has changed. The league is more competitive then it was in the late 90's, the SuperLiga has brought meaningful matches with Mexican rivals to the schedule, MLS games air on Spanish language TV, Chivas has invested in MLS and Cuauhtemoc Blanco is now strolling the leagues' pitches. So can San Jose exploit this to fill their seats?

Perhaps this answers that question:

The new Earthquakes have much more marketing savvy than their predecessors. They know they have to sell tickets at the grass-roots level, making them available in local markets. They're coming out with a T-shirt and a team jersey that reads Terremotos, the Spanish word for Earthquakes. They know they can't pander to fans or assume a loyalty that hasn't been earned.

Of course all this marketing helps, but the true way to build up a legion of fans in with the play on the field. If the team puts on a good show, even in defeat, soccer fans of all backgrounds will take notice.

Jurgen Klinsmann looking to baseball for help with Bayern Munich

Soon-to-be Bayern manager Jurgen Klinsmann was in Phoenix yesterday to watch baseball's Oakland A's train. His goal, pick team manager Billy Beane's brain on how to find quality talent.

Beane, who has a very low budget by Major League Baseball standards, is incredibly good at finding unknown talent by using a large set of statistics (called sabermetrics) to evaluate them. Klinsmann and other soccer managers are very interested in finding a way to creating a similar system for soccer.

Of course the biggest problem for soccer in trying to replicate this model is the lack of statistics, but Beane wants to change all that.

Beane is interested in finding statistical models that can help soccer teams evaluate talent, much the way the A's have used stats to target players to draft and sign. Beane has talked to several Premier League officials, among other soccer bigwigs, about combining resources to find inequities in the market that might be exploited. Because the A's ownership group also controls Major League Soccer's San Jose franchise (an enterprise that will involve Beane somewhat), any findings would benefit the Earthquakes.

If a stat system is every discovered for rating players, it would probably be a boom for the game, especially in developing markets like the USA where team's don't have a huge scouting budget. Not only would it give the team's a way on paper to compare players, but it would also give fans and sports writers endless numbers to throw around, which is one of the best things baseball has going for it.

That said, there is something really nice about not being able to reduce a player to a set of stats. I say that, but I don't have to run a team.

Ronnie O'Brien leaves turf in Toronto for grass in San Jose

The San Jose Earthquakes have added two-time Major League Soccer All-Star midfielder Ronnie O'Brien to their roster. Last season O'Brien was one of the first big signings of expansion side Toronto FC.

He had a decent year when playing, however a knee injury kept him out for more then half the season. This injury is one of the reasons he decided to move to California, as San Jose will play their home games on grass instead of the turf used in Toronto, which should be less of a strain on his body.

O'Brien was attracted to the Quakes because of the grass playing surface at Santa Clara University's Buck Shaw Stadium. He had complained about the field turf in Toronto.

O'Brien is a quality player when he is happy, however if he feels jilted, his play can drop (see FC Dallas 2006). With O'Brien, the 'Quakes finally have a decent attacking option in their lineup. So far coach Frank Yallop has focused more on defense, which is important, however you can't win if you don't score. Although O'Brien is far from a goal-scoring machine (12 goals in 6 MLS seasons), he is good at starting plays. The question for San Jose now becomes who will O'Brien feed?

Toronto received San Jose's first round pick in the 2009 draft plus an undisclosed amount of money for O'Brien.

Feilhaber not moving to Houston

US international and Derby County benchwarmer Benny Feilhaber is not going to Houston. Although the midfielder is interested in a possible loan deal to a MLS club, the Dynamo will not be his team of choice.

This should come as no surprise as Houston already has more midfielders then they know what to do with. It is in the striker position that the MLS champs are lacking, so why go with a midfielder, even if he is as talented as Feilhaber.

The one way this might have worked is moving DeRosario up top along with Ching, but DeRo has said that there is no plan for such a move.

Feilhaber could still end up in MLS with San Jose and Chivas good possibilities. Chivas has a lot of quality in their squad and Benny could fit in just right. Teaming him up with Jesse Marsch and Sacha Kljestan (not to mention Ante Razov and Jonathan Bornstein) would give them an 'all-over' feel.

With San Jose, he would pretty much become their heartbeat as the team is still very under whelmed when it comes to players (especially when it comes to attacking players).

In the end, it doesn't really matter where he goes as long as he gets some playing time. Although he looked good against Mexico last week, he obviously wasn't ready to be a starter.

MLS Expansion - The battle of the 'Quakes

The San Jose Earthquakes will play their first two matches against the former Earthquakes and current back-to-back MLS Champions the Houston Dynamo. The two exposition matches will take place Feb 13 at PAL Stadium (6:30 p.m.) and Feb. 16 at San Francisco's Kezar Stadium (7 p.m.).

Although the Dynamo have the same basic core of players that they had during their final season in San Jose, I don't think the locals will show them much love once the first ball is kicked. Former Dynamo defender Ryan Cochrane summed it up perfectly, "They're the Houston Dynamo now. As soon as everyone can come to grips with that the better."

Nothing like saying out with the old right off the bat. This is a fantastic move by the two teams as it will let the new 'Quakes put their stamp on the name while also letting the fans see their old favorites again. The fact that Houston will also come in as the league champions should also help promote the new side to local fans.

KC gets top draft pick in San Jose trade, sign that Eddie Johnson is gone?

If there was any doubt that Eddie Johnson was about to fly off to Europe, today's trade of defender Nick Garcia for San Jose's number one overall pick in Friday's expansion draft should put that to rest. The move means the Wizards should pick forward Patrick Nyarko to replace Johnson.

This is a little risky, but the Wizards need a striker, even if he is untested at the professional level.

Mathis to Greece, Goodson to Norway

Clint Mathis is taking another stab at European football as has left the LA Galaxy and signed with Greece side Ergotelis. His last gig in Europe didn't end so well and his second stand in MLS was mostly a wash. Perhaps a chance with a team that is interested in having him play will motivate him to return to form, as it was obvious MLS bored him. Then again at 31, it might just be too late.

Either way, LA has just opened up a lot of salary space with this move. Mathis's base salary for 2007 was $410,000. Add to it the $190,000 from Cannon and you've got a good amount of lout to play around with during the transfer window.

In other news, San Jose will not have the services of Clarence Goodson for their first season as he has decided to give Europe a go after signing with Norwegian side IK Start. Start is a famed club in Norway but after a bad season last year is in their second division. However, the team is making the need investments to turn things around and return to top level after this season.

Goodson has all the makings of a fantastic player and more then deserves this chance at the big time. My guess is he will only be in Norway a couple seasons at most before a bigger club comes looking. Also, since Goodson is gone without playing a single game for San Jose, FCD's decision to leave him unprotected makes a lot more sense, but since he was out of contract, one has to wonder why the 'Quakes picked him. Maybe they were hoping he wouldn't go till the summer transfer window?

Update: For those who might be wondering what Mathis's new Greek club is saying on their website concerning this trade, here is a translation from a Greek friend of my wife.

PAE (the soccer team) gets Clint Mathis for one year. He was born 1/25/76 and is 1.77 meters tall. The rest talks about the teams he was on in the bast.

So no real news other then it being a one-year deal.

Joe Cannon back to San Jose

The San Jose Earthquakes have an old friend back for their new team as goalkeeper Joe Cannon has joined the squad. With Ryan Cochrane, Clarence Goodson and now Joe Cannon working the back, the 'Quakes should have a solid foundation in defense, which is good since they don't have much up top.

And what did LA get in return for Cannon? A partial allocation. Cannon was a candidate for Goalkeeper of the Year as recently as 2006 and last year he was one of the big reasons LA even had a chance to make a late playoff run, yet all they got was a partial allocation. And I think they are fine with that.

Their real reason for the trade was to open up salary space. Last year Cannon was the third best-paid keeper at $192,000. Since the Galaxy need so many players to fill up holes in their lineup, they had to find space somewhere (especially since they don't really have any one to trade).

LA doesn't really have a backup keeper right now so they can up that to their shopping list, but if there is one thing that you can usually find cheap in the league is a quality 'keeper.

FC Dallas gets a double D for their troubled D

After days of negotiations, FC Dallas has signed former Club America star Duilio Davino to a two-year contract. No numbers were released other then to say he is non a DP so he is making under $400,000 a year.

Could it be that at long last FCD is finally doing something to truly stabilize their backline? It seems like year after year I think the same thing about the team, 'great offense but what a mess on defense,' but could this be the sign of changing times? Okay, this move was made in large part due to Clarence Goodson leaving for San Jose, so it might be a forced change of priorities, but it is still a change.

Even at 31, Davino is a quality player. Yes, injuries are starting to come a bit more frequently and his speed is lacking, but as Blanco showed last season, in MLS if you can read the game, you can overcome a lot. Plus, I'm sure he will be able to help organize the back far better then anyone the team has had in a long time.

But this move was not just about getting a good player to fill a hole; it was also about getting people through the turnstiles to fill some seats. Although he will not be the draw that Blanco is, he is still a known name to those of Mexican heritage, which should help convince a few to make the long drive to Frisco to see a couple games.

Overall, a very good move by the team from Dallas.

MLS original looking to return

After spending the last few seasons in Norway, Ramiro Corrales is looking to return to MLS

Corrales was part of the inaugural San Jose team, but also had playing time with Miami and the MetroStars. However, since he ended his MLS years with San Jose, who then moved to Houston, the Dynamo have the rights to his MLS future. His stated reason for this move is family in nature. That said, Houston is not expected to keep him under contract.

Although Toronto and New York are stated as interested teams, I'm guessing Frank Yallop wouldn't might landing Corrales. The two last spent time together in 2003, when the Earthquakes, coached then as now by Yallop, won the MLS Cup. Oddly enough, that was also Corrales's most productive season.

Now I must admit, Corrales is a name that has kind of drifted away from my memory in the last few years. In his early days, I thought he might prove to be an interesting part in the US's defense (he did play a role in the U-20 & U-23 teams but never really did much at the top level*), but that has kind of faded. What I remember of him, I liked, so I'm happy to see him coming back to the league.

The good news is his time in Europe was not a failure and he is not coming home with his tail between his legs. Instead, he is returning after several good seasons and at an age that will allow him to play some more quality seasons.

*I seem to recall him playing in one 2004 World Cup Qualifier and causing a penalty kick, but I might be wrong about that.

2008 MLS Expansion draft - San Jose has a team

The San Jose Earthquakes are back and now they have poached some players. Frank Yallop looked all around the unprotected league and decided these were the 10 players he wants to build the new version of the 'Quakes around.

There are sure to be some trades on the way soon (perhaps even before this message posts), but for now, here is the roster for the reborn San Jose Earthquakes.

1. Ryan Cochrane (Houston Dynamo) - D
2. Clarence Goodson (FC Dallas) - D
3. Ned Grabavoy (Columbus Crew) - M
4. James Riley (New England Revolution) - D/F
5. Joseph Vide (New York Red Bulls) - M
6. Ivan Guerrero (Chicago Fire) - M/D
7. Brian Carroll (D.C. United) - M/D
8. Jason Hernandez (Chivas USA) - D
9. Gavin Glinton (LA Galaxy) - F
10. Chris Pozniak (Toronto FC) - M

Cochrane returns to the same campus where you played his college ball to head up the 'Quakes backline. This is a loss for Houston and I think the best pickup for San Jose. Goodson is another great grab by Yallop as is Carroll. Railey will add something as well.

This is a good group to build around although the Pozniak pick does surprise me, although I think Yallop has worked with him before during in Canada. I'm also surprised that Jose Burciaga went on selected. Maybe the $102,000 price tag for a left back in a bit of a funk was a bit too much.

By the way, the three teams that got off easy were Kansas City, Real Salt Lake and Colorado.

2008 MLS expansion draft - Those who are not protected

The teams have all submitted their list of those who are protected and those who are free to be taken. Below is the full list of players available for San Jose in the expansion draft. A reminder, the Earthquakes will get up to 10 rounds of picks, but they can only pick one player from a team.

Some interesting notes, Denilson (FC Dallas) is unprotected. I guess they are betting that San Jose will not use their DP spot on him. Also, both the Dynamo's number one and two keepers are available in Pat Onstad and Zach Wells. Either they don't think the 'Quakes are looking for a post minder or they are more afraid of a field player going back to California. Craig Waibel and Paul Dalglish are also on the list. Waibel is dependable but ageing while Dalglish has been hampered by injury this year.

Here are some other players that jumped out at me as I glanced over the list: Jose Burciaga (Kansas City), Clarence Goodson (FC Dallas), Andy Herron (Crew), Brian Carroll (DC), Avery John (New England) and Francis Doe (New York).

The draft happens on Wednesday at 1pm ET/10am PT.

Chivas USA
Arvizu, David
Brooks, Desmond
Burling, Bobby
Burpo, Preston
Cunliffe, John
Flores, Jorge
Guevara, Amado
Hamilton, Anthony
Llamosa, Carlos
Lopez, Rodrigo
Hernandez, Jason
Merlin, Laurent
Myers, Justin
Nunez, Ramon
Perez, Orlando
Robles, Eder
Solorzano, Erasmo
Zotinca, Alex

Chicago Fire
Busch, Jon
Banner, Michael
Curtin, Jeff
Curtin, Jim
Franks, Floyd
Guerrero, Ivan
Gutierrez, Diego
Marques, Bruno
Noble, Nick
Plotkin, Brian
Russolillo, Jordan
Telesford, Osei
Thorrington, John
Woolard, Daniel

Colorado Rapids
Cancela, Jose
Casey, Conor
DiRaimondo, John
Gargan, Dan
Harvey, Jordan
Hernandez, Nicolas
Hughes, Justin
Keel, Stephen
Kirovski, Jovan
LaBrocca, Nick
Petke, Mike
Prideaux, Brandon
Sanneh, Tony
Thornton, Zach
Wilmes, Clifton

Columbus Crew
Garey, Jason
Gaudette, Bill
Grabavoy, Ned
Griffin, Leonard
Guenebaum, Andy
Herron, Andy
Hunter, Ben
Junge, Ryan
Miglioranzi, Stefani
Moffat, Adam
Moss, Brandon
Pacheco, Andrei
Peterson, Andrew
Pierce, Rusty
Thomas, Jacob
Virtuoso, Ricardo

FC Dallas
De Oliveira, Denilson
Botero, Juan
Daniels, Andrew
Dello-Russo, Michael
Gbandi, Chris
Gbandi, Sandy
Goodson, Clarence
Jones, Scott
Mina, Roberto
Oduro, Dominic
Pitchkolan, Aaron
Rhine, Bobby
Sala, Dario
Thompson, Abe
Wagenfuhr, David
Wileman, Chase
Yi, Alex

D.C. United
Addlery, Nicholas
Carroll, Brian
Carroll, Jeff
Crowe, Shawn
DeRoux, Stephen
Dyachenko, Rod
Gros, Joshua
Kpene, Guy
Mediate, Domenic
Monteiro, Jerson
Moose, Justin
Mupier, Mira
Nolly, Jay
North, Brad
Vanney, Greg
Walker, Jamil

Houston Dynamo
Ashe, Corey
Chabala, Mike
Cochrane, Ryan
Dalglish, Paul
Ebert, Eric
Hatzke, Nick
Hayden, John Michael
Hoerner, Kenneth
James, Jordan
Onstad, Pat
Ustruck, Erik
Waibel, Craig
Wells, Zach
Wondolowski, Chris
Wondolowski, Stephen

Kansas City Wizards
Burciaga, Jose
Colombano, Eloy
Elcock, Edson
Godbolt, AJ
Guadarrama, Willy
Hartman, Kevin
Hohlbein, Aaron
John, Will
Konopka, Chris
Kraus, Michael
Kronberg, Eric
Lowery, Amir
McMahen, Ryan
Pore, Ryan
Raybould, Ryan
Wahl, Tyson
Watson, Lance

LA Galaxy
Cronin, Steve
Caso, Mike
Friesz, Lance
Glinton, Gavin
Gordon, Alan
Gray, Kelly
Harmse, Kevin
Martino, Kyle
Mathis, Clint
Tudela, Josh
Vagenas, Peter
Veris, Kyle
Xavier, Abel

New England Revolution
Byrne, Bryan
Dorman, Andy
Flood, Gary
Franchino, Joe
Gonzalez, Miguel
Helton, Kyle
John, Avery
Knighton, Brad
Leonard, Marshall
Loftus, Chris
Mansally, Abdoulie
Nyassi, Sainey
Riley, James
Sims, Willie
Warren, Doug

New York Red Bulls
Doe, Francis
Caccavale, Sal
Camp, Blake
Cepero, Danny
Goldthwaite, Kevin
Ikangu, Elie
Karcz, Chris
Laventure, Jerrod
Leitch, Chris
Magee, Mike
Patterson, Randi
Quaranta, Santino
Schopp, Markus
Ubiparipovic, Sinisa
Vide, Joseph
Wolyniec, John

Real Salt Lake
Brown, Chris
Brown, Kyle
Curfman, Steven
Cutler, Kenny
Forko, Willis
Hashimoto, Duke
Jimenez, Christian
Kipre, Jean-Martial
Kirby, Dustin
Kotschau, Ritchie
Lancos, Chris
Reynish, Kyle
Stewart, Jack
Watson, Jamie
Williams, Andy

Toronto FC
Boyens, Andrew
Attakora-Gyan, Nana
Braz, Adam
Canizalez, Maycoll
Djekanovic, Srdjan
Gala, Gabe
Guzman, David
Hemming, Tyler
Lombardo, Andrea
Lumley, Stephen
Melo, Joey
Nunez, Cristian
Pozniak, Chris
Reda, Marco
Stamatopolus, Kenny

MLS Expansion - San Jose gets stadium deadline victory

As far as wow factor, a city council approving a waiver in order to allow for a later submission date for a proposal is not that exciting, however, the San Jose Earthquakes see it as a great sign of things to come.

The waiver allows Earthquakes owner Lew Wolff the three months he says he needs to get all the pieces of his stadium proposal together. Had the waiver not happened, the proposal would have been due in March along with any other 'rezoning' requests.

So the team is no closer to actually getting a stadium, however it shows that the city is willing to work with them to make it happen.

Mo Johnston looking to bring some samba action to Canada

Toronto FC coach Mo Johnston is spending a week in Brazil (hard life) in hopes of finding a player to act as a good number 9 or 10 for his club.

"There are a couple of clubs he will be looking at in particular but he did not mention the names of the teams or the players."

Without a doubt, Toronto needs help up top. Johnson worked hard at improving his backline during the season, but with little support up top, it was not as impressive as it could have been.

In some other possible good news for TFC, it looks like San Jose might reframe from taking any of their players during the expansion draft later this month and defender Andrew Boyens, who is from New Zealand, is looking into the possibility of obtaining Canadian citizenship, thus making him a domestic player and opening up a youth international spot for the club.

Frank Yallop dumps LA for San Jose

Frank Yallop will no longer be Alexi Lalas's whipping boy as he has said 'good bye and good luck' to the Galaxy in favor of guiding the reborn San Jose Earthquakes again.

Yallop told LA's players after Sunday afternoon's charity exhibition match against Hollywood United. This move comes right before the Galaxy start their post-season world tour.

Fairly or not, Yallop's time with LA will be looked at as a failure. During his season and a half in charge, the team went 18-21-12 and failed to reach the playoffs both years. His job was made harder by injuries and the craziness that is the Beckham circus, but still, this has been a low point for his career.

Yallop now returns to the team that has given him the most success during his coaching years, but this time he will have to build the club from scratch. One big question about this move is could his close relationship with Landon Donovan help convince him to move back to the bay area?

On a different note, how much of a sigh of relief do you think the Houston Dynamo organization is breathing this morning as it looks like Dominic Kinnear will be staying with them after all?