Thursday, March 19, 2009

Major League Soccer Begins

Major League Soccer kicks off it's 14th season tonight as the New York Red Bulls take on MLS' brand new club, the Seattle Sounders. As annoying and embarrassing as the David Beckham saga has been over the winter, MLS as a whole is enjoying an unprecedented level of success. The league now hosts 15 franchises, but will add a new team in Vancouver that will begin play in 2011. MLS Commissioner Don Garber also announced plans to bring on two additional teams by 2012, though MLS has not announced yet where those teams will play (though in the mix are cities like Portland, St. Louis and Ottawa, as well as Miami, which lost its MLS franchise the Fusion in 2001.) Things are not looking as bright for FC Dallas, which as of the beginning of the month had sold only 5,000 tickets for the home opener on Saturday and which in general is having trouble putting a good produce on the field and putting people in seats out at the park at Frisco. But hope springs eternal...FC Dallas has brought in some quality players that will hopefully make an immediate impact (though it seems we say this every season) and while it's hard to imagine FC Dallas as a top club in MLS, it's somewhat easier to imagine them doing well enough to make the playoffs.

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