MLS Fan Central

In one of the league's most anticipated games this year, as a result of some serious drama between the clubs, the Chicago Fire came out on top in dominant fashion. One can only wonder, if the Fire can destroy New York with 5 goals on the road, what are they going to do to them at home? Juan Carlos Osario better get himself suspended for that game too, because if this week is any indication - it will be another long night for the New Jersey Energy Drinks.

Check out this video, which is quickly gaining popularity and spreading around the web.

Dear readers,

Thank you for your continual support of MLS Fan Central. Despite a serious lack of content lately, we still continue to receive a lot of feedback on our posts and we greatly appreciate your interaction with the content posted here (yes, even the hate mail). In the recent months, we have decided to take this blog a different direction, as the demands for MLS rumors and inside information has become too demanding for our schedules. However, we are going to try and get back to posting a few times a week with some fresh new perspectives on the league. Once again, thank you for your support and we look forward to interacting with you even more over the coming months!

The Los Angeles Galaxy put forth one of the most pathetic performances I have yet to see from the ever-disappointing side in the MLS season opener. Now as you know, MLS Fan Central has been "closed" for quite some time, but we had to return to make this one comment...

Do you think maybe the Galaxy defense gave up four goals because their star Dennis Rodman impersonator was busy playing Simon Says with the referee?

Philidelphia has some pretty good arguments for Major League Soccer to award their city an expansion franchise. The city has drawn capacity crowds for international exhibitions at Lincoln Financial Field. The Sons of Ben have been dedicated and passionate supporters of the league and their city despite not having a team, and they have proved over and again that they are ready for and deserve a team. Now, the city has a chance to join their fans in lobbying the league for a team of their own. And they have a little artwork that will help them along the way...

According to the Philidelphia Inquirer, the Pennsylvania legislature is deciding whether to come up with $45 million to ensure the MLS awards Philidelphia a franchise. It is by no means an easy decision, but just by looking at the artwork of the proposed stadium, I'm already praying that the city comes through.

The plans for the new stadium reflect the plan being proposed in Washington DC. In each city, a new soccer stadium is proposed to also come with new retail stores, housing, and jobs. Furthermore, the plans include redevelopment of waterfront property that would turn once dormant land to a thriving business community. And what does a thriving business community sound like to local and state governments? Tax revenue!

Philidelphia seems to be taking all the right steps to guarantee they are awarded one of the coveted MLS franchises. They are following the MLS model of expansion, and are ensuring that the city benefits from their presence. Their commitment to ensuring a soccer-only stadium can be built is great news for the league, the city, and the fans, and if it will be as beautiful as pictured, then I think Philly has a good chance.

A decision to fund the stadium will be made by January 31. If you would like to read more about the history of Philidelphia soccer franchises, or the process the city is going through, I encourage you to read this article. Otherwise, enjoy the eye candy until Garber finally announces Philidelphia's long awaited MLS franchise.

The juice: Hopeful MLS fans are keeping a close watch on Andriy Shevchenko's fallout with Chelsea. According to The Daily Express, Shevchenko hopefuls have something to talk about again. It appears as if Chelsea is not only ready to listen to offers for Shevchenko, but the club also is prepared to take a massive loss on the Ukrainian international.

However, for MLS fans, the good news doesn't end there. Shevchenko's wife, who is American, has apparently told him that if he does not choose to return to Stamford Bridge, then she would prefer him to follow in the footsteps of Beckham and return to the USA with a lucrative deal in the MLS to wind down his career. So how big of a role is the superstar's wife playing in his decision? Well, Shevchenko's original club, Dinamo Kiev, has requested his return, but his wife has already frowned on that transfer, proving she has a bigger role in the decision that we previously thought.

The judge: Shevchenko does not want to leave Chelsea. He is working hard to repair his relationship with the club, and clearly would prefer to finish his contract there before making a transfer. However, his playing time continues to dwindle and the bench is becoming his best friend. New York and New England are knocking at his door, and his wife seems to be pulling for a new home back in the States.

This news is better than it has been in the past for MLS hopefuls, but I still think Shevchenko is a long way away from a transfer to America. His contract will still demand too much for an MLS team to sign him, and the fact that he desires to remain in England tells me that he won't settle for less if he doesn't have to. An MLS team will essentially have to offer Shevchenko the Beckham treatment to draw his interest, which I think is far fetched.

Final thoughts: I don't think we will be seeing Shevchenko in an MLS uniform anytime soon. However, God bless his wife, let's hope she gets real homesick and convinces her husband to make a move to the States. From now on, Mrs. Shevchenko is our new best friend...

Once again, the annual Carlos Ruiz rumors have heated up in the MLS off season, and MLS Fan Central is here to weigh in on what is being said and how the drama is lining up this year. Let's first take a look at a recent blog from the Washington Post:

According to the great Steven Goff, Dallas is growing just as restless with Ruiz's huge contract as Ruiz is growing restless with the club. Ruiz is eating up $435,000 in 2007 alone, and the club has already indicated a desire to share the wealth with some other players - not to mention a very vocal desire to sign another marquee player. Needless to say, the whole financial situation is getting sticky. And if you couldn't figure it out already, Ruiz is unhappy.

Alright, so Ruiz's off season displeasure is becoming about as reliable as the cold is in November in Chicago. How are we supposed to figure out if this time is for real? Another rumor appearing on a Guatemalan website only clouds the picture even more. The article is in Spanish, but here is a snippet translated thanks to Babelfish Translator:

"With the exit of Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavón of the Galaxy of the Angels, the return of Carlos "the fish" Ruiz to the Home Depot Center is practically a fact."

Most everything about the statement is inaccurate, with the exception of Pavon leaving, so I'm going to have to bust this rumor pretty quick here. I have not come across any evidence on behalf of the Galaxy that this is even a possibility, so more than anything I think someone is spreading rumors with the hope of adding fuel to the fire. Sounds pretty good if you're a Galaxy fan, but since this is as false as it gets, I'm not even going to go there.

Final thoughts: So where do we go from here? Carlos Ruiz is obviously unhappy. Again. However, this time it looks like Dallas has made it clear that they are rebuilding, and they don't plan to have Carlos in their future. While they will try and rework his contract, their patience - and their checkbooks - seem to be thin and working against Ruiz. A move is not guaranteed, but Ruiz is an attractive option for other teams on many different levels. If he can't come to terms with the club and restructure his contract, expect talks to heat up and legitimate trade rumors to surface.

The juice: The MLS is looking into changing its senior/youth international designation rules. The new rule would allow teams to sign seven total international players, regardless of age. (It used to be four old and seven young.)

The judge: I've always found this to be a funny rule. Anything that references young and old players shouldn't really be a rule anyway, and I'm glad the league did away with the designation requirements. This should give teams a little more freedom to scout international players. This should also boost how the rest of the world perceives the MLS, as the EPL is doing the opposite: further restricting international players coming in.