Soccer By Ives

MLS Notes: Revs introduce Heaps, Keller wins Save of the Year and more

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

The Jay Heaps coaching era in New England is officially underway.

Heaps was introduced as New England Revolution head coach at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, taking over for the ousted Steve Nicol.

Heaps retired from playing for the Revolution in 2009 and was most recently a color analyst for the team's television broadcasts. Despite not having any prior coaching experience, he emerged from a list of candidates to replace the longest-tenured coach of a single team in league history. He'll be the second-youngest coach in MLS next to D.C. United's Ben Olsen.

"As we went through a comprehensive search and spoke with candidates with a variety of backgrounds and experiences, Jay stood out with his vision for the team, his desire to move the club into the future and for his positive attitude about impacting change," Revolution president Brian Bilello said in a statement on Tuesday. "Coupled with everything we already knew about him personally and his competitive traits we've always admired and respected, he emerged as our clear favorite and number one choice as our next head coach."

Video of Heaps' press conference and other notes from around the league are after the jump:

Rosales named MLS Newcomer of the Year

Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com

Kasey Keller won't be the only Seattle Sounders player with an end-of-season award this year.

Mauro Rosales won the MLS Newcomer of the Year award on Tuesday, beating out a class of more than 80 players that made the jump to MLS from leagues abroad this past year. Rosales won 28.42 percent of the club votes, 35.98 of the media votes and 20.75 of the player votes.

New York Red Bulls' Luke Rodgers finished second, while Eric Hassli of the Vancouver Whitecaps, Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and Sporting Kansas City's Omar Bravo finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

Keller named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

 

After a long and illustrious career as one of America’s best goalkeepers, Kasey Keller has one more award to walk off into the sunset with.

The 41-year-old Seattle Sounder was announced as MLS Goalkeeper of the Year on Tuesday in a move widely expected after he was named to the MLS Best XI last week. Keller, who retired at the end of the season, won top voting in all three voting blocks with the players (17.39), media (26.98) and clubs (29.59) naming him as top choice.  The Olympia native played every minute of MLS action with the club, racking up an impressive 76% save percentage and a goals against average hovering just about one.

Keller's final press conference

Retired Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller gave his final press conference on Thursday, where he touched on his playing career, the growth and future of MLS and what lies ahead for him. Give it a watch and feel free to share your thoughts about Keller's comments and what you'll remember about his playing career in the comments section below. Enjoy:

Galaxy draw Toronto FC, Seattle gets Santos Laguna in CCL quarterfinal draw

Photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com

There were solid odds that two MLS teams would have to go up against each other in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, and that scenario unfolded during Tuesday's quarterfinal draw in New York.

The Los Angeles Galaxy drew Toronto FC for the first round of the knockout stage, which commences in March.

The Seattle Sounders will go up against Mexican side Santos Laguna, while defending champion Monterrey clashes with Morelia, and Pumas UNAM meets Isidro Metapan in the final pairings.

The winners of the Galaxy-TFC and Seattle-Santos ties will meet in the semifinals, meaning an all-MLS final is not a possibility, but there's a solid chance of an MLS team reaching the final. The Monterrey/Morelia and Pumas/Metapan winners will meet in the other semifinal. 

Real Salt Lake holds off furious Seattle rally to reach West Final

By JASON MITCHELL

SEATTLE, WA – The Seattle Sounders pressed hard for more than 90 minutes Wednesday night, but injuries, a gritty effort from a Real Salt Lake side that was also shorthanded, and a 3-0 aggregate hole proved too much to overcome.

Real Salt Lake watched that three-goal cushion fade quickly to one-goal cushion, but RSL fought off a furious late-game charge by the Sounders, who dominated possession and created countless chances, but never could find a third goal and instead settled for a 2-0 second-leg victory that meant an RSL series victory.

The series win sends Real Salt Lake to the Western Conference Final, where they will face either the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday at Home Depot Center or the New York Red Bulls at Rio Tinto Stadium on Monday.

"Four days ago we're just completely dominant and tonight we're back on our heels and being dominated," Kreis said. "In the span of four days, sometimes that can be difficult to figure out but our guys battled through and believed in each other and kept at it and kept their nose down through some very, very difficult play, difficult decisions by the referee and a difficult atmosphere. 

"But we move on and we'll look for a better performance in the next round."

MLS notes: Keller set for could-be finale, Revs to speak with Ralston and more

Somewhat overlooked in the build-up to tonight's Western Conference semifinal second leg between the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake (10 p.m., ESPN2) is the fact that it could very well be Seattle goalkeeper Kasey Keller's last game as a professional.

Between the injuries to key players and the size of RSL's advantage after the first leg, there's plenty of pregame fodder on which to focus, but the fact that Keller's playing career is on the cusp of ending is perhaps the most significant development in play.

The 41-year-old Keller, who long ago determined that he'd retire after this season, will only have his season -- and career -- extended if Seattle can overturn a 3-0 aggregate deficit.

Keller already had a send-off from the Seattle faithful after the club drew more than 64,000 fans to the regular-season home finale against San Jose. Now he'll hope that the Sounders can do a San Jose impression in trying to replicate the Earthquakes' four-goal comeback against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2003 postseason. 

Here are a few more notes from around the league:

MLS Spotlight: Seattle a perfect fit for Alonso

By JOSÉ M. ROMERO

Osvaldo Alonso honestly felt that this could be the year for his Seattle Sounders.

He said as much late last week, before the Sounders were blasted 3-0 at Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the MLS Western Conference semifinals. Now Seattle is on the brink of elimination, and will rely heavily on its star midfielder, Alonso, if it hopes to advance to the next round.

The Sounders without Alonso is like a ship without a navigator. It is Alonso who helps spark the attack, plays tenacious defense, typically bosses the midfield and is hardly shy when it comes to challenging for the ball. Throw in the fact that he has a dangerous shot from distance and runs miles up and down the pitch on game nights chasing attackers and keeping possession, and the Sounders have their man in the middle.

That's why the club made it such a high priority to sign him to a contract extension last year, one that should keep him in the Pacific Northwest through the 2014 season. Management and coaches saw that tenacity and those skills, and wanted to hang onto them as Alonso, 25, eases into the prime years of his career.

"We knew he was a bulldog who covered a lot of ground, but the first year, he surpassed our expectations," general manager Adrian Hanauer told the Seattle Times last week. 

Rosales will miss second leg vs. RSL

The Seattle Sounders sorely missed injured playmaker Mauro Rosales during their 3-0 Western Conference semifinal first leg loss to Real Salt Lake, and now it appears the Sounders won't have Rosales for their crunch second-leg clash at CenturyLink Field on Wednesday either.

Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid told the Seattle Times that Rosales will not play on Wednesday as he is still dealing with the knee injury he suffered in the Sounders' regular season finale against Chivas USA.

The Sounders offense struggled badly against RSL in the first leg, failing to produce a single shot on goal during their blowout loss, and must now find away to erase a three-goal deficit without their leading assist man and creative spark.

The Seattle Times also reported that Rosales may be available for a Western Conference final if Seattle can manage to come back and beat RSL.

Think Seattle can come back without Rosales? Who do you see stepping up for the Sounders in his absence?

Share your thoughts below.

MLS Conference Semifinals: A Look Ahead

 Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

The first legs of the conference semifinals over the weekend created four very unenviable hills to climb.

The Los Angeles Galaxy, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City all head home to protect leads while Real Salt Lake, the only winning team taking to the road, has the comfort of a three-goal cushion.

The first two spots in the conference finals will be booked Wednesday night, as Kansas City will look to close out the Colorado Rapids before Salt Lake takes on the Seattle Sounders. And it'll be another doubleheader Thursday night, with the Philadelphia Union traveling to Houston and Los Angeles wrapping up its series against the New York Red Bulls.

Here is a rundown of the second legs:

Real Salt Lake dismantles Seattle at Rio Tinto

By JOSÉ M. ROMERO

Much was made of Real Salt Lake's regular season-ending six-match winless streak and how it might be a sign that RSL is in trouble heading into the playoffs.

On Saturday night, Real Salt Lake put that notion to rest in emphatic fashion.

The attacking combination of Alvaro Saborio, Fabian Espindola and Javier Morales served notice that RSL has the potential to make a 2009-like run through the MLS playoffs, as the trio led the team to a blowout 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.

For Real Salt Lake, victory had to be sweet against the higher-seeded Sounders after ending the regular season without a win in its final six matches. With Saborio's two goals and a third one late from Ned Grabavoy, RSL heads to the Pacific Northwest for the second leg with an overwhelming advantage in aggregate goals, meaning the Sounders will have to be on the attack from the start of that game in order to stay alive.

Saborio opened the scoring in the 41st minute when he tapped home a Chris Wingert cross. The Sounders screamed at the officials for an offside call, but replays showed that, while a close call, the goal call was correct.

Real Salt Lake vs. Seattle Sounders: Match Night Commentary

Two of the top three teams in Major League Soccer during the regular season square off in the opening match of the MLS conference semifinals (10pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

The No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake will look to win at Rio Tinto Stadium in game one of the two-game series to put pressure on the No. 2 seed Sounders, who should have a considerable edge in game two at CenturyLink Field.

RSL welcomes back Kyle Beckerman, who served a four-match ban, and Beckerman will be partnering with Javier Morales for the first time since April.

Seattle will be without standout playmaker Mauro Rosales, who is sidelined with a knee injury. The Sounders will be counting on Lamar Neagle and Sammy Ochoa as starters tonight to help support standouts Fredy Montero and Alvaro Fernandez.

SBI will be providing live commentary on tonight's match so please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Live Commentary is after the jump):

MLS playoff notes: Rosales ruled out for first leg, Smith tears ACL and more

The Seattle Sounders enter the MLS playoffs as one of the league's hottest teams, but in order to find success in the first leg of the Western Conference semifinals, they'll have to do so without their midfield maestro.

Mauro Rosales has been ruled out of the first leg of the Sounders' series against Real Salt Lake, according to the Seattle Times. 

Rosales, who has been a key playmaker for the Sounders since joining the club this season, re-aggravated an MCL injury in the season finale against Chivas USA. He could potentially play a part in Wednesday's second-leg match should he respond to treatment over the next few days.

Here are a couple of other items involving MLS playoff teams:

Sounders cruise past Chivas USA as Rosales suffers injury scare

BY JONATHAN VERA

CARSON, Calif. – Playing a game with nothing on the line, the Seattle Sounders went into their match against Chivas USA on Saturday night looking to stay healthy and looking to keep up their recent outstanding form heading into the MLS playoffs.

They accomplished one of those two, dominating Chivas USA on their way to a 3-0 victory. The Sounders had little trouble with the Goats, but did receive a major scare when star playmaker Mauro Rosales left the match in the seventh minute with a knee injury after being taken down by Ben Zemanski.

Rosales left the match on a stretcher, but was later seen walking under his own power. The injury he suffered wasn't known, but it isn't believed to be as serious as the sprained knee that forced him to miss playing time a month ago.

“I’m not sure they have to do an MRI, a lot depends on how he feels tomorrow,” said Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “A lot depends on how he feels tomorrow. We saw the replay and it wasn’t nearly what it was the last time in terms of the contact.”

MLS Spotlight: Durable Parke embracing heavy workload for Sounders

Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

It's not terribly often that Jeff Parke contributes on the offensive end. The industrious Seattle Sounders defender, in fact, is quick to acknowledge as much.

In his seven MLS seasons, Parke has been one of the more durable commodities the league has to offer, starting at least 20 games each campaign. The 6-foot-1 centerback, however, has just two career goals and a handful of assists.

So as a Sounders squad loaded with attacking talent faced the Chicago Fire on Oct. 4 in the U.S. Open Cup final, it's doubtful anyone figured Parke would end up facilitating the match's opening goal. But when the 29-year-old steered Erik Friberg's corner kick on goal in the 77th minute, the shot forced a save from Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson, and Fredy Montero was on the doorstep to fire home the rebound.

"I don't get too many chances," Parke said. "But I definitely love to contribute in any way I can."

MLS Week 32: A Look Ahead

 Photo by Don Feria/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

Well, the New York Red Bulls sure took the drama out of this weekend.

With New York's 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on Thursday, the 10th and final ticket to the postseason was booked, and the Portland Timbers and Chicago Fire were eliminated from playoff contention.

But not is all decided, as the seeding remains far from certain -- particularly in an Eastern Conference so wide open that the Houston Dynamo could finish the weekend in first place or fifth.

And in the Western Conference, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas enter their respective matches tied for third, meaning one team will secure automatic passage to the conference semifinals while the other will be forced into a wild-card match.

Here is a rundown of the full Week 32 slate: