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MLS Reserve League kicks off Sunday

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Major League Soccer's resurrected Reserve League opens for business Sunday morning at 11, with D.C. United and the Columbus Crew squaring off on United's training field.

The league is comprised of three six-team divisions. Teams will play each division foe twice in the 10-game campaign.

The schedule for the Reserve League season can be found here. Below is the division breakdown:

EAST – Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC

CENTRAL – Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake, Sporting Kansas City

WEST – Chivas USA, Los Angeles Galaxy, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps

Happy to see the Reserve League back? Wish there were more than 10 games per team? Think MLS should adapt the three-division look?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. How many players does Backe have to develop into USMNT players for you to be happy? He’s done a lot more for the USMNT than most of the coaches in this league.

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  2. Exactly two words and I’m glad for them! See the line ups of all teams that played this weekend. Only NY has two Americans in an American league! Pathetic!

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  3. I’d prefer more games, so that young players play and develop. Yes, 10 games is better than no games, but it’s a half measure.

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  4. They could even do four divisions when MLS gets to 20 teams:

    1) New England, RBNY, NY#2, Philly, DC

    2) Montreal, TFC, Columbus, Chicago, SKC

    3) Houston, FCD, Chivas, LA, San Jose

    4) Colorado, RSL, Timbers, Seattle, Vancouver

    Smaller divisions = stronger regional rivalries. I’d go so far as to schedule two sets of home-and-away series between teams in each division. The remaining games would consist of at least one match-up with the other 15 teams, home or away, and return matches with cross-country rivals, i.e. NY vs. LA, Montreal/TFC vs. Vancouver, etc.

    Maybe it’s a crap idea, I don’t know. It might be cool though.

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  5. I’d like to see MLS return to three divisions like they had in 2000 & 2001 before the two Florida teams folded. It could really help the league promote regional rivalries. It could also help with playoff parity — the top two teams in each division plus four teams with the best point totals.

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  6. Your Backe bashing is hilarious. Two words: Agudelo. Ream. Plus, you seem to be unaware that the Red Bulls have signed multiple homegrown players. Eat it.

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  7. You do realize that NY is the only MLS team with 2 players being called up for the US men’s matches right? They also have another player, Hot, being called up for the U-20 matches.

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  8. as a sounders fan. im happy with 10 games also im happy with most of ours being at the beginning of the year.

    for us, i believe we will use it as a warm up for open cup and CONCACAF games and giving the coaches/players to test out formations to allow our depth to grow in games.

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  9. a shocking post. Not Backe’s job at all to look out for the US and last time I checked NY has promoted their fair share of homegrown players.

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  10. Exactly. Especially when the college game is still pretty different from the pro environment. College soccer is great for what it is but it could be better. The college game needs to switch over to limited substitutions.

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  11. So basically on trial within reason. If you put on of your ticket reps ‘on trial’ you are certainly going to be hearing from the league.

    On the other hand, this should legitimately give KC the opportunity to use Ochocinco in that one game if they want to. I’m guessing that won’t happen, but the chance is there.

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  12. Open Cup, friendlies with colleges, etc. If it’s anything like it was last year (for the Red Bulls at least), i’m sure the reserves will get at least 15 games in.

    It’s much easier to add more games next year than to realize they scheduled too many this year.

    Keep in mind not every team is carrying 30 guys, and in fact, most aren’t.

    Also keep in mind the regular season is now 34 games. I’m confident there are going to be a lot of minutes to go around.

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  13. From an article on MLSS in November:
    “These matches can only have players who are on the club’s roster or are on trial with the club or are members of the club’s academy,” Garber said.

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  14. Of course.

    No FIFA World’s best player gets there before first getting seasoned in a non-first team pro environment. Going from college to pro is weird transition, have to have a in between step. Especially as MLS level improves, that gap between MLS and college will increase.

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  15. So does a player need to be on the 30 man roster to qualify to play in a Reserve game? Or is it like European style where players on trial can play in a Reserve game with no issues?

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  16. I’m super exstatic about this! Notice my word that I use and hopefully we can give it the adequate coverage eventhough its normally followed by the hardcore fans and fans that the USMNT as our #1 team. That’s my case. This is the foundation and birth of our players to be world power we need a good Reserve league and for clubs to take their youth seriously instead of doing with Backe is doing in Redbulls of bringing washed out Europeans and only lining up two-three americans in his initial 11. I believe the favorites for what they have done in the past of signing homegrown players is FC Dallas, DC United and RSL.

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  17. it would also be more costly. Ultimately, this is a great setup. They can schedule friendlies. And we still have USOC, Intl’ Friendlies and CCL to help open up playing time in either those matches or MLS matches.

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  18. 10 games plus any extra games they can schedule sounds like a reasonable start to a reborn reserve league. You’ve got to remember that there are financial and scheduling considerations that teams are dealing with to make these games happen as most of the games appear to be the day after a MLS game — though I do notice a few here and there that are more random dates.

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  19. 20 games would’ve been better. That would mean squads would be guaranteed a minimum of 20 games a season and more playing time is always good. But for now I’m just happy we have a reserve league.

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  20. Squads can schedule additional reserve games against other competition (USL,NASL, etc..) throughout the year, just to let everyone know. I read this on the MLS website when the announcment came the league would return in 2011.

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