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MLS All-Star Notes: Henry, Donovan address Cahill, Torres not playing & more

LDCahill (Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA — Thierry Henry's looming future teammate is one of Landon Donovan's former teammates, and as the two MLS standouts prepare for the MLS All-Star Game against Chelsea, they took the time to address Tim Cahill's pending arrival in the league.

Everton announced Monday that Cahill has been transferred to MLS, where he will play with Henry's New York Red Bulls, and while the club has yet to confirm his capture, Henry is intrigued at the possibility of adding him to the club's attacking arsenal.

"I think he's going to be a great asset," said Henry, who warned that he did not want to jump the gun until Cahill passes his physical and the deal becomes official. "The way he plays, I love the commitment. He's great in the box. His head is unbelievable. He fights. His football IQ is great. Hopefully that can be a plus for us."  

Donovan, who teamed with Cahill during his two loan stints to Everton, said that he did not talk to Cahill about the move to MLS or New York but added that "most players" in his experience overseas talk about one day coming to the league.

"I didn't speak to Tim about this particularly. I would've preferred to have him in L.A.," Donovan said light-heartedly. "It's a great opportunity for him, and fingers crossed everything works out for him."

Here are a few more notes from the build-up to the 2012 MLS All-Star Game:

TORRES NOT PLAYING FOR CHELSEA

MLS fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Euro 2012 Golden Boot winner Fernando Torres are out of luck.

The Chelsea striker won't play in the MLS All-Star Game, according to comments made by manager Roberto Di Matteo, who said that Torres' late arrival to join the club will prevent him from seeing the field.

"Fernando arrived (Monday)," Di Matteo said. "It's too early for him to be involved tomorrow."Di Matteo, who has 10 substitutions at his disposal after Chelsea and MLS agreed to the rule change Monday, will look to spread the minutes across his squad as it continues its preparations for the upcoming Premier League season and a UEFA Champions League title defense.

"We're looking to try and give everybody some playing minutes and try and reach a good balance, that once we get back to England all the players will have played more or less the same amount of game time," Di Matteo said. "This season, the fact that we have many players coming back at different times because of their involvement in the European championship, we have to manage this and consider this."

FARFAN RELISHES ALL-STAR CHANCE

Philadelphia Union attacking midfielder Michael Farfan was a late addition to the MLS squad, but as the 19th man he gives Ben Olsen some more flexibility on his roster.

Farfan has come on strong in his second MLS season, assisting on four goals for the Union while providing an attacking spark going forward.

"I'm excited. I'm just happy to be a part of it," Farfan said. "It's nice to be able to do it in Philadelphia with the Sons of Ben and all the fans around here. The atmosphere will be great."

Olsen said that Farfan is likely slated for a role late in the second half to help soak up more minutes but also lengthens the roster to help protect against an injury or an ejection. 

"When you look at it, we're managing minutes," Olsen said. "I thought it was important to have a guy that I could hold as long as possible, and we'll probably do that with Michael. I've expressed that to him, and he's happy to do that and be a part of this thing."

ALONSO, JOHNSON GET SECOND CRACK AT CHELSEA

It has been six days since the Seattle Sounders fell to Chelsea 4-2 in a World Football Challenge exhibition at CenturyLink Field, and MLS All-Stars Osvaldo Alonso and Eddie Johnson will get a second chance to knock off the European champions.

"It's an unbelievable opportunity," Johnson said. "Not many people in the world get to play against Chelsea. I played against them in England, played against them last week. We all know what theyre capable of doing as a team.

"For us, we have a lot of good players on this All-Star team, a ton of experience. We're all pumped up for the game."

Alonso, who is still waiting to hear from FIFA about whether he can change his international allegiance to the United States from Cuba after becoming an American citizen, hopes to use his experience from last Wednesday to his advantage against the Blues. 

"It's good for me, I know a little bit more," Alonso said. "We have to be focused tomorrow night. It's going to be a tough game." 

Comments

  1. I’m talking about dps, how teams need to use their dp spots and which ones can and not due to their location.

    Reply
  2. In terms of DPs, I think teams should try to balance out their selections.

    1 up-and-comer, probably from Central or South America, who possibly fits under the U-23 rule.

    1 player in the prime of his or her career (27-28)… think Oscar Boniek Garcia, Alvaro Fernandez, etc.

    1 older veteran with star power and name recognition, a la Beckham, Henry, Keane

    Reply
  3. My old friend Paul Kariya once told me over a mid-day salad that if you don’t score on the two man advantage, you won’t win the game.

    Reply
  4. Deion Sanders once said:

    If you look good, you feel good…
    If you feel good, you play good…
    If you play good, you get paid good…

    Just FYI.

    Reply
  5. you’re off on San Jose. it’s close to San Fran, one of the most beloved US cities by Europeans. also, they have a new stadium currently being built.

    Reply
  6. The Cosmos does exist, now that they are in NASL I think they are soon to join MLS. The rest of Vic El Paso texas comments, I have no clue what he is saying.

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  7. Yup, the bottom tier guys making minimal salaries get 2-3 times as much as in MLS. Which is crazy because MLS is more successful. While I think those guys should get more in MLS eventually (with the next CBA based on the current successes), that is just insane. From an economic perspective, those guys in both leagues are stuck, they can’t really go anywhere else to be paid professionals, and they’re not good enough to sell tickets or jerseys, so it makes no sense to pay them a lot of money.

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  8. No, they don’t have a higher average wage. Their salary cap for upcoming season is A$2.48 million, and can only sign 1 DP. US Currency is roughly equal to Australian right now.

    And the owner i think you’re referring to was the Gold Coast owner, who basically ran the team into the ground, they complained about how much it costs (in addition to whining about almost everything else).

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  9. I don’t think you can determine velocity without knowing speed AND direction of travel. I DO think that from this picture you can determine that Donovan is just absolutely over-the-moon giddy.

    Reply
  10. Oh i forgot the Cosmos, if they join MLS, it will be 6 fancy DPs in New York. Chivas USA will never attract a fancy DP, due to its name and situation.
    -Miami and Orlando, can definitely attract top talent but the hot weather can scare them.
    – Las Vegas can also be a hot bed for DPs

    Reply
  11. Im surprised Cahill did not reject the offer like Raul,Drogba, Anelka, Ronaldinho and others. In reality good for Galaxy and Red Bull setting the example for the league, if the DP is worth it, then get him. MLS teams want young DPs, but not now,pursue the Becks Drogbas and Cahills that are worth the money and DP spot. If every team has 3 experienced or at least 2 DPs in the type of Henry or Becks, the team around will catch up and practice harder and the young talent will learn as well. That would increase the play of the league.
    For example:
    Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Toronto, Montreal, New York, LA, Boston with new stadium, DC with new stadium, Philly are the cities that most DPs would love to go.
    -Dallas, Houston, Salt lake, Denver, kansas city can be at their level but more sweet talk would be need it.
    -San Jose, Columbus, Chivas USA, might suffer until they get a new stadium and that might not even help them get a fancy DP

    Reply

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