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MLS Morning Ticker: Revs re-sign Tierney; Penedo chose Galaxy over Mexico, Europe; and more

ChrisTierney (ISIPhotos)

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

As they prepare to push for a playoff spot in the final half of the MLS season, the New England Revolution have nailed down a new contract for one of their longest-tenured players.

On Monday, the Revolution announced the re-signing of Chris Tierney. Per club and league policy, the details of the new deal were not disclosed.

The 27-year-old Tierney is the Revolution’s second-longest tenured player, now in his sixth MLS season with New England. Only backup goalkeeper Matt Reis has played in more seasons with the club than Tierney, who has been in a number of roles during his time as a member of the Revolution.

Tierney, who had recorded four assists in 18 appearances so far in the 2013 campaign, has primarily played left back for New England these past two seasons. The versatile Massachusetts native, known for his crossing ability, has played all over the midfield and backline for the Revolution since being drafted in the first round of the 2008 Supplemental Draft.

Here are some more stories from around the league:

PANAMANIAN GOALKEEPER PENEDO CHOSE GALAXY OVER MEXICO, EUROPE

In the wake of Clint Dempsey’s move back to the United States, another recent league signing is showing more signs of the MLS’s growing prestige in the eyes of transfer targets.

In a video on the Galaxy’s YouTube channel, goalkeeper Jaime Penedo says he turned down offers from clubs in Mexico and Europe in favor of joining Los Angeles. Penedo was signed by the Galaxy on Monday.

“I was contracted in Guatemala for a long time,” Penedo said. “I had opportunities to go to other places but ended up staying there. I then became a free agent, then I got offers from teams in Mexico and Europe, but when I heard that the LA Galaxy was a possibility, I got really excited. That’s why I decided to come here.”

The longtime No. 1 goalkeeper for Panama’s national team, Penedo comes to MLS from Municipal in Guatemala. Penedo, who was named top goalkeeper in the 2005 and 2013 Gold Cups, has 89 caps for his home country.

SKC INJURIES ADD UP AHEAD OF CCL OPENER

The injury bug has bitten Sporting Kansas City hard ahead of their CONCACAF Champions League opener on Wednesday night.

SKC head coach Peter Vermes estimates he has a pool of only 19 available players for his 18-man lineup against Nicaraguan side Real Esteli. Vermes said defender Kevin Ellis is the latest injury to his squad as the fullback will undergo evaluation on a hip injury later this week.

“We’re getting thinner by the moment,” Vermes told the team website. “We’ve got some other guys with some nicks and little issues here and there. Then we’ve got some other guys who maybe need a little rest because they’ve played so much, so it’s just a lot of different things. I was hoping to be in a different place with all the guys, but we’ll have to manage it.”

Vermes will look to his reserves, including rookie midfielder Mikey Lopez and backup goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, to step up as the team prepares for its first CONCACAF Champions League match since 2005. The defending U.S. Open Cup champions are without injured midfielders Paulo Nagamura and Graham Zusi, who sat out Saturday’s 3-2 loss against New York with a quad injury suffered during the MLS All-Star Game.

CHIVAS USA U-23s WIN CALIFORNIA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Although the current first team’s performances have been bleak for Chivas USA, the last-place Western Conference club has a lot to be proud of on its red-hot U-23 squad.

The Chivas USA U-23s extended their unbeaten run to a dozen games this past weekend in a California state championship win over Corinthians USA Pomona United. The win marks the academy’s first major title since Chivas USA’s founding in 2005.

“It was a game that the guys had been waiting for for a while,” U-23 coach Sammy Rivas told LA Soccer News. “They concentrated on the game, they did what they had talked about, give 100 percent in the final game…they played good soccer and I thought that they did their best to earn it.”

The U-23 title comes during a strong youth movement all across the Chivas USA franchise. With the exception of newly acquired Carlos Bocanegra and captain Dan Kennedy, no starter for the Goats during Saturday night’s match against San Jose was over the age of 25.

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What do you think of these reports? Excited to see Tierney staying in New England? Surprised to hear Penedo turned down Mexican and European clubs in favor of joining the Galaxy? Worried at all about Sporting KC’s rising injury total?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Panedo has 89 caps and two Gold Cup best keeper awards and he was playing in Guatemala! Glad to see MLS, finally!, becoming the kingpins of concacaf.

    Reply
    • Whoa … Settle Down. Kingpins!? Not yet. Under Boss? Maybe Got to be a better league than Mexico first.

      Reply
      • Lol no kingpins but with signings like Reo Cooker and Dempsey and Penedo it shows MLS flexing a little more muscle. They get a decent TV deal and take the cap a mil or so things will be looking good. The gap is closing with mexico but not there yet.

  2. Panedo was a good get for the Galaxy. I haven’t been impressed with Cudicini. It is a real good sign when a good player gets excited about getting an offer from an MLS team and chooses them over Europe and Mexico

    Reply

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