Top Stories

MLS Ticker: Salgado loaned to Battery; Sounders break away from Seahawks; and more

OmarSalgadoWhitecapsFC2014-2 (USATodaySports)

By CAITLIN MURRAY

Omar Salgado’s search for playing time will take him to Charleston.

The Vancouver Whitecaps announced on Friday that they’ve sent the former No. 1 overall pick on-loan to the Charleston Battery of USL Pro. Salgado’s loan move is subject to the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

“Omar is a young player with a lot of potential and this loan is a natural step following two seasons with limited playing time,” Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said in a statement. “Our partnership with the Battery provides the opportunity for Omar to earn first team minutes, with a number of his peers, during this stretch of our MLS season.”

The 20-year-old Salgado has missed nearly all of the past two seasons due to recurring foot injuries, making just seven appearances since the start of the 2012 season. Salgado will be the sixth Whitecaps player on loan in Charleston.

The Battery open their season on Saturday against Orlando City SC.

Here’s a look at some other stories from around Major League Soccer:

SOUNDERS MOVE INTO NEXT PHASE WITH BREAK FROM SEAHAWKS

Seattle Sounders FC are breaking away from the Seattle Seahawks.

The two teams had worked together since the Sounders’ debut in 2007, but will officially end shared operations on April 30, in a move the club is calling “Sounders 2.0.”

“This is a sensible business decision for our franchise,” Sounders FC Majority Owner Joe Roth said in a statement Thursday. “Our vision is to grow our business to unprecedented levels both domestically and abroad. This move will position us to achieve that goal.”

With the help of the Seahawks, the Sounders had hit the ground running with strong branding and big attendance numbers with an average of more than 44,000 fans per match last year.

The Sounders will still play at CenturyLink Field and train at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash., but business staff will be moved to a new downtown location.

PICKENS WAIVED AFTER FIVE SEASONS WITH RAPIDS

After five seasons with the Rapids, goalkeeper Matt Pickens is leaving Colorado.

The Rapids waived Pickens Thursday, leaving the 32-year-old free to sign with other clubs.

“We want to thank Matt for all his contributions to our club in his five seasons here,” Rapid Vice President Paul Bravo said in a statement. “He has handled this difficult situation with professionalism and we wish him all the best moving forward in his career, as he will always hold a special place in Rapids history. This move allows us additional flexibility on our roster, and gives Matt a chance to find a new club soon.”

Pickens played 116 matches in MLS and set club goalkeeping records in appearances, starts, shutouts and wins along the way. But after injury early last year, he lost his starting spot to Clint Irwin, who had a breakout 2013.

CREW STILL IN THE HUNT FOR STADIUM SPONSOR

The Columbus Crew’s new ownership group is still in negotiations to find a stadium sponsor.

“We still have a top priority in securing a naming partner for our stadium,” Crew President Mark McCullers said Thursday. “The ongoing discussions, the engagement of the community, are all very encouraging.”

The Crew’s venue has simply been named Crew Stadium since being built in 1999 and becoming the first major-league soccer-specific stadium in the U.S.

McCullers said Crew have an “active list” of about six companies they are in negotiations with for naming rights of the venue as they look at ways to attract sponsors.

“We continue to come up with fresh ideas that add value and are going to be of interest to potential stadium partners,” McCullers told SBI. “We just had another graphics plan revision approved on the 18th by the Columbus graphics commission and it gives us certain opportunities to do video on the north side of the stadium, which is extremely valuable to our partners. So there’s a lot of different things, working with the community and working with the mayor’s office for naming rights.

IMPACT PREPARE FOR SNOW BUT SAY MATCH LIKELY TO GO ON

The Montreal Impact could see a few inches of snow this weekend when the Seattle Sounders visit, but the club has told reporters they are ready for it.

Impact vice president Richard Legendre said this week he expects Saturday’s game to be played as scheduled, though some concerns linger about snow accumulation on the roof of 37-year-old Olympic Stadium.

Under new weather protocols, matches will proceed if snowfall doesn’t exceed one inch and a decision will be made 24 hours beforehand. In previous seasons, any amount of snowfall would result in automatic postponement.

QUICK KICKS

Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales has been upgraded to probable for hosting the Galaxy after missing last weekend’s action due to a back injury. (REPORT)

Columbus Crew’s Michael Parkhurst has been training with the squad but is listed as questionable ahead of hosting the Union due to a calf strain. (REPORT)

The Portland Timbers have agreed a new deal with the City of Portland for the city to cover the costs of replacing the turf field every three years. (REPORT)

The New England Revolution have sent defender Jossimar Sanchez on loan to the Rochester Rhinos. (REPORT)

—-

What do you think of this news? Do you see Salgado succeeding and finding his form in USL Pro? Think it’s good idea for the Sounders to end their business relationship with the Seahawks?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I think sounders should play some friendlies or real games at huskie stadium. Huskie stadium looks scary and crazy intimate and it would be.even.better than clink.
    Just make memorial stadium a soccer paradise.
    Do it do it do it 🙂

    Reply
  2. It would be interesting if Bob Evans became the sponsor, and then they could have Bob Evans’ specials at the stadium. Then, they could change the logo to have the three guys eating pancakes. (Couldn’t resist)

    Reply
  3. I am very nervous about the Sounders breaking away from the Seahawks….I assume it is for money.
    IF so, are they going to have a severly less staffed service area ? That is not what I want.
    What are the benefits to me in this ? I don’t see even one.

    Reply
      • Stop getting so defensive. He has a good point, one of the reasons the sounders were so successful over the years was because of their infrastructure, ie marketing, sales, event staffing. How see less is the transition going to be? Have the sounders staff studied from the NFL staff how to coordinate large volumes etc?

      • Its a good move.. cuz if the Mariners fold or move then SSFC can move across Bro-ham street and take over that stadium.. Then all the grass fetishist will rejoice, and feel as if they’ve won the first battle against Turf.

      • I too am very nervous about the Hawks-Sounders divorce. What is the real story? already their web site is down, they’re not streaming on ROKU anymore. Bad omens. First they boot Alan Hinton, then they do this, what is next? Is Jackie Montgomery still around? Please – don’t mess with JM, she is hot!!! and she keeps me informed on ROKU here in CA.

  4. McCullers has been saying the same thing every year about stadium naming rights. Same old story that has really gotten tired. Considering the debacle of a TV deal he just struck, fans hold no hope of him getting naming rights done. At least not a good deal. If anyone knows a good professional sports executive with strong negotiating skills, please have them forward their resume to Anthony Precourt ASAP please.

    Reply
    • The Timbers will be paying the majority of the turf replacement and maintenance costs according to the new agreement. The city will pay a portion of the cost, since it owns the stadium and uses it for other events. The new agreement removes uncertainty over the city’s obligations and saves the city significant money over the long term when compared to the previous deal. Of course, you’d know all that if you’d actually read the article referenced rather than just blabbing ignorantly.

      Reply
  5. Get rid of artificial turf. Period. No excuses.

    Tired of watching Ping-Pong soccer on plastic pitches. Fans in the Pac NWest deserve better.

    It rains a lot in England, too, and they manage to do without.

    Reply
    • Period, no excuses? How about they share the stadium with the Seahawks and they are ultimately going to control what the surface is going to be since they are the bigger team? I would vastly prefer grass but people who seem to think it should be as easy as snapping your fingers are naive.

      Reply
    • But they don’t share their pitches with pointy-ball teams in England. Look at the condition of any natural grass field after it’s rained and been churned up by an NFL team. Any halfway decent turf is better than that.

      The knee-jerk ignorance about the turf v. grass debate is getting so tired. Unless you actually have a working solution that specifically applies to the financial and logistical realities of these situations (publicly funded stadia that have to serve multiple purposes) please just give us all a break.

      Reply
      • You take your logic and leave! Every time somebody wants to say something without any research or genuine thought or any suggestion of a viable solution and wants to bandwagon on the same played-out ideas because they are either ignorant or desperate to identify as a “true” fan of propah footy m8 (ENGLAND DOES IT SO SHALL WE) – you logical, rational, realistic people always have to come in and rain on their parade.

        At this point just pick up a picket and shout, I guess. That’s all we’re doing anyway.

      • Also rugby has very little in common with American football. Every pointy-ball play starts with ten(ish) 280+ pound dudes grinding their feet into the ground. And all that wear is concentrated between the hashmarks. Rugby is a much more wide open sport that spreads the action all over the field. As far as field wear, rugby is probably closer to soccer than pointy-ball, even with all the scrums.

      • how is it knee jerk ignorance? the turf in Seattle sucks. Sigi said it does too. what’s tiresome is the knee jerk defense of that POS turf in Seattle. we all understand the reasons, doesn’t change the fact that turf sucks for soccer

    • No excuses ?

      How about they play in the nicest stadium in MLS by far…the only stadium that could fit the fans and it would cost $500 million minimum to replace.

      Reply
    • “Ping-Pong Soccer on Plastic Pitches” needs to be the title of a new song.

      Get your own stadium. You have the money. You outdraw every other team by almost 100%. You seek to be a big-time, flagship club. The playing surface is not just plastic, it’s bouncy, slick plastic. No more waiting. No more excuses. No more “my big brother won’t let me.”

      Reply
  6. Ives didn’t mention it but McCullers addressed the Crew TV deal by saying “it isn’t a blackout”. If you didn’t know many Crew fans are upset because the new TV deal in fact does leave them blacked out unless they sign up with Time Warner which many of them hate as a cable company.

    Here is more breaking news on TWC

    The city of Los Angeles is suing Time Warner Cable for allegedly cheating on its franchise fees to the city, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

    The city is seeking $9.7 million in payments after Time Warner Cable “blatantly refused to live up to its obligations to the city” said the suit, even as the company received $500 million a year from customers in the city for providing cable network services, the LA Times reports.

    Reply
    • Unfortunately, Time Warner cable pretty much already owns L.A. fans. They have the Lakers, Dodgers, and Galaxy on their timewarner sportsnet channels.

      Reply
    • Amazing, ain’t it? Fans demand teams spend more money, but when teams strike revenue deals, fans hate them. TimeWarner obviously offered the Crew what the team decided was the best deal for them, that usually adds up to cash or other financial considerations. It’s not a blackout, if you want to watch them games, you have to pay the rights holder, TW, for the privilege of doing so. Why do you think TW paid for those rights? That’s kinda how the business works.

      Reply

Leave a Comment