Photo by ISIphotos.com
New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway still has four games to serve from his 10-match suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, but at least he won't have to serve the remainder of that suspension on his own.
MLS commissioner Don Garber lifted the ban on Conway participating in training with the Red Bulls during his suspension. Conway stopped training with the team and essentially disappeared for the last two months of the 2008 season after his suspension was handed down.
Conway is eligible to return from suspension for the Red Bulls match vs. Real Salt Lake on April 18th.
Here are some other stories to get your day going:
Suarez ends long and storied career
Legendary Mexican national team defender Claudio Suarez called an end to his 21-year professional career last weekend, retiring from the game and ending the chance for a return to Chivas USA. Suarez began his professional career in 1989 with Mexican side UNAM Pumas.
Known more for the 178 appearances he made for Mexico, Suarez capped his club career with three seasons with Chivas USA. He was named the club's defender of the year in 2006 and 2007.
RSL to face Seattle in U.S. Open Cup
Real Salt Lake will face MLS expansion club Seattle Sounders FC in a U.S. Open Cup play-in matchon Tuesday, April 28th in Seattle. The winner of that match will take on the winner of the Colorado Rapids-Los Angeles Galaxy match.
That is all for now. I will to add some more notes through the day. For now, what do you think of the league's decision to let Jon Conway train? Are you sad to see Suarez call it a career? Think the Sounders can knock off Real Salt Lake in Open Cup play?
Share your thoughts below.
Seattle does have a few great players but overall they aren’t that good. RSL will win.
I don’t think it’s completely fair to bash SSFC fans for talking up their team saying they haven’t taken the field yet. With the some of the same ownership, fan base and players I kind of consider them as having a longer history and kind of just getting ‘promoted’. But in the interests of sh*t talking, yeah definitely, fair game to rip on them
Looking forward to raising the bar for atmosphere and support in the MLS. Agreed, we may not win the shield, the cup, and the open cup in our first year but there is no doubt a new force in the league has arrived. I bet that in 9 days we sort out the Pink Ponies.
Come on you Sounders!
Hey NONAME–agreed. that is not a very impressive roster. now add, fredy montero and jhon kennedy hurtado. suck it.
First I am not going to say how the Sounders are going to do, all I am saying is I am going to enjoy every minute of it. It will be all that much more fun if they are in a playoff race. Although I have to believe that this team will achieve things sooner than others, because the ownership and management as done little wrong from our stand point. Does that mean this year who knows? No one ever really knows how each MLS team is going to do year in and year out.
If you are going to list a roster of players you may want to have a list that includes all of the players including the one that may be the best new comer to the league. I let you look that one up, last name begins with an M.
I highly doubt the sounders will lose 3 or 4-0 to anyone, although they could lose 5-4. 🙂
That looks like a good expansion roster. no news there. people would actually recognize 90 percent of those names.
NO. PLAYER NAME POSITION AGE HOMETOWN HT. WT. STATUS PREVIOUS CLUB
6 Osvaldo Alonso Midfielder 23 San Cristóbal, Cuba 5-11 165 S Charleston Battery (USL, 2008)
16 Evan Brown Defender 21 Raleigh, North Carolina 5-11 165 S Wake Forest
3 Brad Evans Midfielder 23 Phoenix, Arizona 6-1 170 S Columbus (2007-08)
1 Chris Eylander Goalkeeper 25 Auburn, Washington 6-1 185 S Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
26 Taylor Graham Defender 28 Fair Oaks, California 6-4 190 S Seattle Sounders (USL-1, 2007-08)
4 Patrick Ianni Defender 23 Lodi, California 6-1 175 S Houston (MLS, 2006-08)
21 Nate Jaqua Forward 27 Eugene, Oregon 6-4 205 S Houston (MLS, 2008)
18 Kasey Keller Goalkeeper 39 Olympia, Washington 6-2 190 S Fulham (England, 2007-08)
15 Stephen King Midfielder 23 Medford, NJ 5-8 153 S Chicago (MLS, 2008)
9 Sebastien Le Toux Forward 25 Rennes, France 6-0 165 S Seattle Sounders (USL-1, 2007-08)
10 Freddie Ljungberg Midfielder 31 Vittsjö, Sweden 5-9 162 DP West Ham United (England, 2007-08)
14 Tyrone Marshall Defender 34 Lauderhill, Florida 6-2 195 S Toronto (MLS, 2007-08)
23 Sanna Nyassi Midfielder 20 Bwiam, Gambia 5-8 145 S Seattle Sounders (USL-1, 2008)
7 James Riley Defender 26 Colorado Springs, Colorado 5-10 150 S San Jose (MLS, 2008)
13 Jarrod Smith Forward 24 Havelock North, New Zealand 6-1 180 S Toronto FC (2008)
12 Nathan Sturgis Midfielder 21 St. Augustine, Florida 5-10 150 S Real Salt Lake (MLS, 2007-08)
8 Peter Vagenas Midfielder 31 Pasadena, California 5-8 187 S L.A. Galaxy (MLS, 2000-2008)
5 Tyson Wahl Defender 25 Newport Beach, California 6-2 185 S Kansas City (MLS, 2006-08)
11 Steve Zakuani Forward 21 London, England 6-0 160 GA Akron
This is your Seattle Sounder’s Team?
LOL
It is NOT very impressive.
Go back to the USL-2.
Seattle fans are making me laugh! I can’t wait till RBNY thumps then 4-0. Then they get thumped 3-0 by RSL the followig week.
Seattle, there are Klingons surrounding Uranus. Please come back to Earth.
Don’t get too far ahead of yourselves Seattle bashers. Remember that they made it to the semi-finals of the Open Cup as a USL team last year…Additionally, I’d say that the USL Sounders of the past 2 seasons were just as good as half the teams in MLS.
But, I have to say that I love the trash talking. I can’t wait for the season to start.
I love to rant about Rafa and the Mexican assistant coach who punched Hejduk, and all of the Guerra Fria stuff is great.
But I gotta say this — Suarez seemed like a class act. He came here to play, which we can only say about too few of the big names who end up in MLS. And in all the times that he played for Mexico, I can’t recall once that he did not act in a gentlemanly fashion.
Seattle fans – Thank you for reminding us that the 22k fans in your stands are the ones that win every game for you. Please talk to Toronto about how well this works.
Seattle will be brought back to earth this season. USL players and a ssssssssuper gay DP wont get them to the playoffs and the tears that we cried when the Sonics left will return.
Dear Seattle-
I agree with you. You are going to win the MLS Cup and Open cup in your first season. Recent History is on your side.
Signed, the expansion seasons of RSL, Chivas USA, San Jose, Toronto FC, etc etc etc.
RSL sucks. The Sounders are gonna smoke their weak @$$es.
“ts RSL that is going to be knocked out of their own dreamland as SSFC shows them that last season was just a fluke and that there is new talent in the league this year.
Posted by: SwedSoccer | March 10, 2009 at 12:18 PM”
Awesome! I love it when supporters talk trash when thier team hasn’t even hit the field. Awesome!
Ives,
How do you see the Red Bulls keeper situation playing out? Will it be an open competition when Conway get sback or is it Cepero’s job to lose?
Conway allowed to train even tho he’s suspended? Well, it’s obvious that the RedBulls are recieving special treatment from Garber!!
(See how annoying that is?) 😉
Suarez was a class act and a true professional. Players like Marquez and O. Sanchez should take heed. Maybe he could help jumpstart the woeful nature of Mexican soccer by going into coaching.
Its RSL that is going to be knocked out of their own dreamland as SSFC shows them that last season was just a fluke and that there is new talent in the league this year.
I thought RSL didn’t need a play in game for finishing so well in MLS last year?
Ha! Sascha is nothing without his hair now!!!
Go FC!!!
No they won’t, I am going to enjoy every minute this year, along with 22K plus friends. Although to be fair the Cup will be at Starfire 5K ???.
Got my tickets yesterday T-minus 9 days
I think RSL will wake Seattle up from their little paradise. 3-1 RSL.