By RYAN TOLMICH
With this summer’s World Cup looming, Major League Soccer clubs were looking forward to the league-wide tournament break as a time to recover, to relax from a busy first half of the season
As one of the few leagues that plays on a summer schedule, MLS made sure to accommodate those headed to this summer’s tournament when they scheduled a two week break from June 12-24. However, with the recently released U.S. Open Cup schedule, MLS teams will now enter the tournament between June 12-18, something that has drawn the ire of Schmid.
“Don’t get me started on that,” Schmid said about the scheduling, according the Seattle Times.“The Open Cup comes right at the time when we’re supposed to have off time from MLS. It’s a situation for us that hopefully the games get scheduled and we play the first game around June 10 or 11, so we can actually give our players a little bit of time off.
“If they got all excited because they saw an open weekend and said, ‘We’ll schedule the games (then),’ and if they schedule games then, there is no point in us having an off time. We might as well play an MLS game.”
Schmid went on to say that the now nonexistent break was about more than rest and relaxation, as now both Sounders players and staffers alike will be unable to fully enjoy the action down in Brazil.
Here are some more news items from around MLS:
BOYD DISCUSSES MLS, OPENS DOOR FOR FUTURE MOVE
With the stateside moves of American stars such as Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley, MLS has never been a more realistic option for the country’s national team stars as a place to improve their game.
Add Rapid Vienna forward Terrence Boyd to the list of players who are intrigued by MLS, as the 23-year-old said he would “definitely” consider a move to the league.
“I’m a huge fan of MLS and I’m just happy with how MLS has developed and how American soccer has developed,” Boyd said, according to dw.de. “It just has to get more famous and I think it’s going to be a great league one day. It’s getting more attractive every year.”
Boyd went on to say that the sport is growing exponentially in the United States, adding that this summer’s World Cup will be “a big commercial for soccer in the States” that could steer youth to pursuing the game.
“I think about all these great athletes that come out of high school and I think: ‘choose soccer instead of playing basketball or football,'” Boyd said. “If they would choose soccer just think about what kind of league the MLS would be one day. All the surroundings are great, they’re perfect, [plus] the media coverage, and they have the money as well. They have everything.
“Then [MLS] would be a hell of a league,” he added. “It would be one of the strongest leagues in the world, just give it 10 years.”
D.C. UNITED TO FACE FULHAM FOR SUMMER FRIENDLY IN JACKSONVILLE
With a U.S. Men’s National Team friendly already scheduled for June 7, Jacksonville’s EverBank Field will now also host a friendly featuring an MLS side in its summer schedule.
D.C. United announced Friday that they will face current Premier League side Fulham July 26 in the newly renovated stadium, according to the team’s site. EverBank Field is the home to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, who are also owned by Fulham’s Shahid Khan.
“We’re looking forward to staging this match for fans of both types of football and introducing Fulham not only to Jacksonville, but to fans throughout the state and nation,” said Khan. “There is great passion in the Jacksonville area for soccer, and this will be a rare opportunity to see our Fulham team play in Jacksonville, and against one of the premier professional franchises in American soccer.”
Ticket information will be made available at a later date.
ANOR FINED FOR CREW-UNITED SCUFFLE
When it comes to on-the-field fighting, MLS demonstrated once again that their financial shoves are much more punishing than any in-game physicality.
Columbus Crew midfielder Bernardo Anor felt the wrath of the league’s Disciplinary Committee for last week’s in-game scrap between the Crew and D.C. United, as the Venezuelan was fined an undisclosed amount for instigating the incident. Both clubs were also issued warnings for violating the league’s mass confrontation policy. Video of the incident can be seen here.
Joining Anor on the Disciplinary Committee’s fine list this week was Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera. Cabrera was fined an undisclosed amount by the league for criticizing officials after his team’s loss to the Seattle Sounders on April 10.
SPORTING KC OPENS TICKET SALES FOR MANCHESTER CITY FRIENDLY
In other friendly news, two of their respective league’s elite teams will clash on July 23 when Sporting Kansas City takes on the English Premier League’s Manchester City. Tickets were released this morning and prices start at $50.
Sporting KC enter the matchup as reigning MLS Cup champions, while City are currently chasing both Liverpool and Chelsea for their second Premier League title in three years.
The game will be Man City’s first against MLS opposition since they won the Premier League in 2012 and will be a part of summer tour that sees them feature in the International Champions Cup across the U.S.
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What do you think of the U.S. Open Cup schedule? Would you like to see Boyd in MLS? Expect to attend either of the above friendlies?
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