It's the lull before the storm in Seattle Sounders land. The Seattle Sounders lost on Tuesday 2-1 to Monterrey, but despite the loss, the Sounders still advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Chivas USA will be in town this weekend for the last regular season match-up. The results hardly matter for either team and the Sounders will be looking forward to the playoffs.
News Around CCL: The MLS will also have the Los Angeles Galaxy and Toronto FC representing the league in the quarterfinals. The Galaxy defeated Club Motagua to secure a spot in the next round while Toronto knocked FC Dallas out with a decisive 3-0 victory. The Colorado Rapids were also eliminated this week.
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Playoff Teams Set: The slim playoff hopes for D.C. United died on Wednesday after a 1-1 tie at home against the Portland Timbers. Both teams fought until the bitter end, but United were just unable to capitalize on their chances. Unfortunately for the Timbers their playoff hopes would die shortly thereafter as the New York Red Bulls clinched the final spot with a 1-0 win against the Philadelphia Union.
Expansion Draft Set: Major League Soccer has set the date and time for the 2012 expansion draft. The draft will be held by conference call on November 23rd at 11:00 am pacific time. Each team can protect 11 players plus any home-grown and Generation Adidas players. The Montreal Impact will select 10 players and each team can only lose a single player.
New Coaches for USSF: The U.S. Soccer Federation has recently filled some open coaching positions. Akron coach Caleb Porter will be taking over duties as the national U-23 coach and will represent the U.S. at the Olympics. Former national team midfielder Tab Ramos will take over as the U-20 coach.
Who Dat MVP? Wondering what makes Mauro Rosales the engine that runs the Sounders? Curious as to why Omar Gonzalez looks like a lock for defender of the year and perhaps MVP? Our own Jeremiah Oshan is running down the list of the top candidates for league MVP. You can check out his articles on the major league soccer section of SBN.
More Interest in John: Reports indicate that European clubs are still quite interested in Dallas defender and local boy George John. The latest is that Everton and Wigan are both planning to make bids for the defender during the January window.