Wow. What a week. My heart's still racing from the Seattle Sounder's 1-0 win against Monterrey in Mexico. It's a huge win for the league. Just lat week FC Dallas was the first U.S. team to win a competitive match of soccer on Mexican soil. Now the Sounders have upped the ante by winning against a first-cut team of the reigning CONCACAF champions. I'd recommend the highlights or photos for those of you concerned about your cardiovascular health.
So it goes with historical firsts. Someday soon an MLS team will make history by eliminating a Mexican team from the knock-out rounds on Mexican soil. A team will win the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) and be heralded across the soccer-sphere. And then finally we'll get to a day where winning against Mexican teams won't be noteworthy. So for now, let's reveal in the fact the Sounders have taken a huge step towards making more history in the knock-out rounds of the CCL.
Go Get Your SBN App: So, we're getting all mobile and stuff around here at SBN. You can go here to get the new SBN App for the iPhone to help you keep up to date on all the latest soccer news from the great collection of writers here on SBN. It's totally free so there's no real reason not to download it and give it a try. SBN will continue to update the App based on your feedback so make sure to chime in with any improvements you'd like to see. And yes, an Andriod version should be available by the end of the year.
More links from around the league after the jump:
League Signs Ochoa: Former US Youth International Sammy Ochoa has been signed by MLS. The name might sound familiar as the striker came to Seattle for a brief trial this summer. His team will be decided later today via the allocation system. Currently Chivas USA hold the top spot in the order and their coach Robin Fraiser has expressed interest in the Southern California native. The Goat Parade, the SBN Chivas USA blog, thinks the move is likely to happen although you never know when owner Jorge Vergara might change his mind.
Keane Called Up: The Los Angeles Galaxy's newest designated player will miss a key stretch of games early next month to captain the Irish National Team through some key Europe 2012 qualifying games. Ireland plays Slovakia on September 2 and Russia on September 6. The striker will likely miss a tough road game for the Galaxy against a rising Sporting KC team and possibly a home match against the Colorado Rapids.
Klinsmann Sets Rosters: New USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann and Canadian coach Stephen Hart have also released rosters for upcoming games. Like his teammate, Landon Donovan will also miss games for upcoming US National team friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium. Other MLS starters who likely miss games include Bill Hamid, Zach Loyd, Heath Pearce, Tim Ream, Andre Hainault, Dejan Jakovic, Kyle Beckerman, Jeff Larentowicz, Brek Shea, Robbie Rogers, Julian de Guzman, Terry Dunfield, Will Johnson, Dwayne De Rosario, Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury.
Timbers Expand Capacity: The Portland Timbers are looking at expanding capacity at Jeld-Wen field after huge demand for tickets during their inaugural season. The Timbers will be adding seats for two home games this season in a trial run similar to what the Sounders are doing with expanded capacity tied to the Manchester United ticket packages. Hopefully both clubs will make permanent seating expansions for next season.
Hassli Out: It's been a pretty frustrating season for Eric Hassli and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Last Saturday it boiled over when the temperamental striker walked out after being substituted in the 84th minute by coach Tommy Soehn. In other news, the Whitecaps have brought in former U.S. under-18 defender Omar Elmasri on loan through the end of the year.
Return of the Holding Mid: The flagship MLS site has a interesting tactics article on the return of the traditional holding midfielder as opposed to the destroying midfielder so often seen in MLS. They cite our own Osvaldo Alonso as a prime example of the destroyer. Their key examples for the return of the holding midfielder are Simon Elliott, Daniel Hernandez, Teemu Tainio and Torsten Frings. Sure, these players all rely on skill and positioning. However, they're also all on the wrong side of 30.
Midfielders on Film: You know MLS has hit the big time when the Paparazzi are following former Sounder Sanna Nyassi around. He's made headlines for helping to water the plants outside Morazán de San Pedro Sula stadium in Honduras.
Chimpanzee That: Finally, to close out we have some photos of Bolivian squirrel monkeys playing soccer. Still, not as impressive as monkey builders.