It will go down as one of the greatest stories in MLS history if he can win the MVP award.
San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski scored all of his team’s goals in a 3-0 thrashing of Chivas USA on Wednesday night, taking him into a tie atop the league scoring lead and making him the new frontrunner in the MVP race.
The chants of “MVP, MVP” were raining down at Buck Shaw but Wondolowski’s mother and stepfather weren’t even in attendance because the Quakes forward told them he was taking the night off. He would later be needed off the bench after an injury to one of the starting forwards.
They may have been losers on the night, but Chivas USA are aggressively planning for 2011 as the Goats are reportedly checking out two Peruvians. One of those players, nicknamed “Tyson,” has apparently had disciplinary issues with the Peruvian national team and they say he is looking to double his salary by coming to MLS.
Challenging Wondo for feel-good story of the year are the New York Red Bulls, who look to complete a worst-to-first turnaround with a victory on ESPN2 tonight against the New England Revolution with a chance to claim the Eastern Conference regular season title.
No Thierry Henry again for the Red Bulls. The Frenchman is experiencing pain after a collision in training last week with a rookie.
The other Red Bulls players are labeling the match as the most important regular-season game of the year.
The Revs, who eliminated the Kansas City Wizards from playoff contention over the weekend, are not necessarily interested in being spoilers, according to their coach. Meanwhile, Revolution executives are looking closely at the RBNY model but are not necessarily out to imitate.
The second-place team in the East, the Columbus Crew, are still lamenting their schedule and travel as we enter the final weekend of the season. They could also be stuck with a Thursday playoff game, meaning another week of short rest.
The Crew are in Trinidad tonight to play Joe Public in their final CONCACAF Champions League group match. Here’s a preview from the Trinidadian perspective.
It’s a double dose of Jaime Moreno tribute pieces. Here’s TheWashington Times, where they kept count how many times his name made it into the headlines.
Then the Associated Press has someone calling Moreno the best player to ever grace an MLS field.
After Clint Mathis and Eddie Lewis, now another Galaxy player is set to call it quits after this season. And it is not Gregg Berhalter.
They may be in for a special last hurrah since their LA teammate, David Beckham, believes that the Galaxy can go all the way in 2010.
If LA do win MLS Cup, it will happen at BMO Field in Toronto, where they switched from turf to grass this year. In France’s Ligue 1, two clubs have gone the opposite direction.
The Galaxy will have a tough time of it as they battle Real Salt Lake for the Supporters’ Shield this weekend. That’s because RSL are dead set on repeating as champions to fulfill owner Dave Checketts’ stated mission of building a soccer dynasty.
Operating as aggressively are the Seattle Sounders. Although they may be pressing to find a back-up goalkeeper, they are ahead of the game for the 2011 SuperDraft with a second invitation-only college combine that the club organizes in Las Vegas.
There is speculation that the Red Bulls owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, may seek to expand his empire in the Italian Serie A and specifically Torino, the club that carries a bull as its emblem. The owner of the Turin-based club says reports of a takeover are unfounded.
One player going international is Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde, who is reportedly on a trial with an eye toward a move to Israel.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber will be at Syracuse University tonight to speak about soccer and the US push for the World Cup.
The Commissioner may want to point out to the basketball-crazy ‘Cuse fans how soccer is outdrawing NBA basketball in five different markets, at least according to TheWall Street Journal.
The first MLS commissioner, who lasted four years on the job, is now taking his former employer to court: USA Track and Field.
It may not be awards season yet in MLS, but the USSF Division 2 honors are starting to be handed out.
On the college level a former MLS player is in the coaching ranks but says that he’s not ready to call it quits on his soccer playing career because of concussions.
TheWashington Post details how the concussion story is one that extends beyond men’s soccer.
One career that’s not over is Nery Castillo’s with the Mexican national team. The Chicago Fire player says he has never said he would not return and points the finger at the press yet again.
In international news, today could represent D-Day as Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson meets with club executives to bring an end to the Wayne Rooney saga.
Philadelphia was not a nice enough city for former French international Robert Pirès, but he apparently doesn’t mind a club called Crawley Town in England. Who?
Lastly, soccer fans will surely endear themselves to ESPN's "Stink," Mark Schlereth. In criticizing the NFL for their stance on helmet-to-helmet hits, he pays a not so nice compliment to soccer.
MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:
European observers say big move in store for Alejandro Bedoya
De los Cobos won’t start McBride in final career MLS match
John Spencer targets the playoffs in Portland’s expansion season
