This is the approach that doomed the NASL. Smaller teams started spending more money, banking on higher revenues when teams like the Cosmos came to town. When the fans didn't turn up in large-enough numbers, teams financially collapsed. Granted, a lot has changed since then. The TV money alone may make my point inapplicable today. But it's worth mentioning.

Agree with Lassidawg. There's no where else to put a stadium that's in the downtown area. If they want to build one, it would have to be at least 20 minutes outside of town, maybe further or else all the whiney Seattlites would shoot it down. As far as it being a football stadium and not a soccer stadium - you have a halfway valid point. It could be nicer for soccer in some respects, but it's actually a pretty damn good venue for soccer (it was actually designed with soccer in mind). I'm not sure what makes a "soccer stadium" like Livestrong Park a better atmosphere than the CLink, so perhaps you can enlighten me. Although perhaps such a comparison would require somebody whose been to both, and I confess I have not.

20,000 fans will bring a soccer stadium to a level never seen before in the US? Come on, now. If we're talking about a boatload of crazy fans who create a great atmosphere, Seattle's got you beat easily. And if you're talking about 20,000 fans going nuts, then Portland's got you beat. I would like to see how the poll turns out if all responses by Seattle and SKC fans are removed. I'd bet on 80% in favor of SKC.

No Ali Krieger? Supposedly she has a knee injury... I'll miss her.

As a Sounder fan, I'm sad to see the underperforming little guy go. As a fan of MLS, he was around longer than he should have been. He was an awful coach. I'm sure he'd make a great assistant, the guy who runs practices. But as a head coach, he's all wrong.

Not sure what state you're in, but your scenario is actually not true. I hope your legal malpractice insurance is up to date. I doubt there was any conspiracy, but a coin flip seems like a bad way to solve a "tie." Why not tell them it was a tie, and ask them each to sweeten the pot? And why does it need to be secret anyway? What's wrong with publishing how much the winning bid was for? The whole thing smells like a poorly-run operation.

They are punishing the RMNT. Who else can UEFA punish? They can't file charges against those fans. The best UEFA can do is take steps to make sure those fans have no reason to be at the next Euro Cup - by making qualification difficult or impossible. Frankly, I think this is a good move. If you threaten the Russian FA and the fans with a de facto ban, they might be motivated to act differently.

This must be the dreaded 5th metatarsal injury. Those suck, as I've dealt with it myself. He's young though, I'm sure he'll heal quickly and be back contributing by October 1.

Agreed. Some of the Cal FC players approached the game with a confidence on the ball that is not very common in MLS. There were some clever passing sequences, and some clever dribbling by a few guys. In the end, just not polished enough. But it was fun to see them display their technical abilities.

I was in Suwon, 15 rows behind the goal the US pumped 3 goals into during that incredible first half. What an experience. My friends and I spent five hours before the game drinking across the street from the stadium at some poor local guy's restaurant. We drank all his beer in the first two hours. He had to make numerous runs to the corner store to buy more beer, and then re-sell it to us. We'd only been on the ground in Korea for 16 hours when that game kicked off, and it was freakin' awesome. Definitely the most fun I've ever had at a game in my life, with the Sounders first home opener a close 2nd. I haven't looked yet, but I'm sure my friends and I are in the video above as we spent quite a bit of time during that trip hanging out with the dudes in the Elvis costumes.

I might go with Felipe for the goal with the most impact this week, but Montero was a catalyst all week long. He could easily have had two more goals.

Impossible to argue for anybody else this week. Unless Dallas pulled out a W with 9 men, Montreal is the winner.

It's not fake ben, it's real turf. I have it on good authority.

Name calling is the only way anybody pays attention to me...

True - right before last year's friendly, I believe. The only thing worse than bad turf is laying down a layer of grass on top of it.

Also - because of the way the roof is configured, the surface wouldn't receive enough sunlight. They're having that problem at the San Siro in Milan, I believe.

You're both being idiots. We all wish the CLink was grass, but grass wouldn't get enough sun to survive. It would probably turn into moss like my backyard. With soccer and football on the surface, in a city where it rains a lot, it would be a mud-pit all year long. It sucks that we don't get national team games because of it, but them's the breaks.

Larentowicz is No. 2 on my list behind Lenhart. Marquez is hurt or suspended too much to hold the top spot.

Admittedly it is very early in the season... but I wonder whether Spencer's seat is getting warm. This team looks like a reserve squad when they go on the road. If they can't win at home, he'll be looking for work by the end of June.

I think he's the prototypical Spencer player. Works hard, tackles hard, plays tough, but doesn't have a ton of technical ability. Prediction: After his first start, Fucito will praise the Portland crowd as being better than Seattle's. Us Seattle fans will get defensive and make deprecating comments about how all Portland fans are jobless hipsters. Portland fans will respond by calling all us Seattle fans "customers" and mock the fact that SSFC has a marching band. Portland will fail to make the playoffs.

If Portland keeps up this approach to fixing their defensive problems, Spencer will be out of a job before the summer transfer window.

Who do you replace the 2nd rate refs with while they're suspended? 3rd rate refs? CONCACAF officials? College refs? Refs are bad here, nobody would dispute that. I'm just not sure suspending them improves the situation.

I think it's a 50/50 call for the committee. It lacked vicious intent, but it was a desperate tackle made after Joseph realized he's lost possession in a bad part of the field. It could easily have injured Villar seriously. I guess we'll know more about that once more is known about the injury. If I'm on the committee, I think the fine and suspension are warranted if we're trying to cut down on these kinds of tackles. If the League isn't perceived as having a problem, then I wouldn't suspend, but I would fine.

That quote means nothing to me. You could find two quotes like that from different coaches each week about different teams.

It will be interesting to see how SKC does when they play some of the better teams in the league. At this point, I'm not yet sure they are for real. Same can be said for Vancouver. I thought the biggest disappointments of the weekend had to be the RSL-Chivas result and the NE-Portland result. Injury to insult, Mosquera goes down for Portland in that match. The RSL-Portland match up this weekend will be a good one to watch, as both teams will be angry. That would have been a great match to televise nationally. Can't wait to see what the "top" teams in the league look like once they get players back healthy and/or from international duty. Dallas will be fun to watch, as will Seattle and RSL.