ESPN MLS Playoffs Update

2009 MLS Playoffs

The first round of the MLS playoffs begins tonight in Shittle. The Flounders face the potent Houston Dynamo at 7pm tonight. ESPN2 will carry the game live so at halftime of the Blazer game flip on over. A total of eight teams will face off in search of the MLS Cup. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate goals over two matches will determine the winners. We will keep you updated.

Eastern Conference

• Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt lake - Saturday 3pm
• Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution - Sunday 11pm Live Fox Soccer Channel
  

Western Conference

• Los Angles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA - Sunday - 2pm Live ESPN 2
• Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders - Thursday 7pm Live ESPN2
  

Vancouver and Montreal are out of USL

Montreal the 2009 USL Champions, and Vancouver the 2009 runner up are out of the USL for next year according to the new owners of the USL.

In an interview with Montreal radio station CKAC, Papadakis confirmed that neither of the Canadian based clubs would be part of the USL for the 2010 season after the two sides failed to reach an agreement for continuing play next season and that the T.O.A (Team Owner's Association) was ready to move in another direction.

"The negotiations are finished," Papadakis told CKAC. "We decided to continue our preparation for the season 2010 with the teams which wished to remain with us."
Papadakis also stated that there were no hard feelings on either side.

"I would like to thank the two Canadian teams, the WhiteCaps and the Impact, for all that contributed to the USL for the past few years," Papadakis told CKAC. "They were excellent for our league and I have much admiration for them. Now, I wish them good luck in their future plans. "

This could be just hardball tactics coming from Papadakis, as there is no additional information as of yet. We will keep you posted.

SMU Freshman Hits 95 yard soccer goal

Portland Loves Its Grass

With the rennovations to PGE Park looming on the horizon, many fans have begun to wonder if the 2011 Portland Timbers will be playing on natural grass or will they be forced to continue on the artificial turf? The new MLS field will mark the first-ever soccer specific stadium built for a professional team in Portland's history, quite a significant moment for local soccer enthusiasts. Natural grass is best and it's natural for the best soccer fans in the world to want the best for their team. I think many of us are familiar with the cliched pros & cons in the grass/turf debate, but up in Toronto there's been some interesting developments to their stadium that we in Portland could possibly learn from.

In 2010 the Toronto FC will play their first ever Major League Soccer match on a grass pitch at the new-look BMO Field. The ownership group in Toronto has decided to tear out the "top of the line" artificial turf or "FieldTurf" at the end of this MLS season. After just three years, Toronto has decided fake grass was just not suitable for soccer and will replace the FieldTurf with plain, old, natural grass.

The reasons Toronto made the change are important to look at. First, attracting top talent was becoming a challenge for them. The best players, who have the ability to play long carers in football, don't want to put themselves in situations that could threaten the stability or health of their careers. It's been a long-time criticism of FieldTurf that the artificial surface is less forgiving and rougher on the body. The statistics and studies backing up player claims is hazy at best, but the stats don't matter if there is a player perception that fake turf is worse than grass. Professional sports is a business, that's THE bottom-line. Don't believe me - take a look at Beckham and the LA Galaxy.

Being on the same playing field as everyone else was another motivation for Toronto's change of heart. The Summer of 2009 saw many of the world's top clubs visit North America in well attended exhibition matches against MLS squads. The visiting clubs requested the games be played on natural grass and at great expense, many stadiums took out the turf and replaced it with real grass. So, why wait? The revenue generated from these international games was a great financial gain to the clubs and the owners of the stadiums. Attracting top clubs, international friendlies, and World Cup Qualifiers will be a much easier task for Portland if we're running around on the same surface preferred by the rest of the world.

So far, the Timbers have been pretty tight-lipped over the rennovation plans, as their probably still finalizing many of the details themselves. We are in the process of researching and discussing the rennovation with the Portand Timber's organization. We'll see what information they can provide soon, but here at DroppingTimber, we want to make sure that they know that anything besides grass in the new PGE Park is simply unnacceptable. What do you think? If you agree then....

A Call to Action!
Grab your pitchforks and lets storm the castle!
*** Join the campaign now and bring grass to PGE Park. ***

Dicks Sporting Goods Park - Stadium Profile

Dick's Sporting Goods Park is the home of the Colorado Rapids. It opened on April 7, 2007 for a team scrimmage for season ticket holders and the residents of Commerce City, where the stadium is located. The stadium is located on the outskirts of Denver near the large international airport. It holds around 19,600 people for a football match and can accommodate 26,000 plus for a concert.
The stadium wraps the field on three sides with stands and two large roofs to cover fans on both sides of the field. It also features an open concourse design which allows people to watch the action while getting a beer or finding their way back to their seats. The playing surface is good ole natural Kentucky bluegrass.
Dick's is part of a sprawling outdoor sports complex that features 22 natural grass fields and 2 synthetic fields all of which have lighting. The stadium itself is a great venue to see a match, but I would much rather have my stadium downtown, so I can celebrate the victory.

Kid gives a right cross