Here's a couple of takes from the Houston and Salt Lake City players on the Dynamo and Real players who moved to the Seattle Sounders in the Wednesday expansion draft:

Nate Jaqua leaving Dynamo for Seattle

By Bernardo Fallas
Houston Chronicle – November 27, 2008
As expected, the Dynamo lost forward Nate Jaqua to Seattle Sounders FC in Wednesday’s MLS expansion draft.

Jaqua, who re-signed with the Dynamo over the summer after a six-month stint in Austria, tallied four goals and four assists in 14 league games, including 11 starts.

He was one of 10 players picked up by expansion Seattle as it builds a roster ahead of the 2009 season.

MLS teams could each protect up to 11 players from the draft. Jaqua was one of 17 players the Dynamo left unprotected.

Despite being picked up by the Sounders, Jaqua will be eligible to play for the Dynamo in tonight’s CONCACAF Champions League home match against Salvadoran club Luis Angel Firpo.

Jaqua, 27, first joined the Dynamo from Los Angeles via trade in the summer of 2007. He went on to register six goals and two assists in 15 games in helping the team win its second consecutive MLS title.

A free agent at the end of the 2007 season, Jaqua signed with SC Rheindorf Altach of the Austrian Bundesliga for half a season. He said he entertained offers to remain in Europe but decided to return to MLS in July.

Jaqua’s impending move to the Northwest was expected after the Eugene, Ore., native expressed a desire to play for Seattle next season as a condition to returning to MLS and the Dynamo.

Seattle's picks: Nate Jaqua (Dynamo); Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake); Jeff Parke (New York Red Bulls); Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC); Khano Smith (New England Revolution);

Also: Peter Vagenas (Los Angeles Galaxy); Tyson Wahl (Kansas City Wizards); James Riley (New England Revolution); Stephen King (Chicago Fire); and Brad Evans (Columbus Crew).

RSL loses injury-plagued midfielder in expansion draft

By Michael C. Lewis
Salt Lake Tribune - November 27, 2008
Real Salt Lake lost midfielder Nathan Sturgis to the Seattle Sounders in the Major League Soccer expansion draft Wednesday, two days after unexpectedly switching course and leaving him unprotected.

The team originally had left goalkeeper Nick Rimando unprotected in order to keep Sturgis among the 11 players it was allowed to shield from the expansion draft. But at the last moment - after the league's announced deadline, in fact - RSL changed its mind and protected Rimando, instead.

Team officials feared the Sounders would select Rimando, even though they already have signed veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller, in order to use him as trade bait for another player, draft pick or allocation.

In the end, the Sounders did not select any of the other starting goalkeepers who were left unprotected, suggesting RSL might have been safe with its original strategy.

Still, losing Sturgis does not immediately appear to be a crushing blow.

Though he is regarded among the top young American players, he has scarcely seen the field for RSL because of injuries.

The 20-year-old played in only eight games for the team since joining it with striker Robbie Findley in a trade from the Los Angeles Galaxy midway through the 2007 season. He appeared in only three games during RSL's drive to the MLS Western Conference final last season, and missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics because of a lingering hamstring injury.

There are 10 new names to go on the backs of those green Sounders FC jerseys, as the team seemed to do pretty well today, with a nice mix of young players with experience.

Here's the TNT report on the draft.

Here's the take from general manager Adrian Hanauer:

“We feel like we got a great mix of players. We got an experienced veteran who has been there in the trenches and played lots of MLS games in Peter Vagenas. We got mid-tier experienced guys in Parke, Jaqua and Khano Smith. We’re very excited about the young players we were able to select.”

“We weighted the draft a little more defensively, rather than the attack. We feel very good about our expansion draft players as they complement our existing four players. Together, they comprise a very solid core.”

Here's the full release from today's MLS expansion draft .

The Sounders currently have four players. On Wednesday, they will add 10 in the MLS expansion draft -- giving them enough to field a team.

Here are the expansion rules and the list of players made available by the other MLS teams on Monday.

The Columbus Crew won the MLS Cup league championship over the New York Red Bulls today, ending the league season.

Next time the league laces up the boots, Seattle Sounders FC will be in the club.

And the intriguing question is whether Crew coach Sigi Schmid will be Sounders coach Sigi Schmid by then.

His contract ended when the season did, and his name has been mentioned in connection with the Seattle job for a while. And that was even mentioned on the game telecast today.

Here's a recent update from ESPNsoccernet.com.

By Steve Davis
ESPNsoccernet.com – November

These should be the happiest of days for Sigi Schmid. The big bundle of yellow on the Columbus Crew sideline could be 90 minutes from a second MLS championship. And how ironic this one could be, as he would take a second swig from the MLS Cup in the very backyard of the organization that once pushed him into oncoming traffic.

But this cool sip from the spring of karma might come with a bitter aftertaste, for Schmid is also pondering a future that's less certain than it rightly deserves to be.

Schmid's contract is up at season's end, and the distinct possibility looms that he'll be on the move quickly once the curtain drops on Major League Soccer's 13th season Sunday. It is strange that Seattle is dawdling on making its all-important initial managerial hire, eh? When is that expansion draft again? Oh, yes! It's next week. Hmmm. Would Seattle really go into this important day without a manager in place?

Didn't we see something like this once before, when Schmid's talent went unappreciated? How in the world could something like this happen twice to the same guy -- a man who might be the league's winningest all-time coach at this time next year?

Here's a theory: Some misguided MLS executives, who ought to know better, see MLS achievement as a candy grab. Somehow, some owners and GMs (and some managers themselves) suffer from a toxic illusion of effortless MLS success.

It was precisely this misguided notion, this idea that MLS hardware is just sitting around on shelves at the local quick mart, that prompted one of the silliest decisions ever to afflict MLS.

In the summer of 2004 Los Angeles was humming along in first place and the sun was shining brightly on Planet Galaxy when the club stunned MLS by dismissing Schmid. A real head-scratcher, that one, which ultimately proved to be the genesis of the Galaxy's spectacular implosion. (Whether or not that elevator has finally reached bottom, only the big commissioner in the sky knows for sure. Because every time we think it has, someone at AEG proves us wrong again.)

This siren song, this wrongheaded illusion of fast-track success, has similarly removed other MLS executives from their good senses. Bruce Arena was kicked to the curb last year after 16 months as the Red Bulls' chief. Steve Morrow was dismissed in Dallas in a similar time frame.

We see other evidence that success in MLS is sometimes misdiagnosed as low-hanging fruit. How many owners, GMs or managers, drunk on arrogance and entitlement, have stated with more than a smidge of smug that an MLS Cup is well within reach?

The odds of winning a title in the 14-team MLS are, in fact, more favorable than winning in the NFL (32 teams) or the NBA (30). And there's surely some ego at work, too. After all, it's just MLS, right? Surely an owner, GM or manager with a big brain and a sharp edge can tip the balance, right?

Still, just because the initial odds are more favorable, that doesn't mean any old Hank with cones and a coaching license can deliver the Cup. Eliminate all other variables and every team has only a 7 percent chance of finding the prize in the cereal box come late November.

Consider this fact: Since 2000 only four clubs -- just four! -- have claimed an MLS Cup: Houston, Los Angeles and San Jose with two each and D.C. United with one. And guess which currently spotlighted coach claimed one of those? Hint: You'll see him Sunday, surely adorned in that lucky Crew scarf.

That brings us back to Schmid and this current Crew contract kerfuffle.

He had the best team in league play in 2008. There was little doubt of that by early September when Schmid's men bullied New England in a 4-0 statement-match pummeling.

Execs from Hunt Sports Group (HSG), the Crew ownership group, should have gang-tackled Schmid the very next day, hog-tied the man and refused to let him leave until he promised to stay for three to five more years. They needed to ask one simple question: "What's it gonna take for us to keep you in Columbus?"

Don't forget, Schmid won the 2008 Supporters' Shield by building slowly, frugally, with no superfueled DP boost.

Instead, HSG offered Schmid a deal that apparently landed somewhere between "Pass, thank you," and "Are you serious?"

Schmid said by phone last week from Columbus that he preferred not to extensively discuss the contract situation, but did say he had closed negotiations until season's end. Uh-oh.

Schmid was just a year and a half removed from an MLS title when AEG dropped the guillotine back in 2004. He never dogs the Galaxy too much about it, saying all the right things about coaches getting hired to be fired, etc. But he was clearly wounded.

"The only thing that bothers me, to be very honest with you ... was the insinuation at the time that we didn't play attractive enough soccer, that we weren't offensive enough," Schmid said this week. "And that moniker was sort of hung on me and that bothers me. Because at the time we were the highest-scoring team in the league."

Now, here we are again. Different circumstances, of course, but the miscalculations in value have a familiar feel.

HSG is notoriously frugal, never one to hand over a buck when 75 cents will do the trick. That's not all bad, of course. In this case, HSG rolled the dice -- and lost -- by leaving Schmid dangling too long. Hindsight is dandy, as we all know, but anybody who saw Schmid's team in 2007 knew the club was on the rise. Grand designs for 2008 were just a matter of adding pieces, specifically a left back and a bigger presence at holding midfielder. Bingo!

Now Schmid owns the dice. He can choose to throw 'em or he can possibly pack 'em up and head west on I-70 out of Ohio.

Most of Schmid's life has been an L.A. story. No, the Pacific Northwest isn't sunny SoCal, but it's closer than Columbus. And you get the feeling that Schmid just wants to be appreciated. It's a basic human need, after all.

Win or lose Sunday, Schmid has proved that he knows what it takes to win in MLS, and it's too bad anybody must wonder what he'll be doing come Monday morning.

The MLS 2009 season will begin March 21, a week earlier than usual.

That's one of several changes regarding MLS competition issues announced by commissioner Don Garber.

Full information is available at the MLS website.

Here are the highlights:

Competition elements for the 2009 MLS season are:

Rosters:
Following an extensive review of the operation of the Reserve Division over the past four years, MLS has decided that it will be more efficient to cease operation of the Reserve Division and to divert funds from its operations to more directed programs such as a bolstered senior roster, increased commitment to the Generation adidas program and focused initiatives to provide leading prospects with game experience, whether in MLS or elsewhere. These options are currently being reviewed by an MLS working group.

Each team will be permitted to carry 18, 19 or 20 senior roster players (at its option) within the overall salary budget (the limit in 2008 was 18 senior roster players). In addition, teams will be permitted to carry up to four developmental players (including Generation adidas players) outside of the team salary budget. Any team with more than four Generation adidas players carried forward from 2008 will be grandfathered with respect to the size of their developmental roster.

Schedule:
The 2009 season will start on March 21, one week earlier than the 2008 season. Each team will play 30 regular season games. During the 2009 regular season, MLS will either clear its schedule on two weekends, or play with a reduced schedule over four weekends, to reduce World Cup Qualification conflicts. This, the elongated window of the schedule, and a few additional weeknight games, is aimed at reducing the number of conflicts with FIFA fixture dates that teams have faced in recent years.

Of the 15 teams that will compete in 2009, seven will be in the Eastern Conference and eight will be in the Western Conference, where Seattle Sounders FC is the additional team.

Each team will play every other MLS team home and away, for a base of 28 games. Two additional games against intra-conference rivals will complete each team’s 30-game schedule.

Playoffs:
A total of eight teams will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2009. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top two teams in each conference will earn automatic berths. The next four teams in the standings, regardless of conference, will earn wild card berths. This is the same format used in 2007, the last time MLS had an uneven number of teams in each conference.

International Competitions and U.S. Open Cup:
MLS teams may participate in either the CONCACAF Champions League or SuperLiga – but not both.

All U.S.-based MLS teams will participate in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Qualification for the 2009/2010 CONCACAF Champions League will be as follows:

(1) MLS Cup Winner
(2) Supporters’ Shield Winner (Columbus Crew)
(3) MLS Cup Runner-Up
(4) U.S. Open Cup Winner* (D.C. United)

In the event that the same team occupies two qualification spots above, then as needed the following team(s) qualify for the tournament:

(5) Next Team in Regular Season Points.
(6) Next Team in Regular Season Points.

(Ties are broken according to the same system used for MLS playoff qualification.)

Given these criteria, the teams qualifying for the 2009/2010 CONCACAF Champions League will be Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, D.C. United and Houston Dynamo. Because Columbus will occupy both the Supporters’ Shield berth and either the MLS Cup Winner or MLS Cup Runner-Up berth, Houston qualifies as the fourth team with the next most points in MLS during the 2008 regular season.

Qualification for SuperLiga 2009 will be as follows:
The top four teams, based on regular season record, who are not competing in CONCACAF Champions League in 2009, will qualify for SuperLiga 2009. Given these criteria, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Kansas City Wizards, and Chivas USA have qualified for SuperLiga 2009 based on their records in 2008.

The Sounders have already announced their main TV deal, but now they have added an interesting relationship with FSN that should work out as a nice bonus for fans.

Here's their news release:

The Seattle Sounders FC and FSN announced today a multi-year agreement that will increase the broadcast exposure for soccer fans in the Northwest. FSN will also serve as the presenting sponsor of the Sounders FC Members Association, which provides the team’s supporters one of the most integrated and unique connections to the franchise in all of sports.

“From day one, we pledged to keep the fans involved and informed in the decision making process,” said minority owner and Members Association chairman Drew Carey. “Our partnership with FSN provides one more tool to achieve that goal.”

FSN will own the distribution rights for a variety of ancillary programming featuring Sounders FC, which include match replays and team shows, both on the network and via on-demand (VOD). FSN gains the exclusive right to replay Sounders FC matches from the time the game ends until the next Sounders FC match is played. FSN will also have the opportunity to produce and air a weekly Sounders FC show which will give Sounders FC fans a unique perspective on the club through the network’s exclusive access.

As the presenting sponsor of the Members Association as well as the team’s series of youth community events, FSN has extended its commitment not just to the team and its fans, but to the greater soccer and sports communities throughout the Northwest.

“It is a unique opportunity to be a founding partner of a new franchise, to help introduce and foster a relationship between a team, their players and a community of sports fans,” said Mark Shuken, President & CEO of Liberty Sports Group, parent company of FSN Northwest. “FSN has proudly partnered with every major pro and collegiate franchise in this region, so we are well aware of the impact we can have on a team and their fans. We look forward to building a similarly strong partnership with Sounders FC and soccer fans throughout the Northwest.”

Membership in the association is complimentary for season ticket holders, and non-season ticket holders can join beginning in June for an annual fee of $125. Benefits include voting privileges, membership pin, membership card, discount at team shops, an invitation to the annual meeting, electronic newsletters during the season, an annual team report and more.

For more information visit www.soundersfc.com.

The USL first division took another shot this week with the Atlanta Silverbacks' announcement that they will sit out the 2009 season.

The Silverbacks cited the economy, and the Atlanta markets' efforts to step up to Major League Soccer.

Here's more.

The New York Times did a very good, wide-ranging question-and-answer session with MLS commissioner Don Garber, which amounts to a state-of-the-league session.

Here's the link.

The Tacoma Tide's new PDL rival up in Bremerton will be known as the Kitsap Pumas.

Here's the news on the resolution of the name-the-team contest.

The Sounders' tryout that we wrote about a few weeks ago rolls around this weekend at Starfire.

Here's the Soundes' news release:

WHO: 350 potential Sounders FC players (24 prospects will travel to Seattle from outside and 16 U.S. states will be represented).

WHAT: Sounders FC staff will oversee the three-hour tryouts. The field will be narrowed in the first hour through a series of speed and fitness drills followed by skills tests and mini-games.

WHEN: Saturday, November 15 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Registration starts at 9 a.m.

WHERE: Starfire Sports Complex
14800 Starfire Way, Tukwila, WA 98188 (www.starfiresports.com)

The tryout on Saturday is the second of three tryouts during the month of November.

The open tryouts will be filmed for a reality based television show which will be televised on BELO properties, including: KING 5, KONG 6/16 and NWCN in late January of 2009. A minimum of three finalists from each market will take part in a televised one-hour tryout in Seattle.

The final tryout will be broadcast on Sunday, February 1, 2009, following Super Bowl XLIII on KING 5. Viewers will have the opportunity to narrow the finalists to three. A distinguished panel of judges will determine the winner. The winner will be awarded a spot on the 2009 Sounders FC roster.

To register or more information visit www.soundersfc.com.

We know about those bright green jerseys.

And now we'll get a look at the rest of the Seattle Sounders FC home and away kits at a fund-raising event Dec. 4 at the WaMu Theater between Qwest and Safeco fields.

Here's the word from the Sounders.

Any predictions or hopes?

As mentioned before, I'm a sucker for stripes, so I'd love the white jersey to be dressed up that way.

Also, I like color, so I'm hoping the white jerseys have colored shorts.

Or, for that matter, is there going to be a white jersey? We've already seen those jersey-like T-shirts that are blue. So maybe the dark blue works whenever the light green doesn't.

Anyway, it'll be fun to finally see ... for those of us who care about such things.

In just a few months, Seattle Sounders FC will try to make Major League Soccer work in an NFL stadium.

And now comes a very interesting idea from Vancouver about trying to make MLS work in a CFL stadium.

And it's a really interesting switch -- far more dramatic than the Seahawks/Sounders conversion here.

Here's a look.