Seattle Sounders FC has added a training game for Wednesday as their time in Argentina winds down.

Sounders FC will make the 1-hour drive back out to La Plata for a morning game (4:15 our time) scheduled kick with Gimnasia La Plata, currently co-leader in the Argentine first division.

The game against River Plate remains on the schedule Thursday before the Sounders head home.

The list of MLS expansion candidates just dropped by one, according to this release I just received from MLS:

Major League Soccer, FC Barcelona, and Marcelo Claure have jointly agreed that Miami is no longer a candidate to be one of the next two MLS expansion teams. After extensive discussions and collaborative evaluation a decision was made that at this time because it was determined that it was not feasible to launch a Major League Soccer team in South Florida in 2010 due to adverse market conditions.

Notwithstanding, FC Barcelona remains committed to Major League Soccer and the U.S. market and will continue to work with MLS and Marcelo Claure on other soccer-related projects.

“I want to thank both FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure for the tremendous effort to bring an MLS expansion team to Miami,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “FC Barcelona is one of the best managed and strategically operated sporting clubs in any sport in the World and I appreciate the opportunity that we have had to work with them and Marcelo Claure over the last few months.”

“The U.S market continues to be a priority for FC Barcelona,” said FC Barcelona CEO Joan Oliver. “We will continue our comprehensive game promotion and marketing agreement with Soccer United Marketing and will look for additional ways to strengthen our relationship with MLS and America’s soccer fans.”

“I remain a believer in MLS and the future of professional soccer in America… particularly in South Florida,” said Marcelo Claure. “Although we have not been able to move forward at this time for a wide variety of reasons, I will work with FC Barcelona on other soccer projects in South Florida.”

There's no way this can be viewed as bad news for those of us rooting for more Northwest expansion as quickly as possible. However, while it might increase Vancouver's chances, I don't see it really having much impact on Portland.

I think Portland's chances rise and fall with Portland's own decision regarding renovation of PGE Park. No renovated stadium, no expansion team; regardless of how many other expansion candidates drop out.

Rory Agu will return to the Tide this season.

Rory Agu, #10, Forward

The Premier Development Leauge and the Tacoma Tide FC have a number of goals and objectives. For the Tide, the #1 focus is developing young players to help them achieve their dreams of taking a higher step in the soccer world. Rory Agu embodies this process. Rory did not go straight into college like some of the other Tide players, past and present. Instead, it was through excellent showings for the Tacoma Tide, that he was discovered to take that college jump.

On TacomaFC.com you can read his interview about returning to Tacoma. Rory speaks about his decision to play for the Tide rather than his new local team, the Fresno Fuego. Agu also talks in this recent interview about his loyalty to the Tide. CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE

A reported deal that would allow David Beckman to remain with Milan before joining the LA Galaxy in July, would mean no Seattle appearance for the biggest draw in MLS.

The Galaxy will make its only scheduled Seattle appearance on May 10. The Sounders would be likely to face Beckman, however, when they visit LA on Aug. 15.

All MLS teams met the league’s roster compliance rules by the Monday deadline.

No moves were necessary to make Seattle’s roster compliant. SSFC has 26 players, both signed and invitees, training in Argentina:

Goalkeepers (3): Evan Bush, Chris Eylander, Kasey Keller;

Defenders (10): Evan Brown, Taylor Graham, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Jared Karkas, Tyrone Marshall, James Riley, Zach Scott, Nathan Sturgis, Tyson Wahl;

Midfielders (8): Ely Allen, Osvaldo Alonso, Ryan Caugherty, Brad Evans, Michael Fucito, Stephen King, Sebastien Le Toux, Sanna Nyassi;

Forwards (5): Jeff Clark, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani.

Midfielders Freddie Ljungberg and Peter Vagenas will join the team upon its return to Seattle. Clubs are permitted to keep 20 senior players and four developmental players under contract.

MLS teams can still make changes to their rosters, but from this point forward must remain compliant with the following rules:

*No more than 20 players on the Senior Roster and no more than four players on the Developmental Roster
teams must be compliant with International player limits

*Team salary budget must be equal to or less than the amount approved by the MLS Board of Governors

For an overview of the 2009 MLS Rules and Regulations, which pertain to rosters and competition format you may log on to www.mlsnet.com and go to the About MLS section at the bottom of the home page, and then click on the Regulations tab. Official rosters are kept by the League and updated to the League and teams’ web sites as signings and transactions are processed.

Seattle Sounders FC erupted for three goals in a 10-minute span Tuesday, routing Tristán Suárez 5-0 in La Plata, Argentina.

Here's the Sounders report:

Sebastien Le Toux factored in three goals before scoring one of his own in the dying minutes. Michael Fucito, Fredy Montero, Brad Evans and Zach Scott also scored for Seattle against the second division opponents from Buenos Aires.

Seattle has won two and tied once during its stay in Argentina. During the unbeaten run it is 4-0-1 and it is 7-1-1 overall.

The training game was split into three 30-minute periods, with many of the projected starters comprising a unit which played the final hour. Fucito, starting up front, opened the scoring in the 25th minute. He intercepted a ball just inside the halfway line, fed Roger Levesque and took the return pass to beat the onrushing keeper from 18 yards.

After Fucito’s goal late in the first period put Seattle on top, Le Toux assisted on two quick strikes to begin the second stanza. In the 33rd minute he cut the ball back for a clinical 10-yard finish by Montero, his 10th goal of the preseason. Five minutes later, Le Toux found Evans open at the top of the box for a drive into the right corner for 3-0.

Corner kicks set-up the final two Sounders FC goals. In the 43rd minute a Le Toux corner was weakly punched by the Tristán Suárez keeper. Patrick Ianni headed it back into Scott, whose header found the net from a sharp angle to the left. Le Toux flashed near post to nod home Montero’s corner from short range shortly before the final whistle. It was the first goal of the preseason for Le Toux.

None of the three Seattle keepers was seriously tested by the Tristán Suárez attack.

Sounders FC completes the tour on Thursday morning at 9:30 A.M. local (3:30 A.M. PT) at River Plate, before heading for home later that night.

Scoring Summary
SEA-Fucito (Levesque) 25’
SEA-Montero (Le Toux, Jaqua) 33’
SEA-Evans (Le Toux, Nyassi) 38’
SEA-Scott (Ianni) 43’
SEA-Le Toux (Montero) 89’

Seattle Sounders FC Lineups (4-4-2):
First 30-Minute Period: Chris Eylander; Zach Scott, Tyson Wahl, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Evan Brown; Jared Karkas, Nathan Sturgis, Stephen King, Ely Allen; Michael Fucito, Roger Levesque

Second 30-Minute Period: Kasey Keller; Zach Scott, Tyrone Marshall, Patrick Ianni, James Riley; Sebastien Le Toux, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Sanna Nyassi; Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero

Third 30-Minute Period: Evan Bush; Tyson Wahl, Tyrone Marshall, Patrick Ianni, James Riley; Sebastien Le Toux, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Sanna Nyassi; Nate Jaqua, Fredy Montero

Notes: Although Tristan Suarez is based in Buenos Aires, where Sounders FC is staying, the game was played an hour away due to the lack of available fields…After Monday’s game was canceled, the only available practice site was an artificial turf surface in downtown Buenos Aires…Evan Bush made his debut in goal, playing the final 30 minutes, but he was not required to make a save. ..A total of 11 players played 60 minutes.

SIGI SCHMID SAID:
On the changes made to the schedule: “Obviously you have to be flexible and with the weather situation and schedule adjustment, the game was not the opponent we were expecting to play today. So we wanted to get some fitness work out of it and get some guys to at least play 60 minutes. I thought when the second group, they played fairly clean the first 30 minutes and then it’s tough sometimes when the game becomes easier to maintain your motivation as a player and I thought the first group played well too.”

On the unit that played the second two periods: “You try to talk to them about maintaining good habits and doing things the way they should be done, but I know as a player, when you’re out there on the field, you say it’s a little bit easier and you tend to drop. But you still learn things from it. For us to be able to learn to play the ball into the space sooner , which we did today and played some guys in. To see Seba (Sebastien) score a goal on header, which he doesn’t do very often , so that that was a good thing to see.”

On the unit that played the first period: “It was good to see Fucito play because he’s had the hamstring injury. To see him play up front and get a goal is good, because I’m sure that helps his confidence. It was really the first time Karkas has been able to play. He showed he could get up and down the line a little bit. He got in a couple of times and because he’s only been able to train 3-4 full days with us, that was encouraging to see. It was good to see Nate Sturgis play in the middle so that we know that is an option, if we need that option. It was good to see Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. You could see he was a lot more comfortable today playing than he was the first game.”

MICHAEL FUCITO on his goal:
“We were pressuring up at about midfield. I was able pick-pocket the guy with the ball to Roger. Roger played a nice ball through to me and finished it with my right foot.”