The biggest news surrounding Major League Soccer right now has been concerning the status of Chivas USA. There had been rumors abound recently but it looks as though the picture has cleared up according to separate reports from Sports Illustrated and ESPNFC.
It was reported on Monday that Chivas USA would "suspend operations" after their completion of the 2014 MLS Regular Season. The club would be dormant for at least two seasons while the new ownership group made plans for a new stadium, which was part of the deal for the franchise to be sold, as well as allowing time for the new ownership to come up with a new brand.
On Tuesday, a report came out from Grant Wahl that the league is expected to announce the owners of the new Los Angeles-based club that will replace Chivas USA. While it is not official yet, it seems as though the winning group includes English second-division side Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan as well as Hollywood producer Peter Gruber, Tom Penn and Henry Nguyen.
He adds that the fee is believe to be in excess of $100 million, which would be the highest expansion fee in league history. The new team would join the league in 2017 alongside the new expansion franchise in Atlanta.
One of the things that Wahl emphasizes is that the franchise sold to the new ownership will be considered an expansion franchise and that Chivas USA as we know it will become the third franchise in MLS history to fold.
It is always a shame to see a franchise go under, you have to feel for the fans. Ultimately though, this is the best thing for the league right now. With one franchise leaving the league and two joining it, Major League Soccer will get back to an even number of clubs in the league instead of the awkward 19 clubs it had since the Montreal Impact joined in 2013.
Some more interesting things to look for will be 1) How MLS decides to disperse of the current players who play for Chivas and 2) The shift in conferences with the new league arrivals.
While Chivas has been a poor side recently, they do have some talent on the roster. Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy is one of the more underrated goalkeepers in MLS, he could be a good addition for a team looking to shore up that position. They have a few players with international experience like Ecuador midfielder Oswaldo Minda, Honduras winger Marvin Chavez as well as Nigel Reo-Coker who has experience in the English Premier League. They also have some talented younger players like Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Nathan Sturgis and Eric Avila.
There will likely be some sort of dispersal draft at the end of the season to find these players a new home in 2015.
As for the conference alignment, it would appear that Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City would be joining the Western Conference. If they stick with the geographic alignment that seems to make the most sense with the new expansion franchises in New York City and Orlando, Florida. This would cause a very interesting scenario in that all of the participants in the last five MLS Cup Finals would be in the Western Conference in 2015.
United States Men's National Team
It appears that Jurgen Klinsmann will continue with his interesting call-ups as the United States plays in two friendlies starting on October 10th against Ecuador in Hartford, Connecticut. Last month, he surprised many folks when he called in forward Jordan Morris out of the University of Stanford and the Seattle Sounders Academy into the National Team for the friendly with the Czech Republic. Morris did not appear in the match but the precedent was set that Klinsmann will call in players that interest him no matter what league they are playing in.
That trend may continue as Minnesota United midfielder Miguel Ibarra may be called into the National Team. The final squad is expected to be announced on Sunday after a majority of league matches will be played. It will be very interesting to see the makeup of the squad considering that Major League Soccer clubs are in the final stretch run to the playoffs with critical matches coming up during the international window.
Another note about Ibarra, it appears that he has garnered some interest from new expansion side Orlando City SC. The Orlando Sentinel reported on Monday that the club may be interested in using their top spot on the USL Pro/NASL player priority ranking to snatch up Ibarra before taking the field in 2015.
Major League Soccer Playoff Races
Eastern Conference
Clinching Scenarios:
DC United can clinch a playoff spot with a win or a draw against Sporting Kansas City on Friday. They can also clinch a playoff spot with a draw in the Houston Dynamo-New York Red Bulls match or a draw or loss from Toronto FC to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Elimination Scenarios:
The Chicago Fire will be eliminated if they lose either of their matches this week against the Philadelphia Union or Montreal Impact and either the New York Red Bulls or Toronto FC win on Saturday.
Western Conference
Clinching Scenarios:
Real Salt Lake will clinch a playoff spot with a win over Chivas USA or with a Vancouver Whitecaps or any dropped points from the Portland Timbers (draw or loss).
FC Dallas will clinch a playoff spot with a win or a draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps as long as the Portland Timbers drop points to the San Jose Earthquakes
Elimination Scenarios:
The Colorado Rapids will be eliminated from the playoffs with a loss to the Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday coupled with wins by the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers. They can also be eliminated with a draw to Seattle and a Vancouver win on Saturday.
The San Jose Earthquakes will be eliminated from the playoff with a loss to the Portland Timbers or a draw with Portland coupled with a Vancouver win against FC Dallas.
The Standings screencaps are courtesy of MLSsoccer.com