MLS Talking Points
By Ian Parker Special to PA SportsTicker
In this final edition of MLS Talking Points for the season, PA SportsTicker rounds up all the news and notes to come out of this weekend’s MLS Cup Final in Washington.
Jose Mourinho’s flying visit to Washington this week for the MLS Cup final had everyone wondering whether the ‘Special One’ fancies a crack at coaching in North America. Mourinho spent two days as the guest of MLS at the Grand Hyatt, meeting with league officials before returning home early on the Friday for family reasons.
Sightings of Mourinho inevitably led to speculation that he is a candidate for the vacant New York Red Bulls post, but that seems highly unlikely and it does not appear that the club is ready to make an appointment just yet.
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Whoever does get the Red Bulls job will still be able to enjoy the talents of teenage striker Jozy Altidore, despite reports that he has attracted interest from Real Madrid in recent days.
The 18-year-old, who made his international debut in the United States’ win over South Africa on Saturday, is staying in New York for the long-term, according to Red Bulls president Marc de Grandpre.
“He’s not going anywhere,” de Grandpre said.
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The word on Sunday was that the Red Bulls had approached Chicago for permission to talk to coach Juan Carlos Osorio but was turned away.
Osorio’s name first came up when de Grandpre praised the way he had turned the Fire’s season around during a conference call earlier this month.
Osorio has the credentials and has worked with big-name players in the past and with Chicago (Cuauhtemoc Blanco). The Fire will not give him up without a fight, but rumors that his family has failed to settle in Chicago could force their hand.
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Newly named MLS MVP Luciano Emilio will suit up again for DC United next season, despite speculation that his future lies elsewhere after just one season in the nation’s capital.
Emilio’s 20 goals in 29 games earned him MVP honors and caught the interest of several clubs, but Emilio is enjoying life in Washington and plans to stay.
“I have a three-year contract,” he said. “We will speak next week about next season, but I don’t have a problem, I like it here.”
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If DC United opts to leave the District of Columbia and head to the suburbs in its search for a new stadium, it will do so with the blessing of MLS.
United have been consistently frustrated in their efforts to build a new home - a project that has been focused on a site on the banks of the Anacostia river - and both the club and the league feel let down by city officials who have failed to deliver on promises made.
Commissioner Don Garber said negotiations are “back to stage one after years of negotiating with the city and, for us as a league with one of our premier franchises, it is very frustrating.”
He now simply wants to see United find a new home - if that means leaving for Maryland or Virginia, so be it.
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The much-delayed construction of Red Bull Park, the proposed new home of the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey, should finally begin next week after Red Bull bought out the Anschutz Entertainment Group’s remaining interest in the project.
AEG had retained a 50 percent share in the stadium when it sold the club to Red Bull back in 2006, but disputes between the two companies held up construction for almost a year. Red Bull now wants to see construction begin in the coming days and move into overdrive in a bid to meet the original target date for completion in 2009.
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Toronto FC will be able to reduce its reliance on Canadian players next season after the MLS competition committee approved changes relating to domestic player restrictions on the roster.
Toronto was forced to tap into a limited supply of Canadian talent in its first season in the league, but from next season will be given the same access to US players that other MLS clubs have.
“We reviewed it in the competition committee (on Friday),” deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis said. “It’s part of a larger process that we’re not quite through.”