News and Notes: MLS 2012 [R]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :

At long last, Marcus Hahnemann has returned to Seattle.

The Seattle Sounders [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in exchange for the top spot in the MLS allocation order, which they promptly used to select the 40-year-old former U.S. national team goalkeeper and Seattle native on the final day teams can add players to their rosters this season.

Hahnemann not only hails from Seattle, but he played collegiately there and was a part of the A-League Sounders from 1994-1996 as well. He had long been speculated to be going back to Seattle while he wrapped up his lengthy time in Europe, and Friday night's trade paved the way for that to happen after he signed with MLS earlier in the day.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :

Members of the 1906 Ultras, a fan club for the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team, had a lot at stake as they trooped into Buck Shaw stadium here for a game earlier this season.

The concern wasn't so much their team's prospects against rival Real Salt Lake. The big test was their own performance in the stands.

The fan club had a lot to get right: a 30-foot-by-60-foot banner to unfurl, six crates of confetti to toss and songs to sing, ideally in tune.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :

As former Philadelphia Union coach Peter Nowak's lawsuit against the MLS club for wrongful termination continues in federal court, allegations have emerged in correspondence between attorneys for both sides that the Union had reason to believe Nowak "may have improperly profited from player transactions over the past 12-18 months."

Documents [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by Jonathan Tannenwald at philly.com's The Goalkeeper provide new details about the case of Piotr Nowak vs. Pennsylvania Professional Soccer, LLC, and Keystone and Entertainment, LLC, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Seeking to dismiss Nowak after the Union's poor start to the 2012 MLS season, the Union sought to reach a separation and release agreement with Nowak for various misconduct but moved to terminate him for cause when he did not sign.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Quote :

Major League Soccer's player development system has made big strides over the past half-decade, but much of that good work is currently in danger of being undermined.

There is now a massive gap in the league's player development model. MLS knows it, and how it addresses the issue will be a crucial part of the league's narrative over the next several years.

"We recognize that there's a hole in development," MLS technical director Jeff Agoos told Goal.com. "We need to have an environment that [the player] can play in and make his share of mistakes but not at the point where there's so much pressure on a player or a coach or a club."