A pack of six teams stands right in the middle of the wild card race, fighting for the last three playoff spots (two of which are wild card spots).  Separated by a mere five points, Philadelphia heads the pack at 36, and Chivas’ 31 has them hanging on at the bottom.  Portland is in the middle with 33 points and arguably the easiest remaining schedule.

Points Per Game

1. DC    1.36
2. Philadelphia    1.33
3. Houston    1.25
4. New York    1.22
5. Portland    1.22
6. Chivas    1.11

Who has the easiest schedule?

Average PPG of Remaing Opponents  (lower = easier schedule)

1. Portland    1.20
2. DC    1.31
3. Philadelphia    1.32
4. Chivas    1.38
5. Houston    1.40
6. New York    1.46

Who’s hot?

PPG in Last 5

1. DC    1.60
2. Portland    1.40
3. Houston    1.40
4. New York    0.80
5. Philadelphia    0.60
6. Chivas    0.40

Remaining Games – Detailed

Detailed remaining matches for each team.  Matches against other “Wild Card Pack” teams are italicized.

H = … Read the rest

… Read the rest

New England Revolution 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps

Goldie is happy to be back.

“I remember the Timbers Army was as strong and as loud as it is today and it’s something that when the opportunity presented itself to come here, I was thrilled to be able to come back and play in front of those fans again,” said Goldthwaite.”

Read the full article.

Findley heads to England
In other news, Nottingham Forest have reportedly signed Robbie Findley. The headline claims the Championship league side “stole” him from the Wolves, but they may have just passed him over. So, it may be a year or two down the road before the Findley pick pays off. The Timbers will retain his rights should he return to MLS. Our roster page also lists out the assets the Timbers retain.

Widmer naming contest
Widmer is having a contest to name their south end bar. Some fans have a campaign … Read the rest

The Portland Timbers will play their first MLS match at Colorado on Saturday, March 19th at 6pm. The Timbers will then travel to Toronto the following Saturday March 26th. The Portland Timbers first home match will be on a Thursday, April 14th hosting the Chicago Fire.

The Portland Timbers stadium renovation isn’t the only MLS stadium construction site and we won’t be the only ones who no longer share their pitch with minor-league baseball team. Kansas City’s and Vancouver’s new stadiums are slated to open next summer. Houston and San Jose’s new stadiums are planning a 2012 opening.

Interviews

Adam Moffat and Peter Lowry Interview 12-8-2010
Eric Brunner Interview 12-8-2010

Today, John Spencer announced the coaching staff for the 2011 season. Magee, Smith, Wald and Derqaoui were all present with the club last year and James comes from LA after a 5 year stint as the assistant coach there.

Head Coach – John Spencer
Assistant Coach – Trevor James
Assistant Coach – Amos Magee
Goalkeeper Coach – Adam Smith
Athletic Director – Nik Wald
Strength and Conditioning – Karim Darqaoui

Major league Soccer will hold their first MLS Re-Entry Draft this Wednesday at 11pm. The Re-Entry Draft was a demand from the MLS Player’s Union during the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations earlier this year. The idea of the draft was to give players more flexibility in their future of their football career. Goal.com has a good guide to all the details, rules and complexities surrounding the process.

I first spotted Passport after a posting in our forum asked if there were any more videos of the Sunshine goal. I followed the link that the first time poster used on their profile and landed in a world of soccer balls which feature artwork from three different artists. The whole idea intrigued me, and I contacted Edgar D. Acevedo one of the artists and founders of the project. Edgar turned out to enthusiastic about me inquires and wanted to share our conversations with our readers.