Extra Time Tuesday: MLS Openers & More

MLS 2008 is Here

MLS teams (erratically) began to release their 2008 home openers and other league games today for the season that begins March 29, a week earlier than last season.

Confirmed opening matches:
March 29
Los Angeles Galaxy at Colorado Rapids
Chicago Fire at Real Salt Lake
D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards
Houston Dynamo at New England Revolution
Toronto FC at Columbus Crew
The Red Bulls are reportedly visiting the expansion San Jose Earthquakes (the game may still being finalized).

March 30
Chivas USA at FC Dallas

April 3
New England Revolution at Chicago Fire

April 5
Toronto at D.C. United
The Columbus Crew are reportedly at New York Red Bulls

April 6
FC Dallas at Houston

April 19
Real Salt Lake at Toronto

The Galaxy will officially unveil its home opener Wednesday. The full MLS schedule will be released early next year.

Pia in Carson

From the (edited) U.S. Soccer press release:

The U.S. Womens National Team will hold its first training camp under new head coach Pia Sundhage beginning Saturday at Home Depot Center in Carson.

Sundhage will bring in 24 players for the four-day mini-camp designed to give her a quick look at the core of the U.S. team, plus a handful of young players just coming off the college season, before the squad regroups in early January to prepare for the Four Nations Tournament in China.

The camp is basically the beginning of the run to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, with the USA preparing for the CONCACAF Womens Olympic Final Round qualifying tournament, being held April 2-13 in Chihuahua, Mexico. Two countries from the six-team tournament will advance to China.

Its a short camp, but it will be valuable time spent together as a team and a unique moment for me to have a chance to work with the best players in the United States for the first time, said Sundhage. It will give us the chance to get to know them as players a little bit more, theyll get the chance to learn my style and Ill also get the chance to get to know them off the field. It will be a good start to something new.

The roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Nicole Barnhart (Gilbertsville, Pa.), Briana Scurry (Dayton, Minn.), Hope Solo (Richland, Wash.);
DEFENDERS: Rachel Buehler (Del Mar, Calif.), Marian Dalmy (Lakewood, Colo.), Kate Markgraf (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Heather Mitts (Cincinnati, Ohio), Christie Rampone (Point Pleasant, N.J.), Cat Whitehill (Birmingham, Ala.);
MIDFIELDERS: Yael Averbuch (Upper Montclair, N.J.), Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.), Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Carli Lloyd (Delran, N.J.), Leslie Osborne (Brookfield, Wis.), Aly Wagner (San Jose, Calif.), Nikki Washington (Mesquite, Texas), Angie Woznuk (El Cajon, Calif.);
FORWARDS: Michelle Enyeart (Hemet, Calif.), Natasha Kai (Kahuku, Hawaii), Casey Nogueira (Raleigh, N.C.), Heather OReilly (East Brunswick, N.J.), Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.), Abby Wambach (Rochester, N.Y.).

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