According to reports from the Munich Evening News and first relayed on our shores at Soccer By Ives, Bayern Munich may be Major League Soccer’s primary target for All-Star opposition in 2014. The game site has already been set: Portland’s Jeld-Wen Field.
(Don’t forget, as we told you a while back, Jeld-Wen might … just might … be a little larger in the future.)
The league has flirted with the idea of importing Bayern for years, but scheduling has made the Bavarian giant elusive. What better time, though, as Bayern enjoys its time as kings of Europe, now blessed with one of the world’s most respected managers in Pep Guardiola.
Past All-Star opposition has come from Mexico, England (most often), Scotland and Italy – but Germany would be a first.
Young D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, long a U.S. national team camper, is training in England at West Brom for the time being. National team boss Jurgen Klinsmann encourages these training spells; Hamid is apparently listening.
Big Apple Soccer says that Roy Miller could soon sign an extension to stay around Red Bull Arena a while longer. He’s not exactly a club favorite – but his relative popularity is a bit of a bum rap. And at the right price, he’s a handy figure to have around.
Credit Jeff Bradley from MLSSoccer.com for unearthing this one: MLS Cup 2013 will be the league’s first championship match decided between two managers who once played in the league. Kansas City’s Peter Vermes and Real Salt Lake’s Jason Kreis were once on the playing side. Vermes was with three different clubs, finishing at Kansas City in 2002; Kreis spent most of his year’s (and became the first MLS man to amass 100 goals while …) at Dallas, then finished his striker days at RSL.
Finally, this: Mike Magee has not been able to elbow his way into the national team scene under Jurgen Klinsmann, never mind his breakout, 21-goal season. But might he soon become “Irish international Mike Magee?” It could happen.
There’s a lot that needs to happen here, but LA Galaxy blogger Adam Serrano says StubHub Center teammate Robbie Keane is advocating the bit. Magee has Irish ancestry.
The story originally came out of an Irish publication, where Keane (pictured above) delivered some other hot soccer opinions. Like this one on artificial turf: “They hate me over there [in the United States] for talking about them, because I can’t stand them to be honest with you. They’re not good for you in the long run.”
No, Robbie! Seriously, who hates you for saying that? Not the fans, that’s for sure.