Manchester United to play four MLS opponents this summer Barclay's English Premier League leader Manchester United will return as the AT&T MLS All-Star Game opponent on July 27 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2, Galavision, TSN). In addition, Manchester United will play four other matches in this summer's U.S. tour, the complete schedule for which follows: July 13* vs. New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, Boston July 20 vs. Seattle Sounders, Qwest Field, Seattle July 23* vs. Chicago Fire, Soldier Field, Chicago July 27 vs. MLS All-Stars, Red Bull Arena, New Jersey July 30* vs. Barcelona, FedExField, Washington DC * World Football Challenge matches Quotables "For me, I was nervous at the beginning because I saw the stadium's full house and the fans screaming. ... That was crazy." -- Philadelphia Union forward Carlos Ruiz after scoring in the 1-0 win vs. Vancouver "What happened today was totally unnecessary. This is our own stupidity. We should have been professional enough to stay controlled. I told Eric [Hassli] straight away I wasn't happy." -- Vancouver Whitecaps FC coach Teitur Thordarson, after his team's 1-0 loss at Philadelphia "A roller-coaster that just keeps rising.You score a goal and then you get confidence to score another. I felt I was prepared. I can't ask for more, playing with guys with such skill." -- New York Red Bulls forward Juan Agudelo, after scoring his second international goal in the USA's 1-1 draw with Argentina "After the goal, the cold goes away and you hear the fans screaming. It's beautiful." -- Toronto FC forward Javier Martina, after scoring twice in the 2-0 win vs. Portland Sweet Tweets @ochocinco - March 24 Speed is nothing without control, let the ball do the breathing #TheBeautifulGame @SoccerByIves - March 24 Is Real Salt Lake really retiring Jason Kreis' number (17 goals in 59 games)' Can't they just wait ten years and retire his trench coat' @kylemartino - March 26 Very impressive result against 1 of the best teams in the world. Tim Howard kept us in the game, then team played a very good 2nd half. @javi_mo11 - March 27 Congratulation to our friend @Asabo_9 he scored the first goal in new stadium Nacional de Costa Rica!!! Buena papi!! @PeterHirdt - March 27 @PhilaUnion is first MLS expansion team to open Season 2 with consecutive wins since Chicago in 1999. @ochocinco - March 28 Words can't express how awesome it was to be on the pitch with @SportingKC, This day will never day be forgotten. (Cool story 4 heaven) According to the Elias Sports Bureau: Newcomers netting twice Just two weeks into the 2011 season, there have been more two-goal games by veteran newcomers - that is, players with prior professional experience but new to MLS - than there were in any of the previous three seasons in their entirety. Newcomers with a brace so for in 2011 are Omar Bravo, Charlie Davies, Eric Hassli, and Javier Martina. Alvaro Saborio, Danny Allsopp, and BlaiseNkufo did it in 2010; David Ferreira, Fredy Montero, and Cam Weaver in 2009; Rohan Ricketts, Tomasz Frankowski, and Darren Huckerby in 2008. Week 3 match previews: April1-3, 2011 (home team listed first; all times ET) Friday, April 1 Columbus Crew vs. FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m. (FOX Soccer, FOX Deportes) · Last year, Jeff Cunningham led FC Dallas with 11 goals. Let go in the offseason, he signed with the Crew - and now could tie the MLS all-time goalscoring record against his former club. Cunningham did not play in last week's scoreless draw with New York. · 18-year-old Colombian midfielder Fabian Castillo made his MLS debut for FC Dallas against San Jose, coming on in the 57th minute. · Just three players who started for Columbus in its 2010 home opener were in the lineup for this year's home debut: goalkeeper William Hesmer and midfielders Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers. · The teams drew their two meetings a season ago. FC Dallas last won at Crew Stadium on Oct. 6, 2007, the Crew winning the next two meetings before last year's tie. Saturday, April 2 Toronto FC vs. Chivas USA, 1 p.m. (TSN) · Offseason signing Javier Martina, who played for head coach Aron Winter at AFC Ajax in Amsterdam, scored two goals to lead Toronto FC to their first victory of the season, including a wonder strike, a dipping full volley from outside the area off a long downfield punt by goalkeeper Stefan Frei. · Chivas USA has opened the season with two consecutive losses for a second year in a row. Last year they rebounded from defeats by Colorado and LA with a 2-0 win against New York. · Chivas USA won their first two trips to BMO Field, but Toronto FC has won the last two meetings in Canada, including a 2-1 last Aug. 7. TFC has lost all four games at Chivas USA. · Traded from Chivas USA to Toronto FC last year, change has been good for forward Maicon Santos, 26, who has five goals, three assists in 15 games for TFC after logging two goals, one assist in 19 games for Chivas USA. Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7 p.m. · Teal Bunbury made his season debut after missing First Kick with a dislocated elbow, and scored his first goal of the season. Bunbury scored 5 goals in his rookie season of 2010. · Whitecaps defender Alain Rochat adapted well enough to a move from left to central defense that he was named to the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week. · Another Whitecaps defender, Michael Boxall, earned his first full cap for New Zealand in a 1-1 draw with China and has returned to Vancouver for this match. · Each club's Designated Player - Sporting's Omar Bravo and Vancouver's Eric Hassli - will miss this game due to red card suspension from last week. New England Revolution vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m. · Shalrie Joseph has been involved in all three Revolution goals this season, scoring twice and recording one assist. He has scored in back-to-back games for the fifth time in his career. · The Revolution opened the home portion of their schedule with a victory for the fifth consecutive season with the 2-1 win against D.C. United. · After returning from Toronto for a midweek U.S. Open Cup play-in match at home against Chivas USA, the Timbers fly back to the East Coast for their third road match in league play. Their home opener is April 14 against the Chicago Fire. · Goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, 20, made his MLS debut for the Timbers, coming on as a halftime substitute when Adin Brown suffered a hamstring injury. Gleeson made three saves. The Timbers are already missing goalkeeper Troy Perkins through injury. New York Red Bulls vs. Houston Dynamo, 7:30 p.m. · The Red Bulls set an MLS record for lineup changes from the first game to the second in a season. Red Bulls coach Hans Backe made six changes to his starting XI, with six players out to international duty and Thierry Henry (left hamstring strain) and goalkeeper Greg Sutton (concussion) also missing. · Juan Agudelo returns to action for the Red Bulls after scoring his second goal with the U.S. national team in its 1-1 draw with Argentina on Saturday at the New Meadowlands. · Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall, 25, earned MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors for facing 26 shots and allowing just one goal in his hometown of Seattle. · The Dynamo have never won a game against the Red Bulls in New Jersey. The Red Bulls have won three of the five home league meetings all-time with two draws; the teams also played to a draw in an Eastern Conference Semifinal. LA Galaxy vs. Philadelphia Union, 10:30 p.m. · Philadelphia Union are leading the Eastern Conference for the first time in club history, after having won back-to-back games for the first time ever. · Philadelphia recorded two shutouts over the entirety of its inaugural season; this year the Union already has two, led by Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon. · With his first goal for Philadelphia, Carlos Ruiz has now scored more goals in MLS than any other player from Central America. The ex-Guatemalan international Ruiz has 83 career league goals (ninth all time), one ahead of Raul Diaz Arce (El Salvador). · Juan Pablo Angel made his first start for the Galaxy at RSL and scored his first goal for the club. Angel scored 58 goals in his first four seasons in MLS, more than any other player. · The Galaxy won both meetings in Union's inaugural season, winning 3-1 at The Home Depot Center on May 1 and 1-0 at PPL Park. San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 10:30 p.m. · The 2010 Budweiser MLS Golden Boot winner, Chris Wondolowski, scored his first goals of 2010 with both in the 2-0 win against FC Dallas. Wondolowski has scored San Jose's last 12 regular season goals, extending his MLS record dating back to Sept. 15, 2010. · In setting a club record with 26 total shots and tying their mark with 11 corner kicks, Sounders FC scored their first goal in 260 minutes to start the season for a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo. · The visiting team won both matches in the series last season, each team taking a 1-0 win on the other's ground. In Sounders FC's inaugural season, the home team claimed each of the three meetings (Seattle hosting two). · San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch had a remarkable performance in shutting out high-octane FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park, the club's first home loss since May 20, 2010. Sunday, April 3 Colorado Rapids vs. D.C. United, 7 p.m. (Galavision) · Despite missing Omar Cummings (national team duty) and Conor Casey (a second-half substitute because of injury), Quincy Amarikwa scored the lone goal for Colorado in the 1-0 win at Chivas USA. · The Rapids head to Chicago to face the Fire in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match before returning home for the weekend league match. · Charlie Davies scored his third goal in two games with D.C. United, converting his second penalty of the year in the 2-1 loss at New England. Davies sits atop the Budweiser MLS Golden Boot table after two weeks. · United's 1-0 win at Dick's Sporting Goods Park last Oct. 2 was their first in Denver in a decade, since a 5-2 win May 6, 2000. The Rapids won eight of the 10 home matches in between, with two draws; the Rapids' win at RFK Stadium on May 15 of last year was their first there since 1999.
