Sprinkles: I want candy

LA: As expected, MLS original Cobi Jones has announced his retirement at the end of the upcoming season. Is this going to be like Kareem's farewell tour where the other clubs give Cobi gifts like rocking chairs and/or hair brushes? Cobi had actually seriously considered retiring before this season, but the Beckham Era was too strong and it brought him back for one last run.

Seriously though, Cobi has been possibly the most underrated American soccer player of the last twenty years. He's still an important part of the Galaxy even now. Congratulations on an amazing career Mr. Jones. It's nice see some others that agree.

Speaking of the Golden One, he made some new comments about the challenges he'll face in MLS.

New England: Shalrie Joseph's turn as captain of the Revs didn't last too long. He turned in the armband and demanded a trade due to the lack of a resolution on a contract renegotiation. Can you really blame the guy? The Revs block his transfer to Celtic twice, a move MLS had agreed to, but then turn around and give more money to Twellman and Noonan instead of the heart of the team. We'll see how this plays out in the coming days.

Toronto: The English invasion continues in MLS, as Sunderland's Andy Welsh will be joining Toronto. He's been loaned out this year and hasn't played with the Sunderland first team. He's only 23, we'll see how quickly he adjusts.

Salt Lake: The drama continues around the new stadium for RSL. Goldman Sachs, one of the primary investors in the project, has withdrawn its funding. The club is saying that it has a new investor to replace Goldman Sachs, but they're not saying who it is. Maybe it will be a recent lottery winner and RSL will turn into Harchester United, live on GolTV!

USMNT: Ricardo Clark and Chris Rolfe are off the roster due to injury, so hello to Dynamo teammates Brian Mullan and Wade Barrett. Jay DeMerit is also injured, but should be okay for the games starting this weekend.

DC: United is training in preparation for its trip to Estadio Jalisco and Guadalajara. They'll head down there this weekend for more than a week of training, with the team heading on to Colorado and the MLS opener afterwards. The team is still waiting on the clearance/transfer issues with Fred to clear up, but he's training with the team.

Also, it looks like Omar Bravo will be missing that second leg in Guadalajara due to yellow card accumulation. If you pick up two yellows at any point in the tournament, you miss the next game. Bravo got his second in the first leg in DC. I don't like the rule, but I'll take it.

Even more also, www.bobbyboswell.com has gone live. Check out for some good laughs...

Colorado: The Rapids are playing Valencia today in Spain in a friendly. The match is supposed to kick off at 2:25 Denver time and you might be able to watch it here.

Chivas USA: It looks like trialist Laurent Merlin will end up getting a developmental deal with the team. If you remember, he was the success story from the Galaxy's open tryout, but they couldn't find a spot for him. He crossed the Home Depot Center and landed with the Goats. He has experience with Marseille in France and he's only 22 years old.

Columbus: Three young Village People were named to the US U20 camp roster. Robbie Rogers, Tim Ward, and Danny Szetela were called in by Thomas Rongen.

There's also some rumor about a "name" South American player joining the Crew. I remember Rozental was a "name" as well, but he looked like he had eaten a few other "names" before getting to Ohio.

EDIT: Our friend Luis at Sideline Views takes a stab at the rumor. I guess it would be safe to add a Burrito to the roster now that Rozental is out of town. They're not planning on bringing Meola to town, are they?