Good afternoon folks. Apologies for the lack of posts this morning but I have been at Red Bulls training at Giants Stadium. Some interesting tidbits from here that I will post in a bit.What I was able to get done today was the rest of the Q&A session from a few weeks ago. It took a while but I was able to polish them off today.So here they are, they rest of your questions answered:---------------------ADAM- Any idea how serious NYRB will take the Carolina RailHawks game, considering it's their last game before MLS?  read more »

                                                     Photo by ISIPhotos.com If there was ever a time when you can't afford to neglect your fantasy MLS team, that time is fast approaching. With international call-ups beginning to occur with far more frequency, there will be MLS players missing time left and right and if you aren't on top of your fantasy lineup, you could find yourself plummeting in the standings.  read more »

                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com With the number of West Coast readers growing by the month, SBI will make it a point to start providing more coverage of all things on the West side of the USA map.  read more »

Ruiz is on the run; we won't be seeing him in a Galaxy jersey again. The short second stint of striker Carlos Ruiz with the Galaxy is officially over, paving the way for the team to sign U.S. international Eddie...Nick Green

UPDATE: This list has been updated to include the just released salaries of Kansas City's Claudio Lopez and Toronto FC's Laurent Robert. (Dropped from the list are Ante Razov (21) and Ronnie O'Brien.(22) Older version of the list is here.

Also the list of celebrity MLS fans has been updated here.  read more »

Getting beat is one thing, and it's something Real Salt Lake fans have grown accustomed to over the years, but to get beaten by players you let go just two games into a new season is downright painful. When Alecko Eskandarian and Atiba Harris scored goals for Real Salt Lake you just knew RSL fans were snickering in their Utah homes at players who couldn't score for them could score against them. SBI Correspondent Scott McAllister is among the cynical Real Salt Lake fans who isn't sure things will change for the club in 2008. Here is his take on the club's recent loss to Chivas USA (Share your thoughts on Scott's piece in the comments section below): Unfortunately for RSL fans, it's more of the same By Scott McAllister There is no mistaking it.  In the standings, and on the score sheet, Real Salt Lake looks to be continuing its grand tradition of mediocrity that has labeled this team since its inception in 2005. As the years pass and the results fall where they may, two camps have emerged among the RSL supporters. There are the extraordinarily optimistic, and those that will call for mass changes such as the sacking of the coach once things dont go precisely as planned. In years past I have been parked firmly in the optimistic camp, and although I feel that my position hasnt changed it has become increasingly more cynical. Although this season contains a striking resemblance to that of 2007, especially the whole drawing the home opener on a last second goal sort of thing, anyone who has seen this years Salt Lake play can attest that there is something different about this team this time around.  The 2007 side was like a kid on a bicycle. He couldnt believe he was starting off so well.  It seemed too good to true until Carlos Ruiz and FC Dallas put the stick in his spokes during injury time of that first game, sending RSL down hard never to quite recover. This year, Real Salt Lake could be compared to a quality cyclist who has hit a couple rough patches on the course, but who has kept his focus on the finish line and rushed to get back into the race.  And there is still a lot of race left. Gauging the outcome of the entire season on how the boys in Red and Blue perform against Chivas at the Home Depot Center would be short sided.  Salt Lake has never beaten the Goats at the HDC, in fact Kenny Deuchars header in the 57 th minute on Saturday was the first time theyve even scored at the Goat Pen since October of 2006.  Looking ahead to this Saturday, a midweek bout with Mexican club Pachuca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup could tire DC United for their trip to Salt Lake this weekend.  It will be a great test to see if Real Salt Lake can get back in the saddle and make some progress in the tables; although the cynic in me says that a good night would be if RSL could finish a few chances and do anything but lose.  Heres to hoping the cynic in me is wrong.  read more »

Good afternoon to the folks on the West side of the country (and the MLS standings). Here are some news items and notes for you to peruse as your day winds to a close: FC Dallas signs Sikora FC Dallas said goodbye to Colombian midfielder Juan Toja over the weekend, but have already replaced him. The Hoops agreed to terms with forward/midfielder Victor Sikora on Monday, and should have the former Dutch national team player on the roster soon. Sikora last played for Dutch club NAC Breda (whose general manager is none other than former U.S. national team star Earnie...Ives Galarcep

While MLS is not the English Premier League, that hasn't stopped a few players from making a tidy bit of coin and greenbacks.

Here is the 2008 MLS Rich List.

Top 20 Guaranteed Compensation  read more »

Good afternoon folks. It took me a bit longer than I thought it would but here is the second edition of the SBI MLS Mock Draft. I wasn't able to do a complete second round but plan to have one done by the end of the day. There are plenty of changes from the first mock draft to this new one after getting plenty of feedback from coaches on their views of the Combine. I'm pretty confident that version 2.0 is closer to what will go down on Friday. One thing I will say after doing another mock draft is...Ives Galarcep

Relive the bad attitude. The award-winning fake falls. And hopefully the goals. The Galaxy, without a consistent scorer since Carlos Ruiz departed, today finally announced his "replacement." Ruiz is back. The (edited) Galaxy press release: The LA Galaxy today acquired forward Carlos Ruiz from FC Dallas in exchange for allocation money and a second round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Ruiz, who began his MLS career with the Galaxy, helped lead the club to their first-ever MLS Cup title in 2002. He is the eighth leading scorer in MLS history with 81 career goals in 140 regular season games and has scored more than 100 goals in all competitions since arriving in MLS in February 2002.  read more »