Atlanta Soccer News: Art, Music and Culture: MLS News and notes

Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid took roster management in MLS to a new level this weekend.

Schmid chose to deal with two matches in three days by using a lineup rotation with five changes in the 2-0 loss to Toronto on Sunday. One writer called it a gamble that did not pay off.

Toronto FC, meanwhile were lucky not to have one or two players sent off early in the game after a handful of tough fouls marked the first half.

TFC now prepare to face the Montreal Impact in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship this week. The Impact’s ownership clearly see this one as a future MLS rivalry.

Along with expansion announcements, Designated Player signings are believed to be on the horizon. But there should be some real questions about the DPs who are reportedly being targeted. Seattle’s Freddie Ljungberg admits that his former Arsenal teammates are concerned about the pressure of being a DP in MLS. Seriously?

One team awaiting DP reinforcements are the Red Bulls, whose coach admits that 12 points in the first five games are a surprise. On Saturday NYRB started with only three American born players as Danish winger Brian Nielsen made his debut.

The Red Bulls plundering of Scandinavian talent has no end in sight. Next on the rumor list: EPL veteran Olaf Mellberg.

In Philadelphia, the Union say the sun and lights led to Michael Orozco’s hand ball offense which gifted New York their game-winning PK.

While Union head coach Peter Nowak says he is going to take his team to church to pray, there are reports of New York fans throwing rocks at a supporter bus, breaking a few windows.

On the other hand, Kansas City’s Kei Kamara could not hit his target on Saturday. Even English newspaper The Sun has picked up on it and called it “The Miss of the Century.”

The Revs are pointing the finger at the referees when it comes to the way teams are shutting down their right winger, Sainey Nyassi.

One winger with a good performance on the weekend was Robbie Rogers of the Columbus Crew. He says he turned down Guillermo Barros Schelotto when the Argentine offered him the opportunity to take the PK against RSL on Saturday.

While Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley captured another title with Rangers in Scotland, the American duo of Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson missed out on the Greek Cup as Aris Salonika lost 1-0 in the final. The full Yanks Abroad overview is marred by Jozy Altidore's red card which will define his EPL career for now.

The Mexican league season concluded on Sunday with the crowning of American forward Herculez Gomez as the first ever U.S. player to lead a top-flight league overseas in goals. The Mexican liguilla (playoffs) begin this week with Chivas Guadalajara and their American defender as one of the favorites.