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2008 MLS All-Star Game
The 2008 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 13th annual MLS All-Star Game. The MLS All-Stars faced West Ham United of the English Premier League. The game was played on July 24, 2008, with the MLS winning 3–2. New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol coached the All-Stars. The motto for the 2008 MLS All-Star Game is "Major League Soccer Takes on the World." Chicago Fire's Cuauhtémoc Blanco was named MVP. Host venue MLS Commissioner Don Garber awarded the 2008 All-Star Game to Toronto, Ontario in 2007 on the eve of the 2007 MLS All-Star Game. The game was played in the new soccer-specific stadium, BMO Field and was the first MLS All-Star Game held in Canada. BMO Field is home to the MLS' 13th franchise, Toronto FC. West Ham United On April 4, 2008, the Major League Soccer website announced that Premier League club West Ham United would be the fifth international opponent for the marquee event. Founded in 1895, the east London club was originally called Thames Ironworks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Major League Soccer All-Star Game
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a traditional all-star game format used by other North American sports leagues where the Eastern Conference squared off against the Western Conference. This eventually evolved into the current system where the league annually invites a club from abroad to play against a league all-star team in a friendly match. The MLS All-Stars hold a 9–7 record in the competition marking the season's midpoint. Players are awarded roster spots through a combination of fan voting and selections by the appointed manager and league commissioner. In case of a tie after full-time, the game does not use a 30-minute extra time period; instead it goes straight to a penalty shoot-out. The match is preceded by a skills challenge tournament, which was introduced in 2018 and features thre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO Field, located at Exhibition Place on Toronto's shoreline west of Downtown Toronto. Toronto FC joined MLS in 2007 as an expansion team and was the first Canadian-based franchise in the league. The first team is operated by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which also operates the MLS Next Pro affiliate team Toronto FC II and most other professional sports franchises in the city, like the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL), Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In 2017, Toronto FC won the domestic treble with the MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield and Canadian Championship, making them the first and only MLS club to ever do so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juan Toja
Juan Carlos Toja Vega (born 24 May 1985) is a former Colombian footballer. Club career Colombia Toja started his soccer career in Colombian tournament Interclubes (played amongst select country clubs) in the Clan MacGregor team, playing alongside retired professional player Lucas Jaramillo. Joined Colombian Santa Fe at age 16, playing for the club's U-19 team for six months, was promoted to the first team in early 2004, where he played 25 games in the next two seasons. Argentina Toja signed with Argentine club River Plate following the tournament but struggled to break into the first team. He played 5 games in the Copa Libertadores Tournament for River Plate, scoring once. He played in only three Torneo Verano games while loaned to River Plate from Santa Fe in 2006. United States In February 2007, after sending a highlight video to FC Dallas and impressing in a tryout held at FC Dallas pre-season camp in Brazil, Toja was signed with Major League Soccer on a loan from In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Ralston
Steve Ralston (born June 14, 1974) is an American retired soccer player and manager who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his playing career in Major League Soccer with the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the New England Revolution, retiring in 2010 as the league's all-time career leader in assists (135), appearances (378), starts (372), and minutes played (33,143). He also held the U.S. record for professional appearances (412) in 2010. He served as assistant manager at several teams, including the Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes, including a brief stint as the interim head coach at the Earthquakes in 2018. Club career Ralston was drafted 18th overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny out of Florida International University, and proceeded to become the first MLS player to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Ralston played for the Mutiny for six years, leaving only after the team was contracted in 2002. He was Tampa Bay's all-time leader in games played (177 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jonathan Bornstein
Jonathan Rey Bornstein (born November 7, 1984) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a left-back. He has captained and made 38 appearances for the United States national team. In addition to also playing for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer (with whom he was the 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year, an MLS Best XI, and a two-time MLS All-Star), he has played in Liga MX and in the Israeli Premier League. He won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2005 Maccabiah Games, in Israel. Youth and college Bornstein attended Los Alamitos High School, where he played soccer for all four years. He was MVP of the Sunset League, first-team all-county, and All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and led the soccer team to a CIF Championship. He also played club soccer for Long Beach United, Beach Soccer Club, and the Irvine Strikers club team coached by Don Ebert. He won the Golden Boot Award as he led the Strikers to the US Youth Soccer 2002 Under-17 National Championship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
MLS Rookie Of The Year
The MLS Young Player of the Year Award (known as the Rookie of the Year Award from 1996 to 2019) is an annual award given to the top player in Major League Soccer under the age of 22. The award was initially awarded to a rookie, or a player who no prior professional experience, usually to players that had previously played in MLS youth team academies or played college soccer. This practice is fairly common in other American sports leagues, such as the MLB Rookie of the Year (baseball), NASCAR Rookie of the Year (motorsports), NFL Rookie of the Year Award (American football), the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy (basketball), and the Calder Memorial Trophy (ice hockey). In 2020, MLS replaced the Rookie of the Year Award with the MLS Young Player of the Year Award, given to the best player in the league aged 22 and under, regardless of prior professional playing experience. Winners Rookie of the Year Award (1996–2019) Young Player of the Year Award (2020–present) Wins by playing p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robbie Rogers
Robert Hampton Rogers III (born May 12, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player. He played as a winger and as a left back. Rogers has also represented the United States men's national soccer team. In February 2013, Rogers came out as gay, becoming the second male soccer player in Britain to do so after Justin Fashanu in 1990. After a brief retirement, he became the first openly gay man to compete in a top North American professional sports league when he played his first match for the LA Galaxy in May 2013. After one season playing college soccer at the University of Maryland, Rogers attracted the interest of Dutch Eredivisie side Heerenveen. He signed for Heerenveen in August 2006 but failed to make any first-team appearances. He left the club by mutual consent in February 2007, and returned to the United States to sign for Columbus Crew. Rogers' four-year tenure at Columbus Crew was a successful one, with the player breaking through into the first-team, as well ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacha Kljestan
Sacha Bryan Kljestan (; born September 9, 1985) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Youth and college Kljestan was raised in Huntington Beach, California, and played for the Region IV Olympic Development Program team. He played three years of college soccer at Seton Hall University in New Jersey under former United States national team coach Manfred Schellscheidt. He was named NCAA Division I First-Team All-America in 2004 and earned third-team honors in 2005. Kljestan was named Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2005 and earned first-team All-Big East in 2004 and 2005. He holds the single-season assists record at Seton Hall with 15 in 2005 and ranks fifth all-time at the school with 28 over a three-year career. Kljestan finished his college career with 20 goals and helped Seton Hall University to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Club career Kljestan signed a Generation adidas contract wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Parkhurst
Michael Finlay Parkhurst (born January 24, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender. The 2005 MLS Rookie of the Year and 2007 MLS Defender of the Year Award, Parkhurst was capable of playing both as a center back and right back. He played for the United States national team, including being a member of three CONCACAF Gold Cup squads and participating in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Youth and college Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Parkhurst attended the Bradenton Soccer Academy in Florida. He played college soccer at Wake Forest University for the Demon Deacons from 2002 to 2004, where he started all sixty-two games the team played during his tenure, scoring one goal and registering two assists. Parkhurst was named a second-team All-American as a sophomore and junior and graduated from the university with a degree in history. He then signed a Generation adidas contract with MLS following the 2004 season. Professional career New England Revolution Park ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Academy Of Football
The Academy of West Ham United F.C. is recognised as one of the most successful football academies in modern football, hence its nickname the ''Academy of Football''. The introduction of the FA's new Academy system in 1998 has placed even more emphasis on the developing of young homegrown players and today the youth system at West Ham is more important than it has ever been. With the influx of many foreign players in the Premier League during modern times, West Ham United has been regarded as one of the few remaining clubs in top flight to continue producing and playing homegrown English players. The Under-23 team is the most senior of West Ham's youth squads. The Under-23 team is effectively the club's second-string side, but is limited to three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2012–13 season. They play in Premier League 2 and also compete in the Papa John's Trophy. The Academy of Footba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Cole
Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation and one of the most gifted English midfielders of all time. Cole started his career with West Ham United, where, after breaking into the first team in January 1999, he played more than 120 Premier League games over five seasons. He was one of a number of players who left West Ham in the summer of 2003, after the club had been relegated to the Football League First Division, with Cole signing for Chelsea. He spent seven seasons at Chelsea, playing over 280 games in all competitions and winning seven trophies, including three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup. He left Chelsea on a free transfer in July 2010 to join Liverpool, who a year later loaned him to Lille. After a se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads. He is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time and regarded by many as one of England's greatest ever players. Ferdinand began his football career playing for various youth teams, finally settling at West Ham United where he progressed through the youth ranks and made his professional Premier League debut in 1996. He became a fan favourite, winning the ''Hammer of the Year'' award the following season. He earned his first senior international cap in a match against Cameroon in 1997, setting a record as the youngest defender to play for England at the time. His achievements and footballing potential attracted Leeds United and he transferred to the club for a record-breaking fee of  ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
