MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
THE UNITED STATES PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
| WESTERN CONFERENCE |
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 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER 2029 Century Park East Suite 400 Los Angeles, CA 90067 |
LOS ANGELES GALAXY LA has long had its galaxy of stars in Hollywood and no doubt hopes the new MLS team will also sparkle; the energetic spinning logo should convey the pace of the city and of the game. |
COLORADO RAPIDS Colorado is a mountain State of rushing rivers in the Rockies, fast and free as no doubt the fans in Denver hope their team's football will be. |
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DALLAS BURN The fire-breathing mustang shows raw horsepower and speed in the high-combustion Texan oilfield; "Burn" is a reference not only to Texas's most famous export but also to the effects of the summer sun. |
KANSAS CITY WIZ No real local connections, it seems, but instead a play on the name of the popular musical The Wizard of Oz – the rainbow strips coming from the musical's most famous song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. |
SAN JOSE CLASH "Clash" is a favourite media word for an intense confrontation between close rivals, and the new Clash team hope to play like a scorpion: quick and lethal, defending by attacking. |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR TEAM ROSTER |
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LOTHAR OSIANDER
Head Coach
An integral part of the U.S. Soccer coaching community for 20 years, Osiander's Los Angeles Galaxy Is off to an incredible 11-0 start ... Head Coach of the 1988 and 1992 U.S. Olympic Teams ... Head coach of the U.S. National Team from 1986-88 ... His 1991 Pan American Games' team won the gold medal ... Was the 1995 A-League Coach of the Year when he led the Atlanta Ruckus to the championship final ... Was the head coach of the San Francisco Greek-Americans 1994 U.S. National Open Cup championship team ... Was an assistant coach with the NASL's California Surf ... Played college at the University of San Francisco ... Native of Germany became a U.S. citizen in 1965 Fluent in English, German and Spanish.LEONEL ALVAREZ*
Midfielder
Regarded as the top defensive midfielder in Major League Soccer, Alvarez usually marks the opponent's most dangerous player... A quiet cog In Colombian National Team's success in the 1990s ... Has more than 70 caps for Colombia and made his mark in the international arena with a brilliant 1990 World Cup ... Played 1995 with America Cali of the Colombian First Division .... Began his professional career in 1983 with Deportivo Independiente of Medellin...Transferred to Athletic Nacional in 1987 and made his debut for the full national team that same year ... After the '90 World Cup, he played with Valladolid of Spain through 1992, and then returned home to play again for Cali ... Played for Colombia in the 1989, '91, '93 and '95 Copa America tournaments.MARCELO BALBOA*
Defender/Midfielder
After playing the 1995-96 season in the Mexican First Division with Leon, Balboa scored two goals in his debut with Colorado in the Rapids' 3-1 win over Dallas April 21 ... Has seen time in the back and as a defensive midfielder with the Rapids ... Became the first United States National Team player to earn 100 international appearances on June 11, 1995, in a 3-2 win over Nigeria, scoring the USA's second goal ... One of five players to play every minute of every game during the 1994 World Cup ... Winner of U.S. Soccer's 1994 and 1992 Male Athlete of the Year ... Suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee April 17, 1993 against Iceland ... Returned to the U.S. lineup against El Salvador December 5, 1993, after a miraculous 7 1/2 month rehabilitation ... Played two seasons of college soccer at San Diego State.PAUL BRAVO
Midfielder
Originally drafted as a defensive midfielder, Bravo switched to forward after two games and has ranked among the league's leading scorers during the first half of the season ... Currently tied for eighth in MLS scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points ... Scored a goal in five straight games during the month of May ... A member of the U.S. National Team pool, he helped lead Santa Clara University to a share of the 1989 NCAA championship, scoring 16 goals and adding eight assists ... Was named Rookie of the Year for the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the APSL in 1991 ... Played all 10 field positions in his four-year span with San Francisco ... Played in 1996 with the Monterey Bay Jaguars of the USISL.JORGE CAMPOS*
Goalkeeper/Forward
Colorful goalkeeper from the Mexico National Team and one of the world's best-loved players ... His goals against average hovered around the 1.00 mark throughout the first half of the season ... Campos currently leads MLS In goals against average (1.12) and wins (10) ... Long-time member of UNAM Pumas in Mexican First Division, where he also played forward ... Played 11 minutes at forward In the Galaxy's 3-2 win over Columbus May 26 ... One of the top goalkeepers at the 1994 World Cup ... Represented Mexico nearly 60 times ... Led Mexico to the 1996 Gold Cup, shutting out the Tri-colores opponents in all four games ... Rated third-best goalkeeper in the world in 1993 after leading Mexico to CONCACAF title and second-place finish in Copa America ... Spent the 1995-96 season with Atlante of the Mexican First Division.MAURICIO CIENFUEGOS*
Midfield
From El Salvador, possesses an outstanding work rate and a knack for making the big play ... Considered one of the league's best on set plays...Named MLS Player of the Month for April ... Member of El Salvador's National Team that played In the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup ... El Salvador's most popular and recognizable player ... Played for Firpo in El Salvador's First Division prior to joining the Galaxy ... The 28-year-old has represented the full national team of El Salvador more than 75 times ... Began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior.PREKI*
Midfielder
Crafty midfielder leads MLS in scoring (27 points), goals (10), shots (66) and shots on goal (32) ... Scored two goals and added two assists May 2 against Columbus ... Kansas City Head Coach Ron Newman calls Preki one of the league's "impact" players ... Recently wrapped up a three-season stint in England, playing two seasons for Everton (1993-93, 1993-94) in the Premier League and one season for Portsmouth (1994-95) in the First Division ... Played one season for Estrella Amadora in Portugal in 1987 .... Played two seasons with Red Star Belgrade in his native Yugoslavia before coming to the United States to become one of indoor soccer's most prolific scorers ... Played nine indoor seasons in the MISL and CISL, scoring 399 goals and 384 assists ... Expected to receive his U.S. citizenship soon and could join the U.S. National Team for World Cup Qualifying ... Given name is Predrag Radosavljevic.MARK SANTEL
Midfielder
Versatile player has seen time at marking back, sweeper and in the midfield for Dallas ... Suffered a separated shoulder during preseason ... Made his Burn debut April 18 after missing the club's first game while still reecovering from his shoulder injury ... A member of the U.S. National Team pool prior to the 1994 World Cup, he has 10 career international appearances ... Played four seasons with the Colorado Foxes of the A-League and scored seven goals with 10 assists during his career A three-time All-American at St. Louis University ... Played for the U.S. Under-20 National Team in 1987 ... Drafted lst overall in the 1991-92 MISL draft by the Wichita Wings... Played with the St. Louis Storm of the MISL for the 1991-92 season.DIEGO SONORA
Defender
Argentine has been Dallas' defensive force during the first half of the season ... Scored his first goal and registered his first assist in the Burn's 4-1 win over San Jose June 8 ... Tallied two assists in the June 23rd 4-1 Dallas win at New England... A product of the world-renowned Boca Juniors club in Argentina ... Prior to joining the Burn, Sonora played the last 16 years in the Boca Juniors system, including the last eight on the first team ... Scored seven goals as a defender and captained Boca Juniors during the 1994-95 season ... Trained with the Argentine National Team in 1993.VITALIS " DIGITAL" TAKAWIRA
Forward
Zimbabwe international lived up to his advance billing and scored two goals in his Kansas City debut April 13 against Colorado ... Currently 13th in MLS scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points ... The speedy striker has played more than 30 times for Zimbabwe, scoring 14 goals including strikes against Egypt, South Africa, Zambia and Cameroon ... Scored three times in a 4-1 Zimbabwe victory over Cameroon in January of 1995 ... Has played with Dynamos F.C. in the Zimbabwe First Division since breaking in with the club in 1989 ... Won the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer in Africa in 1994 ... Missed winning the African Golden Boot award in 1995 by one goal ... Celebrates each goal with the Digital Crawl, known throughout Africa.ERIC WYNALDA*
Forward
One of the top strikers in Major League Soccer, Wynalda scored the first goal in MLS history, lifting San Jose to a 1-0 win over D.C. United April 6 ... A 1990 and 1994 World Cup veteran, Wynalda is the USA's all-time leading scorer ... Played 1995-96 in the German Second Division with VfL Bottom ... Signed with FC Saarbruecken in August 1992, becoming the first American-born player to break into the Bundesliga ... He made an explosive impact in Germany, scoring nine goals in his first 10 games ... Named to the 1995 All-Copa America Team ... Played in all four games in the 1994 World Cup, starting three ... Scored the USA's tying goal against Switzerland in the 1994 World ... Played in two of the USA's three matches at the 1990 World Cup in Italy ... Prior to playing professionally in Germany, he played four seasons in the APSL, including two seasons with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks.MARK DODD
Goalkeeper
Steady goalkeeper currently ranks second in MLS with a 1.20 goals against average ... Has also ranked among the MLS leaders in shutouts, saves, wins and catches/punches this season ... Has been stellar in shootouts throughout the first half of the season ... The long-time back-up goalkeeper for the U.S. National Team has 11 career caps ... Prior to joining the Burn, Dodd played six years for the A-League's Colorado Foxes ... Was a key player in helping the Foxes to two APSL championships ... Voted the 1990 APSL Player of the Year ... The all-time loading goalkeeper in the APSL, he holds league records for shutouts and goals against average ... Helped Duke University to the 1986 NCAA Championship ... Prior to joining the Foxes In 1990, he played for the Dallas Sidekicks of the MISL.JOHN DOYLE*
Defender
The Clash's team captain, Doyle became the only defender to win Fujifilm Player of the Week honors when he won the award for the week ending June 2 ... Was a member of the 1990 U.S. World Cup Team, starting two games in Italy, against Italy and Austria ... A member of the 1988 Olympic Team in Seoul, South Korea ... Has 58 appearances with the U.S. National Team ... Played two seasons with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the APSL ... Played 1991 season for Orgryte IS in the Swedish First Division .. Played for VfB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga in 1993 ... Played last summer for the Atlanta Ruckus of the A-League ... Named 1995 Defender of the Year in the A-League ... Played college soccer at the University of San Francisco.ROBIN FRASER*
Defender
The smooth sweeper's impressive play earned him a call-up to the U.S. National Team for U.S. Cup '96 ... Teams with Dan Calichman to give Los Angeles arguably the league's best central defense ... Earned 12 caps with the U.S. National Team from 1989-91 ... Prior to joining the Galaxy, Fraser played the last six seasons with the Colorado Foxes of the A-League, winning championships in 1992 and '93 ... Was an A-League All-Star for six consecutive years .... Played 1984-88 at Florida International University, winning the 1984 Division II National Championship ... FIU moved to Division I and he was an All-American in 1987 and '88... Was the 1988 Florida College Player of the Year.EDUARDO HURTADO*
Forward
After a slow start, Hurtado exploded in mid-May to become one of the leading scorers in the league ... Currently tied for second in MLS scoring with eight goals and four assists for 20 points ... Set an MLS record when he scored seven points (3 goals, 1 assist) in the Galaxy's 4-0 win over the MetroStars June 9 ... A member of the National Team of Ecuador ... Played with Colo Colo of the Chilean First Division prior to joining the Galaxy ... A veteran of multiple Copa America tournaments and numerous World Cup qualifying matches for Ecuador ... Scored four goals in a 4-1 victory against Zambia at Korea Cup'95 ... Nicknamed "El Tanque" for his strong physical style of play and scoring ability ... Has played professionally for Correcaminos of Mexico and Saint Gallen of Switzerland ... Resides in Esmeraldas, Ecuador.COBI JONES*
Midfielder
One of the fastest players in Major League Soccer, Jones scored the first goal in Los Angeles history when he beat MetroStars goalkeeper Tony Meola on April 13 ... A member of the U.S., National Team since 1992, Jones scored the game winner in the USA's 2-1 victory over Scotland May 26..Prior to joining the Galaxy, Jones spent the 1995-96 season with Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian First Division ... Spent the 1995 season with Coventry City of the English Premier League ... Played in every game during the 1994 World Cup, starting against Brazil...Played in all three games for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona...A member of the 1990 UCLA NCAA Championship team...A 1991 All-American at UCLA...High school teammate of San Jose Clash star Eric Wynalda in Westlake Village, California.JASON KREIS*
Midfielder
One of the top young midfielders in U.S. Soccer, Kreis has surprised MLS defenders with his dangerous long-distance shooting ... Currently tied for eighth in MLS scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points ... Especially dangerous off set plays ... Scored the first goal in Burn history April 18 in a 3-0 win over Kansas City ... A three-time NCAA All-American at Duke University, where he finished his career with 39 goals and 38 assists ... Ranks among the school's all-time leaders in scoring ... A member of the U.S. National Team player pool ... Played last season for the Raleigh Flyers of the USISL.(*) = starters
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