First XI: MLS top tandems

Watching David Beckham and Landon Donovan form a fantastic attacking partnership these past few weeks got me to thinking about great combos of MLS years past. I'm not talking about striker partnerships necessarily, but tandems where one guy was the provider, like Beckham, while the other was the finisher, like Donovan. This First XI should make for some nice debates, and I'm sure I'll hear about the pairs I've left off. Here goes:

Fire expect Revs to target revenge

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Six games into the 2008 MLS season, the Chicago Fire have their its first rematch of the season, and it's a juicy one.

On Saturday, the Fire visit the New England Revolution, who suffered an embarrassing 4-0 loss at the hands of the Fire exactly one month ago at Toyota Park in the Fire's home opener. In that game, the Fire scored four times in the first half, the Revolution saw a player red-carded 11 minutes in, and the entire affair was somewhat embarrassing to the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Fire sign Paraguayan defender Marmol

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- After a lengthy and at times bizarre courtship, the Chicago Fire Tuesday signed Paraguayan defender Lider Marmol to a contract.

The Fire acquired the rights to Marmol last year as a discovery player thanks to then-coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who bolted the Fire for the New York Red Bulls at the end of the 2007 season. Because he was never signed to an MLS contract, Marmol went with Osorio to New York and trained with the Red Bulls this spring.

D.C. United's depth a strength

WASHINGTON -- Several years of postseason and tournament disappointment for D.C. United have driven home the value of roster depth and the competition for playing time it helps foster.

Davis: Changes may loom in Houston

In review: After Round 5 of MLS action

Dominic Kinnear has probably forgotten more about soccer than most of us could ever learn. As a player, he studied under Serbian-born tactician Bora Milutinovic. As an assistant, he apprenticed under Frank Yallop during the San Jose Earthquakes' first championship season.

Earthquakes look to peak again

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- If one were to chart out the performances of the San Jose Earthquakes since their return to MLS, you'd get an uncanny resemblance to the Dow Jones Industrial Average -- up one game, down sharply the next, with last Sunday's performance in a 2-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls falling in the latter category.

Red Bulls hope injury woes subside

MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- It's a rare sight when New York Red Bulls head athletic trainer Rick Guter is holding court with reporters at the club's training facility. But with so many injury concerns, Guter was one of the most sought-after members of the Red Bulls staff Thursday.

Magee bails out shorthanded Bulls

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Mike Magee is the longest tenured New York Red Bulls player, but for a while it seemed like he was the most forgotten.

The 23-year-old spent much of last season sidelined because of injury and underwent surgery to remove a membrane and a piece of inflamed fat pad under the patella in his right knee in January.

Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Crew continued the hot start to their 2008 season Saturday night at home against the Houston Dynamo, defeating the defending MLS champs in a gritty 1-0 contest. Columbus got another strong performance from Alejandro Moreno, a former Houston player who now has four goals in five games in the 2008 season.

RSL won't take play-in game lightly

SALT LAKE CITY -- Real Salt Lake capped off a disappointing two-game road swing by getting a taste of its own medicine at the hands of D.C. United. The 4-1 loss mirrored the similar pounding RSL laid on United only a couple of weeks earlier at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Rout of RSL may turn corner for D.C.

WASHINGTON -- Saturday night's 4-1 victory against Real Salt Lake represents a valuable three points in the standings for D.C. United. But the result could prove to be most valuable as a timely boost for the team's fragile confidence -- and a return to the winning ways that have been so elusive of late.

Revs embrace return to normalcy

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- No one was happier to hold training in the rain than New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol.

The source of the happiness wasn't from the drenched conditions. Players slogged in from the waterlogged field, hustling into the locker room to find a warm shower and dry clothes after spending almost two hours outside in the chilly rain.