Tickets will be available at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park box office, by calling 303-53-HORSE, at the kiosks at any Colorado Dick’s Sporting Goods location or online at TicketHorse.com.

Single-game tickets start at $20.

Information on all ticket prices and single-game promotions can be found on the team’s official Web site.

RAPIDS PRESEASON ITINERARY: The Rapids have announced their full itinerary for preseason training, which includes trips to Phoenix and London. After four weeks of training at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the team will get its first taste of training outside of Colorado when it travels to the Casa Grande Performance Institute, just south of Phoenix, from February 21-27. The club’s Arizona excursion will be highlighted by several exhibition matches against other Major League Soccer clubs. Details of those matches will be announced at a later date. The Rapids will then conduct one week of practice sessions at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park upon returning from Arizona before heading back on the road for another eight days. For the third time in four years, the Rapids’ preseason plans will include a trip to London. The team will be hosted by Arsenal. The partnership between the Rapids and the Premiership club was formed in 2007 and allows the Rapids to practice at Arsenal’s facilities. The team’s England trip will be from March 7-14 and will also include several matches against English opponents, who will be announced at a later time. The trip to England will be followed by four days of training back at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, after which the team will host fellow Western Conference side Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer’s first-ever Charity Shield match on March 19. Proceeds from this match will be donated to UNICEF to aid relief efforts in Haiti.

RUGBY AT DICK’S: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will serve as the home venue for the Denver Barbarians rugby club during the team’s spring 2010 USA Rugby Super League matches, the stadium announced today. The Barbarians will host league champion San Francisco Golden Gate on March 14, the Dallas Harlequins on March 27 and the Chicago Lions on April 17.

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING EXTENDED: Major League Soccer and the Major League Soccer Players Union have agreed to continue to negotiate through February 25, as they work toward reaching a new collective bargaining agreement.

CHANGING THE LAYOUT: The Rapids have announced their plans for the creation of the new Supporters Terrace behind the north goal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Using the stadium’s unique design, this new Supporters Terrace will become an adult-oriented area designed to allow for the exuberance of the Rapids’ most passionate fans. This move to create a new section of the stadium specifically to appeal to the Rapids’ adult demographic was conceived in conjunction with the Rapids’ existing supporters club leaders and will allow for their voices and energy to be felt in a whole new manner. Historically in soccer, the term terrace has referred to the traditional standing area behind the goals of a stadium, particularly in the United Kingdom, that offered a cheaper alternative to sitting in the stands and a more popular spectator area for members of the working classes. The Rapids’ Supporters Terrace will be the first true terrace area of its kind in Major League Soccer and will aim to expand upon the experience found in terraces overseas. Flags, banners, instruments, singing and other passionate support of the team at home games will all be encouraged, making the Supporters Terrance the place to be for Colorado’s most enthusiastic soccer fans.

Rapids striker Conor Casey is training with the U.S. men’s national team in preparation for friendlies against El Salvador on Feb. 24 in Tampa, Florida, and against the Netherlands on March 3 in Amsterdam. These are the team’s last matches before it names its roster for the World Cup. Good luck, Conor (and good luck to all the players). The El Salvador match will be broadcast at 5 p.m. (Mountain time) on ESPN Classic and Telefutura. The Netherlands match will be on ESPN2 and Galavision at 12:30 p.m. (Mountain time). Casey has 19 career caps with the national team and scored his first two international goals in the U.S.’s 2010 World Cup qualifying win against Honduras on October 10. He also has one assist in international play. He also played 30 minutes in a 3-1 loss against Honduras on January 23, the United States’ first match of 2010.

U.S. TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS: Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)
DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (Philadelphia Union), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

We, at ColoradoSoccerNow.com, loves us some WeWantRapidman. When I worked at the Rocky Mountain News, I called Nick Thomas the most dogged Rapids reporter in town, and that label still holds true.

Keep up the good work, mate!

OMAR PASSES THE ROCK: Rapids striker Omar Cummings collected an assist on Luton Shelton’s 28th career goal for the Reggae Boyz as Jamaica beat Canada 1-0 in an exhibition game on Sunday in Kingston. Dwayne De Rosario, one of my faves, wore the captain’s armband for the visitors.

FORMER PIONEER GETS TRYOUT: Former University of Denver player Leon Abravanel is participating in preseason training with the Rapids. The Tahoe Daily Tribune, a newspaper I almost worked for years ago, reports that over the next eight weeks Abravanel hopes to secure a contract. Read the whole story here.

“STRONG SILENT TYPE”: Britain’s Telegraph has a profile on Rapids owner Stan Kroenke and his likely influences on Arsenal. The story is here.

WOO-HOO! Major League Soccer is now following ColoradoSoccerNow.com on twitter. We already had D-Ro following us, so this is just gravy!

ANOTHER OF MY FAVES: Steve Ralston has signed with AC St. Louis in the new second-division league that starts in April, according to Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ralston, played at Oakville High and Forest Park Community College in St. Louis. He will be captain of the team and will also serve as assistant coach. The 35-year-old’s contract with the Revolution had run out.

COMING SOON: MLS is scheduled to release the complete 2010 schedule at noon (Mountain time) Wednesday. My guess is the final Rapids game of the regular season will be against Real Salt Lake.

ColoradoSoccerNow.com caught up with Peetz after she had some time to celebrate being picked.

Did you have indications that you would be drafted? Did any specific teams express interest?

I did have some indication about getting drafted, but I knew I was not an obvious pick so I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

What hoops did you have to go through?
I did attend two tryouts to try and get my name out there. I received some feedback but most teams did not give me too much information. As soon as our college season ended, I jumped right into training because this is always something I have wanted to work for. It has been nerve-racking already with the draft, and I know I have a lot more work to put in from here on but I am really excited about it and ready to begin.

What does this mean for you? Has playing professionally been a goal for you?

I am so happy for Estelle and Nikki because I know how hard they have worked for this opportunity and they surely deserve it. Right now, I am just focusing on my training so that I can work to earn a spot in the Boston Breaker’s preseason which starts March 1. Playing professionally has always been a dream of mine, and I am now doing everything I can to make it happen.

Finally, what is your ultimate goal in soccer?

My ultimate goal is to first make the team and second bring the team to a championship. Also, I have aspirations to be a part of the national team one day but I am focusing on the Breakers right now!

REAL COLORADO COUGARS’ HEMMINGS TALKS: Reporter Sam Mustari of the Greeley Tribune has written a fine story about Greeley’s Taryn Hemmings being drafted. Hemmings was a star with Greeley West High School, the University of Denver and the Real Colorado Cougars. Here’s Sam’s story.

AUDLEY INTERVIEWED: DU’S captain Collin Audley recently sat down and spoke to Sean Grybos of the Web site Soccer City FC. The site asked l’il ole me for my scouting report on Audley, based on seeing him play a half a dozen times in 2009 (but don’t be put off by that; it’s a good long interview).

FOX HAS NEW SOCCER CHANNEL: Fox Soccer Plus, a new network intended to complement Fox Soccer Channel, is scheduled to launch March 1. The channel will draw its exclusive match content from top-flight leagues and competitions such as England’s Premier League, Champions League, England’s FA Cup and Italy’s Serie A. Fox Soccer Plus will be offered as a premium service. I’m trying to reach someone at my cable provider (Comcast) to find out what that means.

NEW MLS BALL: Adidas and Major League Soccer have unveiled the new MLS official match ball, which features the same technology as the adidas Jabulani, the official ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Adidas has been the provider of MLS match balls since 2006 and has maintained the blue, green and silver color scheme in the MLS logo. The ball is made up of only eight panels, which are thermally bonded and spherically molded, whatever that means. The company has attempted to make the ball perfectly round and accurate.

NEW WPS BALL: Not to be outdone, Women’s Professional Soccer showed off its new official match ball at its draft. The PWR-C 1.10 features a 20-panel construction developed with the aim of improving both shooting speed and flight distance. The ball is abrasion-resistant and water-repellent and, for the first time in Puma’s history, high-frequency-molded, instead of hand-stitched. The ball comes with a two-year shape guarantee and features a new take on the jasmine green color scheme from the league’s inaugural year. It will be used for the first time in a regular-season game when the Washington Freedom face Peetz’s Boston Breakers on April 10.

PAVING THE WAY FOR SPENCER? As expected, Portland Timbers coach Gavin Wilkinson is being kicked upstairs. Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian reported today that Wilkinson has been named the 2011 Major League Soccer team’s technical director. There has been speculation that the club is interested in former Rapids striker John Spencer as its first MLS head coach.

OregonLive.com reports that Spencer met with owner Merritt Paulson and others on the Timbers’ staff within the past few days in Portland.

Timbers head coach Gavin Wilkinson, who was the 2009 FieldTurf Coach of the Year for the USL First Division, is being considered as the club’s technical director.

Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle reports that Spencer declined to interview for the D.C. United head coaching job because he is mulling an opportunity elsewhere, with all signs pointing to expansion Portland as the likely destination. Portland will start play in Major League Soccer in 2011.

“The reason I turned down an offer to go interview (with D.C.) was I already had an interview set up with another club,” Spencer said told the Chronicle. “And just out of professional courtesy to the team that had contacted me first, I felt it was professional not to accept another offer (to interview).”

Good luck, Spenny! We’re rootin’ for ya (until Portland plays the Rapids).

TRADE GONE BAD: Steven Goff of The Washington Post reports that the Rapids were preparing to trade goalkeeper Preston Burpo and defender Cory Gibbs for midfielders Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson but the deal fell through because of issues involving Gibbs’ contract and a delay for his medical exam to be performed by the Revs.

RSL DRAFTS A RAPIDS FAN: The Deseret News reports that when Real Salt Lake drafted Collen Warner with the 15th pick in the MLS draft, the team picked a native Coloradoan who followed the Colorado Rapids “as much as any young soccer player” growing up. He told the newspaper that he attended Rapids matches frequently and watched others on television. Mark him down as another Colorado product who headed west on I-80 to Utah.

GUPPY SPEAKS: Tribal Football has a blurb about Rapids assistant coach Steve Guppy being happy in Colorado.

KARANKA INTERVIEW: Goal.com has an interview with former Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Colorado Rapids defender Aitor Karanka!

MCMANUS ON THE MOVE: Former Rapids striker (and ColoradoSoccerNow.com favorite) Tom McManus is getting a trial with English club Grimsby Town. The Grimsby Telegraph reports that Tom (or Tam, if you prefer) is looking for a new club during the transfer window. He left Derry City because of the club’s financial problems and returned to Scotland as a free agent recently and has had a trial with Ayr United.

ANOTHER FORMER RAPIDS STRIKER: Chris Carrieri will be playing for the Richmond Kickers of the USL Second Division. Carrieri retired from professional soccer before the 2008 season but came out of retirement to play with the Kickers. He scored one goal during seven appearances in 2009 and has committed to the club for 2010.

AND A CURRENT RAPIDS STRIKER: The Jamaica Observer takes a look at the Jamaican national team camp, which includes Rapids striker Omar Cummings.

KITS ON DISPLAY: Fanhouse.com has a look at all the Major League soccer jerseys for 2010. Not much change for the Rapids, which is a good thing.

Ireland’s Robbie Keane criticized FIFA and UEFA after the loss, saying the two governing bodies would prefer seeing France in the World Cup.

“(Henry) nearly caught it, so it’s a bit of a killer. When you see the reaction of the players, (goalkeeper) Shay (Given) especially, he’s two yards away from it,” Keane said. “You don’t get a reaction like that if he’s not sure it’s a handball. He almost caught it and ran into the net with it.”

Read more of Keane’s comments here.

And here’s a video of the goal in question.

DU FRESHMAN RECOGNIZED: University of Denver men’s soccer player Alex Tarnoczi was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s all-rookie honorable-mention team. Tarnoczi, who was also Denver’s second-straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation newcomer of the year, led the Pioneers and was tied for fifth in the MPSF with seven goals.

AIR FORCE HONORS: Three seniors from the Air Force Academy men’s soccer team were named to the all-MPSF teams. Midfielder Kevin Rosser was named to the first team, while forward Steven Noller was a second-team selection and defender Aaron Eshkenazi was named honorable mention. It is the second consecutive all-conference honor for each player.

DU HONORS: Five DU players were named All-MPSF. Collin Audley, Kris Banghart and junior goalkeeper Joe Willis were named to the first team. Tarnoczi was a second-team selection, and Jarod Stigall earned honorable mention.

BIG SKY HONORS: Three members of the University of Northern Colorado women’s soccer team have been honored by the Big Sky Conference. Three players, senior Marcie Johnson and sophomores Ariel Cook and Kimmie Feidler, were named to the all-Big Sky second team. Four players were honorable-mention selections: freshman Alexys Tamayo, senior Sydney VanderVelde, junior Brittani Knott and freshman Laura Wayland. Johnson scored four goals in conference play, including two goals against Northern Arizona in the Bears’ last game. Cook led the Bears with five goals and 11 points and also scored the other two goals against Northern Arizona. Cook also started in all 17 games for the Bears. Feidler ended the season with two goals and three assists.

MLS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez has been named the 2009 MLS rookie of the year. Gonzalez started and played all 30 of the Galaxy’s regular-season games and helped the club improve its defense from statistically the worst in 2008 to one of the best during the 2009 season. The 21-year old defender from Dallas becomes the second consecutive Galaxy defender to win the award. Teammate Sean Franklin received the honor in 2008. Gonzalez received the most votes in polling of media, MLS players and MLS coaches and general managers.

The Pioneers (17-5-1) earned their unprecedented fourth-straight Sun Belt Conference championship by beating Arkansas-Little Rock 1-0 on Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida. Denver has won the SBC tournament seven out of the past nine seasons, and the Pioneers have the seventh-winningest senior class in the nation.

The last time DU and Portland met, the Pilots won 5-0 in the NCAA tournament in Boulder in 2007.

The only loss for Portland (18-1-0) this season came when Texas A&M beat the Pilots in College Station, Texas. The Aggies will host the College Cup from December 4-6.

Washington and Mississippi will play in the other first-round game Friday in Portland, with the winners meeting in the second round on Sunday.

PIONEER HONORED: DU men’s soccer senior captain and midfielder Collin Audley was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-player of the week. Audley scored the winning goal in the first half against Seattle on Nov. 5 and followed it with a 79th-minute insurance goal on Saturday in a 2-1 win over Air Force, the only home loss for the Falcons this season. The victories lifted Denver to the No. 4 seed in this week’s conference tournament at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. This marks the first player-of-the-week award for Audley, and he is the third Pioneer to earn the honor this season, following freshman forward  Alex Tarnoczi and goalkeeper Joe Willis. Audley shared this week’s award with New Mexico forward Michael Green, who also scored a pair of goals. The Pioneers will host the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium Thursday through Sunday.

ARENA NAMED MLS COACH OF THE YEAR: Los Angeles’ Bruce Arena has been named the 2009 MLS coach of the year after leading his club to its first playoff berth since 2005 and a top seed in the Western Conference bracket with a 12-6-12 record and 48 points. Arena, now in his second season as Galaxy head coach, led Los Angeles to one of the most dramatic single-season turnarounds in MLS history. In 2008, the Galaxy finished at the bottom of the Western Conference with an 8-13-9 record and 33 points while also giving up a League-high 62 goals. One of Arena’s biggest priorities for 2009 was to solidify his team’s defense. Arena drafted University of Maryland defender Omar Gonzalez with the third overall pick in the draft and brought in U.S. national team veteran Gregg Berhalter to fill in the center of the back line. Arena also handed the goalkeeping duties to first-year MLS goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, a 32-year-old Jamaican international who spent most of his career in Europe. Berhalter, Gonzalez and Ricketts were a big reason the Galaxy cut their goals-against average in half, allowing just 31 this season, the biggest single-season goals-against reversal in league history. Arena also brought in a host of new players, meshed them together and helped reconcile the highly publicized differences between star players Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

SEATTLE’S MONTERO IS NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Seattle Sounders forward Fredy Montero has been named Major League Soccer’s newcomer of the year. Montero, 22, from Barranquilla, Colombia, burst onto the MLS scene in 2009, leading the expansion Sounders FC in scoring with 12 goals while recording seven assists. Montero joined the Sounders after four seasons with Deportivo Cali in Colombia. He spent the 2006-07 season on loan to Colombian squad Atletico Huila. The 2009 MLS All-Star was a key contributor to a Sounders FC team that found success on and off the field in its inaugural season.
MLS Newcomer of the Year Winners
2009: Fredy Montero – Seattle Sounders FC
2008: Darren Huckerby – San Jose Earthquakes
2007: Luciano Emilio – D.C. United

THORNTON IS MLS COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton has been named the MLS comeback player of the year. The former Colorado Rapids goalkeeper is adding another trophy to his collection after being named the goalkeeper of the year last week. The 36-year-old goalkeeper from Edgewood, Maryland, led Chivas USA to its fourth consecutive playoff berth in his first full season as a starter since 2006. After spending eight years as the starting goalkeeper for the Chicago Fire, Thornton spent the 2007 season with Colorado, playing just one game, and made no appearances with New York in 2008 before being traded to Chivas USA on Aug. 1 after Brad Guzan’s departure for Aston Villa. Working in the offseason with Chivas USA goalkeeper coach Leo Percovich, who also worked previously with the Rapids, Thornton came into 2009 slimmer and fitter, and his work paid immediate dividends. He led Chivas USA to a 13-11-6 record and posted a career-best 12 shutouts and 0.87 goals-against average. His 12 shutouts were one shy of the club record, and his goals against average ranks second all-time behind Pat Onstad’s 0.82 in 2007. Thornton led the League in goals against average, shutouts and ranked second in wins with 12.
MLS Comeback Player of the Year
2009: Zach Thornton – Chivas USA
2008: Kenny Cooper – FC Dallas
2007: Eddie Johnson – Kansas City Wizards
2006: Richard Mulrooney – FC Dallas
2005: Chris Klein – Kansas City Wizards
2004: Brian Ching – San Jose Earthquakes
2003: Chris Armas – Chicago Fire
2002: Chris Klein – Kansas City Wizards
2001: Troy Dayak – San Jose Earthquakes
2000: Tony Meola – Kansas City Wizards

If you like hair pulling, kicking, elbowing, punching and general dirty play, this video is for you:

UNM head coach Kit Vela announced that Lambert, a junior defender, has been suspended indefinitely. Lambert is prohibited from participating in all team practices, competition and conditioning activities.

“I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions,” Lambert said in a statement on the school’s athletics Web site. “My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women’s soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the utmost respect for the BYU women’s soccer program and its players.”

Vela said, “Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship.”

“Liz’s conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate,” said UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. “There is no way to defend her actions.”

NCAA DIVISION II MEN’S TOURNAMENT: The 11th-ranked Colorado School of Mines men’s soccer team earned a spot in the 2009 tournament for the second time in program history. Mines (15-2-4, 11-2-1 RMAC) will face No. 2 Fort Lewis College at 2 p.m. Friday in Durango. The winner will advance to the second round to play either No. 4 West Texas A&M or ninth-ranked Midwestern State at 1 p.m. Sunday.

NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN’S TOURAMENT: The Metropolitan State College women’s soccer team will host a first-round match between Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State-Mankato at 1 p.m. Friday at Auraria Field. The winner of that match will advance to face the Roadrunners at 1 p.m. Sunday at Auraria. Regis University will face the Colorado School of Mines at 2 p.m. Thursday in Durango, and the winner of that match will advance to meet Fort Lewis College on Sunday in Durango.

RMAC AWARD: Colorado School of Mines striker Kayla Mitchell has been selected as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women’s athlete of the month for October. Mitchell, a senior from Ontario, Ore., was named RMAC offensive player of the week three times during October. In eight matches, Mitchell scored 16 goals, including six game-winners, and tallied four assists for 36 total points. Mitchell scored four hat tricks including a record-breaking four-goal performance in Mines’ win over CSU-Pueblo. For her efforts in the classroom, Mitchell was named the RMAC women’s soccer academic player of the year for the second consecutive season and was named CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine first team academic all-district.

INDOOR SOCCER AT REGIS: The 17th annual Regis University Winter Indoor Classic will feature two formats: two groups of 4v4 (boys on January 3, girls on January 24) and 10 divisions of futsal (January 2 through February 6). The divisions for futsal include high school girls and boys (January 2); U-10 boys (January 3); U-11 boys (January 9); U-12 boys (January 10); U-10 girls (January 31; U-13/14 girls (January 31); U-11 girls (February 6); and U-12 girls (February 6). The 4v4 tournaments feature no goalkeepers, goals that are 6 feet wide and 4 feet high, a 94-by-50-foot field with no walls, a 25-minute clock, a maximum roster of six players and at least six games. The cost is $160 per team. The futsal tournaments will have goalkeepers, a 102-by-58-foot field with no walls, a 25-minute clock a roster of no more than eight players and a minimum of six matches. The cost is $210 per team. Register online at RegisSoccerAcademy.com or contact Regis coaches J.B. Belzer or Tony McCall.

MLS AWARDS, PART 1: MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the major charitable arm of soccer in the United States, have announced that Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad and Chicago Fire midfielder Logan Pause were selected to receive the 2009 U.S. Soccer Foundation/MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year Award. This marks the first time that two players have shared the honor.

MLS AWARDS, PART 2: MLS announced that Columbus Crew defender Chad Marshall was voted the defender of the year for the second consecutive season. Marshall anchored the Columbus defense, which allowed only 31 goals during the regular season – a record low for the Crew. Marshall played in and started 18 games during the regular season; he missed four games while serving national team duty with the U.S. and another six games with a knee sprain at the end of the season. Marshall’s leadership helped the Crew capture their second straight Supporters’ Shield trophy, awarded to the team that finishes with the best regular season record (13-7-10, 49 points). The Crew’s defense allowed the third-fewest goals (31), behind the Houston Dynamo (29) and Seattle Sounders FC (29).
MLS Defender of the Year Winners
2009: Chad Marshall – Columbus Crew
2008: Chad Marshall – Columbus Crew
2007: Michael Parkhurst – New England Revolution
2006: Bobby Boswell – D.C. United
2005: Jimmy Conrad – Kansas City Wizards
2004: Robin Fraser – Columbus Crew
2003: Carlos Bocanegra – Chicago Fire
2002: Carlos Bocanegra – Chicago Fire
2001: Jeff Agoos – San Jose Earthquakes
2000: Peter Vermes – Kansas City Wizards
1999: Robin Fraser – Los Angeles Galaxy
1998: Lubos Kubik – Chicago Fire
1997: Eddie Pope – D.C. United
1996: John Doyle – San Jose Earthquakes

MLS AWARDS, PART 3:MLS also announced that referees Alex Prus and Greg Barkey were voted as the referee of the year and assistant referee of the year, respectively. Prus was honored with the award for the first time in his career. A veteran center referee of MLS games, Prus has worked 169 games in 13 seasons. Prus first served as an assistant referee in MLS in 1997. He has worked five men’s Division I NCAA Final Four soccer tournaments and was the head referee for MLS Cup 2007 in Washington. Barkey was one of three assistant referees to represent the United States in the 2006 World Cup. In 14 seasons with Major League Soccer, Barkey has worked 201 regular-season games and 28 playoff games.
MLS Referee of the Year Winners
2009: Alex Prus
2008: Jair Marrufo
2007: Brian Hall
2006: Brian Hall
2005: Brian Hall
2004: Abiodun ‘Abbey’ Okulaja
2003: Brian Hall
2002: Kevin Terry
2001: Paul Tamberino
2000: Paul Tamberino
1999: Paul Tamberino
1998: Paul Tamberino
1997: Esse Baharmast

Assistant Referee of the Year Winners
2009: Greg Barkey
2008: Kermit Quisenberry

REGIS UNIVERSITY: The Regis University men’s soccer match against Colorado Christian scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday has been postponed until 2 p.m. Tuesday. The Regis women’s soccer match scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Colorado Christian has been moved to 3 p.m. Friday.

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER: The University of Denver men’s and women’s soccer games that were scheduled for Friday evening have been postponed. The women’s game against North Texas will be played at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium at noon on Saturday. The DU seniors will be honored prior to the game. The men’s match against Seattle will be played at a date to be determined.

METRO STATE, MINES: Friday’s match between the Colorado School of Mines and Metropolitan State College men’s soccer teams has been rescheduled for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Auraria Field.

Jeff Nelson of the Colorado School of Mines was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for games played the weekend of Oct. 23. It is the second time this month and season that Nelson has received this honor.

Nelson, a senior forward from Laramie High School in Wyoming, scored three goals and added one assist to help Mines beat Colorado-Colorado Springs 5-1 and Colorado State University-Pueblo 4-2 last weekend. Nelson notched a pair of goals against UCCS, the third time he has done so in the past five games, and recorded an assist. In Mines’ game against CSU-Pueblo, Nelson broke a 2-2 tie in the 51st minute of the match, scoring his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

This season, Nelson ranks first in the RMAC with four game-winning goals, is second in points (26), points per game (1.53), goals and goals per game (0.65).

The 15th-ranked Orediggers (13-2-3, 9-2-1 RMAC) will play at No. 24 Metro State at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Mines will close out the regular season at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at home against Regis University.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Regis goalkeeper Wally Fink, a senior, posted a shutout against Mesa State on Friday, stopping six shots on goal, and recorded eight saves in a 3-0 loss at Fort Lewis College.

RMAC WOMEN’S HONORS: Colorado School of Mines players Kayla Mitchell and Briana Schulze have been named the RMAC offensive and defensive player of the week, respectively. This is the third time this month that Mitchell has received this honor and the third time that Schulze has earned the honor in her career. Mitchell, a senior forward from Ontario, Ore., scored four goals in Mines’ 4-0 win over CSU-Pueblo on Friday. Mitchell’s four goal performance established new single-game school records for goals and points. The hat trick was Mitchell’s fifth of the season. Mitchell, the 2009 Women’s Soccer RMAC academic player of the year, leads the conference in goals (26), goals per game (1.37), points (59), points per game (3.11) and game-winning goals (12) and is tied for sixth in assists (7). In NCAA Division II, Mitchell is tied for fourth in goals per game and ranks seventh in points per game. This season, Mitchell has scored multiple goals in seven games. Against CSU-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands, Schulze, a junior goalkeeper from Eaglecrest High School in Centennial, recorded her sixth and seventh shutouts this season. Schuzle played all 180 minutes in goal and made seven saves in the two victories. This season, Schulze has helped Mines to 13 shutout victories, most in the RMAC. In her past nine games, Schulze has allowed two goals. At home, Schulze has allowed only two goals all season and has helped Mines blank nine of its past 10 opponents. Schulze ranks third in the RMAC in goals against average (0.74) and fourth in shutouts. The Orediggers (16-3, 12-3 RMAC) will close out the 2009 regular season at noon Sunday against Colorado Christian in Golden.

SUN BELT CONFERENCE WOMEN’S HONOR: University of Denver women’s soccer senior forward Mariah Johnston has been named Sun Belt Conference player of the week for the first time this season. Johnston scored the game-winning goal and had an assist in each of Denver’s two road victories during the weekend. Johnston is tied for the SBC lead in conference games with seven assists and three game-winning goals. Johnston also ranks third in points with 15 and is tied for ninth in goals with four. She leads the team with nine assists, is second in points with 17 and tied for third in goals with eight. This marks the third time in her career that Johnston has won this award and the fourth time by a Pioneer this season. The Pioneers end their regular season at home at 5 p.m. Friday against North Texas at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team. Both Denver soccer teams will honor their seniors.

2009 Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week:

10/27 – Mariah Johnston, Forward, Denver
10/20 – Christina Veasley, Forward, Arkansas-Little Rock
10/13 – Kellie Walker, Midfielder, Western Kentucky
10/6 – Katrina Rose, Defense, Florida International
9/29 – Kaitlin Bast, Forward, Denver
9/22 – Kellie Walker, Midfielder, Western Kentucky
9/15 – Kaitlin Bast, Forward, Denver
9/8 – Kendall Juett, Midfielder, North Texas
9/1 – Lara Campbell, Goalkeeper, Denver
8/25 – Shan Jones, Forward, Middle Tennessee

SUN BELT CONFERENCE MEN’S HONOR: Air Force freshman goalie Mike Mauro has been named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s soccer co-player of the week after leading the Falcons to a pair of home conference victories this past weekend. Mauro, from Bristol, Conn., made 10 saves and allowed just one goal as the Falcons beat New Mexico 1-0 and UNLV 2-1. He shares the award with Ernesto Carranza of Sacramento State. On Friday, Mauro made six saves as the Falcons beat New Mexico for the first time since 2003, snapping a seven-game losing streak and 11-game winless streak against the Lobos. He kept Air Force in the game with several outstanding saves, including one on a breakaway by UNM’s Justin Davis in the 52nd minute. Mauro collected the second shutout of his career. On Sunday, he made four saves against UNLV and allowed a goal in the 71st minute, snapping a scoreless streak of 185 minutes. Mauro, who is 4-3 this season after taking over for senior Jim Gullo, leads the MPSF with a save percentage of .780 and is second by averaging four saves per game.

COLORADO FORCE SOCCER CLINIC ON FRIDAY: The Colorado Force will be holding a Monster Soccer Clinic from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Edge Sports Center, which is in Fort Collins at the intersection of Interstate 25 and Mulberry Street (also known as State Highway 14). Here’s a Mapquest map. The cost is $15 per player. For information, contact the Force at (970)484-4653, or amy@forcesoccer.org or cayla@forcesoccer.org. The camp will feature Force players Cayla Deacon Alex Cousins, Lisa Kosena, Brittany Anderson, Lisa Franke and Julie Williford.

DENVER DYNAMITE SIGNS TWO: U.S. national arena soccer team midfielders Tony Thomas and Jay Hamilton have re-signed  with the Denver Dynamite for the 2009-10 Professional Arena Soccer League season. Thomas is a Metropolitan State College of Denver grad who spent some time on the Boulder Rapids Reserves in the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League. Hamilton is a Nevada-Las Vegas grad who also has experience with the San Diego Sockers of the former Major Indoor Soccer League. The Dynamite begins its second season in November.

MY VOTES FOR MLS PLAYER OF THE MONTH: I voted for Andy Williams of Real Salt Lake first and Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts second. Williams played only 120 minutes in October, but he was instrumental in helping Real Salt Lake earn six points en route to a playoff berth, which RSL secured in the final weekend against the Rapids. He helped keep the team postseason hopes alive on Oct. 14 against New York, taking five shots in 27 minutes off the bench and scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute. And he assisted both of Robbie Findley’s goals against the Rapids in Salt Lake’s 3-0 victory. My second choice was Ricketts, who I thought had a shot at the award. He was stingy in a month where the Galaxy posted shutouts in four of its last five games. He’s been a huge reason the Galaxy rebounded this season. The winner, though, was Seattle midfielder Freddie Ljungberg, who recorded four assists while leading Seattle to a 3-0-0 record during October and a berth in the playoffs.

Nelson, a senior forward from Laramie, scored four goals and tallied two assists to help Mines to a pair of victories last weekend. In Mines’ 4-3 win at CSU-Pueblo on Friday, Nelson scored a pair of goals, including the winner, and added an assist. He scored the winner and added two more goals and an assist in the Orediggers’ 7-0 win at home against Colorado Christian on Sunday.

This season, Nelson has scored a team-leading eight goals and has tallied three assists. He tied for first in the RMAC in game-winning goals (three), ranks second in points (19), is tied for second in goals and ranks fourth in points per game (1.36) and goals per game (0.57).

The 14th-ranked Orediggers (10-1-3, 6-1-1 RMAC) will host No. 6 Fort Lewis College at 3:30 p.m. Friday, and Mesa State College at noon Sunday. Both games will be played at the Colorado School of Mines Soccer Stadium.

MORE AWARDS FOR MINES: Orediggers striker Kayla Mitchell was named the RMAC offensive player of the week for the second consecutive week, the third time this season and the sixth time in her career. Mitchell, a senior forward from Ontario, Ore., scored in Mines’ 1-0 win at Colorado Christian on Friday then recorded her third hat trick in four games and her fourth hat trick of the season in a 4-0 win Sunday at Nebraska-Kearney. Mitchell has seven career hat tricks. She leads the RMAC in goals (20), points (45) and winning goals (10), is tied for first in goals per game (1.33) and points per game (3.00) and is tied for fifth in assists (5). In Division II, Mitchell is tied for fourth in goals per game and ranks seventh in points per game. She has scored a goal in 11 of 15 games this season and has multiple goals in five games.

MPSF HONORS AIR FORCE SENIOR: Josh Rhynard has been named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Player of the Week after registering two goals and one assist in the Falcons’ 6-3 win over Missouri-Kansas City on Monday. Rhynard shared the award with UNLV junior forward Stephen Sifuentes, who scored two unassisted goals in a 4-2 home win over Houston Baptist on Sunday. Rhynard’s goals came in the 29th and 48th minutes, the third and fifth goals for Air Force. His assist came on Kyle Moses’ winning goal in the ninth minute. Rhynard took over the team’s scoring lead with his performance. He now has three goals and three assists.

SCAC HONORS: Colorado College’s Jordan Reese was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for his career-best eight-point effort in Saturday’s 4-0 homecoming victory over Austin College. Reese scored the Tigers’ first two goals, including what proved to be the sixth winning goal of his career, 12:58 into the first half. he sent a direct kick into the top left corner from 20 yards out. He completed the first multi-goal game of his career a little more than 15 minutes later, when he converted off a pass from senior midfielder Ben Hancock. Reese went on to record the fourth two-assist game of his career, setting up goals by Brendan Douglas and Matt Fechter as CC tied its season high for goals in a game. Reese, who took over the team scoring lead with 15 points, ranks second in the SCAC with seven assists.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY CONTRAST: The Colorado College women are 6-1 on Fridays this season but only 2-4-1 on Sunday. This week, the Tigers host East Carolina on Friday and Marshall on Sunday. Both Conference USA matches start at 2 p.m.

MILESTONE FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS: The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs notched a historic first this week: Three athletes in different sports were honored as players of the week by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. UCCS has had players from two sports named receive the honors in the same week several times, but never three. That’s now happened as volleyball player Cindy Bathelt and soccer players Adam Liszewski and Kayla Millar were recognized by the league. Liszewsk, a junior from Mesa, Ariz., has compiled 186 consecutive scoreless minutes in goal for UCCS. His back-to-back shutouts against Colorado Christian and CSU-Pueblo led UCCS to its first two-game winning streak of the season. For the season, Liszewski has three shutouts, a 1.93 goals-against average and a 69.2 save percentage. He is the first UCCS men’s soccer player to be named player of the week since Bryan Stoeber in 2007. The last Mountain Lion to be named defensive player of the week was Isaac Kostro on Oct. 3, 2006. Millar, playing in relief of goalkeeper Ashley Armstrong, recorded her second shutout of the season after notching seven saves against New Mexico Highlands in a 1-0 win.

KROENKE TAKING OVER AT ARSENAL: ESPN is reporting that Colorado Rapids owner Stan Kroenke has increased his stake in Arsenal again, edging closer to a full takeover of the club. The Gunners announced on Thursday that Kroenke has spent $1.2 million buying 90 shares to increase his holding from 28.7 percent to 28.9 percent, just short of the threshold of 29.9 percent that would trigger a mandatory offer for the remaining shares. Read the full story here.

GIBBS TO RETURN: Former Rocky Mountain News writer Pat Rooney reports on MLSnet.com that Rapids defender Cory Gibbs is scheduled to return to the lineup on Saturday at Dallas. Gibbs suffered a torn quadriceps muscle on Aug. 30, but he received a measure of relief when an exam revealed the injury was a second-degree tear, rather than a more serious third-degree tear. Read Rooney’s full story here.

PICKENS TO RETURN? Rooney also writes that goalkeeper Matt Pickens has recovered from his strained knee and could return Saturday, putting Rapids coach Gary Smith in the position of having to choose between Pickens and Preston Burpo. Read Rooney’s goalkeeping story here.

CUE THE AUDIO: Here is the American Soccer Minute’s 60-second look at week 31 in Major League Soccer. Click on this link to listen to the audio file.

DYNAMITE PRESEASON SCHEDULE: The Denver Dynamite announced its 2009 preseason schedule, which features three games at the Westridge Recreation Center in Highlands Ranch, the official training center of the team. Denver’s first preseason game at 7 p.m. Saturday, the second annual Dynamite Yellow & Blue intersquad match. On Oct. 24, the match against Edwards Freedom FC will be marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the new turf at the Westridge Recreagtion Center. The third game, on Nov. 1, will see will see the beginning of an I-25 rivalry with PASL-Pro provisional team the Fort Collins Fury. Admission to all games will be free, thanks to the Westridge Recreation Center and Highlands Ranch Community Association. The Westridge Recreation Center is at 9650 S. Foothills Canyon Blvd. in Highlands Ranch.

DYNAMITE SIGNINGS: The Dynamite announced the signing of five players as it continues to fill out its 25-man roster for the 2009-10 Professional Arena Soccer League season, which kicks off Nov. 14, when the San Diego Sockers visit Denver. Forward Aaron King joins Denver after a spending a season with the United Soccer League First Division Miami FC. King has also played for the Charleston Battery, Carolina Railhawks and the Colorado Rapids (MLS). The Dynamite also signed former Colorado Lightning midfielder Roby Monroe; Travis Carey, who trained with the Dynamite last year; midfielder Justin Stones; and goalkeeper Brett O’Connor.

DIVISION II REGIONAL WOMEN’S RANKINGS: Here are the Central Region rankings, according to the NCAA:
1. Metro State
2. Minnesota State-Mankato
3. Colorado School of Mines
4. Fort Lewis
5. Regis
6. Winona State
7. Minnesota Duluth
8. Mesa State
9. Colorado Christian
10. St. Cloud State

DIVISION II REGIONAL MEN’S RANKINGS: Here are the Central Region rankings, according to the NCAA:
Central Region Rankings
1. Fort Lewis
2. Colorado School of Mines
3. Metro State
4. Regis