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2B Daily News – Friday, March 9, 2012 MLS Preview: League thriving a decade after barely surviving By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer Don Garber was still in the infancy of his tenure as commissioner of Major League Soccer when the league faced legitimate uncertainty about its future and was forced to fold two underper- forming franchises. That was 10 years, nine new fran- chises and 13 new or renovated soccer stadiums ago. ''There were many times where we were wondering whether or not we would be able to continue to operate,'' Garber said. ''The league came out with that launch in 1996 and at that time everybody thought we had cracked the code for soccer in Ameri- ca, and all of a sudden the league would explode on the pro sports scene. In reality, it's difficult to launch a sports league. There is lots of competition and soccer was clearly an emerging sport at that time. ''... We feel really good about the developments over the last 10 years and I feel really bullish about the future.'' For the first time in recent years, the biggest story entering the MLS season isn't expansion, even though the league will welcome its 19th franchise with Montreal becoming the third Canadian member of the MLS. Instead, it's acknowledging a decade of successes. When franchises in Miami and Tampa, Fla., were contracted following the 2001 season, the league was left with 10 teams, just three different own- ers and only one soccer-specific stadi- um. Since that 2002 season, the league has successfully added teams and diversified its ownership in nearly every corner of the country, gone north by bringing on three Canadian fran- chises and raised the talent level to where the quality of play is gaining international respect. ''I think the improvement of the league over the last 10 years is expo- nentially more than 10 years,'' said Seattle coach Sigi Schmid, who was coaching the L.A. Galaxy 10 years ago. ''You look at Year 1 through Year 6 and you look at Year 6 to now or whatever, the quality of play has gotten better. The fan bases, every club, every city you go into, with the exception of a few, has a really good base support following.'' The MLS season begins on Satur- day with expansion Montreal hosting Vancouver; Colorado vs. Columbus; D.C. United vs. Kansas City; San Jose vs. New England and reigning MLS Cup champion Los Angeles hosting Real Salt Lake. On Sunday, Dallas hosts New York and Chivas USA hosts Houston and the first week of play wraps up Monday night with Portland hosting Philadelphia. Toronto and Seattle both received first-week byes due to their involve- ment in the quarterfinals of the CON- CACAF Champions League, as did Chicago. The Sounders host Toronto in their opener on March 17, while Chica- go opens its season at Montreal the same day. Montreal is the latest franchise to join the fray, hoping to achieve a mod- icum of the success that recent expan- sion markets — Toronto, Seattle, Port- land and Vancouver — have enjoyed. But while successful expansion has dominated the league's on-field story lines for much of the past few seasons, this year might as well be highlighted by individuals who turned down over- seas offers to continue playing in North America's top league. David Beckham's groundbreaking initial contract with the league expired at the end of last season when Beck- ham and the Galaxy claimed the MLS Cup title to cap a dominant season. And while a handful of clubs in Europe — most notably Paris Saint-German — came close to wooing Beckham back across the Atlantic, the English star decided to continue his soccer career in California. The Galaxy weren't done there. Landon Donovan thrived during his loan at Everton, but returned to L.A. Robbie Keane will have his first full season playing in MLS with the Galaxy, while Edson Buddle returns from Europe and Juninho from Brazil. About the only question regarding Los Angeles is along the backline, where Omar Gonzalez is still recover- ing from a serious knee injury. ''I think we've been developing a team that's a little bit deeper than last year. Hopefully, that's a good sign,'' L.A. coach Bruce Arena said. ''The only way we're going to be able to tell the potential of this team is when we get into the season (but) I'm optimistic we can put together another good team.'' Los Angeles leads a powerful West- ern Conference where just about every- one got stronger. The top four clubs in terms of points and six of the top seven last season were in the West and 2012 isn't expected to be much different. Seattle said goodbye to Kasey Keller but added former U.S. national team striker Eddie Johnson and retained MLS newcomer of the year Mauro Rosales. Real Salt Lake retained the squad that reached the Western Conference finals last year. FC Dallas brings back Brek Shea, while both Portland and Vancouver have upgraded entering their sophomore campaigns. While the West is loaded, the East- ern Conference is muddled. New York has the name talent with Thierry Henry returning for another season and Rafa Marquez trying to bounce back from 2011 disappointment. But the favorite in the East might be Sporting Kansas City, playing its first full season in its home stadium and with emerging stars Teal Bunbury and 2011 rookie of the year C.J. Sapong. ''We have a core group of guys returning from last year that has an understanding of how we want to play, so it's up to those guys to decide how we're going to be week to week,'' KC coach Peter Vermes said. ''They haven't really won anything yet, so I think hunger is something that goes with wanting to win.'' MLS has again changed its playoff format. The highest remaining seed will now host the MLS Cup title game instead of having it played at a pre- determined site. The top five teams in each conference will reach the play- offs, with the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds play- ing for the right to advance to the con- ference semifinals. The conference championships will also be a two-leg, home-and-home series rather than a single game as in the past. Scott, Dufner tied for Doral lead DORAL, Fla. (AP) — Playing only his sixth round of the year, Adam Scott faced a strong test Thursday at Doral and never looked better. In fierce and relent- less wind on the TPC Blue Monster at Doral, Scott kept the ball in play and then hung on for dear life for a 6- under 66 that gave him a share of the lead with Jason Dufner in the Cadillac Championship. "When you're in the fair- way on a day like today, you get a chance to hit it some- KINGS (Continued from page 1B) when you're nervous, but you can't be scared.'' Bumgarner was very good in his first start as he needed only 44 pitches to get through the third inning. The left-hander, who went 13-13 with a 3.21 ERA in 33 starts last season, limit- ed the Padres to two hits and walked one. ''My command feels pretty good,'' Bumgarner said. ''Everything seems to be on schedule. It's better than usual. I'm just trying to focus as if it's the regular season.'' San Francisco outfielder Angel Pagan had an RBI sin- gle in three at-bats. Kyle Blanks hit a solo home run for the Padres and Everth Cabrera went 2 for 3 with a run scored. Micah Owings allowed a hit and struck out two in two score- less innings for the Padres. An 18-game winner in 2008, Volquez came to the Padres in a Dec. 17 trade that sent Mat Latos to the Cincin- nati Reds. The Padres hope to get Volquez, who was 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA in 20 starts last season, back on track. Volquez had reconstruc- tive elbow surgery in 2009 and received a 50-game sus- pension for use of perfor- mance-enhancing drugs in 2010. Pitching coach Darren Balsley has worked closely with Volquez this spring, where near the hole, give yourself an opportunity," Scott said. "If you're in the rough, it's very hard to even just hit the green, let alone give yourself a chance. I took advantage of the good shots early on, and then bat- tled by way in from there." It was a battle all day for Rory McIlroy in his first event at No. 1 in the world. He twice flirted with the water, had a three-putt bogey and wound up with a 73. Tiger Woods wasn't encouraging him to be aggressive earlier in his starts. He has also made sev- eral minor adjustments to Volquez's setup. Thus far the Padres like what they see from Volquez, who threw strikes on 23 of 31 pitches. Volquez walked one and struck out one. ''Every time he has been on the mound we've seen a focused guy,'' Padres man- ager Bud Black said. ''His velocity was there and he had good secondary pitches. The delivery was good.'' Volquez said he approves of the Padres' adjustments. He also likes the way he adjusted after his bout with nervousness in the first inning. doing,'' ''I like what I've been Volquez said. ''That's what I want is to be consistent and get ahead in the count.'' NOTES: San Francisco catcher Buster Posey is expected to start his first game of the spring on Friday, manager Bruce Bochy said. Posey hasn't played in a game since he broke his leg May 25 in a collision at the plate. He is expected to catch two innings. ... Bochy said second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who had surgery last August to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, will make his spring debut and serve as the team's designated hitter on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds. much better. He began his round with a tap-in eagle on the par-5 first hole, but nar- rowly missed the fairways and had a tough time figur- ing out the wind and whether the ball would jump out of the rough. Woods badly misjudged the line of his chip on the 18th hole and closed with a bogey for a 72. It wasn't a devastating start for either of them. Only a dozen players managed to break 70, and a dozen more broke par. The average score was 72.7, and NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Clippers Lakers Phoenix WL Pct GB 22 15 .595 — 23 16 .590 — 17 21 .447 5.5 WARRIORS 15 21 .417 6.5 KINGS 13 26 .333 10 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 26 12 .684 — Memphis Dallas Houston 23 15 .605 3 23 17 .575 4 21 19 .525 6 New Orleans 9 30 .231 17.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 31 8 .795 — Denver Portland Minnesota 21 19 .525 10.5 Utah 19 20 .487 12 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 23 17 .575 — Boston New York Toronto Miami WL Pct GB 20 18 .526 2 18 21 .462 4.5 13 26 .333 9.5 New Jersey 13 27 .325 10 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 30 9 .769 — 26 15 .634 5 23 16 .590 7 Orlando Atlanta Washington 9 29 .237 20.5 Charlotte Central Division Chicago Indiana 5 32 .135 24 WL Pct GB 33 9 .786 — 23 14 .622 7.5 Milwaukee 15 24 .385 16.5 Cleveland 14 23 .378 16.5 Detroit 13 26 .333 18.5 —————————————————— Thursday's results Orlando 99, Chicago 94 Dallas at Phoenix, late Today's games Dallas at Sacramento, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Charlotte, 4 p.m. Utah at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Atlanta at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Portland at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Cleveland at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Minnesota, 5 p.m. L.A. Clippers at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. New York at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. New Orleans at Denver, 6 p.m. Saturday's games Dallas at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Portland at Washington, 4 p.m. Indiana at Miami, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Houston at New Jersey, 5 p.m. New Orleans at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Utah at Chicago, 5 p.m. Memphis at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Today's Cactus League games Cincinnati (ss) vs.San Francisco,12:05 p.m. Oakland vs. Colorado, 12:10 p.m. Arizona vs. Seattle, 12:05 p.m. Chi. Cubs vs. Chi. White Sox, 12:05 p.m. Cleveland vs. Milwaukee, 12:05 p.m. Kansas City vs. Cincinnati (ss), 12:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers vs. Texas, 12:05 p.m. San Diego vs. L.A. Angels, 12:05 p.m. 22 18 .550 9.5 19 19 .500 11.5 no hole was more terrifying that the par-4 18th, which was 471 yards dead into the wind, water hugging the entire left side of the hole and front of the green. The average score was 4.74, which was more than three of the par 5s. "I hit 3-wood into 18, par 4, and 7-iron into the first, which is a par 5," Luke Don- ald said after a 70. "Just a beast of a hole today." MLB Spring Training AMERICAN LEAGUE WL Pct Detroit Seattle Boston Angels Baltimore A's Minnesota Cleveland Texas New York 6 0 1.000 6 1 .857 3 1 .750 3 1 .750 Kansas City 4 2 .667 Toronto 4 2 .667 3 2 .600 43 .571 3 4 .429 2 3 .400 2 3 .400 2 4 .333 Tampa Bay 2 5 .286 Chicago 1 3 .250 NATIONAL LEAGUE WL Pct Houston Dodgers GIANTS Cincinnati 4 2 .667 2 1 .667 42 .667 3 2 .600 Washington 3 2 .600 Miami 2 2 .500 Milwaukee 2 2 .500 Philadelphia 3 3 .500 Chicago New York Pittsburgh St. Louis Colorado Arizona Atlanta Padres 2 3 .400 2 3 .400 2 4 .333 1 2 .333 1 3 .250 1 4 .200 1 5 .167 1 5 .167 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not. —————————————————— Thursday's results L.A. Dodgers 7, Oakland 2 San Francisco 5, San Diego 2 Baltimore 2, Atlanta 1 Chicago White Sox 6, Texas 3 Cincinnati 8, Milwaukee 6 Detroit 8, Tampa Bay (ss) 1 Kansas City 5, Colorado 0 L.A. Angels 6, Cleveland 5 Miami 5, N.Y. Mets 4 Philadelphia 5, Pittsburgh 4, 10 innings Seattle 10, Chicago Cubs 3 St. Louis 9, Boston 3 Tampa Bay (ss) 1, Minnesota 0 Toronto 6, N.Y.Yankees 1 Washington 8, Houston 0 Today's Grapefruit League games Atlanta (ss) vs. N.Y.Yankees, 10:05 a.m. Baltimore vs. Tampa Bay, 10:05 a.m. N.Y. Mets vs. Atlanta (ss), 10:05 a.m. Philadelphia vs. Detroit, 10:05 a.m. St. Louis vs. Minnesota, 10:05 a.m. Toronto vs. Houston, 10:05 a.m. Pittsburgh vs. Boston, 4:05 p.m. Washington vs.Miami, 4:05 p.m. A's (Continued from page 1B) was actually messing up the signs and not to worry about it. ''The second inning, I felt much more relaxed and under control throwing the ball.'' Also for the Dodgers, Alex Castellanos hit a solo homer. For the A's, top prospect Jarrod Parker, acquired in an offseason trade with Arizona for Trevor Cahill, gave up two runs in two innings. ''It was rough,'' Parker said. Also for the Dodgers, Adam Kennedy went 2 for 2, while Mark Ellis and Andre KINGS (Continued from page 1B) is and what can he do in the NBA before the draft. ''You're constantly picked on,'' Smart said of Thomas. ''On basketball courts, people are going to overlook you because they think you're small and can't play. You develop a tougher skin.'' Thomas has displayed an edge in California's capital. He tied Otis Birdsong's franchise record for the most points by a Kings rookie in his first five starts (96). Thomas has pushed aside Fredette's fanfare somewhat and opened eyes across the NBA landscape for his on- court demeanor. ''He seems to be fear- less,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. Always has been. Thomas cemented a stel- lar career at Washington with three masterful perfor- mances at the Pac-10 tourna- ment in Los Angeles last year: He played 123 of 125 minutes, averaged 19.7 points and 10 assists per game and had one monu- mental step-back 18-footer at the overtime buzzer against Arizona that touched off a chaotic championship celebration in a moment that has been viewed more than 560,000 times on YouTube. No matter how many pre- draft workouts Thomas dominated, interviews he nailed or shots he swished, most NBA scouts and execu- tives couldn't overlook that one line: his height. So when draft night rolled around, Thomas watched in frustra- tion with his family and NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 36 26 5 77 179 180 Phoenix 33 25 9 75 173 170 SHARKS 33 24 8 74 181 166 Kings 31 24 12 74 148 146 Ducks 29 29 10 68 171 191 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA St. Louis 43 18 7 93 177 133 Detroit 43 21 3 89 211 156 Nashville 39 21 7 85 192 173 Chicago 36 25 7 79 203 200 Columbus 22 38 7 51 159 217 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 41 18 8 90 211 166 Colorado 35 30 4 74 180 185 Calgary 30 25 12 72 164 185 Minnesota 28 29 10 66 144 187 Edmonton 26 34 6 58 175 198 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA N.Y.Rangers 42 17 7 91 181 141 Pittsburgh 40 21 5 85 212 170 Philadelphia38 21 7 83 218 193 New Jersey 38 24 5 81 189 177 N.Y. Islanders28 30 9 65 156 200 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 40 23 3 83 217 155 Ottawa 36 25 8 80 213 202 Buffalo 31 29 8 70 167 191 Toronto 30 30 7 67 200 209 Montreal 25 32 10 60 174 189 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 31 23 12 74 163 189 Washington 33 28 6 72 178 190 Winnipeg 32 27 8 72 176 187 Tampa Bay 31 29 7 69 189 229 Carolina 25 27 15 65 177 203 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Thursday's results Dallas 4, San Jose 3, SO Boston 3, Buffalo 1 New Jersey 5, N.Y. Islanders 1 Philadelphia 5, Florida 0 Washington 3, Tampa Bay 2, OT Columbus 3, Los Angeles 1 Ottawa 4, N.Y. Rangers 1 St. Louis 3, Anaheim 1 Nashville 4, Colorado 2 Minnesota at Phoenix, late Montreal at Edmonton, late Winnipeg at Vancouver, late Today's games Florida at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m. Los Angeles at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Calgary, 6 p.m. Saturday's games San Jose at Phoenix, 5 p.m. Washington at Boston, 10 a.m. Edmonton at Colorado, Noon Buffalo at Ottawa, 4 p.m. Carolina at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m. New Jersey at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at Toronto, 4 p.m. Anaheim at Dallas, 5 p.m. Columbus at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Detroit at Nashville, 5 p.m. Montreal at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Ethier both drove in a pair of runs. Parker missed the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He made his big-league debut Sept. 27 and pitched five shutout innings for the Dia- mondback against the Dodgers. He is battling for a rota- tion spot for the A's. Pitching to the Dodgers' first four hitters, Parker allowed two walks and run- scoring hits by Ellis and Matt Kemp before retiring the side. ''It's a good way to simu- late a jam,'' he said. ''But I put myself in it. I don't want to walk guys like that. But it's a good to battle through it and take some positives out of it.'' friends in Tacoma, Wash., as his name took so long to call — and almost wasn't. ''The longest day of my life,'' Thomas said. ''It was kind of frustrating knowing that in the predraft stuff you outworked, outplayed and did a lot better job than a lot of other guards that were picked ahead of you.'' Thomas' tale in the NBA has only just begun. Sacramento is again buried near the bottom of the Western Conference, stuck at 13-26 entering Friday night's home game against the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. While the franchise is headed for a sixth straight losing season, Thomas has been one of the few reasons to feel optimistic about the future. He forms a formidable backcourt with combo guard Tyreke Evans, the 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year and the previous Kings player to win rookie of the month honors. Along with promis- ing big man DeMarcus Cousins, they make up a young trio that gives Sacra- mento a solid base if the Maloof family that owns the team ever decides to start spending big again, although that's not likely until the team moves into its more lucrative arena for the 2015- 16 season. In the meantime, Thomas has all those NBA scouts salivating over his potential. ''It's their loss,'' Thomas said. ''I don't play the I-told- you-so game or try to laugh at them. It was their decision to pass me in the draft. I'm just happy that the Kings picked me up and they really believe in me and my tal- ents.'' On the tube AUTO RACING • 10:30 a.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Nationwide Series, practice for Sam's Town 300, at Las Vegas • Noon, SPEED — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, practice for Kobalt Tools 400, at Las Vegas •2 p.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Nation- wide Series, final practice for Sam's Town 300, at Las Vegas • 3:30 p.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, pole qualifying for Kobalt Tools 400, at Las Vegas CYCLING • 1:30 p.m., NBCSN — Paris-Nice, stage 6, Suze-la-Rousse to Sisteron, France (same-day tape) GOLF • 11 a.m., TGC — PGA Tour-WGC, Cadillac Championship, second round, at Doral, Fla. • 3:30 p.m., TGC — PGA Tour, Puerto Rico Open, second round, at Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (same-day tape) MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •9 a.m., ESPN — Big Ten Conference, quarterfinal, Michigan State vs. TBD, at Indianapolis •9 a.m., ESPN2 — Atlantic Coast Con- ference, quarterfinal, Maryland vs.Wake Forest, at Atlanta • 11 a.m., ESPN — Big Ten Conference, quarterfinal, Wisconsin vs. TBD, at Indi- anapolis • 11 a.m., ESPN2 — Atlantic Coast Con- ference, quarterfinal, N.C. State vs. Boston College, at Atlanta •4 p.m., ESPN — Big East Conference, semifinal, teams TBD, at New York •4 p.m., ESPN2 — Atlantic Coast Con- ference, quarterfinal, Clemson vs. Vir- ginia Tech, at Atlanta •6 p.m.. ESPN — Big East Conference, semifinal, teams TBD, at New York •6 p.m., ESPN2 — Atlantic Coast Con- ference, quarterfinal, Miami vs. Georgia Tech, at Atlanta •6 p.m., CSNB — Pac-12 Conference, semifinal, teams TBD, at Los Angeles • 8:30 p.m., CSNB — Pac-12 Confer- ence, semifinal, teams TBD, at Los Ange- les • 8:30 p.m., CSNC — Western Athletic Conference, semifinal MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY • 4:30 p.m., NBCSN — Hockey East Tournament, quarterfinals, Massachu- setts vs Boston College MLB • 10 a.m., MLB NETWORK— Spring Training, Atlanta vs. N.Y.Yankees • Noon, WGN — Spring Training, Chica- go Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox, at Glen- dale, Ariz. • 4 p.m., MLB NETWORK — Spring Training, Pittsburgh vs Boston NBA •4 p.m., NBATV—Utah at Philadelphia •7 p.m., CSNC—Dallas at Sacramento NHL • 5:30 p.m., NHL NETWORK — N.Y. Rangers at Chicago WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL • Noon, CSNB — Pac-12 Conference, semifinal, at Los Angeles • Noon, CSNC — Western Athletic Con- ference, semifinal • 2:30 p.m., CSNB — Pac-12 Confer- ence, semifinal, at Los Angeles • 2:30 p.m., CSNC — Western Athletic Conference, semifinal FSN — Pac-12 Conference, champi- onship game, teams TBD, at Los Angeles