LD Update: Possible Atlanta name change - an homage or offensive?

The Atlanta Silverbacks are considering a name change, giving fans the option to re-brand the team as the former NASL name Chiefs or even as something completely different. The polling will run until the US Presidential Election Day.


The previous Chiefs were founded in 1967 and were original members of the previous NASL, winning the inaugural league championship in 1968.

Though it is obviously an attempt ride the retro branding wave around the league, the move is particularly surprising in a sports era in which teams and schools are moving away from and changing the verbiage used in regard to names and mascots. And particularly so considering the city's Atlanta Braves are one of the most cited teams, aside from the NFL's Redskins and MLB's Cleveland Indians, for being offensive.

LD Update: USL Pro All-League honors; NASL honors; Blues to play Pachuca

LD News: Orlando City of USL Pro is loaning Jamie Watson to the NASL Minnesota Stars for the remainder of the season.

NASL News: The league recognized Matt Horth of the Atlanta Silverbacks as the Offensive Player of the Week and Frankie Sanfilippo of the Tampa Bay Rowdies as the Defensive Player of the Week... The Carolina RailHawks duo of Nick Millington (Guyana) and John Krause (Puerto Rico) have been called in for national team camps in preparation for World Cup qualifiers and the Digicel Caribbean Cup (qualifiers for Gold Cup).

LD Update: International duty; USL's MAC Hermann watch list players

NASL Sunday - FC Edmonton 1:0 Puerto Rico Islanders - Shaun Saiko's return to the lineup proved fruitful as he volleyed home the winner in the 31st minute off a Kenny Caceros cross. - MORE

NASL News: The league honored Fort Lauderdale Strikers forward Andy Herron as the Offensive Player of the Week and selected Bryan Arguez of FC Edmonton as the Defensive Player of the Week... A pair of Carolina RailHawks will be in international action this week with Nick Millington joining Guyana to face Bolivia on the road and John Krause playing for Puerto Rico as they host 2010 World Cup champion Spain. 

LD Update: New women's league update; NASL & USL Pro Game Night

NASL: FC Edmonton 1:1 San Antonio Scorpions - The Scorpions failed to use their game in hand in a midweek contest to push their one-point lead to four. The visitors took the initial lead 23 minutes in when Jonathan Greenfield picked up a good through ball from Pablo Campos and put it past Lance Parker. Moments before the break Serisay Barthelemy connected with Yashir Pinto to level the score. Halftime turned into a three-hour break due to the weather and upon resumption of play, the two played to a stalemate despite San Antonion losing Josue Soto to a second yellow in the 64th. Pinto nearly scored on two late chances, failing to put away the rebound on a Kyle Porter shot in the 80th and sending another off the post five minutes later. - MORE

LD Update: Ottawa finally wins W-League; Gulf Coast & FC Sonic champs

While three of the elite amateur leagues were determing their championships Sunday (PDL to conclude next week), the bottom two sides in USL Pro squared off. With a victory over Antigua, Dayton jumped past Pittsburgh in the table.

USL PRO: Dayton Dutch Lions 3:1 Antigua Barracuda - The visitors took the initial lead when a shot from Stefan Smith rebounded to Tamarley Thomas in the 12th minute. Nixon Dias headed in a Eli Garner corner two minutes later for the hosts and things got worse in the 38th when Matthew Aldred was sent off for a bad tackle. Another corner just before the hour mark was put away by Mettin Copier after a scramble then Antigua lost George Dublin to a red. Neil Holowaty finished the scoring in the 72nd. - MORE

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Night; WNY champs, PDL final set

With fourth-place Fort Lauderdale winning the night before, the top three clubs answered right back with wins of their own Saturday with shutout victories at home, including one stunning scoreline that set a league record.

Harrisburg and Richmond made it a clean sweep for the home clubs on the night, giving themselves a little space from Charlotte in the race for the final playoff berth.

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Night; W-League & NPSL semi results

The NASL's lone match of the night had enough goals for an entire weekend's slate of games in the league as Fort Lauderdale won a thriller with Atlanta.

In USL Pro Friday night, all four home sides were victorious, three with shutouts. While Charlotte picked up another win, their sixth in a row, to continue their climb, the big news on the night was Orlando City clinching the regular season title and the accompanying home field advantage in the postseason.

LD Update: Pro signings; Women's championships

In a midweek showdown Wednesday night, the Wilmington Hammerheads and Orlando City played to a stalemate.

Orlando City 1:1 Wilmington Hammerheads - The game went past an hour of play before the visitors got on the board through Bryce Taylor, who beat two defenders to tally in the 68th minute, making the hosts regret a saved Rodrigo Lopez penalty kick from minutes earlier. Matt Luzunaris would provide the equalizer six minutes from time, heading in a cross from Dennis Chin. - MORE

LD Update: League honors; WPSL final four pairings

USL Pro News: After becoming the team's all-time leading scorer, Matthew Delicate was honored as the league's Player of the Week, highlighting the Team of the Week.

W-League News: In advance of the Final Four this weekend, the league unveiled the 2012 All-League Team.

WPSL News: The league unveiled the pairings for the Final Four in Pensacola, FL. The matches, determined in an unknown fashion, pit top seed (based on points-percentage) Gulf Coast Texans against the third seed Salt Lake United in a showdown of the two unbeaten teams in the semifinals. The other semifinal will see the second seed Aztec MA square off against Oklhahoma FC. - PLAYOFF BRACKET

Super-20 News: The league announced the Men's and Women's All-Tournament teams, recognizing Karisa Price of the Colorado Rapids as the Women's Most Valuable Player and the Chicago Fire's Felipe Cortez as the Men's MVP.

LD Update: Cunningham to San Antonio; Blues tie Municipal; W-League honors

NASL News: The San Antonio Scorpions have signed MLS all-time leading scorer Jeff Cunningham, most recently of Guatemala's Comunicaciones... In another move, the Carolina RailHawks transferred Chris Nurse to the Puerto Rico Islanders... Fort Lauderdale Strikers midfielder Mark Anderson was chosen as the league's Offensive Player of the Week while Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Frankie Sanfilippo was named the Defender of the Week.

USL Pro News: The LA Blues posted a positive result with a scoreless draw against Guatemala's Municipal, which kicks off its CONCACAF Champions League campaign next month... Orlando City announced that it will have San Jose Earthquakes player Jean Alexandre on loan for the remainder of the season after previous short-term loans.

LD Update: Amateur & elite youth league playoffs - MLS affiliate results & WPSL forfeit issues

Today was all about the amateur playoffs. In addition to the five elite semi-pro & amateur leagues, the USL Super-20 League and US Soccer Development Academy league crowned champions in a busy day that featured numerous MLS-affiliated sides.

PDL News: The Conference Championships were decided Sunday with only one of the three tournament hosts winning. The Carolina Dynamo advanced to the league semifinals next weekend with a stoppage time game-winner for a 1-0 decision against the Ottawa Fury. They will face Orlando City U23, who won in their home state, 4-2 in Ocala, against the Austin Aztex. The other semifinal will see the Seattle Sounders U23 side, 2-0 winners against host Ventura County Fusion, face Forest City London, who knocked off both division champions in the Central Conference, downing the host Michigan Bucks, 2-1, to avenge a series sweep during the season (1-0, 2-1). - PLAYOFF BRACKET

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Nights; Amateur league playoffs

San Antonio kept hold of first with a narrow victory while the Tampa Bay Rowdies used a showdown for second to leap over the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Carolina RailHawks used a storm-delayed victory against Minnesota to move within two points of the fourth-place side.

An off night for Charleston allowed the Rochester Rhinos to move into second with a victory while the Richmond Kickers, mired mid-table, celebrated Matthew Delicate becoming the team's all-time leading goal scorer with a late goal in a win.

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Nights; WPSL Elite expansion; MLS player moves

In midweek action there were a couple surprising results as the defending NASL champion Minnesota Stars fell at home to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, who moved squarely into the mix to make a run for the regular season title down the stretch.

Meanwhile in USL, the Dayton Dutch Lions continue to improve and impress, upending the Harrisburg City Islanders after a scoreless draw between the two last week to move third from bottom in the table. League leader Orlando City nabbed a late win against second-place Charleston to increase the gap in the race to repeat as the regular season champions.

LD Update: Special - Amateur League Playoffs

THE ONLY PLACE TO FIND BRACKETS FOR ALL FOUR LEAGUES!

Initial rounds of the postseason for the WPSL, NPSL and USL's PDL and W-League kicked off this past weekend and have continued with midweek contests. They get into high gear this coming weekend as they set the stage for their respective championship events.

Of note, there are seven teams combined in the postseason across the four leagues that are directly affiliated with Major League Soccer clubs. The PDL playoffs boast four with the Reading United AC (Philadelphia Union), Seattle Sounders U23s and Portland Timbers U23s. The W-League features the DC United Women and Seattle Sounders Women while FC Dallas plays in the WPSL. The New York Red Bulls Academy is the lone team in the NPSL playoffs.

LD Update: Loans & Call-ups; Statistical award winners

NASL News: The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are getting former player Paulo Araujo Jr back, returning on loan from Real Salt Lake . Meanwhile the team also announced a contract extention with Walter Restrepo... The young Puerto Rico Islanders duo of defender Cesar Garcia (Dominican Republic) and Joseph Marrero (Puerto Rico) have been called up for their U-20 national teams for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Qualifying tournament.

USL Pro News: The league announced the Team of the Week, honoring Los Angeles Blues midfielder Bryan Burke as the Player of the Week.

LD Update: Honors & amateur league playoff news

NASL News: The league announced Pablo Campos of the San Antonio Scorpions as the Offensive Player of the Week while recognizing Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Jeff Attinella as the Defensive Player of the Week.

W-League: The Virginia Beach Piranhas advanced to the playoffs Sunday with a 2-0 victory in Fredericksburg... Colorado Rush W-League player Lindsey Horan has reportedly signed a six-figure deal with French club PSG.

PDL News: The Michigan Bucks claimed the league's regular season championship for a third time (2000, 2008) with a 4-0 win Sunday... Ocean City Nor'easters finished as the best team in the Eastern Conference with a 1-0 win Sunday against Brooklyn.

WPSL News: The Spokane Shine have withdrawn from the playoffs and will be replaced by Issaquah SC, who finished second in the Northwest Division.

NPSL News: The league announced New York Red Bulls Academy U23 striker John Gurel as the Player of the Week.

LD Update: NASL Game Night; Amateur league playoffs

FC Edmonton 0:1 Tampa Bay Rowdies - Despite losing Tsuyoshi Yoshitake to a red card 32 minutes in following a collision along the touchline. Despite the disadvantage, the Rowdies held strong and found the winner through Luke Mulholland in the 89th minute, giving Tampa Bay a fifth win in the last six for a surge that has put them in third position two points out of first. - MORE

PDL News: Forest City London advanced to the conference playoffs following news of the withdrawal by expected divisional round opponent River City, who claimed not to have enough available players after receiving two red cards versus Michigan Sunday... The Northwest Division's early playoff start continued with the Portland Timbers U-23s downing the defending champion Kitsap Pumas, 2-1, in the divisional round to reach the Western Conference final four set for Ventura, Calif.

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Night; Amateur league playoffs

The Atlanta Silverbacks climbed out of the cellar with a consecutive win, topping the co-leading Puerto Rico Islanders. The loss allowed the San Antonio Scorpions to move alone atop the table with a draw at Fort Lauderdale.

The LA Blues were the lone side to pick up a win on the road Saturday in USL Pro, keeping themselves in the hunt for the postseason. With a five-game win streak, the Charlotte Eagles find themselves in the playoff picture. Leaders Orlando City blanked Rochester, allowing Charleston to move into second with a win over Wilmington.

LD Update: USL Pro Game Night; Kickers signings; MISL combine

Antigua Barracuda 0:3 Los Angeles Blues - The Blues put an end to a five-game losing skid in a match that began Thursday evening and wrapped up Friday morning due to lightning in the 13th minute. A defensive lapse allowed Bryan Burke to give the visitors the advantage 11 minutes in. Antigua fought back with a couple chances, but the rally was dimmed when they lost Luke Blakely in the 66th for a second yellow. Two minutes later Brian Farber fired from inside the area to double the lead. Farber then connected with Burke with five minutes left on a cross to the back post to cap the lengthy contest. - MORE

Richmond Kickers 3:1 Pittsburgh Riverhounds - Bolstered by a handful of new additions, the Kickers grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead in the eight minutes leading up to the break. Gerson dos Santos created the opener in the 37th with a lofted cross that Yomby William nodded in at the back post. Jason Yeisley created the second, an own goal, with a cross into the six that went off a defender and through goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap's legs. The second half was a stalemate until the two sides exchanged penalties in the final four minutes with Matthew Delicate giving Richmond their third and Matt Kassal spoiling the clean sheet in the 90th. - MORE

LD Update: NASL & USL Pro Game Nights; Cosmos to NASL; Roster changes

Midweek action created a two-point margin between the top three clubs in the NASL as the Puerto Rico Islanders moved back level with expansion San Antonio Wednesday and the defending champion Minnesota Stars keeping pace two points back the following night.

Wednesday - Puerto Rico Islanders 1:0 San Antonio Scorpions - The Islanders took the narrow decision between the league's two top sides with a header from Nicholas Addlery off a cross from Noah Delgado 25 minutes in. Jonathan Fana nearly made it two seven minutes later when he found himself alone with the keeper only to have Darryl Sattler make a great save. Richard Martin made a great save for the other side six minutes into the second, however, it was to keep a potential own goal on a Esteban Bayona cross from going in. Another great save for Martin came courtesy of the crossbar, which denited midfielder Hans Denissen five minutes later. - MORE