MLS News Briefs - From Net to Net

Week 12
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Not content with adding just one striker this week, the Los Angeles Galaxy have reached a deal with veteran Honduran forward Carlos Pavon, according to Ives Galarcep's blog, Soccer By Ives. Pavon may have caught the eye of Galaxy brass when he scored four goals while leading Honduras to a 5-0 dismantling of Cuba earlier this month in the group stages of the Gold Cup.

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X-rays on Danny Dichio's injured ankle came back negative, but the Toronto FC forward may still miss some playing time. Dichio hurt his left ankle in last Sunday's 4-0 victory over FC Dallas - a game in which he scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season. Dichio feared the worst when interviewed after the game, saying "There might be a crack in the bottom of my foot or ligament damage." Instead, the diagnosis was a sprain, leaving Dichio questionable for Saturday's clash against the New England Revolution.

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Thursday's Gold Cup semifinal match between the United States and Canada will feature three players normally in the starting eleven for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Landon Donovan will be looking to guide the Nats to the final (and a much anticipated showdown with Mexico), but Landycakes will have to get past a Canadian squad featuring Galaxy teammates Kevin Harmse and Ante Jazic. Though Harmse has seen limited time in the tournament, Jazic has played every minute in defense for the Canucks.

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For the second straight time, MLS Player of the Week honors went to a member of a resurrected D.C. United side. Luciano Emilio grabbed the award for scoring goals on either side of halftime to extend his club's unbeaten streak to seven games. Emilio now has three goals in his last two games and five total, tied for fifth-most in Major League Soccer.

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An unsubstantiated rumor has surfaced linking Los Angeles Galaxy and U-20 midfielder Nathan Sturgis with a move to Ibrox. Though unconfirmed, Rangers manager Walter Smith was keen on the defensive midfielder's form in last month's international friendly at the Home Depot Center, calling him the best player on the pitch.

Sturgis will get another chance to impress when he takes the field for the U.S. in the Under-20 World Cup, which runs from June 30th to July 22nd. The U.S. has been drawn into Group D along with Poland, Korea and Brazil.

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How does going zero-for-250 corner kicks sound? Well, that's exactly what Real Salt Lake did over a period of two years, according to the Deseret Morning News. When Chris Brown's header found the back of the net against the Galaxy on Sunday, it marked the first time since May 14, 2005, that RSL scored a legitimate goal off a corner kick - some 250-plus attempts since their last success.

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In the Marcelo Salas watch, the Chicago Fire insist they have not received an answer to the offer they extended the Chilean forward. This comes on the heels of international media reports that Salas has already turned down the Fire's invitation - opting instead to return home and play for another year with Universidad de Chile.

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Real Salt Lake could be in some hot water after apparently telling a little white lie to the Liberian Football Association. See, the tiny national on the western coast of Africa needed a result against Equatorial Guinea to propel their hopes of qualifying for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. On June 10th, they kindly asked RSL to release Willis Forko for the upcoming game, but Real Salt Lake informed them that Forko would not be able to make the trip because of an injury.

End of story, right?

On June 14th, Forko not only suited up, he played all 90 minutes in RSL's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas. Think anyone noticed? The Liberian Football Association did - and, after only salvaging a tie against Equatorial Guinea on June 17th, they plan to formally file a complaint with FIFA about the situation.

For violating FIFA's rules, RSL may have their lowest-in-the-league point total docked. The club may also have to break out their checkbook to make nice with the governing body of their sport, with a fine being the most likely choice of discipline for FIFA to take.

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Chivas USA's Paulo Nagamura was born in Brazil, a country that knows a thing or two about soccer. With greats like Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho all hailing from that same country, LA Soccer News' Luis Bueno decided to ask something that's clearly been on his mind for too long: Where's the nickname?

Nagamura, also of Japanese ancestry, explained that he does, in fact, have a nickname: 'Paulinho'. Everybody back home knows him by that name, but the league wanted him to use the standard 'first name, last name' format when he came to America and he obliged.

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Landon Donovan is just two goals away from tying Eric Wynalda's goals scored record with the national team. In 92 appearances, Donovan has recorded 32 goals - Eric Wynalda ended his U.S. career with 34 goals in 107 appearances.

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Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad and Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni will be featured on an episode of 'Emeril Live,' the hit Food Network show hosted by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. The U.S. internationals' appearance reportedly includes an abundance of gourmet food and wine and will air on Monday, July 2nd, at 8 p.m. (ET).