Timbers Win MLS Title

Portland Timbers became Major League Soccer champions for the first time as they beat Columbus Crew in the final, with ex-Premier League defender Liam Ridgewell lifting the trophy.

Diego Valeri put Portland ahead after just 27 seconds when he charged down a clearance from keeper Steve Clark.

Rodney Wallace then headed in to make it 2-0 in the seventh minute.

Kei Kamara pulled one back before half-time but the Timbers won their first major trophy since joining MLS in 2011.

Portland captain Ridgewell, 31, who played in the Premier League for Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, is in his second season with the club.

The final, at the Crew's Mapre Stadium, got off to a dramatic start when Clark's error gifted Valeri the opening goal.

The keeper's attempted clearance bounced off the Argentine and into the net, to set a new record for the fastest goal in the history of the MLS Cup - the name given to the final.

Portland were then gifted another goal when they were allowed to play on after the ball had clearly gone out for what should have been a throw-in, and Lucas Melano crossed for Costa Rica international Wallace to head in.

Columbus hit back as their top scorer, Sierra Leone forward Kamara, fired in his 26th goal of the season on the turn after goalkeeper Larsen Kwarasey had spilled a cross.

But the hosts barely made another chance as Ridgewell's defence stood firm and Portland were unfortunate not to add to their lead in the second half as they created a number of chances.

Melano saw a shot blocked, Kamara was spared an own-goal by Michael Parkhurst's goalline clearance, Fanendo Adi headed against a post and Clark saved superbly from Natt Borchers' close-range header.

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Grella Sets Seven Second Record

Mike Grella scored in seven seconds for the fastest goal in MLS history and the New York Red Bulls beat the Philadelphia Union 4-1 on Sunday to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Grella raced to the ball and attacked the open lane after flat-footed midfielder Michael Lahoud allowed the initial backpass to roll past him. With Steven Vitoria backpedaling, Grella juked left and sent a left-footed shot deflecting off the defender and past goalkeeper Andre Blake. Tim Cahill scored the previous fastest goal at eight seconds in the Red Bulls’ 3-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on 20 October 2013.

Mike Grella set an MLS record with his early goal on Sunday.

Grella also scored in the 17th minute to give New York (17-10-6) a 3-0 lead.

Wright-Phillips added his 16th goal of the season on a right-footed volley in the fourth minute. Kemar Lawrence scored his first MLS goal to make it 4-0 just before the half.

The Red Bulls are tied with FC Dallas in the Supporters’ Shield race for the overall regular-season title with one game left. Next Sunday, New York is at Chicago, and FC Dallas will finish at home against San Jose.

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Beckham Ponders MLB Franchise

Since leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy in December, and retiring from the game after a five-month stint at Paris Saint-Germain, Beckham has been mulling over the location for a prospective MLS franchise.

The former England captain has now made up his mind and he will pay a discounted rate of $25m (£16m) to start an MLS expansion team in Miami, someone with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because plans are not yet being publicly discussed.

The option of becoming a team owner was included in the MLS contract that Beckham signed when joining the LA Galaxy in 2007. "We know that Miami is one of the most passionate soccer markets in North America," the MLS executive vice president, Dan Courtemanche, said. "We have met with David Beckham regarding ownership of an expansion team, and we look forward to David one day owning an MLS club."

There are currently 19 MLS teams and the league commissioner, Don Garber, hopes to expand to 24 by the 2020 season. A 20th team is already in place to begin playing in 2015 after the Premier League club Manchester City and their partner, the New York Yankees, paid an expansion fee of $100m to launch New York City FC.

The MLS still has to give Beckham the go-ahead to make Miami the location of the franchise.

Beckham is looking to raise several hundred million dollars of investment to fund the setup costs, including putting together a squad of players and building a stadium, although the franchise could initially play in an existing venue.

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Lampard Would be Welcomed - MLS

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Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has been made aware that he would be welcomed with open arms should he move to the MLS.

The 34-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and speculation suggests he could bring to an end an 11-year association with the Blues next summer.

A lucrative switch to the United States has been mooted and Garber admits there would be no shortage of suitors were he to become available, with the Los Angeles Galaxy already said to be keen.

He said: "Frank Lampard's a great player. He has a great history with the sport.

"If he decides he wants to play in Major League Soccer, I'm sure any club would be happy to have him on their roster.

Garber claims to be unaware of any approaches having already been made for Lampard's services and has confirmed that he would be involved in any negotiations because a deal would require the England international to be exempt from the MLS salary cap.

He added: "Frank would probably fall in the 'Designated Player' category.

"That's a discussion that starts with ownership at local level, and the league certainly would be involved at some point. But a local team owner would have to decide that they would want him on their team."

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Fire at Portland Timbers

John Spencer, the affable face of the Portland Timbers who helped prepare the team for Major League Soccer last season, was fired as coach, a person close to the situation said. General manager Gavin Wilkinson will coach the team the rest of the year.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the dismissal had not yet been made public. The Timbers scheduled a news conference for Monday afternoon.

Spencer's dismissal was first reported by The Oregonian.

The Timbers are coming off a 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. They are 5-8-4 and in next-to-last place in the Western Conference, with no road wins.

Spencer was hired on Aug. 11, 2010. In the Scotsman's first year as coach, the Timbers finished 11-14-9. The 11 victories tied the team with the 2006 Houston Dynamo for fourth on the list of wins for an expansion team. Portland is 9-5-3 at home and 7-6-4 against Western Conference opponents.

Demand for season tickets at Jeld-Wen Field was so high in the offseason the Timbers increased the allotment this season by 2,000 seats, with a remaining waiting list of some 5,000 supporters. The team also increased stadium seating capacity to more than 20,000.

But while the Timbers were still a major draw, selling out all their MLS home games this season, the enthusiastic fan base has been vocal in calling for on-field results.

Wilkinson joined the Timbers in 2001 as a player when the team was part of the USL First Division. He was coach of the second-division Timbers from 2007-10 and was an assistant with the Houston Dynamo for five seasons before coming to Portland.

Spencer played professionally for 18 seasons, with stints in Scotland, England and with the MLS Colorado Rapids. A striker, he scored 43 goals for Chelsea from 1992-96.

MLS Boss Praises Beckham's Role

The boss of Major League Soccer says David Beckham has made a "great" contribution to the development of football in the United States.

Don Garber praised Beckham, 36, as the ex-England midfielder is set to play his final match in the US on Sunday.

Garber said at times he regretted the hype of Beckham's arrival at LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2006, but not the excitement it generated.

"He's been great for our league and for our game," the MLS commissioner said.

Beckham has made 26 appearances for Galaxy this season, a campaign that has seen a 7% increase in attendances across the MLS.

In addition, MLS will be broadcast on the high-profile NBC Sports television network for the first time next season, while Galaxy have just secured a $55m deal with Time Warner Cable Sports.

It is remarkable that despite his age and the effects of last year's Achilles injury, the level of interest in Beckham seems undiminished

"I had the expectation that MLS would become more popular, that we'd see improved ratings and a different attitude," said Garber.

"While at times I regret how hyped we were when Freddy Adu came into the league [in 2004] or when David came in, I don't regret the excitement that David created by coming in.

"I find it amusing that when David came into the league five years ago, many sports media pundits were saying how much he's over the hill, you don't hear that any more, and this is five years later."

Beckham has had two loan spells at AC Milan since joining Galaxy and is likely to play his final game for the club in Sunday's MLS Cup final, with a move to Paris St Germain a possibility.

"We underestimated the challenge of him playing for England and we didn't expect his desire to go out on loan," added Garber.

"I underestimated the power of his celebrity by a long shot."

The former Manchester United man moved to LA from Real following his resignation as England captain after the 2006 World Cup.

Initially overlooked during his time in the United States by then England manager Steve McClaren, Beckham was recalled for the culmination of the ultimately unsuccessful Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and was in contention for a place in Fabio Capello's 2010 World Cup squad before being hit by an Achilles tendon injury.

With Beckham in the side, Galaxy reached the final of the MLS play-offs in 2009, the semi-finals in 2010 and meet Houston Dynamo in this year's final.

"This guy wants to win, and he'll do anything," added Garber.

"I totally underestimated how hardworking and tough he is. He will play through injury and fatigue.

"That warrior-like mentality was like nobody expected in MLS."

Keane Debut Goal Beats Earthquakes

Robbie Keane scored after 21 minutes of his Major League Soccer debut as LA Galaxy beat San Jose 2-0.

Keane ran on to a David Beckham free-kick and rounded visiting goalkeeper Jon Busch before celebrating with his trademark cartwheel.

The Republic of Ireland captain said: "It couldn't have gone better for me. When you come to a new team, it's always good to get the first goal.

"When you go a few games without a goal, it starts to play on your mind."

Keane was named in the starting line-up despite training only once with his new team since moving from Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of £3.5m.

The 31-year-old Dubliner left the pitch in the 72nd minute to a standing ovation from the 27,000 crowd at the Home Depot Centre.

His replacement Mike Magee scored Galaxy's second goal as they strengthened their position at the top of the Western Conference of the MLS.

Beckham played the full 90 minutes and was delighted with Keane's contribution, saying: "I knew he was going to be running, and I knew where to put it.

"He's a player who knows where to run, and if you're on the same wavelength as him, you've got a real good chance.

"He's always going to make good runs, and it's up to us to find him."

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said: "We're elated with Robbie. I think he had a great 70 minutes tonight, and he's going to have a lot more.

"I know Robbie's fitness isn't perhaps where he wants it to be, but he's a fit athlete. When he gets two or three games under his belt, he's going to be fine."

Arena could only find fault with one aspect of Keane's performance - his celebration. "When he was younger, he used to elevate a little more," he joked when describing the acrobatics of his new signing.

FROM PREMIER TO MLS

David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy)

Thierry Henry, Carl Robinson, Teemu Tainio (New York Red Bulls)

Juan Pablo Angel, Simon Elliott (Chivas)

Caleb Folan (Colorado Rapids)

Bobby Convey (San Jose Earthquakes)

Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders)

Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps)

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