Major League Soccer

This column is supposed to be about how Major League Soccer can take the next great leap forward and about the sort of things that are holding it back from doing so right away. But first, a few words about Danny Cepero. Yes, the two would appear to have nothing in common, but they do. Just read on.

It would be easy for Sigi Schmid to gloat these days. No one would blame him for walking around with a self-satisfied smile, or even with the swagger that comes from having proved critics irrefutably wrong.

Major League Soccer has stumbled on something new to do with its big-name stars during the off-season -- ship them off on loan deals to foreign clubs.

What do the national soccer teams of the U.S., Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago and Wales have in common this week? Answer: Every one of them has a player from Toronto FC on its roster.

Major League Soccer begins its 13th season Saturday, with an all-time high of 14 teams and a highest-ever average player salary of $115,000. Meanwhile, England's Premier League is approaching the end of its 16th season.

Major League Soccer released its schedule for the 2008 season Thursday and it brought a sigh of relief from the Galaxy and David Beckham. Unlike last season when the Galaxy had to pack 19 MLS games, including 12 on the road, into 12 weeks in order the showcase its English midfield star after his mid-July arrival, this year will provide much smoother sailing on the Beckham Tour Part II.

The Galaxy, gearing up for the 2008 Major League Soccer season, made two surprising moves Friday at the league's annual college draft in Baltimore. Defender Chris Albright, a U.

Clarence Goodson scored an unassisted goal in the 23rd minute and FC Dallas beat Houston, 1-0, Saturday night in Frisco in the first of their two-game Major League Soccer playoff series.