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After wrapping up his second preseason as manager of New York City FC, Patrick Vieira is looking ahead to today’s match against Orlando City. There is optimism in the air for the Frenchman. After all, his first season in the Big Apple was considered a success. He guided the second-year franchise to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference and the conference semifinals of the playoffs – albeit the embarrassing aggregate loss at the hands of Toronto (0-7).

The secondary jersey for the Colorado Rapids just has everything in it that you would look for in jerseys that are representative of state flags. One of the most beautiful and well-designed flags in the United States is the Colorado state flag, and the new jerseys definitely depict that. All the way from the blue sleeves, to the gold torso you can find the additional pieces of this jersey that make it such a well done jersey.

The Colorado Rapids will be kicking off their season this weekend, as they play host to the visiting New England Revolution at Dick's Sporting Good Park on Saturday. The last time the Rapids played the Revolution was during the MLS Desert Diamond Cup tournament in Tucson, Arizona where the Rapids bear the Revolution 3-1.

Last season, the Rapids surprised the  MLS, finishing in second place in the Western Conference with a record of 15-6-13. 

After last year’s all-Liga MX semifinal round in the CONCACAF Champions League, we’ve been given some welcome variety in this year’s edition with two MLS sides reaching the semis for the first time since 2012-13.

FC Dallas, the 2016 MLS Supporters’ Shield and US Open Cup winners, will play Pachuca, champions of the 2016 Liga MX Clausura. In the other tie, the Vancouver Whitecaps, victors over the New York Red Bulls in the quarterfinals, will play Tigres, the side that won the Liga MX Apertura championship in December.

As a new MLS season approaches, we've been informed of some points of emphasis that league officials will look to clamp down on in 2017. The Professional Referee Organization (PRO) general manager Peter Walton said that the four points of emphasis that MLS referees will focus on for the upcoming season are: holding and pushing in the penalty area, acts of visual dissent, delayed restarts and persistent infringement.

We’ve had the 2017 NWSL College Draft, the dramatic sale and relocation of the 2016 champions and the historic television deal with A&E Network. Opening weekend match-ups have also been revealed, but finally, NWSL fans have their first look at the 2017 schedule. 

Here are a few key notes from the league’s press release: 

After a six-month hiatus due to an irregular heartbeat, Clint Dempsey is expected to make his return for the Seattle Sounders against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

.@SoundersFC clear @clint_dempsey to return to action for season opener against Houston: https://t.co/nwqbNxRzkP pic.twitter.com/kYnet1KzPm

I’ve seen some s**t. I remember thinking Sam’s Army was about the coolest thing throughout the buildup to the 2006 World Cup. It was a group of Americans that were all soccer fans that got together to cheer for soccer — it was insane, it was wildly progressive and it was extremely dangerous.

The USWNT won their first game of 2016 with a 1-0 win over a tough German side. Lynn Williams scored the lone goal, but the real story of the match was USWNT manager Jill Ellis continuing to experiment with a back three.

Bobby Wood is quietly haveing a decent first season with Bundesliga side Hamburg. Wood has eight goals in 21 appearances for Hamburg, who are fighting for their lives in the Bundesliga, and just got knocked out of the Dfb Pokal by Borussia Monchengladbach. Hey, Bobby Wood scored though.

Hopefully if Hamburg do in fact get relegated some other Bundesliga team notices his athleticism and finishing ability and scoops him up.