Exactly this time last year, the USMNT captain was spotted at San Francisco airport. Soon after ESPN reported Clint Dempsey was coming home to a league that in 2007 set him on his way to a successful six- year stint in the BPL. Tottenhams loss would be Seattle and MLS gain. Over the intervening 12 months, we have witnessed unprecedented growth for a league which next year will celebrate its 20th season. It was following the 2013 All Star Game Board of Governors meeting Don Garber informed that having added the 20th franchise New York City FC for a fee of $100m only a few months previously, the league was now on an accelerated expansion path. The stated target was to add four more clubs by 2020. In the midst of last seasons playoffs, to the surprise of many it was announced the 21st franchise had been awarded to the City of Orlando. Like NYCFC, they will join the league next season. A Cinderella story if ever there was one, only four years ago Orlando didnt even have a professional soccer club until third division club Austin Aztex was relocated to the sunshine state in fall 2010. The man with the MLS plan and extraordinary vision is Phil Rawlins. Who moved the club from Austin to Orlando with the singular purpose of securing MLS football to a city that is more famous for Quidditch than the Beautiful Game. No word yet on if Harry Potter is amongst the 7,500 season ticket holders the club sold during the four-weeks of Brazil 2014. Contingent on stadium approvals in February, Florida was awarded a second franchise. David Beckham, who had previously been linked with New York and Montreal as locations where he would exercise his ownership option, chose Miami. Beckham and his ownership group have spent the intervening six months surrounded by opposition to their stadium plans. The latest rejection occurred last month when they were denied the right to buy land where they proposed to build a 25,000 capacity stadium which would have been privately funded. Scheduled to begin play in 2017, earlier in the week MLS knocked back suggestions Beckhams group were in discussions to purchase Chivas. 2017 is also when Atlanta, the leagues 22nd franchise will begin play in a $1 billion multi-purpose stadium which will also be the home for the NFLs Falcons. The ground breaking ceremony occurred in mid-May a little over a month after the announcement Arthur Black had finally secured a franchise. Black was widely speculated to bring an MLS franchise to Atlanta back in 2009 when eventually Portland and Vancouver were selected. MLS new additions for 2015 have wasted little time in announcing DPs of a stardust variety who wouldnt look out of turn playing in any of the top sides from the list of elite domestic leagues in world football that MLS has targeted to be mentioned in the same breath as by 2022. With a Brazilian in Flavio Augusto da Silva as Orlandos majority owner, it was one of MLSs worst kept secrets when finally early this month, the former world player of the year and Seleção legend KaKa was named as the clubs first DP. Thursdays announcement that Chelsea legend Frank Lampard had joined David Villa at New York City leaves no one in doubt of the intentions for the Sheik Mansour funded club. The hiring of head coach Jason Kreis may well go on to be recognized as one of the greatest managerial coups in league history. Lampard disclosed yesterday opportunity existed to extend his Chelsea career but he chose to call it a day as he recognized the club was moving in a different direction. Renowned as Chelseas all-time scoring leader, what will not have been missed by Kreis is the fact only Ryan Giggs has more assists than Lampard in the history of the Premier League. Yesterday he credited Gianfranco Zola for turning him into the player he is. Zola, who was a teammate of Lampards at Stamford Bridge for two seasons, personified what it was to be the model professional. Being like Franco certainly allowed Lampard to extend his time at the very top end of world footballs most demanding leagues. I have no doubts come the 2015 All Star Game, Lampard will make his third appearance, having done so previously in 2006 and 2012 when Chelsea were the opponents. As vital as it is for the Kakas, Villas and Lampards of the world to play in MLS – this to me is trumped by the recent news the MLS Cup Champs had signed two of the stand out members of the USMNT Brazil 2014 team. Securing Matt Besler and Graham Zusi to long term DP deals sends a significant warning shot over the bows of European football. As Dempsey proved last year, and Michael Bradley this spring, no longer are Americas elite players solely focused on carving out a distinguished career in Europe. DaMarcus Beasley returning after a decade abroad is another watershed moment for our league. No other player in the 100-year history of the USSSF has appeared in four World Cup Finals. Houston has instantly purchased playoff credibility. All exciting plots require a villain. This week MLS secured theirs. We could not have asked for a finer rogue than Ashley Cole. The ex-Chelsea player was arrogant and downright rude in his appraisal for a league which continues, as Lampard stated yesterday, to tick all the right boxes. "I had offers from the USA, but Im not ready to relax on a beach yet," Cole stated to reporters earlier this week at Romes International Airport. A frequent visitor to Los Angeles, Cole was recently reported to throw a glass of champagne over a UK TV Presenter in an LA nightclub. Which according to one witness allegedly resulted in a bar room brawl that got the attention of the LAPD. Not sure we want or need his type. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca (@TheSoccerNoel) Moussa Sissako Paris Saint-Germain Jersey . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. Kevin Trapp Jersey . -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. http://www.parissaintgermainfcstore.com/...Germain-Jersey/. Giants manager Bruce Bochy told The Associated Press of the decision before NL West-leading San Francisco opened a 10-game homestand Monday night with the first of three games against second-place Arizona. Azzeddine Toufiqui Jersey . But defending champion Elena Vesnina of Russia held off a strong challenge to beat Shuai Peng of China 6-3, 6-4, and there was another hard-fought victory for 2012 runner-up Angelique Kerber of Germany, who defeated Alison Riske of the United States 7-6 (6), 6-4. Alphonse Areola Jersey . - Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball.LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. is enough of a businessman to know his latest fight would be a tough sell, especially after setting records with Canelo Alvarez his last time out. But sell he must, even though oddsmakers and nearly everyone else give Marcos Maidana little chance in their welterweight title fight Saturday night. A full house is already guaranteed at the MGM Grand hotel arena, but Mayweather needs people at home to pay $64.95 for the fight if he is going to recoup his guaranteed $32 million purse. So Mayweather hinted this week that this might be his last fight, though few in boxing believe that. He also said he planned to stand in front of Maidana and trade punches with the hard-hitting Argentine, though his history in the ring suggests he wont. Oh, and he wants to score a knockout, something hes done only once in the last seven years. "I want to look impressive," Mayweather said. "I want to put on a good show. We dont expect this fight to go the distance." Mayweather returns to the ring for the first time since dominating Alvarez in boxings richest bout, taking on Maidana in a fight that even Mayweather seems to have trouble expressing much enthusiasm about. Hes a bigger, much more skilled fighter than the Argentine, just part of the reason oddsmakers make him a 11-1 pick to remain undefeated in the 46th fight of a pro career that has made him the richest fighter ever. Still, Mayweather (45-0, 26 knockouts) says he has to be wary of the power Maidana brings into the ring. "Hes got an 80 per cent knockout ratio so I cant go to sleep on this guy," he said. "But guys cant go to the mental level Im at. I can beat them many ways." The fight is part of a pay-per-view card that features former champion Amir Khan moving up to welterweight to fight another former champion in Luis Collazo. Khan had campaigned to be Mayweathers opponent and won an online poll set up by Mayweather, who ended up picking Maidana instead. If Khan is impressive, though, and Mayweatther wins as expected, the two could meet later this year.dddddddddddd "I would have loved to fight Floyd Mayweather, but I believe its really for the best," Khan said. "It gives me a chance to get to 147 and feel my way." Maidana (35-3, 31 knockouts) earned the fight with a strong showing in his last bout, twice knocking down Adrien Broner on his way to a decision win in December. Though Maidana hits hard, he will be up against a fighter who is such a defensive wizard that he rarely gets hit with more than one punch in any exchange. "Its very difficult to land a punch against Mayweather," Maidana said. "But when I land a punch Im going to hit him and not let him go. I will go after him." Mayweather, who weighed in Friday at 146 pounds to 146 1/2 for Maidana, said he welcomes the challenge after easily beating Alvarez last September in a fight that was supposed to be his toughest test. "If he brings his best maybe he will be the first guy that actually makes me dig in my bag of tricks and pull out my A game," Mayweather said. "Hopefully he will make me bring out my A game because my whole career all I had to use was a D and C game to beat every guy." If the Alvarez fight showed anything other than Mayweathers talent for making money -- and tons of it -- it was that a conventional fighter stands little chance against him. Hes been dodging punches since before he could walk, and hes a wizard at exploiting whatever weakness he finds in the fighter in front of him. "I can feel when a guys gonna punch. I can feel it," Mayweather said. "I dont even have to see it; I can feel it. You know, this is just with experience and being around the sport so long." Maidana says he can become the first to beat Mayweather because he will be the first to treat him just like any other fighter in the ring. "Other fighters they show respect, they show fear," he said. "Thats one thing I wont show against Mayweather." ' ' '