When will the DPs arrive for MLS Atlanta?

The Premier League ended on Sunday with two legends almost certainly ending their time in England to begin new adventures in the U.S.

Steven Gerrard played his final game for Liverpool and will soon report to the L.A. Galaxy.

Frank Lampard, most known for his time at Chelsea, ended his season with Manchester City and will soon be at NYCFC.

The next 12-18 months will be fascinating for fans of MLS Atlanta as president Darren Eales starts to secure Designated Players and other talent for the inaugural 2017 season.

There is only a small chance that a player will agree to a deal with MLS Atlanta during the 2015-16 European season for Atlanta’s inaugural year, but it’s not beyond the realm of reason. It would likely be a player whose contract is up at the end of the year and “the right fit” in Atlanta.

The player could agree to a deal and then be loaned to a club for the first few months of the 2016-17 season before joining in Atlanta in February 2017.

If it’s a player based in Europe, it’s most likely that they will be signed in the 2016-17 season and then join Atlanta around the same time of the summer that Gerrard and Lampard would have joined their MLS clubs.

NASL to Miami: In what may be considered another giant raspberry to MLS, NASL announced last week a franchise in Miami that will start in 2016.

MLS, of course, has been trying for several years to start a franchise in the city, but the David Beckham-led effort has yet to settle on a stadium. A home is loosely required by MLS to have a franchise. As Beckham and his investors continue to search – they announced discussions with another possible host last week – NASL swooped in and one-upped what would be considered by most to be the senior league.

The new NASL club has one big similarity to the one that MLS would like to start: it’s co-owned by a soccer legend , in this case Paolo Maldini, an Italian legend for AC Milan and considered one of the all-time world’s best defenders.

Though there are very few two league soccer towns in the U.S., it seems doubtful that the NASL striking first will do anything to affect Beckham’s hopes of landing an MLS franchise.

NASL as a league has long seemed to welcome competition with MLS, while MLS rarely seems to recognize its brethren.

But the Miami situation will be interesting to watch in Atlanta.

Though the league has said it wants to find owners that will keep the Silverbacks in Atlanta, the assumption is the Silverbacks will move in the next two years before MLS Atlanta comes online in 2017. The thinking is one city, even one with a population as large as Atlanta’s, can’t support two clubs, even though the player’s, game day and fan’s experiences will likely be significantly different.

If the Silverbacks stay for the 2017 season, and the team and MLS Atlanta do well, and the two presumed Miami franchises do well, it could open a new set of rivalries and intrigue in soccer in the country.

What could be more fun as a soccer fan in Atlanta or Miami than to see the two teams play in the U.S. Open Cup with significant stakes on the line?

A rivalry could be the rising tide that raises both franchises, particularly considering MLS Atlanta won’t have a geographic rival in its league.

Open Cup: The Silverbacks will play at Chattanooga FC in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga, an NPSL side, defeated Wilmington 5-3 on penalty kicks on May 20 to advance.

The Silverbacks defeated Chattanooga 5-0 last year in the third round of the Open Cup.

Women's World Cup TV schedule: Fox Sports will broadcast all three of the U.S. women's national teams' group games in the upcoming World Cup.

Fox Sports 1 will televise the June 8 game against Australia at 7:30 p.m. Fox will broadcast the June 12 game against Sweden at 8 p.m. and the June 16 game against Nigeria at 8 p.m.

The Fox network will broadcast a total of 16 matches from the tournament, which will be held in Canada June 6-July 15.

Georgians in MLS

Here’s a list of players with ties to the state who are in MLS:

Joe Bendik (@jtbendik), Toronto, GK, Kennesaw

Did not make the 18 for team’s 1-0 win over Portland on May 23. He is recovering from a foot injury.

Next game: vs. San Jose on Saturday.

Mark Bloom (@markbloom21), Toronto, D, Marietta

Did not make the 18 for team’s 1-0 win over Portland on May 23. He is recovering from an injury.

Next game: vs. San Jose on Saturday.

Ricardo Clark (@RicoC13), Houston, M, Jonesboro

Started, played 90 minutes and had one shot in team’s 1-0 loss to L.A. Galaxy on May 22.

Next game: at NYCFC on Saturday.

Warren Creavalle (@warrenspeak), Toronto, D, Acworth

Came off the bench to play 45 minutes and had one shot on goal in a 1-0 win over Portland on May 23.

Next game: vs. San Jose on Saturday.

Chris Duvall (@chrisduvall91), New York Red Bulls, D, Duluth

Played 90 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Philadelphia on May 24.

Next game: at Seattle on Sunday.

Sean Johnson (@sjohn25), Chicago, GK, Snellville

Made the 18 but didn’t play in team’s 2-2 draw with Columbus on May 22.

Next game: vs. Montreal on Saturday.

Chris Klute (@chrisklute), Columbus, D, Silverbacks, Clayton State

Started and played 90 minutes in team’s 2-2 draw with Chicago on May 22.

Next game: at Orlando on Saturday.

Jack McInerney (@jackmcinerney9), Montreal, F, Alpharetta

Started and scored a goal in team’s 2-1 win over FC Dallas on May 23.

Next game: at Chicago on Saturday.

Kwadwo Poku, NYCFC, M/F, Silverbacks

Made the 18 but didn’t play in team’s 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on May 23.

Next game: vs. Houston on Saturday.

Andrew Wolverton (@a_wolvie), Los Angeles, G, Atlanta

Did not make the 18 for team’s 1-0 win over Houston on May 22. He recently joined the club after suffering a foot injury that required surgery in January.

Next game: vs. Real Salt Lake on Wednesday and at New England on Sunday.

Walker Zimmerman (@thewalkerzim), Dallas, D, Lawrenceville

Started and played 90 minutes in team’s 2-1 loss to Montreal on May 23.

Next game: at Sporting KC on Friday.