A glut of stadium-related news has hit the American soccer scene in recent weeks; from Baltimore potentially getting into the DC United business to the glory of grass, professional soccer facilities in the United States and Canada are a major part the growth of the game in this part of the world.

New Stadium, Construction Yet to Begin

Houston Dynamo

Houston's potential stadium is an issue in that city's upcoming mayoral race, though it seems most of the candidates support the deal that would get the Dynamo a proper home.

San Jose Earthquakes

• No progress appears to have been made on San Jose's stadium since we saw renderings of what the facility might look like. Remember that Lew Wolff had hoped the released images would drive advertisers to the project.

DC United

• DC United is still hopeful of finding a location in the immediate Washington, DC Metro area, but that hasn't stopped Baltimore's mayor from commissioning a study on the viability of building a stadium for the team.

Crystal Palace Baltimore

• Not an MLS team, but certainly worthy of mention, especially in light of the news that Baltimore might be interested in luring DC United; Crystal Palace Baltimore, a USL-2 side and the city's only professional outdoor soccer team, are moving forward with plans for a 7,000 seat stadium.

Kansas City Wizards

• After shifting their stadium plans out of Missouri and into Kansas, the Wizards have been presented with an incentive package by the State of Kansas worth $230 million. The planned stadium would be at the center of larger development and seat 18,500.

Existing Stadium, Renovations Yet to Begin

Vancouver Whitecaps

• The back-and-forth over renovations to BC Place for the Whitecaps inaugural MLS season in 2011 seem to be settled, with the provincial government committing to the project. They are currently seeking private funds to augment the public investment.

Portland Timbers

• Portland's PGE Park renovation saga continues, with the most recent developments involving Merritt Paulson's poor choice of words. MLS has shown little concern publicly, but cannot be happy that the deal isn't done.

Stadiums Under Construction

New York Red Bulls

• Construction continues on Red Bull Arena, with the target opening date of March 27, 2010 (when Red Bull opens at home against the Chicago Fire) in sight. Grass is all the rage in New Jersey, as the field's Kentucky Blue Grass surface is now being installed. The stadium's construction webcam keeps fans up to date on the progress, and season ticket holders selected their seats during tours last month.

Philadelphia Union

• Although the opening of the Chester Stadium will be delayed, causing the team to open in Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, construction is inching along. As with Red Bull Arena, a webcam gives fans and interested parties a chance to see the progress as it happens.

Grass is Good

Toronto FC

• Much to the relief of Reds fans, and star midfielder Dwayne DeRosario, the Toronto City Council unanimously approved the switch to grass at BMO Field. TFC's 2010 home opener was delayed to April 17, 2010 to allow for the installation of the new grass pitch.

No News is Bad News

New England Revolution

• Depressingly, there is literally no news on the Revolution's attempts to get a soccer-specific stadium built for the team. The Revs will be only one of two MLS teams playing in NFL stadiums and on artificial turf next year; the other plays in a building constructed with soccer in mind and in front of 30k+ crowds. Time for the Krafts to get cracking, and for MLS to start pressuring them.