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Major League Soccer teams once scattered across the continents to optimize preseason training. But new facilities and tournaments in Florida and Arizona are providing the goods now. For instance, five teams were training in Arizona last week. Here are 10 things to know about the early goings-on from five sides prepping in the Arizona sunshine.

1. Early reports on new match ball: MLS and adidas have replaced the maligned, flighty Jabulani match ball with the Prime, a slightly harder and heavier ball.

Early reports say this version might slightly favor possession sides that like balls on the ground; the added weight makes aerial incursions somewhat trickier. Mostly, players are describing it as "more true," which means all that lesser predictable movement that could sometimes flummox hapless goalkeepers is less a factor. It doesn't mean,...

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Related Topics: Soccer, mls