MLS All-Stars Squad Named for Big Apple Showdown with Manchester United

Father for the fourth time David Beckham will join up with Thierry Henry in the lineup chosen for the upcoming MLS All-Star friendly match against the Englishman's former side Manchester United next week. The 22-man MLS All-Star squad will face the English Premier League champions in New York on July 27 and gives the L.A. Galaxy star the opportunity to step back onto the field against his former charges. Ex-Arsenal striker Henry will also get the chance to renew hostilities and friendships with his former English Premiership rivals, joining with five other forwards looking for a starting spot in New York. Team USA star Landon Donovan leads the charge of American-born players who will face Manchester United in the penultimate game of their American tour. Donovan currently sits level with Henry at the head of the MLS goal-scoring charts this season with nine. All-Star veterans such as Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) and Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) also feature in Hans Backe's side, as do exciting newcomers like Sporting Kansas City's Omar Bravo, Colombian ...

Major League Soccer All-Star Game Day Roster

New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe has announced his game day roster for the upcoming Major League Soccer All-Star game. The All-Star team will face English Premier League Champion Manchester United on July 27th in New York. After the fan vote to determine the First XI and league commissioner Don Garber adding his two selections, Backe finalized the 22-man roster today. Backe was somewhat limited in his selections due to being able to choose only from players who could play in the match. Injured players were not considered, and players from the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas were left off of the list because both teams will participate in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. Players on the game day roster include: Goalkeeper: Tally Hall (HOU), Faryd Mondragon (PHI) Defenders: Corey Ashe (HOU), Geoff Cameron (HOU), Bobby Convey (SJ), Matt Besler (KC), Sean Franklin (LA), Jamison Olave (RSL), Heath Pearce (Chivas), Tim Ream (NY) Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (RSL), David Beckham (LA), Brad Davis (HOU), Jack Jewsbury (POR), Shalrie Joseph (NE), Nick LaBrocca (Chivas)Forwards: Juan Agudelo (NY), Omar Bravo (KC), Omar Cummings (COL), Landon Donavan (LA), Thierry Henry (NY), Chris Wondolowski (SJ) The First XI and Commissioner's picks included: Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller ...

2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 18

This just in: The 2011 United States women's national soccer team have pulled off one of the biggest chokes in history, a 3-1 defeat on penalties to Japan at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup after a 2-2 draw.Wait a minute—that's the women's game! We're talking about the men's game here. So, while the women descend into the halls of ignominy, the men of MLS turn a blind eye and soldier on with their battles to attend to.We've got movers. We've got shakers. We've got a new team on top. All that and more in this week's Major League Soccer Power Rankings.Spare a thought for the ladies though, will you?Begin Slideshow

Portland Timbers Win First MLS Road Game at Chicago Fire

A win is a win is a win.The Portland Timbers managed their first road win of the year in a most unconvincing fashion in Chicago over the weekend. A 1-0 nail-biter won with Captain Jack Jewsbury's penalty kick.The real hero of the match, however, was once again keeper Troy Perkins. He made three saves that would be considered remarkable in any league in the world—one of them might go down as the save of the year.More on that later.The soccer gods finally smiled on Portland, after nearly two months of having almost nothing but bad luck. The Timbers managed to lose games, and tie games that they should have won, in every conceivable fashion.They gave up a goal on a set piece to Colorado in the last 10 seconds of the game that gave Colorado the win.They committed a hand ball in the penalty area against New York in the last 20 seconds that resulted in a tie.They gave up two leads in the second half against Seattle that resulted in a tough loss at home against their bitter rivals.They played strong against Chivas and Kansas City, but still came away with a loss.Finally, a bit of good fortune smiled ...

Women’s World Cup: Will American Soccer Finally Wake Up and Change Course?

I am frankly stunned as well, I thought this was the last one we could win playing like we do. The loss to Japan should be a wake-up call to the United States. A nation whose top women's league is semiprofessional just beat us. Can we finally just admit that physicality and luck can only take us so far from now on, since more nations have caught up? Can we finally just admit that the "rich kids' game" approach to soccer has finally and totally failed?Did you know that the L League, the top women's league in Japan, is a semiprofessional league, yet they have two tiers of promotion and relegation? You know, promotion and relegation, something American soccer is allergic to. Of course, Major League Soccer fanboys will say "the infrastructure is not there yet" for promotion and relegation for American soccer, despite little Qatar having such a system, with two tiers of 12 teams each.  To develop the sport for the men, we must be able to have "superclubs." And we must start paying our top American players to play on such clubs in America. For the women, it's the perfect way ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Columbus Crew: Could the G’s Run at Top End This Week?

With the Seattle Sounders recording a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rapids, the pressure is on Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy to respond when they face the Columbus Crew in league play on Wednesday, July 20 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.This will be the first of two matches without the services of Chris Birchall, who was suspended for a rough challenge in a match against the Chicago Fire. Los Angeles are 10-2-9 (39 points), and while they do have a game in hand over the second-place Sounders, they are only ahead by one point.Potentially, this could be the week where Los Angeles relinquishes the top spot in the overall Major League Soccer standings. Never mind that the Galaxy are coming off a terrible week, with a 3-1 defeat to the Sounders in the U.S. Open Cup and an embarrassing—yet—predictable 4-1 mule—kicking against Real Madrid in the Herbalife World Football Challenge.In short, while the Galaxy's league—unbeaten streak stands at 12 games, they also have a two—game losing streak for the entire calendar year.“At the end of the day, we always knew it was going to be a tall order trying to get a result against Real Madrid,” David ...

Real Madrid vs L.A. Galaxy: Los Blancos Rub Salt in Galaxy’s Wounds, Win 4-1

You would have to literally be blind, stupid and possibly dead to not see this one coming. Which means you probably did.Both protagonists followed the script on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid Club de Futbol rolling through goals by Jose Callejon, Joselu, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema en route to a predictable 4-1 victory over Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy.By the way, a certain Adam Cristman did prevent the imminent shutout from happening, long after the outcome had been decided.Sound familiar? That's because a team from Sandy, Utah—with a vaguely similar moniker—registered an identical scoreline. It must be a Real thing for any team with the Real moniker to make the Galaxy look like a bunch of peasants on the pitch.Indeed, both Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid have formed a cooperative agreement, culminating in a youth academy that now competes in the US Soccer Development Academy. And they also have a biennial friendly series, just to sweeten the deal.Coincidence? Perhaps.On the Galaxy end, the team in their drab Punjab kits simply didn't want to bother. And it's a shame because one would think that the Galaxy would improve on a 3-2 ...

MLS Expansion Rumors: Analyzing the Pretenders and Contenders for the 20th Spot

There’s no doubt that the MLS is on its way up in American society. Fifteen years ago it would have been impossible to think about the incredible production the league has endured since its inception.The MLS now boasts 18 teams, spread amongst each region, with many of these clubs becoming a top entertainment option in their respective location. In 1996, the league was begging cities to take on a team. Now, cities would do anything to buy a piece of the multi-million dollar enterprise.The last couple of years we have seen multiple MLS bids come and go, mainly leaving fans drowned in speculation about who we will see grace the league in a few years. Rumors have gotten to a point where it is hard to tell what part of the body the whistle-blower's words are coming.I am here to analyze the potential bids and distinguish the contenders and pretenders for the 20th MLS spot and beyond.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Madrid: Live Blog, Play-by-Play Analysis, Reaction

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will take on Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid CF in the first of two matches in the 2011 Herbalife World Football Challenge.Los Blancos are coming off a disappointing year, which only saw them win the Copa Del Rey against a second-place finish in La Liga and a UEFA Champions League semifinal loss at the hands of FC Barcelona.As for the Los Angeles Galaxy, they are coming off a tough 3-1 defeat to the Seattle Sounders in the US Open Cup and will look to rebound with an upset victory over Real.Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p;m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET. The live blog will begin hours to kickoff.Keep it here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of World Football. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

David Beckham: 6 Possibilities for Becks After Los Angeles Galaxy Contract

After this MLS season ends in November, David Beckham will be out of contract at the LA Galaxy. He has stated his desire to stay in the US after his Galaxy contract is up but he also constantly talks about how much he misses England.The following is a list of potential options for Becks after this season.Begin Slideshow