Robbie Keane and the Top 5 British and Irish Footballers to Play in America

Robbie Keane has become the latest footballer to cross the Atlantic for the MLS after completing a £3.5 million move from Tottenham to LA Galaxy today.The Republic of Ireland striker will join David Beckham and Landon Donovan at Galaxy, as one of three designated players at the franchise."I have always wanted to come and play in MLS so it's the perfect combination for me and a dream come true," Keane said. "When David Beckham came and trained at Spurs recently he couldn't speak highly enough about the Galaxy, their fans and the league in general, so I can't wait to get over and get started."The question is, where does Keane feature in a top five of British and Irish exports to America?Begin Slideshow

2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 22

Scrutiny? What scrutiny? It's called simplicity. No BCS or Harris-style complications in lists like this. Just pure merit and demerit.And make no fuss about it: for the first time in a while, the defending MLS Cup Champions are at the top of this week's MLS Power Rankings.We got movers, shakers, and some teams taking part in the CONCACAF Champions League this week. Let's jump right in.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs: August 14, 2011

Champions League measuring stick for GsBruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy regards the CONCACAF Champions League as the measuring stick for the organization and for Major League Soccer in particular. "This is really important, especially because of how we went out last year," second-year Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens told LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan. "I think this year we want to redeem ourselves and show that we have a team that can compete internationally as well as do well in MLS. "It’s very important to all of us." "It’s big," Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter said. "First of all, it’s a great experience, but more than that it’s a competition. And we want to go in with the mindset that we want to succeed in the tournament, and that means going to the next round. "It’s always a measuring stick. It gives you a chance to compare yourself but also compete at a good level." Last year, the Galaxy lost on aggregate to the Puerto Rico Islanders 5-3 in the Preliminary Round after an inexcusable 4-1 defeat in the first leg."It’s very important to help the level of MLS and we want to do well because we’re representing the Galaxy," said defender Chris Birchall. ...

Chris Konopka Makes Solid Start for New York Red Bulls

Chris Konopka, a 26-year-old alumnus of Toms River High School East (Toms River, N.J.) and Providence College, got the opportunity of a lifetime Saturday night.After spending three years in Ireland, the 6'5" goalkeeper made his first ever MLS start for his hometown New York Red Bulls in front of a sold out crowd of 25,177.“I grew up watching the MetroStars," said Konopka. "I grew up watching Tony Meola, Tim Howard. They were the guys that I watched.”The only other thing he could’ve asked for was a win.Konopka made three saves as the Red Bulls came from behind to earn a point in a 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire.He was a surprise start to begin with.Konopka is an MLS pool goalkeeper—a resource available to teams that allows them to bring in goalies in case of emergency.New York starter Frank Rost was ruled out earlier in the week due to a quadriceps injury. Former starter Bouna Coundoul was thought to be the logical replacement, but his flight back to the States was delayed and arrived late Friday night after playing for the Senegalese national team.So it was down to Konopka—who had been training with the club—and Alex Horwath, who had made ...

New York Red Bulls vs Chicago Fire: Red Bulls Waste Opportunities in 2-2 Tie

Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 25,177 spectators at Red Bull Arena, the New York Red Bulls (6-6-13) needed to rally to tie the worst team in MLS, the Chicago Fire (2-7-14), 2-2 on Saturday night.The only people who has to be happy with tonight's Red Bulls 2-2 home tie with MLS's worst team in front of 25,177 fans are Lil Jimmy and anyone else who enjoys seeing the top two teams in draws (27 combined) battle it out to a draw.If a selected party from the Red Bulls should be commended for their efforts is the staff who handles the team's social media. For the second consecutive week, they've had to handle the responsibilities of patronizing their followers with the optimistic politically correct tweets and Facebook statuses.I would love to really know what's their opinion of Saturday night's contest. Imagine having to find the positives of a team that's won one game in their past 10 games and have accumulated a 1-4-5 record during that span.In a match brought to you by McDonald's (I'm serious), the Red Bulls continue to debunk the myth that they are contenders for the 2011 MLS Cup. Playing more like ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, August 12, 2011: Robbie Keane to LA

Keano to the G's! Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane is heading to Los Angeles. The Republic of Ireland international will sign a two-year, $8 million contract with Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, according to Fox Sports.The 31-year-old striker has also appeared for Coventry City (England), Internazionale (Italy), Leeds United (England) and Liverpool (England) during a professional career that started in 1997. Keane scored a career high 23 goals (54 appearances) for Tottenham in 2007-08 before moving to Liverpool. After half a season at Anfield, Keane transferred back to White Hart Lane, where he has been unable to recapture a place in the team under manager Harry Redknapp. Attention to the Champions League Meanwhile, the Galaxy were going through their run leading up to the CONCACAF Champions League match Tuesday with Motagua (kickoff: 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET). "In this competition the key for any team, is to do well at home, first and foremost," Galaxy associate coach Dave Sarachan told concacaf.com's Michael Lewis. "So when we have these teams at our place, we've got to get three points because going there is always a difficult task."  "We're actually happy with the schedule that we have the first two games at home."Sarachan had high praise for the manager of the ...

Soccer in America: How the NBA Could Help MLS Gain Popularity

It's the most popular sport in the world and yet in the United States we only really care about it for about a month every four years. In fact I know many people—most of them football players/coaches/fans—who actually hate soccer. When I played football in college we had an old-school head coach who hated soccer so much that we weren't allowed to touch a soccer ball during the season.But even better than that? We weren't even allowed to say the word "soccer." That other sport was referred to as "S-word," like it was some kind of swear word. For whatever reason, soccer has yet to catch on here like it has in every other country. Maybe it's because everyone else calls it "football" and we get mad because that's our favorite sport and don't want the name sullied. (We'll leave out the fact that soccer has been around basically for forever and that calling American football "football" doesn't make any sense when you watch the game.) I personally love soccer. It's not my favorite sport, but I played for four years in high school and sincerely wish that it enjoyed greater popularity in America. So I've come up with a semi-crazy idea on ...

David Beckham Fat or Fiction: Middle-Age Spread or Bad Camera Angle?

Has David Beckham, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and current L.A. Galaxy fantasista, finally succumbed to the middle-age spread that is the norm for men and women in their thirties?   Or is it just a case of the camera telling an unflattering lie? Either way, it doesn’t look too good for the image of the soi-disant style icon. He was holidaying in Malibu with his progeny—relaxing as any one of us would do on vacation, without a care in the world. Then, suddenly, the scourge of celebrities everywhere struck (no pun intended): the paparazzi. As the old adage goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words." In Beckham’s case, paunch, man boobs and middle-age spread (on public display), to name but a few, come to mind. This might sound harsh but, for thousands of men out there, that middle-age spread and those ever-present love handles can be a heavy burden to carry. Especially for Beckham, an elite athlete with a body that most men would die for (yours truly not included, as I’m slim and trim) and most women would—and do—drool over. It might give those mere mortals a glimmer of hope, if only for ...

Freddy Adu Comes Full Circle, Returns to Major League Soccer

There is something to be said about coming full circle, as former teenage soccer prodigy Freddy Adu is about to find out.Believe it or not, it’s been eight years since Adu signed his first professional soccer contract, so it seems almost like an anomaly that, when Freddy is introduced as the newest member of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Philadelphia Union this Friday, he will do so at the tender age of 22.Yes, eight professional contracts, some serious soul-searching and numerous helpings of humble pie later, the prodigy has matured, not only into a man, but also into the player that many thought he could be.Over the last year or so, Freddy Adu has been given a new lease on his soccer life.It started when former U.S. National team coach Bob Bradley added Adu to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster. Freddy repaid the selection by coming off the the bench in the semifinal against Panama and helping set up Clint Dempsey’s winning goal.Then, in the Gold Cup Final against Mexico on June 25, there were some who said he was the best player on the pitch, despite the national team's 4-2 loss.Adu’s recent resurgence certainly had caught the attention of ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, August 11, 2011

No match days, no off days Even with Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy off for the week, the club were busy preparing for next Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League contest with CD Motagua at the Home Depot Center (kickoff: 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET). “We tried the last few days to get our legs back and kind of take a break,” Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant told MLSSoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “We don’t have many opportunities like this during the season. We have Thursday off and we come back Friday watching video and really diving into Motagua [the Galaxy’s first opponent in the CONCACAF Champions League on Aug. 16].” “We’re a team that needs a couple of days off, get a little rest, get our legs back and get ready for what’s going to be a really difficult August, September and October,” Arena remarked. “The little bit of a break we have right now is a plus.” Landon Donovan was the only Galaxy player that really didn't have an off day, as he was on national team duty against Mexico. The USA drew 1-1 with El Tri on Wednesday. “[The break] helps a lot,” Donovan said earlier this week. “Guys are beat up from ...