Will Don Garber’s Meeting with Potential NY Investors Impact the NY Cosmos?

Harrison, NJ - MLS Commissioner Don Garber met with three potential investors for a second New York expansion club during Tuesday's United States 1-0 friendly loss to Ecuador at Red Bull Arena.Apparently, none of those investors were from the New York Cosmos.None of those investors were from the New York Cosmos either. “We’ve talked to them (Cosmos), I don’t know if they are involved,” expressed Garber to the Press at halftime. “They’ve got some things that they’ve got to work out in their ownership group. As I’ve said before, they’ve done a great job of building their brand and when we’re ready to get that team launched if they want to be a part of that, we’d be happy to talk with them.”Throughout the discussion, Garber was insistent that New York will be the 20th team in Major League Soccer. “We’re making progress and the city has been supportive,” he said. “If we can build the stadium, we will have the 20th team in New York City.” So how does this affect New York Cosmos organization? If you include the three potential investors with the Cosmos, then there's four different parties who may potentially be interested in become the second MLS New York ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, October 11, 2011

Endless Reserve Division misery for Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy reserves don't seem to be up for contention in the MLS Reserve Division as they fell to Chivas USA 2-1 to drop to 1-6-2 on the year. Hector Jimenez scored for the Galaxy in the 25th minute thanks to home grown player Jack McBean. Marcos Mondaini and Victor Estupinan scored for Chivas USA later in the match. The Galaxy reserves will conclude their Reserve League season on Tuesday, Oct. 25 when they take on the San Jose Earthquakes at the Home Depot Center. Robbie Keane injured Galaxy forward Robbie Keane injured his adductor muscle in Ireland's 2-0 victory over Andorra at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The injury means that Keane will be sidelined for four weeks and could potentially miss part of the MLS Cup Playoffs. Keane is sure to miss the matches against Chivas, Motagua and the Houston Dynamo next week. Ireland were able to secure a spot in the Euro 2012 qualification playoffs with a 2-1 victory over Armenia. Galaxy return to action The USA lost to Ecuador 1-0 in an international friendly in Tuesday. One of those players who could have been with team is Omar ...

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. DC United: Predicting Vancouver’s Starting Lineup

The Vancouver Whitecaps (5-16-10) host DC United (9-10-11) Wednesday night at BC Place and are looking to record their first back-to-back wins of the season.Head coach Tommy Soehn gambled on youth against Real Salt Lake last week, starting rarely used youngsters Long Tan, Nizar Khalfan, Jeb Brovsky and newcomer Carlyle Mitchell. The plan paid off as the Whitecaps recorded an energetic and commanding win over RSL.Will Soehn stick with last week's lineup? Or will he give some returning veterans an opportunity to regain their starting places?Begin Slideshow

David Beckham: Why Leaving the Galaxy Is Good for the MLS

From London to Paris to Leicester? With David Beckham's contract set to run out at the end of the year there have been many suitors lining for his signature. While there is no doubt that Beckham has done great things to advance the league and soccer in America as a whole, what is best for the league is for Becks to move back to Europe. While there are many reasons for this, two big ones stand out and that is the development of the league, and the image of the league. When Becks first arrived on the scene, the league was desperate to bring in star power to gain attention and a better reputation. While that worked for a while, the number of older players joining the league garnered a somewhat negative reputation—that of a retirement home; a place where European players can gracefully live out the rest of their career still on high wages, and without the embarrassment of being out of place in a top league. For the league to continue to develop, it must shed its image as a retirement home and work towards being a viable option for international players to grow and develop in. If Becks leaves the league, the figurehead ...

MLS: Analyzing the Eastern Conference Playoff Race

With just a few weeks left in the MLS season, the race for the final playoff spots is now in full force, as teams from all across the nation battle for a bid into the postseason tournament.The Eastern Conference race is especially competitive, with six teams all still in contention to win the conference come late October.However, some teams have an easier route to the playoffs than others, and that is why I have analyzed the current situation for each of the competitive teams.Who will take home the Eastern Conference crown? Click through to see. Begin Slideshow

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake: 5 Thoughts from Thursday’s Win

The Vancouver Whitecaps have had a tough inaugural season, no doubt about it. It's been a season of red cards and injuries, coaching staff turmoil and lineup uncertainty; a season where the team has yet to win at all on the road.But, as the difficulties piled up all season long, a bright spot stood on the horizon: The newly renovated BC Place, with its state of the art facilities, was awaiting to welcome the 'Caps with open arms. The excitement in sports-mad Vancouver was building as the Whitecaps prepared to host the Portland Timbers for the opening game at the stadium on Oct. 2, 2011. Surely, the city told itself, surely we would win.Well, it didn't happen, and the Whitecaps had to wait for the next game to get their first win against a depleted Real Salt Lake side.But what a win it was! On two penalties by Camilo Sanvezzo and one cracking volley by Nizar Khalfan, the Whitecaps finally gave BC Place the christening it deserved.Here are five thoughts from a great night in downtown Vancouver.Begin Slideshow

San Jose Earthquakes’ Chris Wondolowski Key in 2-1 Win over NE Revolution

    Frank Yallop’s San Jose Earthquakes aren’t going to be making the MLS playoffs this year,  but they did establish some sort of pride to what has been a sorry season.The Quakes, through the boot of Chris Wondolowski, earned a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Wondolowski, a local product from Chico State University, recorded his 13th goal of the season in the eighth minute. Goalkeeper David Bingham, making his first-ever Major League Soccer start, hoofed a long pass to Wondolowski, who took down the service with an excellent first touch and finished past New England netminder Bobby Shuttleworth. In the 55th minute, Benny Feilhaber recorded his fourth goal of the season off chaos in the Revs’ attacking third. A free kick from Chris Tierney found Ryan Guy, forcing Bingham to make a save. Milton Caraglio’s rebound hit the crossbar but eventually found Feilhaber. San Jose would secure the game-winner eight minutes from stoppage time. Simon Dawkins and Sam Cronin teamed up to deliver a cross to Wondolowski for his 14th goal of the season, which ties him for the league lead with Thierry Henry of the New York ...

2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 30

In this week's Major League Soccer Power Rankings, the push for the playoffs continues. In spite of stumbling against the New York Red Bulls, the Los Angeles Galaxy secure the Supporters' Shield. They aren't the top team this week, though.The Seattle Sounders made it three straight U.S. Open Cups with their win over the Chicago Fire, but they aren't the ones on top, either.Let's take a look at this week's power rankings and see who is at the head of the pack this week.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA: The Push for the Playoffs Continues

With the Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield staying in the Los Angeles Galaxy front office for another year, Bruce Arena's men can think about starting some fringe players for next Sunday's Honda SuperClasico match against Chivas USA. The Galaxy clinched the Shield thanks to the Philadelphia Union's 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night at CenturyLink Field. However, a SuperClasico is a SuperClasico, regardless of the record between the Galaxy and Chivas. Currently, the Galaxy, who are also MLS Western Conference regular season champions, have a 18-4-10 record (64 points). As for Chivas, who are coming off a 1-1 draw at home to the Union, they currently sport a 8-12-12 record (36 points) and were eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs with LA's 2-0 away defeat to the New York Red Bulls. But the main reason why this will be a game to watch this weekend is the play of Juan Pablo Angel. A former swing-man for the Galaxy, Angel rediscovered his scoring touch at Chivas and has recorded seven goals this season. However, Angel is not the top scorer on the team. That honor jointly belongs to Nick LaBrocca and Justin Braun, who each have eight goals ...

USA vs. Honduras: Team USA Must Develop Young Leadership

There might be nothing better for the United States men's national soccer team than having to play without some of their key leaders, especially Landon Donovan.This is an extremely vital time for the team, so every little lesson they can squeeze out of the time they play together is valuable.Be it in practice, a friendly or in an actual competition, there is no doubt that the United States men's team has the potential to be very good.They have a new coach in former German national team player Juergen Klinsmann and a very young and talented core.They also have a few wily old veterans that seem to hold everything together, Donovan being one of them.In fact, holding the team together is quite an understatement when describing Donovan's importance to the team.He is the heartbeat of this squad.Landon Donovan has been the centerpiece and leader of United States men's soccer for a long time now, and for good reason.He's arguably one of the better players in the world, and there is no doubt that he is one of the most composed.If there's ever a big moment that needs stepping up to, Donovan is the guy that will be there for the U.S. If there was ...