New York Red Bulls: Player Ratings Against Montreal

The Red Bulls put in a strong offensive display Saturday afternoon to beat the MLS's newest team 5-2 at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls were perhaps fortunate to enter the locker room at halftime even at 2-2, but they really stepped up in the second half, scoring three goals including a wonderfully worked goal finished off by Medhi Ballouchy in the the 72nd minute.Thierry Henry notched his first MLS hat trick, leaving a helpless Montreal searching for answers as they continue their search for their first MLS victory. Player RatingsGK Ryan MearaCould have done better on Montreal's two goals and almost allowed a third goal after spilling a first half cross. Wasn't called on much in the second half, but did have a strong save to deny Justin Mapp a second goal.Player Rating: 5 RB Jan Gunnar SolliDid well setting up Medhi Ballouchy's 72nd minute goal and found Ballouchy minutes later on a ball headed just wide. Defended well, but he will take a fair amount of blame for Justin Mapp's 38th minute goal, allowing the midfielder to switch onto his favored left foot. Player Rating: 6 CB Markus HolgerssonWill take blame for both goals, particularly the first where he failed to clear ...

Ranking the Top 10 Premier League Imports to MLS on Performance

Since it's inception, Major League Soccer has been dependent on big names from across the pond for an infusion of much needed talent and publicity. Premier League players make for logical targets for MLS teams willing to spend the cash. A handful of former English club stars who came to the States to play in the American competition have made a mark. The list isn't long, however.There are many more players going from MLS to the Premier League than the other way around. Even allowing for players who had a stop in-between their Prem careers and their MLS signings (see the bloke above) and those who started in MLS, played in the Premier League and then returned, the number is relatively small. But let's see how deep we can go, shall we? Here are the top ten Premier League imports to MLS ranked by their performance in the States (including players who didn't arrive directly from England).  Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution Live Blog: Play-by-Play Analysis, Reaction

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy continue their 2012 Major League Soccer season on Saturday, March 31st against Jay Heaps' New England Revolution at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET and will be televised by NBC Sports. A live blog of the match will begin at 6:15 p.m. PT/9:15 p.m. ET.Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2012 MLS season and all things world football.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Los Angeles Galaxy: Ins and Outs, March 29, 2012

Are two Supporters' Shields better than one? A huge, million-dollar question was brought up by Los Angeles Galaxy manager Bruce Arena earlier this week: should the MLS Western Conference regular season champion win two Supporters' Shields?One would be for finishing first in the West, the other for finishing first in the league, since the West is presumably superior to its Eastern counterparts. “[The Shield] does carry the same meaning because they give it,” Arena recently told MLSsoccer.com's Luis Bueno. “Why they did not understand that it skews the competition, I don’t quite get it, is odd to me. "I think if you are going to have an unbalanced schedule, what you should have is a regular-season champion in both leagues. It doesn’t make sense doing it the way we’re doing it.” In the unbalanced schedule, Western Conference teams will have to play against their Eastern rivals once per year, while they face other Western Conference opponents three times per year. In the end, only one will be awarded. But for Los Angeles, their road to the Shield will get a little bit harder. “You still want to be on top at the end of the year, regardless,” Arena said. “Having the competition ...

CONCACAF Champions League Semis: Santos Sees Red, Toronto FC Earns Draw

Toronto FC stepped onto the pitch as Major League Soccer’s last team remaining in the semi-final round of the CONCACAF Champions League, the tournament for clubs from North and Central America and the Caribbean.  They earned that right by upsetting the defending MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy 4-3 on aggregate.They are proudly the first team from Canada to progress this far into the tournament, and they were greeted by nearly 19,000 screaming fans, most of whom wore the team’s colors—the stands were a sea of red.  The weather was perfectly fitted for the home team, as the rain and winds were not something the opponents from Mexico were used to.They would leave the pitch with a man advantage, as Santos Laguna’s Oscar Mares received a red card in the 77th for a studs-up, two-footed challenge after his touch while attacking let him down.  Yet with all this, the team limped into the match and had to fight for a draw at home against a very strong Santos Laguna squad.    After the two thrilling performances against the Galaxy, the team went on to drop their league and home openers to Seattle and San Jose, giving up three goals in each ...

David Beckham: Is He Really Worth His Salary at LA Galaxy?

According the Major League Soccer Players' Union, the Los Angeles Galaxy paid David Beckham $6.5 million last year in guaranteed compensation, making Beckham the highest paid player in the league.Is the former Manchester United midfielder still worth the hefty price tag that brought him to Major League Soccer as the original Designated Player? Right now, yes. David Beckham is worth every penny to the defending MLS Cup and Supporter's Shield winners. Beckham enjoyed his best season in MLS last year. He was able to stay healthy and contributed more than the goalscoring stats show—two goals in 26 appearances. Beckham provided 15 assists for the Galaxy, a team that was light on stand-out out-and-out strikers for much of the season (Robbie Keane joined the team in August and I'm excluding Landon Donovan from the "out-and-out striker" role because he operated on the wing).In four MLS Cup matches, Beckham provided four assists for the eventual champions, making him the major supplier for the team's goalscorers. In fact, Beckham had a decisive touch in the Galaxy's game-winning goal against the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup Final.Beckham made the first touch on the goal, flicking on to Robbie Keane with his head. Keane then laid the ball off ...

MLS Weekend Preview: 10 Players to Watch and Why

There were many great individual performances in Major League Soccer last weekend.Chris Wondolowski scored a brace for the San Jose Earthquakes over Toronto FC.Kenny Cooper and Thierry Henry did the same for New York Red Bulls, each scoring two goals in a 4-1 thumping of Colorado. But this weekend, there is a new crop of players to watch out for, including those U.S. national team players returning from Olympic qualifying.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: 10 Bold Predictions

After a two-week layoff, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy return to action on Saturday, March 31 when they take on Jay Heaps's New England Revolution at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET and will be televised by NBC Sports.So, just how will this match turn out? These 10 Bold Predictions from yours truly may shed a little light into the proceedings on Saturday.Begin Slideshow

US National Team Players in MLS: Reviewing the Americans’ Performances

Major League Soccer and the USMNT are tied together like bacon and scallops. The MLS bacon imbues the USMNT scallop with a certain smokey flavor. Or, it did. The amount of MLS bacon has dwindled in recent years, to the point that the direct impact of the league on the USMNT is at an all-time low. There are still a handful of MLS players in the USMNT mix. Those who can make Klinsmann's cut are generally the league's biggest stars. This past weekend in MLS, the number of USMNT players playing was limited by schedule quirks and U-23 Olympic qualifying. Those Americans playing in America's top league—as more and more of their countrymen go abroad for brighter lights and bigger paychecks—who manage to get called-up are most often in positions of greatest National Team need. See: Cameron, Geoff. Quick show of hands: How many of you know which Major League Soccer players are regulars in Jurgen Klinsmann's US National Team? Those with your hands raised...name them. Quickly!If you said "Landon Donovan", I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Only technically, of course, since Donovan hasn't yet suited up for Jurgen Klinsmann, but certainly will as soon as he is able. After Donovan, it gets a little ...

Struggling Reds to Battle Mexican Power Santos in CONCACAF Semifinal Play

Toronto FC will host a very tough Mexican side, Santos Laguna, at BMO Field tonight in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Semi-Finals.  Toronto drew Santos after a great victory against MLS Champions LA Galaxy just a few weeks ago.  Santos demolished Seattle in their quarterfinal, winning 7-2 on aggregate. Coming off of a high from two well-played fixtures against LA, Toronto FC has come crashing down in league play, losing both their league and home openers to Seattle and San Jose with disappointing play. Not only is Toronto playing terrible football, but they are also suffering with injuries to captain and star player Torsten Frings and goalkeeper Stefan Frei.  Toronto's defense has been terrible in their two league fixtures, giving up three goals in both of their MLS games.  As if their defensive problems were not enough, Santos is a high-scoring side.  Hopefully the crowd at BMO can be the difference in this match; however, Toronto should be considered huge underdogs in this CONCACAF match. Toronto should aim not to concede in this match; if they can squeeze out a 0-0 draw or 1-0 victory, this would be a great step towards the second leg. The second leg in Mexico is going to undoubtedly be extremely ...