MLS First XI: Most Effective Strikers in the League Right Now

Welcome to the first edition of MLS First XI!In the next couple of weeks I will be making lists of the top 11 players at each general position in the American league.We start off with the men that make and break their careers off of pressure situations: strikers.This is a list of the 11 most effective strikers in MLS, and the rankings are based on who is the most productive on the attack, not who is necessarily the most talented.History, recent form and style were all taken into account during the production of this list. Which 11 players can their team count on to get the job done in crunch time? Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, March 27, 2012

Back in business for LA This week, it was back to work for the Los Angeles Galaxy, who were prepping for Saturday's contest with the New England Revolution (8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET, NBC Sports). Along the way, the team has been able to gel and develop some chemistry. “We never kind of caught a rhythm because of fatigue and all that kind of stuff,” manager Bruce Arena told LAGalaxy.com's Larry Morgan. For the Galaxy, it has been a long, grueling start to the year and for Arena, the team just had to get on with it. “No excuses,” Arena said. “It’s a little bit better now to have this where we get a little bit of training in and get to know each other a little better. “We needed a little bit of rest.” With Michael Stephens returning to the club after a dismal Olympics qualifying run, three players are missing from the roster: Omar Gonzalez, who is expected to miss most of the season after undergoing knee surgery in January, fellow center back Leonardo, who is coming back from major knee surgery of his own last April, and goalkeeper Brian Perk, sidelined 4-6 weeks after sports hernia surgery. “We ...

MLS Weekend Review: 10 Things We Learned

Week 3 of the 2012 MLS season proved nothing (it's only Week 3), while simultaneously reestablishing what we already knew (but might have forgotten).Parity isn't going anywhere; the best MLS teams can still be beaten by the worst. Thierry Henry is really good at putting the ball in the back of the net. Toronto desperately needs their star defensive mid. Cross-country travel is still a pain in the...well, you know.But wait, there's more. Things in Philadelphia are getting to the desperation stage awfully early, while Chicago is showing signs of life. Sporting Kansas City will run at you really, really fast and dare you to keep up with them.Clubs missing players due to injury or Olympic qualifying call-ups typically aren't deep enough to fill those holes and get by. For a further review of all of those things we learned (but will probably forget by next weekend), let's dive in to the 10 most striking things we learned from MLS Week 3.  Begin Slideshow

Major League Soccer Power Rankings Week 3: Sporting Kansas City Stays Strong

Real Salt Lake fell hard at home this week, which is something that isn't often said. Sporting Kansas City jumps up one spot after another impressive win. And five teams got their first win of the season. 1. Sporting Kansas City (3-0-0, 9 pts.) A late goal from Kei Kamara sealed a 2-1 win over FC Dallas over the weekend for Kansas City. Sporting's attacking weapons and versatility make this team one to watch every week.2. Seattle Sounders (2-0-0, 6 pts.) It looks like David Estrada will score plenty of goals this season for the Sounders, he scored the opener against Houston over the weekend.Opponents now have another thing to worry about when playing Seattle outside of Fredy Montero, Brad Evans, Alvaro Fernandez and Mauro Rosales.3. Vancouver Whitecaps (2-0-1, 7 pts.) No shots on target isn't usually a good thing for the home team, and last season the Whitecaps would have lost if that was the case, but this year the team showed some nerve when struggling to create against D.C. United and got a point despite playing sub-par.4. San Jose Earthquakes (2-1-0, 6 pts.) Where Chris Wondolowski goes so do the Quakes. And Wondo is on fire to start the season. An impressive, 3-0, ...

Picking an Over-30 Veterans XI from the MLS

With the Major League Soccer season off and running again, let’s take a look at who would make the Best XI of players in the league that are on the wrong side of 30.The Rules—to be selected, a player must currently be playing in Major League Soccer and have played at least one full season.Begin Slideshow

New York Red Bulls Win Home Opener over the Colorado Rapids

New York, NY- After losing the first two matches of the 2012 Major League Soccer season, the New York Red Bulls finally showed their horns as they stampeded the Colorado Rapids 4-1 in their home opener at Red Bull Arena.Leading the way for the Red Bulls was team captain Thierry Henry and former Portland Timbers forward Kenny Cooper who combined to produce all four goals. With each scoring two goals, the 21,024 fans in attendance for at least one match had reason to visualize the potential success of their club.In a tribute to Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who is recovering from a cardiac arrest suffered on March 17, 2012 in FA Cup competition against Tottenham Hotspur, the Red Bulls wore a t-shirt which read Get Well Soon Muamba. Anyone in attendance on Sunday could easily recognize the serious and determined attitude the Red Bulls players displayed in their body language.After losing back-to-back road matches to FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake by a combined score of 4-1, the Red Bulls needed every inch of home-field advantage in order to secure a win over the Colorado Rapids. Along with the cloudy and cool weather flowing throughout Red Bull Arena, the enthusiasm of ...

MLS: Relating Each Team to a Premier League Parallel

Have you ever thought about the similarities between MLS and Premier League clubs in the modern era? A decade ago it would have been silly to think of parallels between the massively different leagues, but as American soccer has progressed, suddenly its domestic league has started to resemble the EPL more and more.We are even at a level where teams share a number of characteristics despite being located thousands of miles and an ocean away. I began to look into some of these inter-league parallels and realized there are more comparable teams than what you would initially expect.Here is a list of each MLS team and the English Premier League club it most reflects. Note: This is a subjective list and it is obvious that some comparisons are stronger than others. Nevertheless, if you would have different pairings than the ones on the list, feel free to comment with your opinion. Have fun and enjoy!Begin Slideshow

MLS Soccer: Portland, Seattle, Others Key to Rise of Soccer in U.S.

The beautiful game, as it is known throughout the world, has never really found success in the United States. Sure, there have been times when interest has been peaked (around the World Cup especially), but the general trend among most Americans has been a fair disregard of the most popular sport in the world.This trend of dissatisfaction of soccer between Americans, however, is starting to become alleviated with teams such as the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact recently incorporating themselves into the ranks of Major League Soccer (MLS). Not to say that other teams have not had a fair bit of success in America (look at the Los Angeles Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls and the high-profile players they have been able to sign), but the newest additions to the MLS seem to be propelling to heights that may start to dispel the dissatisfaction that Americans have with soccer.The first of these teams that has helped to reverse the trend of American pessimism towards soccer was the Seattle Sounders. Officially joining Major League Soccer in the 2009 season, the Sounders burst onto the scene with record crowds, superstar players and a playoff appearance. Though ...

Toronto FC vs. San Jose: Previewing Toronto’s Home Opener This Saturday

Toronto play host to the San Jose Earthquakes this Saturday at BMO Field.  This will not be Toronto's first home game this year, but their first home MLS competition. Toronto will be without captain and star player Torsten Frings this Saturday as he suffered a hamstring injury against Seattle last week.  Frings will be absent from the squad for about six weeks due to this injury.  Julian de Guzman will wear the captain's band for The Reds in Frings' absence. Toronto will likely field a young and very inexperienced back four again this week.  Frings had been filling in at central defense the past few CONCACAF and league fixtures due to past injuries to Adrian Cann and Dicoy Williams.  With Frings' injury, Toronto's back four will likely read: Richard Eckersley, Ty Harden, Aaron Maund and Ashtone Morgan.  Hopefully, Aron Winter chooses to employ much safer tactics for this match as he has been deploying a very nervous and ineffective high offside trap in the past few fixtures.  Toronto escaped lucky against LA Galaxy. However, a speedy Seattle team forced Toronto to pay for running their chances with the offside trap.  San Jose will come into town with a home win against New England ...