2012 MLS Power Rankings: Week 1

Ladies and gentlemen, readers on Bleacher Report: Week 1 of the 2012 Major League Soccer season is in the books. We've had numerous player transactions and preseason matches since the preseason power rankings, and as promised, they will be reflected in this week's power rankings.Real Salt Lake rise to the top as the No. 1 team on this list, while the brand-new Montreal Impact remain at the bottom.Let's take a look at this week's MLS power rankings.Begin Slideshow

MLS Opening Weekend Review: Game-by-Game Analysis

After a long three-month offseason, Major League Soccer returned to action this weekend. The opening round featured a nice slate of games ranging from battles of recent champions (Real Salt Lake v. LA Galaxy) to games between recent expansion teams (Vancouver v. Montreal). Here are the highlights from the seven weekend Major League Soccer matches.Begin Slideshow

Toronto FC vs. LA Galaxy Drew Capacity Crowd at Toronto Rogers Centre

The CONCACAF quarterfinals began last Wednesday when LA Galaxy clashed with Toronto FC at the Rogers Centre.I was lucky enough to be at attendance for this star-studded game.  Despite being played on artificial turf and being indoors, this game had everything a fan from either team could have hoped for. It was announced that over 47, 000 people were at attendance for this match.  The stadium was jumping, enthusiastic and ready for greatness.  Toronto, the underdogs of the match despite being at home, sent the home fans into a frenzy early with an early strike off a corner kick.  A fortunate bounce ended with the ball on Ryan Johnson's foot, which he quickly sent in behind the keeper to give Toronto an early lead in the 12' of play.  The crowd erupted and the sound was deafening.Just five minutes later, the fans exploded again.  A rookie midfielder landed his head on a Torsten Frings cross just inside the top of the 18-yard box.  He placed his header beautifully just inside the goalpost to put Toronto up by two early.  This goal was absolutely beautiful, if you haven't already seen it you must watch it.  Toronto was up two early and in control of the match. However, a goaltending error changed the course ...

MLS Wrap-Up: 10 Things We Learned from Regular Season Week 1

Week 1 of the 2012 MLS season is (mostly) in the books. While not exactly chock full of surprises, the first slate of games gave us a tangible set of results to judge how the first part of the season might go.Despite the hype and anticipation ahead of First Kick, it takes awhile for MLS clubs to fully get into the swing of things. New players in new systems rarely head into the campaign flying. Teams moving into the season without massive changes from 2011 should have an advantage, but still have to find their feet. That means the soccer we saw was a far cry from the best the league will offer this year (hopefully).But uneven play can still produce moments of excitement. There were a few of those.Some of what we thought we knew before games kicked off is still true, while some suddenly deserve a reassessment. So what did we learn?Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Toronto FC: 10 Bold Predictions

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy will be coming into the second leg of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League against Toronto FC gasping for air. After a 3-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake to open the Major League Soccer season, the G's are left searching for answers. Bleacher Report will provide some of those...in the form of 10 bold predictions. 1. The match will end in a draw I have consigned myself to a reality as cold and hard as the frozen North: nine times out of 10 a match between Toronto FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy will end in a draw. But just exactly what draw that will be...well, you will have to read on to find out. 2. A scoreless first half That's right, both teams are going to struggle in the first half. Mostly the Galaxy, as seen in their lack of finishing tough and their inaccuracy. This is where Toronto will have to make the Galaxy pay for their lack of finishing touch. 3. Toronto will score first This should not be a surprise. I predict that Luis Silva will have a bit of a happy homecoming by scoring the first goal of the match if ...

New York Red Bulls Lose Season Opener, Are a Work in Progress

The New York Red Bulls have spent a lot of money on their current roster, pushing as close to the salary cap as possible. The team has two designated players and 12 players who have made appearances for their respective senior national teams. With the amount of talent on the team and the money invested on it, it seems surprising that they are a work in progress. But after New York’s 1-0 loss to FC Dallas on Sunday, improvement is a necessity. There were so many things that the Red Bulls did in the first game of the season that showed the team was not ready for the match or prepared for its opponent.The first and most obvious issue the team had was defending. Things were always going to be interesting without Tim Ream (transfer to England), without Rafa Marquez (suspended) and with a new rookie goalkeeper starting. While Ryan Meara showed some moments of fearlessness and made a couple of nice saves, the defending in front of him was sub-par. Communication was lacking, allowing guys to roam free. They were pulled too far up and ...

LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake : Rating David Beckham’s Performance

It would be easy for me to say that David Beckham had a terrible game on Saturday night against Real Salt Lake only because the offense couldn't finish and the defense could stop Real Salt Lake from leaving it late. Indeed, the set piece slot machine, which I refer Beckham's series of set piece chances per match as, did not pay very well, and it reflected in the tenacious defense the RSL backline exhibited at the Home Depot Center en route to a 3-1 victory for the visitors. But there is a silver lining to this: He did get his first assist of the season, in the 71st minute on a great ball to Edson Buddle, who headed it home. This shows that the man has not lost his touch, and if the slot machine decides to pay the man, out goes the money. When asked of manager Bruce Arena taking responsibility for the humiliating display of football, Beckham disagreed. “It’s not down to the coach once the players are on the field," Beckham told reporters. "He picked the team that he feels is a strong team and is ready to play and then it’s down to the players. It’s ...

LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: Rating the Galaxy Players

Perhaps the Long Beach State women's basketball team should be blamed for this effort from the Los Angeles Galaxy. After the 49ers lost the Big West Conference Tournament Final to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, I knew that a lot of people at the Home Depot Center would leave the stadium with long looks on their faces and questions to answer. With that said, I have an important announcement to make. Attention, members of the Los Angeles Galaxy first team. You are in the 2012 Major League Soccer season. After a solid 2011 campaign without a single loss at home, I am stripping you of your status as the "only club that matters in MLS" and designating you as a club on par with the other 18 teams in the league. Dismissed. But before I dismiss all of you...here are the player ratings.  Josh Saunders 6.5To be fair, Saunders worked his tail off in stopping shots for a majority of the match. However, he simply could not stop enough of them. This score is a testament to a subpar defense that never really got it together late in the Second half.   Sean Franklin 2It's amazing how one poor clearance can ...

LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake: 6 Things We Learned

This isn't a shock score by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a crystal-clear example of how tough the MLS Western Conference is in 2012. Real Salt Lake begin the year in impressive fashion, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Here are six things we learned: 1. Bruce Arena took a gamble...and lost The hope for Galaxy manager Bruce Arena was that he would be able to see from his first team a similar effort from last Wednesday against Toronto FC. I predicted that he would rest the starters on Saturday, but it looks like I was wrong on that. And Arena paid the price by seeing them burn out late.  2. The Galaxy are their own worst enemy The fans at Victoria Street found out that their own team can be their own worst enemy. Case in point: the own goal by Sean Franklin that triggered the comeback for Real Salt Lake. A poor 73rd minute clearance attempt by Franklin resulted in a howler that would effectively turn the tables on the home side.  3. Welcome back, Edson I think it's safe to say that as long as Edson ...

New York Red Bulls: Who Will Lead the Team in Goals in 2012?

After another early exit in the playoffs, the New York Red Bulls underwent sweeping changes to their roster. The defense is a mystery. Will the endless revolving door at goalie ever be settled? With Rafa Marquez moving to the midfield and Tim Ream moving to England, who will step up in the center of the defense? But something the Red Bulls did in abundance last year—although not always opportunistically—was score goals. The team was tied for second in the league in goals scored (50) with Sporting Kansas City and behind only the Seattle Sounders (56). The team’s biggest acquisition in the offseason was another forward. It now has four forwards that would start on any club. The depth is necessary, though, due to the constant questionable status of the players’ availabilities. The logjam on offense combined with the uncertainty of who will actually be around to play makes for one good question the Red Bulls should be excited to answer: who will score the most goals on the team in 2012? Right away, with so much depth up top, it’s fair to say that forwards Corey ...