Chicago Fire Draws Tie with Houston Dynamo in MLS Action

The Chicago Fire played the Houston Dynamo Sunday night in a match that was called in the 66th due to inclement weather of heavy rains and lightning. The competitive match ended up in a1-1 draw. Not bad considering the Fire played against the reigning MLS Eastern Conference champions. When you also add on a 70-minute weather delay early in the match, any team would have completely packed it in. Not the Fire. After Chicago 'keeper Sean Johnson was unable to stop a goal by Dynamo forward Will Bruin in the 24th minute, Fire midfielder Logan Pause quickly responded with a goal of his own three minutes later. Pause's deflection carried over Houston goalkeeper Tally Hall to even the Fire. Plenty to discuss after the game, including a ton of optimism coming from the coaches and players. Fire assistant coach Leo Percovich praised the “aggression” of the team, while going on to say that he felt that the Fire would have won had play continued. From Chicago-Fire.com: We had good chances tonight, we have a lot of mobility.  The team tried to play great soccer for the first half, I guess the wind… their goalkeeper made ...

Major League Soccer Power Rankings: Kansas City Stays Perfect

Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake were both looking to establish their supremacy. They wanted to show Major League Soccer who was the team to beat. And Kansas City came out on top and stayed perfect. Sporting Kansas City has the whole package while the rest of the Eastern Conference is lagging far behind. Sporting's closest competitor, New York, has a defense with as many holes as an industrial colander.Out West, Real stays on top, but San Jose keeps creeping closer and closer to jumping into the top two spots. 1. Sporting Kansas City (6-0-0, 18 pts.) - Sporting showed the league they are for real with a solid win over RSL. But the real test awaits when the team travels to Vancouver this Wednesday. A short week and a lot of travel could finally ruin KC's unbeaten run. Still, Sporting, even if they lose Wednesday, is the best team in the league right now.2. Real Salt Lake (5-2-0, 15 pts.) - Real Salt Lake might not have deserved to lose in Kansas City, but they aren't and won't be the only team this season to lose in Livestrong Park. The Royals have one of the deepest and most experienced teams in MLS, this loss ...

Sporting Kansas City Defeats Real Salt Lake 1-0, Moves to 6-0-0 in 2012

Defender Aurelien Collin scored the only goal of the game and Jimmy Nielsen posted his third consecutive shutout as Sporting Kansas City defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0 last night. It was Sporting KC's third consecutive 1-0 victory.The standing-room-only crowd of 19,422 at Livestrong Sporting Park also witnessed the 200th win in franchise history. The all-time record now stands at 200-199-100. This makes Sporting KC the fifth team in MLS with 200 wins, joining the LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas and DC United.Sporting KC's league-record streak of not allowing a shot on goal ended after a span of 335 minutes. The last shot on goal allowed was Ricardo Villar's 25th-minute goal for FC Dallas on March 25th.To put this streak into perspective, prior to this season, there were only three games in franchise history where Sporting KC had held a team without a shot on goal.Sporting KC's shutout streak remains alive, also at 335 minutes.Real Salt Lake had a streak of their own snapped. Collin's goal ended a shutout streak of 267 minutes. The loss drops RSL to 5-2-0 on the season.The first chance for Sporting KC came in the eighth minute, when defender Seth Sinovic played a long ball ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers: Rating David Beckham’s Performance

The Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham had a solid outing against the Portland Timbers on Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Well, let's be honest here, folks, it was the Portland Timbers after all. They aren't Real Salt Lake, and sure as heck aren't Sporting Kansas City. (By the way, aren't they still unbeaten?) But any time you get back on the winning trail and you are a part of a team's success, it's a great feeling that adds fresh wind to your sails. The set pieces from Beckham weren't exactly the best free kicks I have seen from him, although there was one chance in the second half that nearly found David Junior Lopes, who is my man of the match for making a splash in his debut. However, the real reason why I gave Beckham a high rating is that he did what is paid millions of dollars in sponsorships and ticket sales and merchandise sales and all other types of Galaxy-related sales to do, and that is...to score with authority. And this goal, which didn't change the outcome of the match, is completely on Portland and John Spencer's tactical decision-making. There's no one in a green ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers: Rating the Galaxy Players

Where has this been, everybody? It's a victory for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, who left it late and ran it up on the Portland Timbers 3-1 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. A solid victory means good player ratings. So, here they are.  Josh Saunders 7 Only had to make two saves all contest, but he made them count when it mattered most, and he also made his routine collections. The goal suffered by Chicken Thief Kris Boyd was unfortunate, as replays show he was possibly offsides. Saunders nearly gave up two more goals to Portland, but aside from that, it was smooth sailing.  Sean Franklin 7.5 This was the first time in a while that I actually saw Sean Franklin test Troy Perkins with a couple of strikes. You can see from the look in his face that he, like the rest of the team, were simply sick and tired of their lack of form. Sometimes that can cause you to play up to the level you are capable of, and Franklin's mojo returned with a vengeance. This was a nice effort defensively from Franklin, and it could have been even better.  David Junior Lopes 8.5 ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers: 6 Things We Learned from L.A.’s 3-1 Win

Well, would you believe this: Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy still have a pulse.As in, they still know how to win games. In all honesty, this was a pillow fight between the G's and John Spencer's Portland Timbers, but after going down a goal early, Los Angeles left it late and won by an unsurprising scoreline: 3-1.Hasn't that scoreline been like an old friend? And with every outcome, there are lessons to be learned and conclusions to be written.With that said, here are six things we learned from Saturday's contest between the Galaxy and Timbers at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.Begin Slideshow

Sporting Kansas City vs. Real Salt Lake Is a Matchup of Conference Leaders

On one side, you have the visitors from Utah, Real Salt Lake. Led by manager Jason Kreis, RSL is in first place in the Western Conference with 15 points (of a possible 18).On the other, you have the hosts, Sporting Kansas City. Under the direction of manager Peter Vermes, Sporting KC is in first place in the Eastern Conference with 15 points (of a possible 15).On paper, this looks like it could be an early-season preview of MLS Cup, right?Not according to Vermes, it isn't. When he was asked at the weekly press conference if today's match was a preview of MLS Cup, he told us, "It's just the next game on the schedule."That answer fits in with the way Vermes says the team tries to deal with the season: in 45-minute increments.It seems to be working. Not only has Sporting KC not lost a match this season, they've not lost a half, either. The only game they fell behind in (at home against FC Dallas), the equalizer was struck in first-half stoppage time and the game-winner was put in two minutes from full time.To say Sporting KC's defense has been playing well this season would be an understatement. Team ...

MLS Weekend Preview: First vs. First, Second vs. Second

Top and bottom teams collide this weekend in Major League Soccer play. Both ends of the table have early-season six-pointers on tap, with the top two teams in the league clashing, as well as the third- and fourth-placed teams.On the other end of the standings, teams that really shouldn't be there (Los Angeles and Portland, to name two) have an opportunity to climb off the foot of the rankings at the expense of the other.The lack of national television coverage this weekend will not help the league's image, with only one game beamed across the nation. But this is shaping up to be the most important and exciting weekend of the young season, so find a local affiliate televising a local club, or subscribe to MLS Live to get the full experience.With games such as these kicking off, fans won't want to miss it.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers Live Blog: Play-by-Analysis, Reaction

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy continue their 2012 Major League Soccer campaign when they host John Spencer's Portland Timbers at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.The Galaxy are 1-3 (three points) and are in the cellar of the Western Conference.A victory on Saturday at Victoria Street will work wonders for their chances at rediscovering their form from last year.However, Portland are also struggling to get results, and a win for the Timbers will be just what the fans in Oregon need.Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET. A live blog of this contest will begin at approximately 5:45 p.m. PT/8:45 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

This Is the Los Angeles Galaxy: David Junior Lopes

This is Part 15 in a series of players who will play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2012. A primary reason for the Los Angeles Galaxy's lack of winning form comes from the fact that their defense is not exactly one of the best in all of Major League Soccer. So how do you try to fix this ongoing issue? It's simple. Just bring in another central defender like David Junior Lopes, formerly of Chivas USA, to plug the hole left by Omar Gonzalez's injury. A Brazilian with years of experience, Lopes joins fellow countrymen Juninho and Marcelo Sarvas Fazzio as members of the Galaxy for the 2012 season. David Junior Lopes was born on July 19, 1982, in Maringa, a city located in the state of Parana, Brazil. Maringa is home to two local teams, Grêmio Maringá and Alvorada Clube. After beginning his career as a youth player for Adap Galo Maringa FC, Lopes broke through the ranks of Clube Atletico Paranaense and made his debut for the team in 2002. His skills playing for the Hurricane were noticed by FC Porto, who assigned him to the reserve side for the 2003-04 season. Lopes was unable to make ...