MLS: Top 10 Teenagers in the League Today

There is no doubting that the MLS has become somewhat of a feeder league the last couple of years. With domestically-developed stars such as Jozy Altidore, Stuart Holden and Tim Ream all making the switch across the pond, it is evident that the league boasts more talented youngsters than ever before.With so many good young players, it is tough to select the ten best teenagers in the American league. Nevertheless, I have picked those who are worthy of your attention prior to them officially establishing themselves in MLS.Enjoy!Begin Slideshow

MLS Weekend Preview: 5 Games to Watch and Why

Because no matches are being played on Easter Sunday, the fifth week of Major League Soccer begins midweek. But that doesn't mean there will be fewer matches, as nine games will be played from Wednesday through Thursday.Even though there has been many headlines that allowed us to whet our appetites for MLS soccer, the slight change of schedule made sure we could concentrate on what's coming up.Like I said, there are nine games to watch this week. Will all of them be great? Of course not, they rarely are.So here are the five matches I believe you should watch, and why they will be the talk of fans around the Easter Sunday dinner table. Begin Slideshow

Top 10 Best Signings in MLS History

Though a comparatively young league, Major League Soccer has experienced its fair share of boom and bust signings.Every season, teams roll the dice on big-money pickups (ahem, L.A. Galaxy and New York Red Bulls), while others shop for bargains.Yet since the league's inaugural season in 1996, a few signings have truly been great for their respective teams.Here's a list of some of the best. Apologies if your favorite didn't make the list, but keep in mind I tried to quantify "best signings" as cost versus league value.In other words, Becks and Henry won't be found here (Becks was a lot of money for one title and the jury is still out on the prolific Henry).Begin Slideshow

Impact vs. Red Bulls: Thierry Henry Torches Impact

The Montreal Impact’s visit to Red Bull Arena was a tale of two halves.The Impact controlled the pace of the match for much of the first half. They dominated play in the midfield and looked to be well on their way to their first MLS win.The Impact opened the scoring when Sanna Nyassi took advantage of a Markus Holgersson mishap in the box. The Red Bulls quickly replied, however, when Thierry Henry put away a Rafael Marquez cross with a header just 10 minutes later.The Impact were able to regain the lead with a long range shot from Justin Mapp, but quickly gave it back on a penalty after Matteo Ferrari took down Dax McCarty in the box.If not for two small defensive lapses, the Impact would have had a commanding two-goal lead heading into the second half. Unfortunately for the Impact, Henry simply seemed fed up with trading goals and decided to take the game over after the break.The French superstar showed world-class patience controlling the ball at the top of the box before blasting a shot by Donovan Ricketts in the 56th minute. Henry then assisted on a Mehdi Ballouchy goal in the 72nd with a brilliant back heel, ...

Major League Soccer Power Rankings Week 4: Galaxy Lose Big to Revs

Sporting Kansas City continues to truck along while the New York Red Bulls finally live up to expectations and the Los Angeles Galaxy continue to fall apart. 1. Sporting Kansas City (4-0-0, 12 pts.) Kansas City beat a Chivas team coming off the high of winning at Real Salt Lake to keep its perfect record.2. San Jose Earthquakes (3-1-0, 9 pts.) Winning in Seattle isn't easy, but San Jose did it with a Chris Wondolowski penalty and stalwart defense. 3. Vancouver Whitecaps (2-0-2, 8 pts.) Another draw for the Whitecaps and another goalless game for a team full of attacking potential. But Martin Rennie will be happy to show off his team's impenetrable defense. Goals will come, and when they do, look out because the Whitecaps will be untouchable if they keep playing this kind of defense.4. Real Salt Lake (3-1-0, 9 pts.) Coming off a tough loss to Chivas at home, what does RSL do? It makes an impossible looking comeback in Portland to steal three points from the Timbers. Things look normal again.5. Colorado Rapids (3-1-0, 9 pts.) The Rapids keep plodding along. Another good win this week with a 2-0 win at home over Chicago,6. Seattle Sounders (2-1-0, 6 pts.) San ...

2012 MLS Power Rankings: Week 4

This week, the East strikes back in the 2012 MLS Power Rankings, with Sporting Kansas City checking in at the very top.Tumbling down the rankings are the Los Angeles Galaxy, who slide outside the top 10 after an embarrassing defeat to the New England Revolution. Meanwhile, the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC switch places at the cellar.Movers, shakers and more. We have it all in this week's MLS Power Rankings. Let's take a look.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Rating David Beckham’s Performance

"But David, we wonder We wonder if the thunder Is ever really gonna begin.You want the day to come sooner When you've settled the score..."—Steven Patrick Morrissey, "The National Front Disco" It is very hard for me to give David Beckham's player rating a three out of 10, but that is what I intend to do in this piece. I will give the New England Revolution credit for this: they are the first team this year to completely neutralize David Beckham's set piece ability. They took the game away from him, and he was unable to take it back, and with it, any hopes of the Los Angeles Galaxy defeating the Revs in their only meeting this season. From what I saw, Beckham only had one legit set piece opportunity, and that happened late in the first half. The Revolution players are a crafty bunch in that they hid the slot machine somewhere in Kansas City so that they would not get affected by the damage Beckham could have generated. But he is not just getting a rating of a three for poor play. Two other factors came into this. First, Beckham was subbed out with Marcelo Sarvas at halftime for Michael Stephens ...

L.A. Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Rating the Galaxy Players After 3-1 Loss

Dismal displays are just that: dismal. You cannot explain the inability to utlize talent and translate that into results. If you tried to, you might as well win a Nobel Peace Prize. No, wait, make that Ig Nobel Peace Prize. That's the word. But back to the point this columnist is making: It was a sorry Saturday night for the Los Angeles Galaxy, who paid the price for not having a healthy Landon Donovan to spearhead their hopes. They were routed 3-1 by the New England Revolution, and that means there will not be any high ratings for the players. As I will continue to reiterate to you wonderful readers on The View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report, the players earn their ratings; I simply record them. Here they are.  Josh Saunders, 3 Ouch. It's bad enough not to have a backline that can at least run with a middle-of-the-road Eastern Conference Team like the New England Revolution, but when you can't make enough saves, it adds salt to the wound. Saunders was left hung out to dry and really did not acquit himself at all against a Revolution attack that is resurging in terms of relevance. Memo to ...

LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: 6 Things We Learned

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy have been making a very disturbing habit of inconsistency. Lose 3-1, win 3-1, and so on. Saturday at the Home Depot Center, the Galaxy raised the bar in terms of offensive and defensive futility, unraveling early and often in a 3-1 blowout defeat to Jay Heaps' New England Revolution. Just what went wrong on Saturday for LA, and what went right for the Revs? Here are six things we learned from in Week 4 of the 2012 Major League Soccer season. 1. No Landon = No Victory This should be a rule. In fact, starting on the first of April, let's make that a rule: If you don't have Landon Donovan to help you, you are guaranteed a defeat. Sure, the Galaxy had David Beckham, Edson Buddle, Robbie Keane and Marcelo Sarvas, but in the end, the true captain of the Galaxy is what holds the team together. Out nursing a quad injury, Donovan's absence had a profound impact on the match. There was no decision making, the defensive presence was absent, and New England was able to effectively utilize the counterattack in their victory. Get well soon, Landon, or else April will be a ...