3 Reasons Why Gus Johnson Should Call MLS Games

Gus Johnson is becoming America's sweetheart of an announcer.Sports fans love to hear him on the call for whatever sport it is. Search for Gus Johnson tweets the next time he is calling a game and you will see what I mean.He should be calling MLS games. Unfortunately, he is signed to FOX and MLS has a television deal with ESPN. So while this may not be possible at this time, we can still suspend belief and imagine why Johnson should call the top U.S. league's matches.Here are three simple reasons we would love Johnson to call MLS matches.Begin Slideshow

Breaking Down LA Galaxy’s New 2013 Kit

The Los Angeles Galaxy have won back-to-back MLS Cups, and now they have kits that denote their place atop the American soccer world.In an introduction ceremony for the 2013 roster, the Galaxy introduced a brand new secondary kit that will be worn during the upcoming Major League Soccer season. The Galaxy's Twitter feed sent out a look at the players modeling their new digs at the event on Wednesday night:Though the jersey remains mostly the same at first glance, there are a few noticeable changes in design from last year's model.Most notably, if most Galaxy fans didn't know what a quasar was prior to Wednesday—don't worry, we had to Google it, too—they will become awfully familiar with the new kit. The quasar, which is a luminous galactic nucleus, plays a prominent role in the changes.Showing up most noticeably at the left collarbone, the quasars in that area are meant to signify each of the Galaxy's four MLS Cups. There are three silver ones, for the Cups in 2002, 2005 and 2011, with a gold quasar placed atop the others to congratulate the Galaxy on their triumph last season.In a statement released with the kit's unveiling, Adidas product manager pinpointed all ...

Breaking Down Vancouver Whitecaps’ New 2013 Kit

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC have launched their new kit for the 2013 season, which will be worn this Saturday in the season opener against Toronto.According to a statement released by the club, the kit was launched at an exclusive event for season ticket-holders, and is now available for sale.“Today’s kit reveal continues to build momentum as we lead up to the start of our third season in Major League Soccer on Saturday,” said Jay DeMerit, Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain. “The primary kit and its unique design speaks to the club, the environment within which we play, and pays tribute to the long and deep rooted history Whitecaps FC has in Vancouver. We will all wear the new primary kit with honour as we represent this city and province.”The 2013 kit is thought to be inspired by the city of Vancouver, with the fundamental elements of the club's pre-existing kit (colors, logo and brand) all remaining the same. It is also an "evolution of the original MLS primary kit" according to the statement, which the club launched in 2010.As the video above highlights, the kit is a predominant white outfit that features deep blue thin strips running diagonally across the front ...

Breaking Down Seattle Sounders’ New 2013 Kits

The Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer have unveiled their new uniforms for the 2013 season and we'll help break down the positives and negatives of them. Here's the official announcement of the unveiling of these new uniforms made by Adidas, courtesy of the Sounders' Twitter page: And here it is...the new Sounders home kit brought to you by adidasus! More here: sndrs.com/29ft instagr.am/p/WQaxnZE4v4/— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) February 28, 2013 Now, let's take a look at the different styles of the home, away and goalkeepers versions of the uniform, as modeled by the team's players, also per the Sounders' Twitter feed: Here we have @eddie_johnson7, @brad_evans3, @mgspurning, mdr7 and @stevezakuani11 in the new kits! instagr.am/p/WQdXKSE4j6/— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) February 28, 2013 Let's break it down piece by piece. Of course, you can see the home and away jerseys for yourself by visiting the Sounders' official website.   Home Uniform The Sounders didn't do too much change to their home version of the uniform, but a few additions have been made. You can view the uniform here, courtesy of the Sounders' Instagram page. A rave green theme remains constant in the shirt, but the blue stripe going down the side has been made a bit thicker this ...

Breaking Down Sporting Kansas City’s New 2013 Kits

With the MLS season set to kick off this weekend, teams across the league are unveiling new kits for 2013. Sporting Kansas City released its fresh look for this year and will be looking to repeat last year's accomplishments in style. After finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2012, the club will not rest idly on its laurels, and management will hope the uniforms are not the only improvement the team makes this season.  But if it is, the team is still doing alright. Sporting Kansas City shared the new jerseys via its Twitter:John Moncke, the club’s Vice President of Stadium and Brand Revenue, is certainly excited about the change. He told SportingKC.com’s Kurt Austin the following: Fashion is an important element of the Sporting Kansas City brand and the new 2013 primary kit takes this focus to new levels. We wanted the jersey to be a modern kit that imbues the ethos of our brand, so we played a very hands-on role in the design process. The American game continues to reform and modernize, and the MLS teams must make this point clear with their kits. With this new primary strip, Sporting KC is doing its part.The ...

Breaking Down Montreal Impact’s New 2013 Kit

Major League Soccer's the Montreal Impact have revealed a third new jersey for the 2013 season, according to a statement on the club's website.Here is a snippet of the club's statement:“Our third jersey is perhaps the most vibrant reflection of the values we always wanted to instill in this club: we must be proud of our roots, we must always respect those who have come before us and no matter the challenges, we must always stay true to our colours,” added Joey Saputo.The jersey was reportedly done to honor the inaugural season and jersey of 1993, which is very similar to the version the Impact wore two decades ago.Granted, some stylistic and technical changes have been made, but in essence, the jersey is exactly the same as it was 20 years ago, as shown in the video below.This year's edition is much darker than the one they fielded 20 years ago, but the blue and black stripes still remain true to the original design. A collar has been kept, though revamped to "hold it's shape better," according to the club's statement, while the jersey itself is far more close-fitting than before, with a slimmer fit implemented across both the chest ...

MLS Game-by-Game Guide to Opening Weekend

Major League Soccer marks its return to action with a full slate of weekend games to kick off the 2013 campaign. Coming off an offseason full of roster moves, each team’s coaches, players and fanbases are eager to see how their squad will fare in the new year. Here’s your game-by-game guide to this weekend’s action.Begin Slideshow

Sporting KC Are Odds-on Favorites to Win 2013 MLS Cup

Sporting Kansas City has made a number of changes to their roster over the offseason. One thing that hasn't changed: This team is incredibly talented and, honestly, the best team in MLS—in my opinion, they are the favorites to win the 2013 MLS Cup.You're probably thinking that I'm biased toward my hometown club. Let's look at the facts, shall we?Sporting KC has won the regular season title in the Eastern Conference each of the last two seasons. If not for a poor performance in their first playoff match last season, they may have made the MLS Cup final last season, all other things being equal.The club is also the reigning U.S. Open Cup champion, having won the title in a thriller over the Seattle Sounders last August.Their league-leading defense remains intact. Goalkeeper of the Year Jimmy Nielsen and Defender of the Year Matt Besler return to lock down opposing forwards.Besler, who signed a new contract over the break, has been getting some national team attention. He played all 90 minutes of the scoreless draw against Canada in January.Honduran international Roger Espinoza may have left for Wigan Athletic on a free transfer, but the club has his replacement in Benny Feilhaber. ...

Colorado Rapids Set to Debut the Most Fan-Friendly Jerseys on the Planet

The 2013 MLS season begins next week and the league has been trying to create a little preseason buzz by unveiling several new team jerseys in the days leading up to kickoff. But before all of the new jerseys have even been released, the Colorado Rapids stole the damn show.What makes the Rapids jerseys different from any other team shirt we've seen? The names of every season ticket holder are printed on the jerseys.This is the coolest thing a team could do for the fans, short of free tickets for everyone. No, it may be even cooler than that. "It's a brilliant idea," Rapids season ticket holder Kevin Pugh told me via email. "It really demonstrates nicely how much the Rapids organization truly values its season-ticket holders, and fans in general. It's an honorable place to have 'The Pugh Family' listed in support (we're on the back, just below the number)."  That's the right word: honorable.While many teams try to sell the notion that being a season ticket holder is an honor in and of itself, this is the perfect way to honor a club's greatest fans.Being a fan of a professional sports team can be rather one-sided. We pay our money to purchase tickets to ...

Orlando City Plan $110 Million Soccer Stadium, Target MLS Expansion

Orlando City are making plans to be the next big thing in U.S. soccer. The Florida franchise, who compete in the USL Pro league, have paid $4 million for land on which they reportedly intend to build a $110 million stadium (via Orlando Sentinel).They don't have planning permission and they don't have an official invite to become an MLS expansion team yet, but we can only assume both are believed sure-fire certainties by the club's owners—led by president Phil Rawlins, the ex-pat Englishman who is also a director at Premier League club Stoke City, and bolstered by a "significant investment" this month from Brazilian businessman Flavio Augusto da Silva."Orlando believes in MLS," reads the slogan on a campaign website the club have recently launched, inviting fans to sign a petition backing their proposed elevation to the top tier of U.S. soccer. Add your support and you're advocating the following call to arms: I believe in MLS in Orlando! I want to give my support to Orlando City SC in their bid to bring a second major league franchise to Orlando, and urge the governments at City, County and State level to do everything within their power to help make this happen. Orlando City currently ...