Thierry Henry: Grading His Opening Performance for the New York Red Bulls

In their opening match of the 2013 season, the New York Red Bulls and Thierry Henry played to a 3-3 away draw against the Portland Timbers. But, despite the fact that earning a point on the road is certainly a positive for team, the Red Bulls earned that point with little to no help from Thierry Henry. Henry started the match and even played the full 90, but struggled the entire evening to make an impact on the game. Throughout Henry’s MLS career, his modus operandi has always been that he can be brilliant when he wants to be, but downright pedestrian when he isn’t in the mood. This exact idea was expressed by ESPN commentator Taylor Twellman during the pregame broadcast of Sunday night’s match when Twellman said, “The question for the Red Bulls and (New York Red Bulls head coach) Mike Petke is which Thierry Henry are they going to get?” Henry was listed in the opening lineup as the central striker in New York’s 4-2-1-3, but he quickly drifted out to the left side of the front line and remained there for the first 45 minutes of the game. In the first half, Henry was a non-factor, ...

Recapping the First Week of Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer finally kicked off its 2013 season, after a four-month layoff. The league lost David Beckham to Paris Saint-Germain, but life goes on without him. And his team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, are looking to defend two consecutive MLS Cup titles.A 19-team league means nine games each match week, with one team getting the weekend off. This weekend saw the New England Revolution have that "honor" as the rest of the league opened their campaigns.How did they all fare? Let's have a look.Highlights taken from MLSSoccer.comBegin Slideshow

MLS Power Rankings: Week 1

The MLS season began this weekend with plenty of fireworks and surprises.Mike Magee was the standout performer of the week as he scored a hat-trick in the Los Angeles Galaxy's 4-0 home win over the Chicago Fire. While Magee provided fans with the most exciting individual display of the weekend, the best overall game of the weekend came in Portland as the Timbers and Red Bulls played to a 3-3 draw. The most disappointing result of the weekend came in Seattle as the Sounders fell to Montreal at home. Find out where all of these teams landed in the first regular-season edition of the MLS power rankings. Begin Slideshow

MLS’ Best and Worst from Opening Weekend

MLS' opening weekend provided its viewership with a beautiful brand of soccer, coupled with farcical gaffes. Oddly enough, the New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers managed to do the same in only 90 minutes.The Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy flexed their formidable muscle this past weekend. Both teams proclaimed their rightful dominance of MLS.But not every star shined bright in the first weekend of league action. Some teams lacked a star to begin with.With a multitude of storylines to cover, here are the best and worst moments of opening weekend.Begin Slideshow

MLS 2013: 10 Things We Learned from the Opening Weekend

Major League Soccer kicked off its 2013 campaign this weekend with a full slate of games over Saturday and Sunday. As is typical for an opening weekend in any league, there were some surprising results as well as results that almost everyone saw coming. Here are 10 things we learned from MLS’s opening weekend.Begin Slideshow

MLS Schedule 2013: Best Rivalry Matches to Watch out for This Season

The Major League Soccer competition has kicked off for another season with what is set to be another thrilling year of domestic action.There will no doubt be a plethora of great matches and goals for the season, as well as moments that leave us amazed at what we just saw, but it's the rivalries that will make another great year of domestic action on the American and Canadian front.Rivalries are starting to grow strong in the MLS now, and 2013 looks like it will be another year of full-on rivalry matches that will leave us wanting more.Read on to see the best rivalry matches out to watch out for this year. California ClasicoFull list of fixtures via MLS Soccer.com The rivalry between Northern and Southern California makes for a fantastic rivalry in sport, and the San Jose vs. L.A.Galaxy one in the MLS is no different.Galaxy have had the star players and the recognition that San Jose have not had throughout the years, and the pure fact that Landon Donovan will once again be lining up for the Galaxy makes this a must-watch fixture throughout the 2013 season. Donovan led the Earthquakes to two MLS championships and the Galaxy to two MLS cups—making ...

MLS Saturday Wrap

Saturday's MLS action was the earliest start to an MLS season in league history. For some teams it couldn't come soon enough, while others still appear to be in preseason form.Now in its 18th season—one more than the original NASL (1968-84)—MLS kicked off with a slate of games highlighted by a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Final. The Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City each re-established the dominant form reminiscent of the 2012 season. FC Dallas and the Vancouver Whitecaps also satisfied their home crowds, starting the 2013 season with less-than-stellar victories. Here's a detailed look at all of Saturday's action.Begin Slideshow

MLS Predictions 2013: Projecting Top Cup Contenders

The 2013 Major League Soccer season will get underway this weekend, which makes it an ideal time to lay out who will contend for the championship cup this year.It will be an unprecedentedly long season for America's biggest league with 34 games on the schedule. There is certainly growing respect for the MLS, which is in its 18th year and is attempting to establish itself amongst the world's best (h/t Yahoo!).The sport's exposure in the U.S. was enhanced by the presence of British star David Beckham, who recently returned to Europe. Beckham's former MLS squad, the Los Angeles Galaxy, is the two-time reigning MLS Cup champions.While LA should be considered a favorite to three-peat despite the departure of Beckham, there are several other clubs that stand out as contenders and are worth analyzing. San Jose EarthquakesAs reported by Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News, superstar striker Chris Wondolowski just inked a four-year contract extension. The three-time reigning scoring champion and 2012's MLS Most Valuable Player has committed to the long haul with the Quakes, who are also in the process of building a new stadium for 2014.Wondolowski intimated that he loved the direction the San Jose organization was going ...

Ranking the 2013 MLS Designated Players

MLS’ designated player rule, also known as the Beckham Rule, was created as a way for Major League Soccer teams to sign high-profile players, increase attention for the league and excite the league’s fan base. Since then it has become increasingly used by teams to pay transfer fees to bring in relatively unknown players who address a particular need for a team. There is no doubt the rule has been a success in the five years it has been in place, with David Beckham’s tenure in the league helping to raise the profile of MLS abroad. With the 2013 season about to kick off, here is how the league’s current DPs rank. The rankings are based solely on their performances in Major League Soccer.Begin Slideshow

Breaking Down Portland Timbers’ New 2013 Kits

As part of a massive launch of new kits across Major League Soccer, the Portland Timbers and Adidas announced the team's new primary and secondary kits for the 2013 season on Thursday. The team announced the changes at an art gallery event, where coaches and players addressed the many fans in attendance.For those who were unable to make the trip to Oregon, the Timbers also took to their Twitter feed to give fans a glimpse of the new digs. Here is a look at Mikael Silvestre modeling the team's new primary look (via the Timbers' Twitter feed):As has been the case in the past, both Timbers jerseys are almost perfect matches for one another, save for the color. The primary kit is the club's trademark "Ponderosa" green, with white chevron stripes adorning the sides and expanding over the sleeves.In a breakdown of the jersey on the Timbers' official website, it also notes the addition of a rising sun at the neckline and the phrase "Stand Together" etched on the inner-neck portion. The "Stand Together" phrase is meant to honor the club's supporters and their work in the Portland community.At first glance, the secondary kit is a carbon copy of the primary only in a rose ...