MLS Has to Fix Refereeing to Improve Quality of Play

One of the major talking points from this past weekend in MLS surrounds the referees. In Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 win over Toronto FC on Saturday, referee Ted Unkel was the center of attention for the wrong reasons. His indiscriminate use of yellow cards, combined with poor foul calls, are just two of his blatant errors. This is the latest example of why commissioner Don Garber has to work on improving the officiating in the league. Refereeing is one of the most difficult jobs. A decision has to be made on the spot without any help from replays. Also, Unkel is inexperienced in MLS. He took charge of just three games during the 2013 season, per the official PRO website. He's officiated four this season. Unkel hasn't been the only referee that's been guilty of making incorrect calls or being too card happy. There have been 5,221 fouls called in 190 games in both MLS and the US Open Cup, per the PRO website. That's an average of 27.48 per match. There's also been 621 yellow cards issued (3.27 per game) and 57 reds (0.3 per match). MLS has significantly higher foul numbers per team than the Premier League, per Whoscored.com. In the 2013-14 season, ...

Michael Bradley Comments on MLS Referees Following Loss

Michael Bradley didn't mince words when speaking out against the officiating in Toronto FC's 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. The American midfielder was extremely critical of the referees and implored the Major League Soccer home office in New York City to do something to remedy what he feels is a systemic problem throughout the league, per The Associated Press, via ESPN FC:      It's by no means an excuse, it was the same for both teams, but the referee was absolutely awful. The people at the MLS office in New York, when they talk about wanting to improve the league, the first thing that needs to be improved is the refereeing, bottom line. That shouldn't come across as sour grapes because that's just the reality. And it was bad for both teams and I'm sure they're sitting in their locker room saying the same thing to themselves, but they've got three points with them and that certainly makes it a little easier to swallow. TFC picked up five yellow cards in the defeat, including four in the first half. Sporting KC had three of their own, including two for Matt Besler, who was sent off in the 75th minute. According ...

Frank Lampard to NYCFC Makes Sense for All Parties

New York City FC unveiled former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard on Thursday as the newest addition to the Big Apple. The England international signed a two-year designated player contract with NYCFC, per MLSSoccer.com. Lampard is the second big-name acquisition for the club after David Villa joined in June, per the team's official website. Lampard is 36 years old, and the ageing player is no longer at the top of his game. However, this signing is still beneficial for everyone involved. For the England international, he remains a star as part of one of the fastest growing leagues in the world.  He is also set to make around $150,000 a week, per Sports Illustrated, which would make him the highest-paid player in MLS. Lampard will also reside in one of the most vibrant cities on the planet, which probably enticed him to move across the pond. NYCFC benefits in many ways as well. The profile of the club is raised significantly with the addition of Lampard. Even with a two-year contract, this will still grab the attention of the casual fan and could hook them on both the team and MLS. If Lampard leaves at the end of his contract, other players might be drawn to NYCFC if ...

Seattle Sounders’ Cheeky Response to New York City FC Signing Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard joining New York City FC—which the club announced today—is a pretty big deal to the MLS. But over on the West Coast the Seattle Sounders were doing their best to play it down, talking up the superhuman powers of U.S. men's national team star Clint Dempsey instead: But can Frank Lampard conjure fire? pic.twitter.com/wViAooMFli — Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 24, 2014 Can he? Can he conjure fire? Your move, Frank. [Twitter]  Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Frank Lampard and the Imported Premier League Stars of Major League Soccer

Frank Lampard has swapped the bright lights of London for the Big Apple in a summer transfer. The England international has joined New York City FC after 13 years of success at Chelsea, the Major League Soccer club confirmed via Twitter. He will now take his place in the burgeoning MLS in the United States. The 36-year-old will be joined at the Manchester City-owned franchise by former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona forward David Villa. Lampard will find some familiar faces waiting for him in North America. Here we take a look at some former Premier League players now plying their trade in the MLS. Begin Slideshow

5 Key Battles for MLS Week 21

Major League Soccer's Week 21 should be an exciting one for fans with eight games spread over six days of action. On Wednesday night, the San Jose Earthquakes drew first blood, beating up on the Chicago Fire 5-1. The rest of MLS Week 21 action will be spread over a game on Thursday night, a game on Friday night, two matches each on Saturday and Sunday and culminating in a great Western Conference battle on Monday night. Here are five of the key games and the battles to watch in each match.Begin Slideshow

Toronto vs. Tottenham Hotspur: 6 Things We Learned from Spurs’ Friendly Win

Tottenham won the second match of their pre-season tour of North America 3-2, with Andros Townsend scoring the winning goal in the 85th minute.  Erik Lamela was the star for Spurs, scoring twice in the opening period. Spurs lined up with a fluid line of three (Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Aaron Lennon) behind Roberto Soldado and were entertaining and efficient as they cruised to a 2-0 half-time lead.   Mauricio Pochettino's system looks to be taking shape as Ben Davies slipped comfortably into the starting line-up.  Spurs were a little ragged after 10 half-time changes, and Toronto drew level at 2-2 before Townsend's late winner.   Begin Slideshow

Meet Bradley Wright-Phillips: The Quiet, Rarely Flashy Forward Taking over MLS

When you picture a forward who scores goals at will, you usually see a flashy, electric player in your mind who on occasion delivers the over-the-top goal celebration. Bradley Wright-Phillips is the complete opposite of that image, but he does not lack the killer instinct in front of goal, even at 5'8". The New York Red Bulls forward has been on fire in 2014 with 17 goals in 19 games, 16 of those having been starts, which puts him 10 goals behind the current Major League Soccer single-season scoring record held by Chris Wondolowski and Roy Lassiter. "I say this every time I get interviewed, I just try to get my shots on target. If they go in, they go in," Wright-Phillips told Bleacher Report after his team's July 16 game against the Philadelphia Union. The 29-year-old Englishman has done just that with 17 of his 35 shots on target beating opposing keepers so far this season. Wright-Phillips, who arrived at the club in July 2013, credits a certain mindset that all English forwards have, no matter how flashy their style may be in front of goal, for his success. "I think growing up in England strikers are hungry to just get goals. We have a ...

MLS Player Power Rankings: Keane, Feilhaber Make Big Jumps After Week 19

For most of the season, the focus of the Major League Soccer Player Power Rankings has been on the players at the top, but it was two players in the middle of the pack from last week that made an impact on the list after Week 19.  Robbie Keane and Benny Feilhaber were the two standout performers from the week's set of games, which led to major jumps for both players on a list that is becoming more difficult to break into by the week.  Continue reading on to see which players were good enough to join Keane and Feilhaber in the MLS Player Power Rankings. Begin Slideshow

10 Things We Learned from MLS Week 20

Major League Soccer had a full slate of action-packed games this weekend in MLS Week 20, but the biggest news of the week came off the field with the league re-signing stars Matt Besler and Graham Zusi. On the field, MLS Week 20 had plenty of highlights, including three separate goals that could end up as Goal of the Year candidates. Here are 10 things we learned.Begin Slideshow