Top 10 Goalkeepers of the 2014 MLS Season

As the 2014 MLS campaign comes to a close, Bleacher Report will examine the top 10 goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers from this season.   In this edition, the best goalkeepers have been selected and critiqued based on shot-stopping ability, command of the penalty area, frequency of individual errors and technique. All stats used are from MLSSoccer.com. Here are the 10 standout goalkeepers of the 2014 MLS season. Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Power Rankings After Matches from September 19-21

There is no doubt that Week 28 belonged to Bradley Wright-Phillips. The Golden Boot leader netted a hat-trick against the league's best team at Red Bull Arena to move within four goals of breaking the single-season league scoring record. Over the last few weeks, the Englishman has been in a fight for the top spot in the MLS Player Power Rankings with three LA Galaxy players. Continue reading on to see if Wright-Phillips snatched the top spot away from Landon Donovan.  Begin Slideshow

Top 5 Foreign Prospects for the USMNT

If you can’t beat 'em… get them to join you. International recruits have been integral to the United States men’s national team since Jurgen Klinsmann took over in 2011. Indeed, foreign imports comprised almost a third of the 2014 World Cup roster: Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Julian Green and Timmy Chandler constituted the German-American bloc in Brazil, while Mix Diskerud (Norway) and Aron Johannsson (Iceland) rounded out the dual-national contingent. Some, including Jorge Arangure Jr. of VICE Sports, have criticized Klinsmann for focusing too much on poaching foreign talent instead of revamping the development academies. But grass roots changes take time to bear fruit, as was the case when Germany won the 2014 World Cup ten years after then-manager Jurgen Klinsmann overhauled the German development system. In the interim, it makes sense to recruit American talent—no matter how tenuous the connection—wherever it can be found. If their bona fides are good enough for the United States government, they’re good enough for the national team. Accordingly, these rankings only consider dual-nationals who (a) are eligible for citizenship but have not yet become naturalized, or (b) are immediately eligible to play for the United States but could still cap-tie themselves to other soccer federations. Players ...

5 Things We Learned from MLS Week of September 19-21

With only a handful of Major League Soccer matches left in the 2014 regular season, the playoff races throughout the league are coming down to the wire. This weekend, Bradley Wright-Phillips continued his goal-scoring ways, Luis Silva hit a stunner and the Portland Timbers took a huge step towards a Western Conference playoff berth. Read about all that and more in this week's edition of 5 Things We Learned from MLS.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: New York Trio Stars After Romp of Seattle

After a major victory at Red Bull Arena, the New York Red Bulls deserved plenty of love in the latest MLS Team of the Week. New York has one defender, one midfielder and a star forward in the 4-1-3-2 setup, which allows the team to have one more defensive-minded player.  Accompanying the New York trio are a pair from Columbus and a few players that may not have received enough praise over the weekend. Continue reading on for a look at who made the MLS Team of the Week. Begin Slideshow

Winners and Losers from MLS Matches from September 19-21

Week 28 was just your normal wacky weekend in Major League Soccer.  From a shocking performance in goal at the start of the weekend to a game with dual red cards Sunday, there was no lack of excitement across the league this weekend, unless you were stuck at PPL Park.  The results around the league also gave us a better look at who will occupy the 10 playoff positions at the end of October.  Continue reading on for a look at the biggest winners and losers from the latest weekend of play in MLS. Begin Slideshow

Breaking Down the 2014 MLS Supporters’ Shield Race

With the 2014 MLS regular season winding down, teams are starting to make that final push for the coveted Supporters' Shield, the annual award given to the team that finishes the season with the most points. In 2013, the race for the Shield was extremely tight with three teams finishing within three points of the winners, the New York Red Bulls. The top of the standings isn't as jam-packed this season as years past, but there are still a few teams that are in great position to finish strong and take home the Shield.  Starting with the teams that have a bit of work to do, Real Salt Lake (12-6-10, 46 points, 28 GP) and D.C. United (14-9-5, 47 points, 28 GP) would need to put together a nice run to get back in the race. Not only that, RSL and D.C. better hope that the Galaxy and Sounders drop a few points along the way. Both teams are behind Seattle (17-7-3, 54 points, 27 GP) and Los Angeles (14-5-9, 51 points, 28 GP) in the standings, and to make matters worse, Seattle has a game in hand and a chance to extend its lead. Salt Lake and D.C. look to be in very ...

6 Bold Predictions for MLS Matches from September 19-21

When we make bold proclamations about certain goings on in Major League Soccer, we are usually never right due to the immense amount of parity across the league.  The Week 28 edition of our bold predictions looks at a few key games with playoff implications as well as a match that has the potential to be one of the worst of 2014.  Mix in a few bold statements about key players shining in important clashes and you have all six of our bold predictions.  Continue reading on to see just how bold our predictions are for Week 28. Begin Slideshow

New MLS Logo Announced for 2015 Season

With Major League Soccer set to enter a new era in 2015, the United States' top soccer league revealed a unique logo concept Thursday. As seen in this photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated on Twitter, the upcoming logo is a departure from what MLS has been using throughout its existence: Soccer Matters on Facebook provided an expanded look at the new logo: Expansion teams from New York City and Orlando will enter the league next season, making MLS a larger and more significant enterprise than ever before (21 teams total). MLS released a teaser video regarding the new logo, which showcases the ability of every club to tailor the logo to its unique color schemes: It is a potentially revolutionary idea that figures to differentiate MLS from every other major sports league in North America.   Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

5 Key Battles for MLS Matches from September 19-21

If crunching midfielders, speedy wingers and sturdy center-backs appease you in any which way, you might enjoy our weekly look at the top battles in Major League Soccer.  With six weeks of play left in the regular season, the hunt for the final few playoff positions will intensify in a couple of places across the league, including Red Bull Arena and Crew Stadium.  In those matches, there will be key position battles to watch, including one that poses two world-class players against two stingy defenders for a first-place side.  Continue reading on for previews of that matchup between New York and Seattle, as well as four other massive battles to watch in Week 28. Begin Slideshow