Top 10 Strikers of the 2014 MLS Season

As the 2014 MLS season comes to a close, Bleacher Report will examine the 10 best players in each position from this past campaign. The top 10 goalkeepers, defenders, defensive midfielders and attacking midfielders have already been revealed, with one list left in the series. Part five features the top 10 strikers of the 2014 MLS season. They'll be graded based on goals, assists, composure, intelligence and their work rate both on and off the ball. Here are the 10 best strikers of 2014.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Power Rankings After Matches from October 16-19

For the past three months, only three players have topped the Major League Soccer Player Power Rankings.  That all changes this week, as none of Bradley Wright-Phillips, Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan sit in the top position on our weekly ranking of the top-20 players in the league.  All three of those players are near the top of the chart, but two other Most Valuable Player candidates impressed more in Week 32 to warrant a changing of the guard at the No. 1 spot.  Continue reading on for a look at who earned the top spot in the latest edition of the MLS Player Power Rankings. Begin Slideshow

Toronto FC Goalkeeper Joe Bendik Picks Up ‘Injured’ Time-Wasting Opponent

Toronto FC goalkeeper Joe Bendik may have finally solved the age-old problem of time-wasting due to injury.  Well, "injury."  On Saturday, Canadian rivals Toronto FC and Montreal played to a 1-1 draw in Major League Soccer. In the waning moments of the match, Montreal's Felipe Martins went down as the Impact looked to hold on for a draw.   Bendik, wholly unimpressed with Martins' "injury," simply walked over to the Brazilian midfielder and put matters (and Martins) into his own hands and picked him up. Martins, unpleased, then went after Bendik. What was he so mad about? It appeared as though Bendik healed his mysterious injury! [YouTube, h/t Metro] Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

5 Things We Learned from MLS Matches from October 16-19

As much criticism as Major League Soccer sometimes gets for not embracing a single-table format, fans couldn’t ask for a much more exciting finish to the regular season heading into the final week of regular-season play. In the Eastern Conference, while the five playoff teams are already decided, three teams are still battling for final positions, including who gets to avoid the play-in game and who gets home-field advantage. In the West, the final playoff position is still up for grabs, as is the battle to avoid the play-in game and the race for the league Supporters’ Shield. Read about all the action, see video of another great strike from Lee Nguyen and get the latest on the Jurgen Klinsmann-Don Garber feud in this week’s edition of “5 Things We Learned from MLS.”Begin Slideshow

Winners and Losers from MLS Matches from October 16-19

With so much attention centered around the match between Seattle and LA in Week 32, it was easy to forget about the other matches that took place across Major League Soccer.In the eight other games this weekend, we saw a few teams miss out on improving their respective positions in the standings, as well as a few nice stories in the Eastern Conference.Also mixed in those contests were the best and worst passes of the week, and a major compliment from a legend about a young American star. Here's a complete look at the winners and losers from MLS Week 32. Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week for Matches from October 16-19

Throughout the four days of play in the 32nd week of action in Major League Soccer, fans of the league were treated to plenty of standout performances.  Although many fans focused on the clash between Seattle and LA, there were plenty of other matches this weekend that carried playoff implications.  In those matches, there were a few surprise showings from young players, including a pair of stars from Columbus.  Along with the young stars of the league, a few veterans also found their way into the 4-3-1-2 formation that the latest MLS Team of the Week is shaped in. Begin Slideshow

6 Bold Predictions for MLS Matches from October 17-19

There are only two weeks left in the Major League Soccer regular season, and much to our chagrin, there is less chaos in regard to the playoff races than there was entering last week.  With a few teams looking to close out their respective home slates with a bang, we decided to make some bold predictions about the matches some would label as meaningless in Week 32.  On top of that, we are also banking on two key players to have big days for two completely different reasons. Throw in an outlandish prediction about what is supposed to be the best match in the league this season, and you have the six bold predictions for MLS Week 32. Begin Slideshow

10 Key Battles for MLS Matches from October 16-19

With two weeks remaining in the Major League Soccer regular season, there are only a few things left to settle in regard to the playoffs.  One of them is who will win the Supporters' Shield and the top seed in the Western Conference, which will be determined by a home-and-home series between the Seattle Sounders and the LA Galaxy.  Besides positioning, only the final spot in each conference remains up for grabs, which is why we decided to take a close look at two battles in a match involving one of those teams, as well as the Seattle-LA clash.  Continue reading on for a look at the 10 key MLS battles to watch this weekend.Begin Slideshow

MLS Commissioner Don Garber Responds to Jurgen Klinsmann’s Comments About League

USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann did not pull punches when criticizing the quality of Major League Soccer following the return of national team stars Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley. In response, MLS commissioner Don Garber offered pointed comments of his own directed at the USMNT boss, calling Klinsmann's remarks "detrimental" to the sport in the United States.    Soccer reporter Jonathan Tannenwald provided Garber's response from a Wednesday conference call: Klinsmann, in his fourth year as the head of United States soccer, made his critical comments Monday before Team USA's 1-1 draw in a friendly against Honduras. Asked about the recent high-profile transfers of Dempsey to the Seattle Sounders and Bradley to Toronto FC, Klinsmann said his stars will struggle to keep the same form while playing in an inferior league. “Concerned? I mean, there’s nothing I can do about it," Klinsmann said, per Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel. "I made it clear, I made it clear with Clint’s move back and his move back that it’s going to very difficult for them to keep the same level that they experienced at the places where they were. It’s just reality, it’s just being honest." Dempsey played for Fulham F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League from 2007 to 2013. He transferred to Seattle ...

The Face of U.S. Soccer Will Be Decidedly Un-American, If Klinsmann Has His Way

Jurgen Klinsmann is managing U.S. Soccer like a second-term president. Now past one World Cup cycle that saw him receive a contract extension through the 2018 tournament before his team even landed in Brazil this summer, the American soccer governing body handed over as much power as it possibly could to its current head of state. It seems—and frankly, who can blame him—the power has gone to his head. There is no person in international sports with more job security than Klinsmann, and his recent comments illustrate just how much he cares about his legacy in the annals of U.S. Soccer above anything else, including his current constituents. It's not even that Klinsmann is wrong with his recent comments; it's more the sheer audacity of their timing. [Update: Klinsmann's comments about the MLS harming certain U.S. players' progress inspired a heated response from MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who said in a conference call Wednesday, "For him to publicly state issues that he has with Major League Soccer, in my view, is not something that is going to allow him to effectively serve the role of not just coach, but as technical director.") Here is what Klinsmann said about Landon Donovan, which would have made ...