Top 10 Defensive Midfielders of the 2014 MLS Season

As the 2014 MLS season draws to a close, Bleacher Report will examine the 10 best players in each position from this campaign. The Top 10 goalkeepers and defenders have already been revealed, with three lists left in the series. In part three, the 10 best defensive midfielders in 2014 will be analyzed. Only midfielders who play in a deep-lying role will be considered. These players will be ranked based on their defensive contribution and passing abilities. Mental attributes such as anticipation and positioning will also be included in the criteria. Here are the 10 best defensive midfielders of the 2014 MLS season.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Power Rankings After Weekend of October 3-5

It should come as no surprise to anyone that five of the top six players in the MLS Player Power Rankings come from the two best teams in the league. Add in three players near the bottom of the list, and you have a combined eight players recognized from the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy.  All of these players are deserving of the recognition, and all of the stars in terrific form for both teams will get a chance to share a pitch during the final two weeks of the season. While we keep dreaming about how good those two clashes will be, let's take a look at who else claimed a spot in the list of the top-20 players in MLS. Begin Slideshow

Predicting the USA Starting XI for the 2018 World Cup

The evolution of the United States men's national team continues to flourish, but in 2018 a huge step must be made.The old guard will be gone. Names like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard will no longer feature.Instead, the team will be turned over to Michael Bradley, Julian Green and others.Find out who the projected USMNT starting XI will be in Russia as former U.S. international Janusz Michallik provides the breakdown.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

5 Things We Learned from MLS Week of October 2-5

With only three weeks left to go in the regular season, Major League Soccer continues to have a number of exciting battles going on. This weekend, the New York Red Bulls picked up a big win, overcoming a number of off-the-field distractions, while the Philadelphia Union collapsed late to put a dent in their playoff hopes. In the Supporters' Shield race, the LA Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders continued to battle for the regular-season championship, each picking up big wins. Read about all of the action in this week's edition of "5 Things We Learned."Begin Slideshow

Winners and Losers for MLS Matches from October 2-5

Entering Week 30 in Major League Soccer, we had an idea of who would leave the first weekend in October as winners, but there was no indication as to who would end up the losers.  After four days of play across North America, there was a clear distinction between the two groups.  A few stars of the league, and an unexpected club, found themselves in the winners category thanks to record-breaking performances and game-winning goals.  As for the losers, there are countless players listed in that category because of defensive blunders, which we saw a massive amount of this weekend.  Continue reading on for a look at the biggest winners and losers from MLS Week 30. Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week for Weekend of October 3-5: Vancouver Trio Star in Week 30

With all the focus on the teams near the top of the Western Conference, one team in the fight for the final playoff position out west stole the headlines in Week 30.  The Vancouver Whitecaps put in a complete performance against FC Dallas, which is why three of their players are a part of the MLS Team of the Week.  To go along with the Vancouver trio, we have a pair of Galaxy teammates as well as few influential central midfielders from the Eastern Conference.  Because of the dominance in the middle of the park on the East Coast, we opted to shape this week's team in a 4-5-1 formation. Begin Slideshow

Robbie Keane Scores a Volley so Good for LA Galaxy He Doesn’t Bother Celebrating

Robbie Keane's rich vein of form continued for the LA Galaxy with a classy volley against Toronto.It was so good that Keane didn't even bother with a celebration, simply grinding to a halt the moment he'd struck it and letting his team-mates do the celebrating on his behalf.For one of them—the man who laid on the assist, Landon Donovan—it represented an MLS record (note: it was A.J. DeLaGarza who played the final pass, but two players can be credited with assists in the MLS): Landon Donovan claims MLS record for assists with 136. #MLS— Inside MLS (@InsideMLS) October 5, 2014 [MLS Official, YouTube]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

6 Bold Predictions for MLS Matches from October 3-5

October is finally here, which means the usual chaos and unpredictability of Major League Soccer will grow exponentially.  Desperation is seeping in for plenty of sides looking to secure one of the 10 playoff berths, and with four weeks left to do so, the pressure is on a plethora of teams to earn results.  With a few major clashes with playoff implications taking place in Week 30, we decided to make a few bold predictions about said matches.  Whether or not these predictions actually happen is another thing, but that won't hurt us from making six outlandish statements about the upcoming weekend of play in MLS. Begin Slideshow

Thierry Henry Reportedly Set to Leave New York Red Bulls

Thierry Henry is being tipped to leave the New York Red Bulls at the end of 2014 but could look beyond the lure of retirement if his MLS exit is confirmed. Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated provided information that suggests Henry is coming toward the end of his four-year spell with the NY-based club: Red Bull soccer boss Gerard Houllier hinted at things over the summer when he said that he didn't think Henry would extend with New York, and a source with knowledge of Red Bull’s plans now tells SI.com there is "zero chance" that Henry will sign an extension. (That doesn’t necessarily mean that Henry will retire, however.) Wahl also indicates that Red Bull's willingness to be involved in the club is beginning to disappear due to the dwindling global profits of the team. "Don't look for Red Bull to be involved in MLS in the long-term future," Wahl writes, per SI. Franco Panizo, writer for MLSsoccer.com, tweeted a statement from Red Bull in response to Wahl's report: Henry's exit would likely halt the interest of many onlookers and could see the side's profits deplete. His shirt sales in MLS were second only to David Beckham in 2012, and he remains a major ...

6 Key Battles to Watch in MLS Matches from October 3-5

With the calendar flipping over to October, the final push for the playoffs has begun in Major League Soccer.  Most of the focus for the next four weeks will be on the Eastern Conference, where five teams are battling for the final two spots.  The playoff picture in the East could drastically change once again in Week 30 with two massive showdowns Saturday.  Out in the Western Conference, the top four teams have been decided, but the fifth and final position is still up for grabs between two rivals.  With that in mind, our six key battles to watch will focus on the key matches that will play a major role in helping us figure out the playoff participants. Begin Slideshow