Mike Petke at Fault for New York’s Disadvantage Heading into Second Leg

The New York Red Bulls suffered not one, but two key losses during the first leg of the Eastern Conference Final Sunday against the New England Revolution. In the 2-1 loss at Red Bull Arena, Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips picked up a silly yellow card in the 60th minute for bothering Revolution 'keeper Bobby Shuttleworth before a goal kick. By picking up a yellow card in the softest way possible during an extremely chippy match, Wright-Phillips earned himself a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation. After the match, Wright-Phillips and his teammates had no idea that a yellow card would earn him a suspension. New York manager Mike Petke failed to tell his players about the rule because he didn't want his team playing scared.How a manager fails to tell one of his key players something so important before a big match is just baffling. Petke's decision to not speak about the rules could end up costing his side in the second leg at Gillette Stadium Saturday. The opportunistic Wright-Phillips found the back of the net on 27 occasions in the regular season and four times in the postseason. Although he may not be the most talented player on the pitch for New York, ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: TV Schedule, Predictions for Conference Finals Clashes

You could not script more exciting scenarios for the second legs of the Western and the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2014 MLS Cup playoffs. Out West, the Los Angeles Galaxy outlasted the Seattle Sounders in Game 1, 1-0. In the East, the New England Revolution beat the New York Red Bulls, 2-1. Each series is only two legs, and the winner is determined by the aggregate score. That means the one-goal margins in each game were critical because the losers are still very much alive in the race for the MLS Cup. With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule and the broadcast information for the conference finals.   Western Conference The Western Conference Finals shift to Seattle for the second leg after the Galaxy won behind Marcelo Sarvas’ goal. While Los Angeles only won 1-0, the result was hardly in doubt because of the strong defense. The Galaxy have seven shutouts in their past 10 home games and actually haven’t even allowed a single goal in more than 270 postseason minutes.  The defense is anchoring the team right now, and there is no reason to expect anything different in Game 2. Part of the problem for the Sounders was that Osvaldo Alonso ...

Behind the Rise and Fall of the 10-Year Franchise History of Chivas USA

On the surface, October 26 seemed like any other home finale for Chivas USA at the StubHub Center. The fans in attendance were treated to a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. The victory helped Wilmer Cabrera's side earn their third win in the final four games of the Major League Soccer season. "I was really just focused on the game," Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy said. However, once the final whistle blew, reality started to set in. Just a day later, MLS would issue a statement ceasing operations of the club immediately.After 10 seasons as a professional soccer franchise, Chivas USA was no more. They became the third franchise in MLS history to fold. Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny were dissolved in 2001.  As he usually did after home matches, Kennedy went out to the crowd and thanked them for their support. But this interaction with the fans would be his last. "It hit me a bit when I grabbed my wife and my mom to bring them out on the field," Kennedy said. "Normally I try to get out and shake the hands of some of the fans anyway." Despite the poor results of the past few years, the supporters' groups of ...

MLS Players Who Should Get a Call-Up to the USMNT

The final international window closed last week, and it ended with a whimper for the U.S. men's national team after dropping two friendlies. They lost 2-1 to Colombia before a lackluster 4-1 defeat against Ireland. Jurgen Klinsmann's recent team selection has been odd, to say the least. Calling up veterans such as Kyle Beckerman and Matt Besler is counter-productive, since they'll be stalwarts for the USMNT for awhile.  There are several players in MLS that can fill voids in Klinsmann's squad. The names in this slideshow address a positional issue with the team, provide experience and/or depth in certain positions. They also have to be under the age of 30 or they would not be realistic options for the 2018 World Cup. Here are 12 players that Klinsmann could add to his team in future friendlies and tournaments.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Weekend from Conference Final 1st Legs

The Major League Soccer Conference Finals kicked off with a bang this past weekend with LA and New England earning leads heading into the second leg next weekend.  In the two matches Sunday afternoon, plenty of individuals turned in terrific showings at Red Bull Arena and StubHub Center.  Most of the dominant performances came in the middle of the park, which led us to shape our MLS Team of the Week in a 4-5-1 formation. Continue reading on for a look at which 11 players earned a spot in the MLS Team of the Week. Begin Slideshow

5 Things We Learned from MLS Playoffs

After a two-week hiatus to accommodate the November international break, the MLS playoffs were back in action this weekend with the first legs of the Eastern and Western conference finals being played on Sunday. In the East, the New England Revolution picked up a 2-1 win on the road over the New York Red Bulls, while, in the West, the LA Galaxy won at home 1-0 over the Seattle Sounders. Here are five things we learned from the games.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders: 5 Things We Learned

The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 in the first leg of the Western Conference Final at the StubHub Center on Sunday. Marcelo Sarvas scored the only goal of the match. This scoreline gives the Galaxy a slight edge entering the second game in Seattle. The Sounders may be in tough given that they failed to get a decisive away goal. There were a few takeaways from Sunday's affair which decided the match and could have an impact on the second leg. Here are five things that we learned in the conference final.Begin Slideshow

Did the LA Galaxy Do Enough in 1st Leg to Feel Comfortable Heading to Seattle?

After 90 minutes of play in the Western Conference Final, the LA Galaxy hold a 1-0 lead over the Seattle Sounders.  The score does not represent how well the Galaxy played at StubHub Center on Sunday. Bruce Arena's side dominated the possession battle by earning 60 percent. And they also had some of the better attacking moves forward.  However, the Galaxy are only ahead by one goal on aggregate after forcing just three of their 20 shots on target against a stingy Seattle back four. The biggest missed opportunity came late in the match, when Chad Marshall slid in to deflect an Alan Gordon shot out of play. Marshall was on the wrong side of a deflection in the 52nd minute, when Marcelo Sarvas' shot hit the center-back on its way into the back of the net. If the deflection did not occur, the Galaxy may still be on level terms with the Sounders.  As the two sides prepare for the clash in seven days' time at CenturyLink Field, one has to wonder if the Galaxy did enough on their home field to hand themselves a solid advantage.  In two matches this season in Seattle, the two sides each came out victorious on one occasion. ...

Los Angeles vs. Seattle: Winners and Losers from MLS Game

Marcelo Sarvas scored the only goal at StubHub Center as the Los Angeles Galaxy prevailed 1-0 over the Seattle Sounders in Sunday's Western Conference semi-final first leg. The Major League Soccer rivals contested a tight, physical first half in Carson, California, but just seven minutes after the restart, Sarvas' drive from 17 yards took a deflection before beating Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Overall, there were a handful of standout performances at the home of the four-time champions, as well as a few underwhelming displays. We'll look at examples from both categories in the following slideshow. Here are the individual winners and losers from this contest.Begin Slideshow

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders 1st-Leg Score and Reaction

The LA Galaxy booked a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in the first leg of MLS' Western Conference Final on Sunday, setting up an interesting scenario for next week's return leg with an eye on the MLS Cup. The new away-goals rule means that if the Galaxy score once in Seattle, the Sounders will need three to progress to the next round. That fixture, which will be played on Sunday, should provide fans with a lot more drama and excitement than today's nervy affair.    Seattle started the match on fire, immediately applying high pressure and displaying a lot of physicality in the duels. DeAndre Yedlin was booked after just three minutes for an apparent elbow on Robbie Keane, although the veteran certainly contributed to the incident.Inside MLS was hardly surprised:The ball went up and down the pitch really well in the opening stages, and Keane came close to opening the score just one minute later, but his acrobatic effort missed the target. The MLS' Twitter feed had a nice angle of the action, right behind the goal:Gyasi Zardes then forced Stefan Frei into action for the first time with a well-taken shot, but the goalkeeper was equal to the task.The Sounders' ...