DeAndre Yedlin Faces the Most Pressure Heading into Western Conference Final

When the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy begin their Western Conference Final series Sunday night at StubHub Center, there will be a ton of stars littered across the pitch.  Although most of the high-profile names reside in the attacking end of the pitch for both sides, one key figure will be looking to stop the dangerous LA attack.  Seattle right-back DeAndre Yedlin has experienced a meteoric rise to stardom triggered by his electric display for the United States at the 2014 World Cup. The 21-year-old captivated potential suitors with his recovery speed and abilities moving forward. Before the summer transfer window closed, Yedlin inked a deal with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.  Since signing up to play for Spurs in the summer, Yedlin has seen a bit of a drop-off in form. He hasn't played as bad as the likes of Matt Besler since returning from Brazil. But there is plenty of room for improvement ahead of the two crucial games with the Galaxy.  Yedlin has been employed in more of a defensive role lately. Throughout the home-and-home series with the Galaxy to end the regular season, and during the Western Conference semifinal series with FC Dallas, he was occupied by his defensive ...

How New York Can Contain Lee Nguyen in the Eastern Conference Final

Following each of his team's three playoff games, New York manager Mike Petke has been praised for his use of Peguy Luyindula in the attacking part of the midfield.  If the Red Bulls are to come away with a victory over the New England Revolution in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Final, it will be his other change in the middle of the park this season that will steal the headlines. For the September 11 showdown with rival D.C. United, Petke opted to move Eric Alexander in from the wing to sit next to Dax McCarty. Since the pair have been together in the midfield, the Red Bulls have won seven of their last league 11 games. That streak includes two wins in three playoff games.  We weren't able to see just how effective the duo could be in the match against D.C. due to United's loss of Fabian Espindola to a red card in the 32nd minute. However, the midfield pairing did show plenty of promise in the 1-0 victory at Red Bull Arena.  Ever since, Alexander and McCarty have been called upon to man the holding-midfield positions, while Luyindula and Tim Cahill have been employed in the attacking role of ...

Dan Kennedy Chosen No. 1 by FC Dallas in Chivas USA Dispersal Draft

FC Dallas selected goalkeeper Dan Kennedy with the first overall pick in the Chivas USA dispersal draft, which had just seven players chosen in the first round, per MLSSoccer.com. The complete results can be found on MLS' official website. New York City FC picked 20-year-old midfielder Matthew Dunn with the second selection. Forward Thomas McNamara, who was impressive early in 2014 before suffering a season-ending knee injury, was DC United's fourth overall pick.  Defender Danny Toia (sixth, Montreal Impact), midfielder Caleb Calvert (eighth, Colorado Rapids), Kristopher Tyrpak (ninth, San Jose Earthquakes) and Marco Delgado (14th, Toronto FC) were the only other players that were picked in the draft. The best selection of the day probably goes to Toronto, who picked the 19-year-old Delgado at 14th overall. The homegrown player made 37 appearances in MLS with Chivas and is a valuable option for head coach Greg Vanney. The youngster can play out wide or in any central-midfield position. It will also be interesting to see what Dallas does with Kennedy. They currently have Raul Fernandez and Chris Seitz on their roster, who were both solid when given the nod by head coach Oscar Pareja. It could be a plan in case the Hoops cannot protect ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: Schedule and Predictions for Conference Championships

Americans love their sporting events to be star-filled and with plenty on the line, whether it is the Super Bowl, NBA Finals or Final Four. The 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs certainly fit that bill.  Notable names like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry are recognizable to even the most casual fans, and they will be leading the way for their respective teams in the conference championships. With that in mind, here is a look at the schedules and some predictions for the Eastern and Western Conference Championships. Both series feature two legs, one in each location, and the team with the better goal differential advances to the MLS Cup.   Eastern Conference Championship A New York vs. Boston/New England clash in the postseason just feels right. This time it’s not Derek Jeter against Pedro Martinez or Tom Brady against Eli Manning, but the New England Revolution against the New York Red Bulls. The Revolution have beaten the Red Bulls in all three MLS Cup Playoffs series in which they faced each other, but that was back in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Considering that neither team has ever won the MLS Cup, there is sure to be a level of urgency in place during both legs. New ...

New York City FC’s Kit Looks Almost Exactly Like Manchester City’s Kit

New York City FC debuted their "new" kits, and they look unsurprisingly familiar. They look almost exactly like Manchester City's kits. This, of course, makes perfect sense. After all, Manchester City owns New York City's newest Major League Soccer franchise, although few expected NYCFC to practically replicate City's kit. The club hardly hid its aspirations, calling it "city blue," and has "NYCFC" on the inside neck and inaugural season on the lower part of the shirt. "It's a perfect jersey for our first year," David Villa told the team's official website. "We hope it brings a lot of luck and a lot of success." [Twitter]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

5 Things We Learned from MLS Conference Semifinals

In Major League Soccer’s 19 years of existence, it’s hard to remember a year in which the MLS playoffs offered this much excitement. Of course, there were the big scorelines, particularly in the LA Galaxy-Real Salt Lake and New England Revolution-Columbus Crew matchups, but the comparatively cagey series between the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United in the East and the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas in the West were thrillers as well. Check out all the highlights and get a preview of what’s to come in the MLS conference finals in this week’s edition of “5 Things We Learned from MLS.”Begin Slideshow

Predicting New York City FC’s Starting XI Next Season in MLS

It's Inside Manchester City Week at Bleacher Report and Day 3 brings a look at how City's sister club, New York City FC, might line up next season. More from Inside City Week—Dzeko exclusive, Angus Gunn exclusive, Toni Duggan exclusive, City launch new app, Best City Academy Stars   It is an exciting time in New York as new MLS franchise New York City FC is nearing its first official season. The Manchester City-inspired club has already made a few big signings ahead of the 2015 season and there are more expected to join. As of this moment, NYCFC officially has six players on their squad. That certainly isn’t enough to field a squad next season, let alone a lineup for their first match. But the club is hard at work trying to fill the rest of the squad with quality footballers. In this article we will try to predict what NYCFC’s starting lineup will look like when the 2015 season kicks off. Granted, with only six players on the squad, the possible lineup will rely on players rumored to be on the club’s radar in recent months. Also bear in mind that this predicted lineup will be based heavily around the players that are already a part of ...

Why the Columbus Crew Are on Course for Big Things Despite Playoff Elimination

The Columbus Crew were eliminated from the MLS playoffs after a 7-3 aggregate defeat to the New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, despite being knocked out of the postseason, the Crew is set for a successful campaign in 2015 and in the coming years. Even before Columbus rebranded, there were signs that ownership was willing to make the Crew serious competitors in MLS. They signed defender Emanuel Pogatetz to replace the outgoing Giancarlo Gonzalez and then inked Kei Kamara shortly thereafter. There's also been rumours that Atalanta striker German Denis might arrive next season, according to MLSTransfers.com.  The ambition that the club is showing is a great sign for fans, especially now that the Eastern Conference won't contain Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo beginning in 2015. Therefore, the Crew could realistically compete for first place providing they stay competitive in the transfer market. Columbus already has a solid coach in Gregg Berhalter, who is one of the best young coaches in the league. Despite some struggles early in the campaign, Berhalter led the Crew to 10 wins in their final 15 games of the regular season, which ultimately resulted in their third-place finish. The ability to steer the club away from disaster and guide them into the playoffs was a great ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: Conference Final Dates, TV Schedule and Predictions

Although the conference semifinal round of the MLS Cup Playoffs provided plenty of drama, there was only one upset. The New York Red Bulls ousted the East's top seed, DC United, after having already survived the knockout round. So New York should be riding a wave of confidence into a conference final clash with the New England Revolution. On the other side of the bracket, it's a star-studded matchup between the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy for a spot in the title game. Let's check out the schedule for the penultimate round of play in the 2014 MLS season. It's followed by a preview of both conference finals and predictions for which clubs will advance to play for the trophy on Dec. 7.   Conference Championship Schedule   Series Predictions East: New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution The Red Bulls are a battle-tested group. They survived the knockout match thanks to a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal in the 90th minute to eliminate Sporting KC. Then they dealt with plenty of tension in the second leg against DC United before Peguy Luyindula scored to give them some breathing room. Those two players have accounted for all five of the team's playoff goals. Yet, it's the strong play of ...

5 MLS Players Who Should Be Looking for European Moves in January

With four teams left in the MLS Cup playoffs, many clubs in the league are now focusing on their offseason strategies.  January is the preferred time to move for players in the league since they will be on two-months rest and can jump right into the European season to help a club in need.  We already know DeAndre Yedlin will be heading to Tottenham once the season is over. But we could see a few other stars of the league test their skills overseas as well.  A reminder here that a few of these players have not been linked with moves to Europe. But they do have the potential to move overseas because of the skill they have shown throughout the 2014 season.  Here is a look at five players who should give Europe a look during the January window. Begin Slideshow