7Jul/150
MLS Player Rankings: Columbus Crew Pair Hold Top 2 Spots After Week 18
The Columbus Crew may not have the best record in Major League Soccer, but right now, they boast two of the top attackers in the league on their roster. Kei Kamara and Ethan Finlay, who both contributed to the two goals netted by the Crew in Week 18, have combined to play a role in 24 of the team's 27 goals, per Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch. Due to their tremendous output through 18 matches, the Crew's two leading goalscorers are the top two players in our list of the league's 20 best. Kamara and Finlay aren't the only duo making noise in the MLS Player Rankings this week. Two stars from Sporting Kansas City and the Los Angeles Galaxy also feature in the top 10. Continue reading to see which 20 players earned spots in the latest MLS Player Rankings. Begin Slideshow6Jul/150
MLS Power Rankings: Vancouver Whitecaps and DC United Knocked out of the Top 2
Several MLS sides lost players to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and it showed this weekend across the league. The biggest (and arguably the only) upset came on Saturday night when the Vancouver Whitecaps lost 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids. The team the Whitecaps were chasing, the Seattle Sounders, snapped a three-game losing streak with a narrow 1-0 win over D.C. United on Friday. The victory moved the Sounders back to the top of the Western Conference. Elsewhere, Toronto FC failed to defeat the LA Galaxy for the 10th straight time after a humiliating 4-0 defeat, albeit the Reds were without Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. These results have significantly altered the top five, including the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Who overtook Vancouver and D.C.?Begin Slideshow6Jul/150
Twitter Reacts as Andrea Pirlo Signs for New York City FC
Andrea Pirlo's move to MLS has been on the cards for several weeks now, but the hipsters of Brooklyn were given a formal opportunity to celebrate on Monday when Juventus announced their most recent departure and New York City FC confirmed their beard-wearing new arrival: Tim Hill of the Guardian has more info on the move. The 36-year-old took the opportunity to express his thanks to the good folks of Turin in a heartfelt tweet: Juventus then took the opportunity to wade through what must amount to weeks' worth of footage of Pirlo being amazing to release a touching tribute video: Understandably, the news of the gifted midfielder's formal exit from Italy was met with sadness by Italian football fans: Conversely, MLS supporters were almost all delighted by their new "designated player": In typical American style, no tweet was too hyperbolic: Thanks to the precedent set by Frank Lampard, many jumped to the immediate conclusion that Pirlo would be spending some time working for the parent company: And, as is customary when any major European player goes across the pond, the move reopened the debate about MLS being a "retirement league": Interestingly, this foray into Major League Soccer does not represent Pirlo's first experience of playing ...6Jul/150
MLS Team of the Week: Robbie Keane Sparks the Galaxy to Victory in Week 18
The holiday weekend in Major League Soccer witnessed some offensive fireworks from a few players who are used to making their mark on the big stage. Robbie Keane turned in the best performance of Week 18, scoring three of the LA Galaxy's four goals against Toronto FC on the same night Steven Gerrard was introduced to the Galaxy faithful. A few hours before Keane took the title of player of the weekend, Mauro Diaz of FC Dallas put on a show in front of his home fans at Toyota Stadium. Elsewhere across the league, a few unsung players helped their respective sides earn crucial points during the first weekend of play in July. Continue reading to see which nine players accompanied Keane and Diaz in the latest MLS Team of the Week.Begin Slideshow5Jul/150
Steven Gerrard Buys 500 Beers for LA Galaxy Fans as Thank You for Welcoming Him
Steven Gerrard—you are a class act. The former Liverpool captain was finally introduced to L.A. Galaxy fans at half-time of their Fourth of July MLS clash with Toronto. He got a great reception, no doubt helped by the fact that some of the supporters had enjoyed free beer provided by Gerrard. As per the Mirror, Gerrard paid for 500 beers for the supporters, that they enjoyed at their pre-match tailgate parties. Gerrard explained: Supporters are the lifeblood of any club and I know that with your support we'll challenge for the MLS Cup again. As a token of appreciation for what you do for the club, I wanted to provide you with some refreshments for the 4th of July. I look forward to meeting you at tonight's match. Looks like he is already a hero with Galaxy fans and he hasn't even played a game yet. [Mirror, YouTube: 101 Great Goals]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com5Jul/150
Kaka Gets Straight Red for ‘Stamp’ After Scoring for Orlando City
Kaka has never been a dirty player, so this red card looks a little harsh. The Brazil legend was sent off for this "stamp" during Orlando City's MLS game against Real Salt Lake. It was the first straight red card of Kaka's career, as per the MailOnline. Kaka had scored earlier in the game that finished 1-1. [Twitter, Vine, h/t MailOnline]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com4Jul/150
Daily Fantasy Soccer 2015: DraftKings WFB Player Picks for July 4
What better way to celebrate Independence Day than to dabble in DraftKings action for America's premier world football league? The MLS is back with six matches on Saturday, and there's no shortage of suitable daily fantasy options. There are some noticeable absences from squads with international duty snatching up many of the marquee players, but that inevitably opens the door for lower-salary players to shine in their place. With that said, here are a few names to target for July 4. F: Cyle Larin, Orlando City ($8,200) and Kekuta Manneh, Vancouver ($5,800) Kaka may still run the show, but someone has to finish his scoring chances, and Cyle Larin is more than willing to oblige. Two of his six goals on the year have come in the last three games. With Orlando City losing just one match in the last seven weeks, they should cruise against Real Salt Lake—who owns the league's third-worst goal differential—and feed Larin a plethora of opportunities. The forward slot isn't typically the smartest place to save salary, but Kekuta Manneh offers much more than that. His last four DK point totals—6, 15, 17 and 12—have dazzled despite falling below $5,000 during that stretch. Western Conference-leading Vancouver should dismantle Colorado ...3Jul/150
Sporting Kansas City Put Jim Ross WWE Commentary over Highlights of Big Win
"Somebody stop the damn match."Brilliant work from Sporting Kansas City, who decided on a unique twist when uploading highlights of their big 6-2 win over FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup. Why not get WWE commentator Jim Ross to call all of the goals?Enjoy![YouTube: Sporting Kansas City]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com2Jul/150
Steven Gerrard Told He Is ‘Nicer Than David Beckham’ by LA Paparazzi
It is early days, but it looks like Steven Gerrard is enjoying Tinseltown. The Liverpool star happily posed for photos and signed autographs outside a restaurant in Los Angeles ahead of his LA Galaxy debut. At one point, one of the paps could even be heard saying: "You're nicer than Beckham." Let's see if he can have a bigger impact on the pitch. [YouTube: X17online - Exclusive Celebrity Video, h/t 101 Great Goals]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com2Jul/150