Ashley Cole to LA Galaxy: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Ashley Cole has moved on from AS Roma and joined MLS side LA Galaxy, potentially marking the final chapter in his storied career. The transfer was confirmed by the American club on Twitter: Details of terms were not revealed, but Galaxy insider Adam Serrano revealed Cole's squad designation: Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena has welcomed Cole to the club and outlined some of the qualities the veteran full-back will add to his squad, per the team's official site. "Ashley is one of the world’s most successful defenders and has played at the highest level of competition throughout his career," Arena said. "He can provide our defense with valuable experience. We look forward to his contribution to our club this season." This deal had been widely expected. Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times reported how Cole had been bought out the final five months of his contract amid interest from Galaxy. It seems the Italian club are only too happy to rid themselves of Cole. Writing for the Guardian, Marcus Christenson and Fabrizio Romano made it clear how Roma were "desperate to sever their ties" with the veteran defender. Now 35, the former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back can offer the cool head of experience to ...

Making Sense of the LA Galaxy’s Puzzling Offseason Moves to Date

The LA Galaxy are no strangers to being in the spotlight during a transfer window, but usually the decisions made by the brass at the StubHub Center are met with praise.  But that has not been the case this offseason as two of the club's best players were sold to Liga MX, and their rumored replacements only have a few years left in their legs.  There was no doubt that head coach Bruce Arena's side was in need of a retooling after the five-time MLS Cup champions fell out of the Western Conference playoffs in the knockout round at the hands of rival Seattle Sounders. However, no one expected the change to involve the team's best center back and the rock of the midfield. During a short span in December, Omar Gonzalez left the Galaxy for Club Pachuca and midfielder Juninho transferred to Club Tijuana. The departure of the two title winners left the Galaxy with only five members of the starting 11 that helped hoist the 2014 MLS Cup.  In addition to Gonzalez and Juninho, Jaime Penedo, Stefan Ishizaki, Marcelo Sarvas and Landon Donovan have left the club for a multitude of reasons. Penedo left in the summer of 2015 due to a contract ...

Cristiano Ronaldo Comments on Potentially Playing in MLS

Some Major League Soccer supporters are likely tired of clubs' continued reliance on aging European stars to drive interest, but the possibility of landing Cristiano Ronaldo is bound to intrigue even the harshest critic of the league's designated player rule. In an interview with Daniel Riley for GQ, the Real Madrid star spoke about his opinion of MLS and whether he'd ever consider playing in the league: I know that many players move there. I think it's becoming better and better. It's growing. I think it's good. It's good for me and young players that maybe one day we want to move there. So it's good that football—'soccer'—grows there. [...] I mean, what's happening there is great, it's fantastic—maybe in the future will be a good chance for me to play there. You never know, but it's something interesting. I consider it, of course, because as I've said, soccer there has become better and better, so why not? I think that this is maybe going to be possible. Ronaldo has already gone on record saying his "dream is to end [his] career at Real Madrid," per Carlos Carpio and Pablo Polo of Spanish paper Marca. Speaking on the Jonathan Ross Show in November (via ESPN ...

Jack Harrison, NYCFC Take Roundabout Way to Draft-Day Marriage

BALTIMORE — Ten minutes before the 2016 MLS SuperDraft began inside the Baltimore Convention Center, New York City FC director of football operations Claudio Reyna didn't think he'd get the player he wanted.  After a string of trades between the clubs near the top of the draft board, the cards fell in NYCFC's favor just as commissioner Don Garber began his opening address.  “I would say 10 minutes before the first pick, we thought we had no chance of getting (Jack Harrison) to be honest," Reyna told reporters after the madness of the first round ended. "It was as close as that as far as us knowing we had an opportunity as the other trades played out between Philadelphia and Colorado, and conversations I had with Philadelphia and Chicago. It was actually when Don (Garber) started speaking when we were trying to confirm the trade with Chicago."  NYCFC and the Chicago Fire had to wait almost an hour for the deal to become official. While both sides waited for the specifics to be ironed out, No. 1 overall pick Jack Harrison stood in the waiting area next to the stage with a Chicago Fire scarf draped around his neck.  As the deal was being ...

2016 MLS SuperDraft: Winners and Losers from Baltimore Event

The latest batch of Major League Soccer players were selected on Thursday during the first two rounds of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.  The Chicago Fire chose Wake Forest's Jack Harrison with the first-overall selection, but the Englishman was later traded to New York City FC in one of the many trades that took place on the floor of the Baltimore Convention Center.  When all the dust settled, eight of the first 15 selections were acquired through a trade, including Harrison and No. 2 pick Joshua Yaro.  Forty-one players were selected in total on Thursday, and an additional 40 will be selected on January 19 during the third and fourth rounds. An entire list of Thursday's selections can be found here via MLSSoccer.com. Here's a look at our winners and losers from Thursday's MLS SuperDraft.Begin Slideshow

MLS SuperDraft 2016: Complete Round-by-Round Results and Twitter Reaction

The first two rounds of the MLS SuperDraft kicked off on Thursday afternoon, highlighted by a flurry of trades and shock moves from the various clubs across the league.  Here are the full results of the opening rounds:    It didn't take long for things to get crazy at the SuperDraft. Before the draft even began, the Philadelphia Union announced they'd acquired the second overall pick from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for general allocation money. Things only got busier from there. The Chicago Fire selected Wake Forest midfielder Jack Harrison with the top overall pick but quickly shifted him to New York City FC for the No. 4 overall pick and allocation money. It was certainly a whirlwind period of time for Harrison, and Leander Schaerlaeckens of Yahoo Sports sympathized with the young man: That set up the dream scenario for the Philadelphia Union, which desperately needed to upgrade their defense and were able to do so at No. 2 with the player many people felt was the top talent in the draft, Joshua Yaro, who was excited after the pick: Kevin Kinkead of CBS Philly envisions him pairing nicely with Richie Marquez: That move would also allow Maurice Edu to slide back into a defensive midfielder role, ...

MLS: Top 10 Games to Watch During the 2016 Season

The 2016 MLS schedule has been revealed, and while most of the games are worth watching, the best 10 will be highlighted here.  These games will mainly be graded on the rivalry between the two teams. In addition, if previous matches were entertaining, or the two teams have a history like the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy, then that fixture will be bumped up higher. The defending champion Portland Timbers and Supporters' Shield-winning New York Red Bulls are featured prominently. However, 10 other teams are also included. Here are the 10 matches to watch during the 2016 MLS season.Begin Slideshow

10 Bold Predictions for 2016 MLS SuperDraft

The 20 clubs in Major League Soccer will convene in Baltimore on Thursday for the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.  Last season's draft produced one of the league's top scorers in Orlando City's Cyle Larin as well as instant contributors Matt Polster, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Tim Parker and Axel Sjoberg.  The 2016 edition of the SuperDraft has plenty of top talent as well, with Georgetown's Joshua Yaro atop most draft boards across the league.  As we all know, plenty of things can change in regard to the draft order before teams begin to select players on Thursday, but based on the current draft order and specific team needs, we tried to make 10 bold predictions for the happenings at the Baltimore Convention Center.  Among the predictions are a surprise signing, a defender with a rising stock and trade speculation about a spot in the top 10. Continue reading to see what our 10 bold predictions are for the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.Begin Slideshow

2016 MLS Mock Draft: 1st-Round Predictions and Full Selection Order

With the MLS Draft Combine underway and the top players in the country being put under the microscope, the league's franchises are hoping to identify the players who will lead them to success for years to come. That means it's time to break down this year's draft order and a first-round mock draft while taking a closer look at some of the top prospects available to teams this year.   Draft Order   Mock Draft   Top Players Joshua Yaro, RB/CB, Georgetown Joshua Yaro is an interesting case. He's an incredibly talented, bright and ambitious young man and was the rock of Georgetown's defense this year. He also handled the announcement that he would be going pro with his usual class: But he's also considered a 'tweener by many scouts, who aren't sure where his natural position might be at the next level. Steven Goff of the Washington Post broke down the player most believe will be the top overall pick: Yaro is a center back with vision and speed uncommon at the college level. With him marshaling the backline, the Hoyas posted six consecutive shutouts during a 14-game winning streak and rose to No. 2 in the coaches’ poll before losing to Boston College on penalty kicks in the NCAA tournament’s round ...