MLS Player Rankings: Diaz, Morales Rise After Impressive Week 4 Showings

The international break may have halted the strong starts of many Major League Soccer players, but a few playmakers were able to impress during the small slate of matches in Week 4.  Due to the strong numbers put up by some players on Saturday, we saw a little bit of a shift in our latest MLS Player Rankings.  Among the changes were a new entrant into the top 10 and a high riser who secured a top-three position after four weeks of play across North America. Our player rankings take into account the last four performances of everyone in MLS with the most recent showing carrying the most importance. Continue reading on to see who made the biggest leaps in our latest MLS Player Rankings.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: FC Dallas Quartet Highlight Week 4’s Best XI

The international break did not stop Major League Soccer from squeezing in a few matches over the weekend.  Six clubs took to the pitch on Saturday during a shortened Week-4 slate across the United States and Canada. FC Dallas caught the most attention for their win at RFK Stadium over a D.C. United side that is having trouble putting things together early in the season. Vancouver was the other winner in Week 4, while New York City FC and New England played to a draw.  Due to the limited options for selection, we shaped our MLS Team of the Week in a 4-5-1 formation.  Continue reading to see who was named to our best XI from Week 4.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Plata, Larin, Bruin Top Attack-Heavy List After Week 3

Offense continued to be the theme across Major League Soccer in Week 3 as 27 goals struck the back of the net over three days of play.  Some of the same players who thrived over the first two weeks of the season extended their terrific starts into this past weekend.  Selecting a No. 1 in our latest edition of the MLS Player Rankings was a difficult task since seven attackers are tied for the Golden Boot, and six have contributed to at least four of their team's tallies so far.  Our player rankings take into account cumulative performance over the last three weeks with a emphasis on the most recent showing by the players considered for the list.  Continue reading to see who topped our listing of the top-20 in-form stars after Week 3. Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Zardes, Sapong, Adi, Felipe Feature After 2-Goal Games

The madness of March in Major League Soccer reared its head again in Week 3.  From a seven-goal thriller on Saturday to a game in which a goalkeeper saved two penalties and still lost on Sunday, there were no shortage of talking points after the 10-game slate concluded.  Six players recorded two-goal performances over three days, but due to overcrowding at certain positions, only four of them found their way into our MLS Team of the Week.  The plethora of strong attacking showings across the league in Week 3 led us to choose a 4-3-3 formation for our best XI of the weekend.  Continue reading to see who made the latest Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week.Begin Slideshow

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: Toronto Dealing with Long Road Trip to Start 2016

Earning points on the road in Major League Soccer is never an easy task. For Toronto FC to remain relevant over the first three months of the season, the Reds have to do just that.  In their first two matches of the 2016 campaign, Greg Vanney's side used three second-half goals to pick up a late victory and a come-from-behind draw in the New York City area.  "We've started eight games on the road and we talked about giving ourselves a chance to win games," Vanney said after TFC's win over the New York Red Bulls in Week 1. "However we get results, we get results, that's all that matters."  Toronto didn't appear to be headed for a positive result in the season opener at Red Bull Arena, but the improved back line held firm against pressure from the Red Bulls and allowed Sebastian Giovinco to work his magic in the final 10 minutes.  Giovinco was isolated for most of the match, but he was able to break free in the latter stages of the Eastern Conference clash as he created a penalty, scored from the spot and assisted on his team's second tally. The Atomic Ant was at it again in Week 2 as ...

MLS Player Rankings: Piatti, Plata and Giovinco Rise to Top After Week 2

The tremendous attacking displays witnessed in Major League Soccer in the opening week of play carried over to Week 2 as only five teams recorded clean sheets—two of which were in one game.  Due to the terrific start by the attack-minded players across the United States and Canada, the majority of the players on the list of the league's 20 best in-form stars are strikers.  As expected, we saw a good amount of early-season movement in the top 20. Only a few of the standout performers from Week 1 were able to keep high positions in our weekly MLS Player Rankings.  Our player rankings are a cumulative list that take into account play over a specific time span. Until the second month of the season begins, we'll base our current list off matches from March only.  Continue reading to see which 20 players were named to the Week 2 edition of the MLS Player Rankings.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Dwyer, Villa, Pontius, Wenger Headline Week 2’s Best XI

The second week of action in Major League Soccer exemplified all the qualities that make the league so unique.  Saturday's wacky line of results featured a 5-0 thumping by the Houston Dynamo over rival FC Dallas, Philadelphia's first-ever victory in Columbus and Colorado's late win over the LA Galaxy. The trend continued on Sunday as the San Jose Earthquakes downed 2015 MLS Cup champion Portland at Avaya Stadium to close out the 10-game weekend slate.  It comes as no surprise that the majority of the players who feature in our MLS Team of the Week were involved in the Week 2 upsets.  From a trio of two-goal scorers to a pair of a surprising performances from two unlikely defenders, our best XI has it all this week.  Continue reading to see which 11 players were named in our MLS Team of the Week.Begin Slideshow

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: Can Houston End Texas Derby Losing Streak?

The first big rivalry match of the season in Major League Soccer takes place on Saturday night when the Houston Dynamo host FC Dallas in the first Texas Derby of 2016.  While the passion has been there over the last three years, the results haven't shown up for the Dynamo. Since the start of 2013, FC Dallas have won five straight league matches against Houston and an additional two in the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Open Cups.  Earning a big result in the second week of the season means more to Houston than FC Dallas. The Dynamo come into Saturday's showdown at BBVA Compass Stadium off a 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution in which they let three points slip away in second-half stoppage time.  Not only would a victory in Week 2 help the Dynamo rebound from their Week 1 heartbreak, but it will give fans of the club hope that Season 2 under manager Owen Coyle will see progress. The pieces are there for the Dynamo to improve, but to do so they must win at home against the difficult competition in the Western Conference.  A win on the road would help Oscar Pareja's side earn some early separation from the ...

MLS Player Rankings: Magee, Piatti, Plata, Fagundez Top List After Week 1

The first week of the Major League Soccer season provided us with plenty of talking points as 36 goals were scored across the United States and Canada on Sunday.  A good amount of the strikes came from the usual suspects like Sebastian Giovinco and Ignacio Piatti, but a few of the standout performances from Week 1 were produced by unexpected heroes.  The man who stood out the most was LA Galaxy substitute Mike Magee, who was one of two players to record two goals and an assist on Sunday. In total, 11 players contributed to two or more tallies during Sunday's 10-game slate.  Since we're only one week into the new campaign, our MLS Player Rankings could only take into account Week 1 performances. As the weeks go on, this will become a cumulative ranking of the top 20 players in MLS.  Continue reading to see where Magee and the other stars from Week 1 landed in the first MLS Player Rankings of 2016.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Magee Shines off Bench, Plata, Giovinco Star in Week 1

Major League Soccer dove head first into its 21st season with 36 goals across 10 games on a busy Sunday that featured plenty of stellar individual performances.  With superstars like Kaka and Frank Lampard out of their respective lineups for the early slate of matches, a few players jumped into the spotlight with impressive attacking showings.  When the day turned into night, defense took over for a small amount of time before a league veteran exploded off the bench to close the night with one of the unlikeliest performances in recent memory.  Due to all of the scoring across MLS in Week 1, we opted to form our first Team of the Week in a 3-4-3 so we could incorporate as many attackers as possible.  Continue reading to see which 11 players were named to the first MLS Team of the Week for the 2016 season.Begin Slideshow