Philadelphia Union Moving Forward After Rais MBolhi Transfer Disaster

CHESTER, PA—As Zach Pfeffer placed his 93rd-minute strike into the back of the net on Sunday night, the crowd at PPL Park, who experienced a wide range of emotions in the three hours prior, erupted in celebration of a long-awaited Philadelphia Union victory.  The goal from the homegrown player was a perfect end to a dramatic week around the grounds of PPL Park that featured a fan protest against ownership and a dramatic match against D.C. United.  The Union, who entered the match with one win and six points from 11 matches, were marred by a traumatic stigma surrounding their goalkeeping situation for quite some time before manager Jim Curtin officially declared Rais MBolhi would no longer be a part of the team's plans ahead of the team's trip to Vancouver last week.  MBolhi, who starred for Algeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, inked a deal with the Union during the 2014 summer transfer window and debuted near the end of August.  From the start of his Union career, Mbolhi's transfer to Major League Soccer was greeted with nothing but skepticism since the club already had two capable goalkeepers on its roster in Zac MacMath and Andre Blake.  Part of the reason why the ...

MLS Team of the Week: Orlando, Montreal and Seattle Stars Shine in Week 11

Major League Soccer's 11th week of action in 2015 was by far its craziest and most unpredictable.  Over the span of five days, plenty of unlikely results were produced, as well as some top performances from fringe players. The two biggest upsets in Week 11 were delivered by the Montreal Impact and Orlando City. The Philadelphia Union also earned an upset of sorts on their home field.  One club that didn't stray from the path this weekend was the Seattle Sounders, who outclassed Vancouver Whitecaps from start to finish. The four clubs combined to put eight players in this week's edition of the MLS Team of the Week. Continue reading to see who else joined that group of standout stars from Week 11.Begin Slideshow

An Argument for Why Jordan Morris Must Move to MLS

Jordan Morris cemented his spot on the American soccer landscape on April 15, when he netted the opening goal against Mexico at the Alamodome in San Antonio.  Scoring against Mexico, whether it be in a competitive match or in a friendly, always puts a player in the good graces of the American fans.  Now with the spotlight off him, Morris must find a way to work his potential into a consistent role on the international stage. But unlike every other player in the USMNT talent pool, Morris is still plying his trade at the collegiate level at Stanford University.  According to an April report from Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, the Seattle Sounders offered him one of the most lucrative deals for a homegrown player in the history of Major League Soccer. As a Seattle homegrown player, Morris' rights are owned by the Sounders. Despite the latest round of interest and speculation, Morris is still set to play his junior season for the Cardinal in the fall instead of developing at the professional level.  When it comes to playing time, Morris will certainly receive plenty of that during the college season, and based off his recent international trajectory, he will be training with either the USMNT or United ...

MLS Player Rankings: Dempsey Rises to Top After Week 10 Brace

All of the complaints we had about the lack of scoring during the first few weeks of the Major League Soccer season drifted into the abyss after Week 10 concluded.  The fast-paced attacking action we are used to seeing in MLS showed itself all weekend, and some of the biggest names in the league found the back of the net.  Clint Dempsey was one of the those players, as he bagged a brace for the Sounders against Columbus. Kei Kamara did the same on the other end of the pitch for the victorious Crew.  Due to his output in the final third in Week 10, and in his previous games for Seattle, Dempsey earned a slight edge over Kamara for the top spot in our MLS Player Rankings.  Continue reading on to see who else joined Dempsey and Kamara on the list of the league's top 20 players. Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Dempsey, BWP, Kamara All Score Twice in Week 10

The best attackers in Major League Soccer were out in full force during Week 10. Thirty-two goals were scored over the course of six days. Although the week started slowly, with one goal from two midweek games, the action began to heat up Friday. Only Philadelphia failed to find the back of the net at least once during the wild weekend of play, which featured a five-goal contest in Columbus and a four-goal encounter in Orlando. Due to the massive amount of terrific attacking displays this week, we formed our MLS Team of the Week into a 3-4-3 formation, along with a bench of players who nearly made our starting XI. Continue reading on to see which players were named to the list of Week 10's best. Begin Slideshow

Under-the-Radar MLS Players Who Will Be Household Names by 2016

Everyone across the globe is aware of the star power that graces the Major League Soccer rosters. The likes of Robbie Keane, Sebastian Giovinco, Obafemi Martins, Clint Dempsey and others are on highlight reels week after week. Due to the decent number of superstars in the league, some productive players fly under the radar of the casual fan. Whether the cause is playing in a small market, starting for a struggling team or featuring in an unpopular position, certain players do not receive the attention they deserve.  With that in mind, we prepared a list of 10 under-the-radar players who have the potential to be stars by the time the 2016 season begins.  Continue reading on to see which 10 players we selected to become household names over the next 12 months.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Martins, Dempsey & Castillo Climb to Top

The ninth week of play in Major League Soccer taught us one valuable lesson that we should keep in mind from now until the MLS Cup Final.  Obafemi Martins, Clint Dempsey and Fabian Castillo are the top three players in the league at the moment, and they should be for the rest of the season.  The trio, who might be caught by Toronto FC's three designated players and Kaka at some point, produced a ton of class in their respective matches in Week 9. Due to the impeccable quality of the three stars, they all catapulted to the top of our latest ranking of the top 20 players in MLS. Continue reading on to see which one of the attackers claimed the No. 1 position in the Week 9 edition of the MLS Player Rankings. Begin Slideshow

Bradford Jamieson IV Leading Wave of USMNT U20 Players in MLS

With one swift cut to the left and a rocket into the bottom right corner of the net, Bradford Jamieson IV jumped onto the radar of many United States men's national team fans.  Most people around the LA Galaxy and U.S. Soccer knew the 18-year-old had plenty of talent. But April 26's match against the New York Red Bulls marked the day everyone else started to find out how special of a player Jamieson could be.  Jamieson's success with the Galaxy couldn't have come at a better time for club and country. At the club level, the young forward is filling in for an injured Robbie Keane. He is also gaining valuable playing time ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which begins May 30 in New Zealand.  The 18-year-old has impressed many over the last three weeks starting next to Alan Gordon in the Galaxy's two-forward system.  Thanks to the heavy influence from Keane in training, Jamieson felt ready to fill the void left by the Republic of Ireland international early in the season.  “(Keane's helped me) tremendously. It’s a huge compliment to him that his play is affecting guys like me. That’s the way you should be benefiting from playing with an experienced ...

MLS Team of the Week: Seattle, FC Dallas Put 3 Players on List of Week 9’s Best

The first weekend of May brought us a few spectacular attacking displays across the pitches of Major League Soccer. The two clubs who stood out the most were FC Dallas and the Seattle Sounders, who each boast a trio of players in this week's MLS Team of the Week.  Outside of the two Western Conference dynamos, a few Eastern Conference stars delivered key showings at both ends of the pitch in two early-season showdowns.  Due to the large amount of strong attacking performances in Week 9, we molded the best 11 of the week into a 4-3-3 formation. Continue reading to see who was named in the Week 9 edition of our MLS Team of the Week. Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Consistent Kamara Takes Top Spot After Week 8

There is no doubt we love to focus on the performances of the superstars in Major League Soccer like Kaka, Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore.  But there are plenty of players who are worthy of our praise that aren't earning a ridiculous amount of money each week.  One of those under-the-radar players earned the top spot in our weekly list of the top 20 players in the league.  Continue reading on to see who took the No. 1 position away from Giovinco in the Week 8 edition of the MLS Player Rankings. Begin Slideshow