What Signings of Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco Reveal About Toronto and MLS

Over the last week, Toronto FC has made a massive statement in the transfer market with the acquisitions of Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco.  Altidore was officially announced as a TFC player Friday after the club finalized a swap with Sunderland that involved Jermain Defoe, who only lasted one season with the Reds.  Monday will mark another type of landmark announcement by Toronto, as Sebastian Giovinco will be announced as the club's latest designated player. The 27-year-old Italian will join the Canadian side in July after his contract at Juventus runs out, per Sportsnet's John Molinaro.  With Major League Soccer entering a new chapter of its history in 2015 following the retirements of Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry, Toronto has helped continue one league precedent and begin another with its two recent deals.  The Altidore signing continued the rapid trend of Americans returning to home soil to in the ever-evolving MLS.  Clint Dempsey and the Seattle Sounders started the movement in 2013, when the United States captain moved to the Pacific Northwest from Tottenham Hotspur.  Toronto helped continue the trend before the 2014 campaign, as it brought in Michael Bradley as one of its three new designated players alongside Gilberto and Defoe.  Bradley will be the lone man standing ...

MLS Draft Notebook: Seattle Gets Its Guy; Portland, TFC Impress with Selections

As the first round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft progressed Thursday, one key name was left on the draft board.  It took until the 16th selection for the University of Washington's Cristian Roldan to be selected by the Seattle Sounders. The Sounders traded up to the 16th pick in a deal with Real Salt Lake. SB Nation's Jeremiah Oshan reported that the trade cost the defending Western Conference champions just under $100,000 in allocation money.  One of the reasons why Seattle made sure it worked out a trade with Real Salt Lake was the familiarity between Roldan and RSL assistant Craig Waibel. Waibel was an assistant at Washington before he joined RSL.  "We really thought RSL was going to take him because Craig Waibel has history with him as well," Sounders boss Sigi Schmid told reporters. "For them, it came down to the situation where what we were offering was more important to them than the players."  Roldan also has plenty of connections with the Sounders since he played collegiate soccer in the area at Washington.  "I know a lot of the guys, not just (recently signed homegrown player and college teammate) Darwin Jones," the midfielder said. "It’ll be a transition I think. I’ve been ...

What Pressures Will Cyle Larin Face as No. 1 Overall Pick in MLS?

The Major League Soccer SuperDraft may not receive as much attention in the United States as the drafts in the four major sports, but the top selection still faces a good amount of pressure.  Orlando City SC selected UConn forward Cyle Larin with the first overall pick in Thursday's SuperDraft at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.  Larin will go into a unique environment in Orlando thanks to the presence of former No. 1 pick Danny Mwanga, who inked a deal with the Lions this week. The Philadelphia Union picked Mwanga, now 23, with the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, but he was traded in 2012 after two-and-a-half mediocre seasons. He has bounced around at a few different clubs since, never finding success at any of them. “I think there is a lot of pressure. It’s tough," Mwanga said prior to Thursday's draft. "Sometimes as a player, you get too much of that into your head. You start doubting yourself a little bit. Going from the college level straight to the pros, being the No. 1 draft pick, people expect a lot from you."  The forward first joined Philadelphia before its expansion season, just like Larin will do with Orlando City in 2015.  The environment ...

2015 MLS SuperDraft: Live Results, Highlights, Reaction

The 20 Major League Soccer clubs brought in a slew of new players Thursday through the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.  Orlando City selected UConn forward Cyle Larin with the first overall pick, while fellow expansion side New York City FC used the second selection on Oregon State forward Khiry Shelton. Romario Williams of Central Florida went to Montreal with the third overall pick, while Fatai Alashe and Nick Besler were selected by San Jose and Portland respectively.  The biggest surprise of the first round was Seattle selecting Cristian Roldan with the No. 16 pick after trading with Real Salt Lake.  All of the draft selections from both rounds can be found here.     Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

10 Bold Predictions for 2015 MLS SuperDraft

While the MLS SuperDraft may not receive as much publicity as other drafts in American sports, it has the potential to produce the same amount of craziness on draft day.  The 2014 edition of the draft saw Philadelphia trade up a single spot to select Andre Blake with the No. 1 pick. FC Dallas also took an unknown prospect with the sixth-overall pick.  We can expect a few trades to go down Thursday in Philadelphia, but who goes where is still up in the air. With that in mind, we made 10 bold predictions about what will go down inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center Thursday afternoon. Begin Slideshow

5 Names to Look out for in 2015 MLS SuperDraft

On Thursday, Major League Soccer will welcome its latest crop of young talent to the league during the MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia.  While the 2015 draft class may not be as prolific as recent ones, it still has the potential to produce some quality players.  Only five players inked Generation Adidas deals, which are handed out to college underclassmen by the league. But the five prospects do carry a ton of potential with them.  Outside of the Generation Adidas players, who don't count against an MLS team's budget and receive grants to further their education, there are some talented college seniors in the draft pool as well who have the potential to make a big impact in 2015 for their respective clubs.  Here is a look five names you should know heading into Thursday's MLS SuperDraft.  Begin Slideshow

Remembering David Beckham’s Arrival at LA Galaxy

Eight years ago, Major League Soccer sent shock waves across the world when it announced the landmark signing of David Beckham from Real Madrid.  In the years following the deal, it remains one of, if not the, most influential moments in league history.  At the time of the acquisition, no one involved in the deal could've imagined the immense impact the Beckham deal and consequential Designated Player rule would have on the young American league.  Although Beckham has not played in MLS since 2012, his impact on the league will be felt for decades, as MLS owes many things to the Manchester United legend.   When Beckham joined up with the LA Galaxy in the summer of 2007, the club had already established itself among the league's elite thanks to two MLS Cup victories in 2002 and 2005.  Despite those successes, the Galaxy needed something to reinvigorate the fanbase after finishing in fifth place in the Western Conference in 2006. New signings were expected to during the offseason, but no one expected Beckham to be the primary acquisition prior to the 2007 season.  Beckham's Galaxy debut came against Chelsea in a friendly at the Home Depot Center on July 21, 2007. He made his first league appearance against D.C. ...

New York-Based MLS Clubs Need to Get Their Acts Together

As the calendar was preparing to flip over to 2015, fans of both New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls carried a ton of optimism about the new Major League Soccer season.  Eight days into the new year, all hell has broken loose at both clubs, which has caused the American soccer-viewing public to focus on both teams for all the wrong reasons.  Just before NYCFC fans began to ring in the new year, they were handed the news about Frank Lampard's extended stay at parent club Manchester City.  In the days following the official news about Lampard's playing status, many season-ticket holders were angered at the handling of the confusing mess regarding the English midfielder's actual contract status.  Just as tensions were beginning to subside a bit on the blue half of New York's soccer landscape, the red part of the fanbase received some heartbreaking news.  In the waning hours of Tuesday night, a report broke from Metro New York's Kristian Dyer about the job status of beloved manager Mike Petke. Less than 12 hours later, the Red Bulls confirmed the parting of ways between the club and the former defender.  Red Bulls fans felt the same amount of outrage over the managerial switch ...

How Frank Lampard Decision Affects New York City FC’s Inaugural Season

Now that the inevitable is finally over with, New York City FC is under more pressure to put a winning product on the field starting in March. Frank Lampard is officially a Manchester City player until at least the end of May. There is absolutely nothing head coach Jason Kreis or director of football operations Claudio Reyna can do about it now.  Instead of lamenting every time Lampard steps on the pitch in a Man City shirt, fans of the club should embrace the challenge presented to club's brass.  Now seems like a good time to remind everyone with an opinion on this topic that Kreis built Real Salt Lake out of nothing into a consistent contender in the Western Conference.  Kreis also prepared for the lack of Lampard's presence by selecting Ned Grabavoy in December's Expansion Draft. While he may not possess the quality of the English international, Grabavoy was a rock in the defensive half of midfield for RSL before leaving for the bright lights of New York City.  With two months left in the offseason, Kreis has the opportunity to go out and find another player of Grabavoy's quality to shore up the defensive part of midfield.  The months leading up to March's ...

Sporting Kansas City Are the Early Winners of the MLS Offseason

Despite being less than a month old, the Major League Soccer offseason has already seen a ton of action. Numerous acquisition drafts have been held, and a few clubs have ventured into the international market to sign players. One of the busiest teams over the last few weeks has been Sporting Kansas City, who are in the middle of a much-needed rebuild following a late-season collapse in 2014.  Some of the familiar faces like Matt Besler, Graham Zusi and Dom Dwyer will still be around for the 2015 campaign, but plenty of new names will make up the supporting cast around the three stars.  One of the biggest moves of the offseason so far came on the day after the MLS Cup Final, when the 2013 MLS Cup champion sent defensive stalwart Aurelien Collin to expansion side Orlando City.  While some may have been surprised by the trade, Sporting KC needed to make changes in the back four, which made countless errors throughout the final two months of the regular season. Collin had to be moved because of issues with the salary cap, per a report from MLSSoccer.com. But Sporting did get a strong player in return, as Jalil Anibaba was sent to the club after ...