Should Brek Shea Return to MLS to Revive His Career?

Brek Shea has been one of the most polarizing figures in American soccer over the last few years.  Shea, who starred for FC Dallas in 2011 when he scored 11 goals, has had a rough go of it recently, but he has shown on occasion that he is still the player he once was when he first jumped on to the national team radar.  Now 24 and back at Stoke City as a result of a loan spell cut short at Barnsley because of an incident with the club's fans a week ago, Shea needs somewhere to play consistently. Shea was getting time on the pitch for the Tykes, but he wasted that opportunity in a matter of seconds.  There is no doubt that the left winger has a chance to become one of the faces of the United States men's national team in time for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but he also has the same odds of fading away and becoming a player that isn't mentioned in the national team conversation. Shea's lasting impact with the Yanks came at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup as he scored the game-winning goal off of the bench in the final against Panama.  When he has appeared for ...

MLS Player Power Rankings: Bruin, Miller Impress Up Front in Week 1

Now that the first weekend of play in Major League Soccer is over with, it is time to hand out some awards to some of the top players.  We do that here by ranking the 20 best players from Week 1.  Every week we will be ranking the top players in the league, and once the second week begins, this will become a cumulative rating.  Continue reading to see who topped the first MLS player power rankings. Begin Slideshow

10 Things We Learned from MLS Week 1

Major League Soccer finally returned to the pitch this weekend with eight games that brought us a bit of a surprise with 26 goals and three games seeing five scores.  While seeing goals fly in from all over the place was a nice spectacle, the biggest talking points came from the close matches played in Seattle, LA and Portland. Here is a look at 10 things we learned from the opening weekend of play in MLS. Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Rimando, Bruin and Edu Star in Week 1

The first week of the Major League Soccer season saw plenty of players step up and surprise us with their talents.  Some of the players in the best 11 from Week 1 came out of nowhere to star for their respective clubs, while a few players turned in games that were extensions of their 2013 form.  We opted for a 3-4-1-2 formation this week because of the stellar center-back play across the league all weekend.  While there were a few standout showings from full-backs, none of them compared to the strong defensive play of the three center-backs in our lineup. Continue reading to find out who was named to the inaugural B/R MLS team of the week. Begin Slideshow

20 Storylines to Watch Out for in New MLS Season

The 2014 Major League Soccer season begins on Saturday and with it comes a new list of storylines to follow. The offseason was quite the busy one with stars like Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe entering the league, while a couple of United States internationals brought their talents back to the States in search of a World Cup roster spot.  Along with the on-pitch headlines that those players will make are some major off-pitch storylines that will be worth watching throughout the season.  With so much going on on and off the pitch in 2014, here is a look at the 20 storylines you need to watch in MLS this season. Begin Slideshow

Ranking the Top 20 Strikers in MLS Heading into the 2014 Season

The Major League Soccer season is a week and a half away from beginning and excitement is starting to grow across North America for the 2014 campaign.  Before the season begins, it is time for all of us to channel that excitement into a debate on who is the best striker in the league entering this season.  MLS contains plenty of star forwards like Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, but there are also some fresh young faces that must be included in the discussion as well.  Continue reading to see which 20 goalscorers made their way on to this best of list. Begin Slideshow

Toronto FC Still Have Major Holes Despite Big Offseason

In case you've been stuck under a rock all offseason, Toronto FC made splash after splash to help bolster their squad that had an absolutely terrible 2013 campaign.  Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe, Dwayne De Rosario and Julio Cesar are among the big names that have been brought in by the club's ownership to resurrect a franchise that clearly needed a facelift.  Despite bringing in two midfield playmakers in Bradley and De Rosario, as well as a proven goalscorer in Defoe and an experienced keeper in Cesar, the Reds still have a few major holes that will prevent them from being a major player in the race for the MLS Cup in 2014.  Whenever a club brings in a ton of talent all at once, one has to worry about the team jelling as one cohesive unit. This is something that should not be expected in the first game of the season, but it is something to be worried about if a team does not begin the campaign well.  Bradley will not have a problem getting used to his teammates, but players like De Rosario and Defoe are older and have not seen as much consistency in their respective games of late. This is something that ...

Why Sporting Kansas City Are Still MLS Cup Favorites

All of the news during the Major League Soccer offseason has been about the big spenders, but there is one team who haven't made any headlines this offseason and are favored to win the 2014 MLS Cup. Defending champion Sporting Kansas City have turned into the model of consistency in MLS and are a club that make noise on the pitch, not in the transfer market. The only major move made by Sporting since their conquest of Real Salt Lake at home on December 7 was a goalkeeping swap that was forced due to the retirement of Jimmy Nielsen. To replace Nielsen, who was the starting keeper since 2010, Sporting acquired Andy Gruenebaum in a trade with the Columbus Crew.  The 31-year-old Gruenebaum will be a solid replacement in net for a team that already boast a strong back four.  Speaking of that back four, Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler are back and better than ever, while Chance Myers, Seth Sinovic and Ike Opara are also back and ready to a second consecutive championship. Up front, Sporting possess one of the midfield gems of the United States men's national team in Graham Zusi, who is one of the top playmakers in the league despite not getting ...

MLS: Breaking Down the League’s Hectic Offseason

Ever since Sporting Kansas City hoisted the MLS Cup on their home pitch in early December, the clubs of Major League Soccer have been involved in some interesting offseason business, to say the least.  There have been plenty of eye-popping transfers as well as some progress in the expansion of the league.  So, the question is how do you make sense of everything that has occurred over the last two months in MLS in one piece? That is what I try to answer here as the top offseason storylines are analyzed.    Transfers  The easiest starting point here is the hardest part of the offseason to understand: the transfer market.  The biggest splash was made earlier this month by Toronto FC, who brought in United States international Michael Bradley and former Tottenham star Jermain Defoe, as well as a third designated player in Gilberto.  While the marquee transfers involving the Reds caused plenty of celebration, another Canadian team faced a ton of frustration over the departure of their star from a season ago. The Camilo saga enraged many in Vancouver and across the league as the Brazilian outdid Peter Odemwingie's drive up to the QPR offices last January by having a picture taken of him in a Queretaro ...

What Michael Bradley’s Move to Toronto FC Will Mean for USMNT at World Cup

Michael Bradley's sudden transfer from AS Roma in Serie A to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer surprised everyone in the American footballing landscape.  Bradley's move is one that mirrors Clint Dempsey's transfer to Seattle from Tottenham Hotspur during the summer, as the MLS team receiving the United States men's national team star splashed a pretty large sum of cash for the player. Now that the reality of Bradley donning the red and white of TFC is upon us, it is time to look at what the move means for the United States when the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June. The instant reaction to the Bradley transfer is that the 26-year-old is moving to one of the bottom feeders of the league, which is a correct statement if you only look at the 2013 Eastern Conference standings.  The Reds lacked talent at close to every position in manager Ryan Nelsen's first season and they had to rebuild with new talent. Rebuild is exactly what Toronto did, as they acquired the services of MLS veteran Dwayne De Rosario, who on his best day is one of the best playmakers in the entire league.  Although he is 35, De Rosario will have an immediate impact ...