5 Bold Predictions for David Beckham’s MLS Cup Swan Song

On Saturday afternoon, David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy will take on the Houston Dynamo in the 2012 MLS Cup final in what will be Beckham’s last game in Major League Soccer. Beckham's arrival in Major League in 2007 was a watershed moment in the league's history.Now, six years later, Beckham is leaving the league much larger and much more popular than when he arrived.Here are five bold predictions for Beckham’s MLS swan song.Begin Slideshow

Why the LA Galaxy Deserve to Be Crowned MLS Cup Winners

The one bonus (or flaw, depending on one’s perspective) of American professional soccer in relation to the rest of world football is that the end of the season is guaranteed to finish with a bang. While the overwhelming majority of professional soccer leagues in the world play in a single-table format where the regular season determines the champion, Major League Soccer is one of the few leagues that uses an end-of-the-year playoff to determine its champion. In a single-table system, there are many instances of the champion being decided weeks before the season is even over (last year’s English Premier League finish is obviously a glaring exception). In the playoff system MLS uses, much like the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, the winner comes down to one highly anticipated game. So now, after preseason friendlies, 34 regular season games, CONCACAF Champions League games and the U.S. Open Cup, MLS is finally ready to determine its champion. On December 1st, the LA Galaxy will take on the Houston Dynamo to determine the winner of the 2012 MLS Cup. Here are four reasons the LA Galaxy deserve to come out on top.   Bruce Arena’s Management of His Designated PlayersIt would be ...

MLS Cup: 6 Key Battles to Watch as the LA Galaxy Take on the Houston Dynamo

With the conference finals now over, the MLS Cup is set. On December 1, the Houston Dynamo will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center, with kickoff slated for 1:30 PST. The game will be a rematch of the 2011 MLS Cup, which the Galaxy won 1-0. Here are six key battles to watch in the game.Begin Slideshow

MLS Cup Playoffs: 6 Thoughts from the Conference Finals

With the LA Galaxy carrying a three-goal lead into the second leg of their conference final matchup against the Seattle Sounders and the Houston Dynamo carrying a two-goal lead into the second leg of their conference final matchup against DC United, one might have expected two ho-hum games. Instead, both games had their fair share of excitement as both DC and Seattle gave Houston and LA plenty to worry about. Here are six thoughts from the conference finals.Begin Slideshow

MLS Playoffs: Semifinal Previews and Predictions

After two raucous first-legs in each conference’s respective finals on Sunday night, the MLS Playoffs now take a seven day breather before the second-legs kick off this weekend. In the Eastern Conference Final, the Houston Dynamo jumped out to a controversial 3-1 lead over DC United. In the Western Conference Final, the LA Galaxy put on an impressive offensive display dismantling the Seattle Sounders 3-0. Let’s take a look at each series’ first-leg and a look at what’s in store for the second-legs.Begin Slideshow

MLS Playoffs Wrap-Up

Major League Soccer’s semifinal round of playoff action is now in the books. Perhaps most surprising is that the No. 1 seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conferences were eliminated and are headed home. For those teams that survived, the MLS Playoffs now head into the conference finals matchups, which will begin on Sunday.Let's take a look at the action from the semifinal round of games.Begin Slideshow

MLS Playoff Best XI so Far

In the first week of Major League Soccer playoff games, the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Chicago Fire were eliminated, and the remaining eight teams—the LA Galaxy, the San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake, the Seattle Sounders, DC United, the New York Red Bulls, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City—all played the first leg of their respective conference semifinals matchups. Let’s see who makes the MLS Playoff XI from this past week’s action.Begin Slideshow

MLS Playoffs: Power Ranking the Teams Going for MLS Cup Glory

The Major League Soccer regular season wrapped up last night and with the end of the season, the playoff field is now set. The fourth and fifth seeds will take each other on in a one-game knockoff round, followed by home-and-away series for each conference’s semifinal and final round. The winners of each conference will then meet for the MLS Cup on December 1. Here is how the teams stack up.Begin Slideshow

Tony Meola: USMNT Legend Speaks About the USMNT, Jurgen Klinsmann and MLS

Today, I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes talking to USMNT legend Tony Meola. Meola earned 100 caps in his international career and minded the net for the U.S. in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. He was also a part of the 2002 World Cup squad. In his Major League Soccer career, Meola played the majority of his career for the Kansas City Wizards, helping the team win the MLS Cup in 2000, a year that saw Meola win League MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year and MLS Cup MVP honors. Meola is in Kansas City ahead of the U.S. final group stage World Cup qualifier as part of Allstate’s “Good Hands FC” program that works with youth goalkeepers. Meola talked about Sporting KC, the growth of Major League Soccer, the USMNT, Jurgen Klinsmann and even Brad Friedel.  Can you tell me a little about what you’re doing in Kansas City? “I’m out here around the U.S.-Guatemala World Cup qualifier with Allstate as part of this promotion that we’ve been doing for the last two years around the country. Tonight we will be in a local community here. We’re going to surprise a group of players and be ...

Young American Players Who Will Play in Europe One Day

Over the past few years, American players heading to Europe has been among the hottest topics for USMNT fans to discuss. U.S. fans realize that the more top-notch experience their players are getting in Europe, the better the U.S. team is likely to be because of that experience. And while the road to Europe is not always dotted with success stories, as several prominent Americans have struggled in their European exploits, the move has, in many cases, pushed American players to the forefront of some of the bigger clubs in Europe. Without further ado, here are nine Americans who will likely be plying their trade in Europe one day.Begin Slideshow