25 Best MLS Players of 2013

The 2013 Major League Soccer season was one of the most exciting in league history with dozens of players having standout years. Narrowing down those outstanding performances to a list of just 25 players can be a harrowing process. But, after an exhaustive examination of each player, considering their individual performance over the course of the season, as well as their team's success, here are the "25 Best MLS Players of 2013."Begin Slideshow

MLS Cup 2013: Did Sporting KC Get Lucky?

 On Saturday night, Sporting KC defeated Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final. After 120 minutes, the teams remained tied at 1-1 and Sporting outlasted RSL 7-6 in 10 rounds of penalties to claim the title. Sporting KC is one of the class organizations of Major League Soccer. They have a terrific stadium, a terrific fanbase, one of the best coaches in the league and a bevy of top-class players. But, were they lucky to win the title on Saturday night?   Should Aurelien Collin Even Have Been on the Field for His Goal? On Saturday, with Sporting KC trailing 1-0 in the 76th minute, Sporting center-back Aurelien Collin scored the tying goal, forcing the game into extra time. Collin was huge for Sporting throughout their playoff run, scoring three goals in their five playoff games. But, should he even have been on the field to score his goal against RSL? All match long, Collin was engaged in a battle with RSL forward Robbie Findley. Findley’s pace caused Collin problems, which Collin handled on multiple occasions by simply taking Findley out. In the 22nd minute, Collin tackled Findley hard and from behind, but there was no call on the play. The only possible explanation was that ...

MLS Cup: 6 Thoughts from Sporting KC’s Win over Real Salt Lake

Sporting Kansas City beat Real Salt Lake in penalties on Saturday night to claim the 2013 MLS Cup title. After 90 minutes of regulation, 30 minutes of extra time and two nice goals from Alvaro Saborio and Aurelien Collin, Sporting managed to edge RSL 7-6 after 10 rounds of penalties. Here are six thoughts from the game.Begin Slideshow

5 Things We Learned from MLS Eastern Conference Semifinals

On Wednesday night, the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference semifinals were decided with the Houston Dynamo downing the New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City beating the New England Revolution. Both home-and-away series came down to extra time. The Dynamo beat the Red Bulls 2-1 at Red Bull Arena to take the series on a 4-3 aggregate. Sporting beat the Revolution 3-1 at Sporting Park to also win their series 4-3 on aggregate. Here are five things we learned.Begin Slideshow

Houston Dynamo vs. Montreal Impact: Previewing Eastern Conference Play-in Game

On Sunday, both the Houston Dynamo and Montreal Impact slid into Major League Soccer’s playoffs on the last day of the season. Now, as the fourth and fifth seeds in the Eastern Conference, they will face each other in the dreaded one-off play-in game. The match will take place in Houston, courtesy of the Dynamo’s higher finish in the standings and will kick off on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network. Here is breakdown of the matchup.   Houston Dynamo The Houston Dynamo, despite their lowly finish in the standings, are still a team to be feared in the playoffs. Last season, the Dynamo finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference before dispatching the Fire in the play-in game in Chicago, top-seed Sporting Kansas City in the conference semifinals and D.C. United in the conference finals. While the Dynamo went on to lose to the L.A. Galaxy in the MLS Cup in 2012, it was Houston’s second straight appearance in the league finals and they return a roster full of experience. Led by Dominic Kinnear, who helped the Dynamo win back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007, Houston has more top-to-bottom talent than any other team in the ...

MLS Set for Wild Finish: Every Playoff Scenario Explained

Major League Soccer has had one of its most exciting seasons ever and as the regular season comes to a close, an amazing seven teams are still alive in the playoff race heading into the final weekend. Here are the playoff scenarios for each of the seven teams that still have a chance.   Montreal While Montreal are currently third in the Eastern Conference heading into their final game, the playoff race is so close that four teams could still leapfrog them, leaving them out of the playoffs entirely. Montreal have 49 points and are away to Toronto on the final day of the season. If they win, they’re in. If they tie, Houston, Chicago and New England could all jump ahead of them with wins, but all three would need to win for Montreal to be left out. Montreal can get into the playoffs even if they lose, if New England or Houston loses. If Montreal ties and New England or Houston tie, it doesn’t matter because the Impact have more wins—the first tiebreaker. Montreal can also get in with a loss if Chicago ties, but scores less than five goals.   Chicago Chicago is tied with Montreal on points (49) and have two teams chasing them with ...

The Fastest Players in the MLS

While Major League Soccer is still fighting for respect as a league in terms of tactical and technical refinement, there is one area where American soccer players have always been able to dominate on the world stage—athleticism. American players, whatever they may traditionally lack in technique or understanding, are some of the most dominate athletes in the world. Speed is something distinctly not lacking in MLS. Here are seven of the fastest players in MLS today. Begin Slideshow

10 Most Selfish People in MLS

The Major League Soccer season is entering the home stretch with only six weeks left of regular-season play before the playoffs and the hunt for the MLS Cup begin. With most of the season already done and dusted, here's a look at some of the most selfish people in the league, whether that's due to their play on the field, their greed for money or pure stupidity.Begin Slideshow

How MLS Can Lure Jozy Altidore Back Home

With Major League Soccer’s continuing growth and recent signing and re-signing of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan, the time is coming when American internationals will no longer need or want to go overseas. It may be a little early to think about Jozy Altidore coming home, considering he just signed with Sunderland this summer, but the Black Cats' precarious position in the English Premier League as well as the pressures of finding regular playing time in a World Cup year can make strange things happen in the transfer market. Here are five scenarios that could lure Altidore back home to MLS.   Paolo Di Canio Gets Fired Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio is no stranger to controversy. As a player, Di Canio was repeatedly criticized for his use of fascist gestures while playing in Italy. He also has former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s nickname tattooed on his arm, in the past, Di Canio has proclaimed himself a fascist. Taking over for Martin O’Neil late last season, Di Canio managed to keep Sunderland alive in the Premier League and avoided relegation. However, he still has much to prove as a manager, and should Sunderland be in relegation danger midseason, it wouldn’t be improbable that the Black Cats’ ...

David Beckham’s 5 Best Goals in MLS

When David Beckham first arrived in Major League Soccer in 2007, many wondered how much of an impact he would really have on the game here in America and how much of his coming to the U.S. was really just a media stunt by MLS. And in the early years of his MLS career, those doubters looked correct. Beckham struggled to impact the L.A. Galaxy in a positive way, found himself being criticized by teammate and MLS stalwart Landon Donovan and drew ire from Galaxy fans who found his loan spells to AC Milan to be a sign of Beckham's waning commitment to the league and the Galaxy. However, in his last two years, Beckham proved his value to the league, his club and their supporters, winning two MLS Cups. Here are the five best goals from Beckham's tenure in MLS. Begin Slideshow