5 Reasons Why Steven Gerrard Isn’t the Right Fit for the LA Galaxy

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is set to join the L.A. Galaxy after signing an 18-month contract, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC. The deal will reportedly be worth a pro-rated $6 million per year. MLS will pick up $750,000 of Gerrard's salary. At first look, signing the Reds captain is a great move for the Galaxy. Gerrard is a marketable player so LA will sell more merchandise, tickets, advertising and generate more revenue as a result.  However, there are negatives to signing the Liverpool legend. His position on the team is unknown and MLS is a unique league and difficult to understand. The cons will be ranked in terms of how hard these potential issues can be resolved. Here are five reasons why Gerrard isn't the right fit for the LA Galaxy.Begin Slideshow

Report: Roma’s Daniele De Rossi Considering New York City FC and Red Bulls

Roma stalwart and Italy international Daniele De Rossi is considering a switch to New York City FC, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). Empire of Soccer's Dave Martinez also claims that De Rossi is also garnering interest from the New York Red Bulls. De Rossi has been linked with other clubs over the past couple of years, including Manchester City of the English Premier League, per Huw Silk of The Telegraph. However, the 31-year-old also has one stipulation. He'll only leave if Roma wins the Scudetto this season. The Giallorossi are only three points behind league-leaders Juventus after 16 games. De Rossi has a house in the United States and spends some of his vacations across the Atlantic. A move to the U.S. wouldn't be out of the ordinary for the midfielder. The World Cup winner nearly left the team a few years ago, but he decided to stay after Roma lost to city rivals Lazio in the 2012/13 Coppa Italia final. New York City FC could use a player of De Rossi's ilk. He's an excellent box-to-box midfielder who can break up any oncoming attack and transition the play forward. He can also play as a center back if necessary. One of NYC ...

Top 10 Moments of 2014 in U.S. Soccer

Major League Soccer and the U.S. men's national team had a memorable 2014. The World Cup produced some magical memories and heartbreaking moments that no one will ever forget. An American legend also walked into the sunset after an incredible career. As the year comes to a close, this slideshow will highlight the top 10 moments in U.S. soccer in 2014. They will be graded on the historic and present-day impact on the sport in the United States. Here are the top 10 moments of 2014 in U.S. soccer.Begin Slideshow

MLS Releases Opening Weekend Schedule and Club Home Openers

Major League Soccer revealed the schedule for the first weekend of the 2015 regular season, including every club's home opener. The 2015 season opens with the MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy facing the Chicago Fire at the StubHub Center on Friday, March 6. Other marquee matches include the Houston Dynamo taking on the Columbus Crew in Owen Coyle's first game as Dynamo head coach at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday, March 7. An all-Canadian matchup between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC will also be played on that Saturday at BC Place. The Portland Timbers begin their season against Real Salt Lake at Providence Park in the third of six matches on March 7. Orlando City SC begins life in MLS against their expansion cousins New York City FC at the Citrus Bowl in the first of three matches on Sunday, March 8. Even the official MLS Instagram account is jacked up for this contest. Sporting Kansas City battle the New York Red Bulls at home, and the Seattle Sounders face MLS Cup finalists New England Revolution at CenturyLink Field in the other matches that day. NYC FC play their first home match on Sunday, March 15, against the Revolution at Yankee Stadium. TFC won't play at BMO ...

What Mix Diskerud Signing in Mexico Means for MLS and the USMNT

Mix Diskerud is close to signing with Xolos de Tijuana in Mexico, according to ESPN reporter Tom Marshall: Diskerud was previously linked with the Columbus Crew, per SB Nation. The Crew wanted to sign the midfielder as a designated player, according to Patrick Guldan of the Massive Report. On the surface, it's not a good omen that a U.S. international may not join an MLS team, but it's not all bad news for the league. Diskerud was born in Oslo, Norway, to a Norwegian father and American mother. He grew up in his birth country and represented the nation at the youth level, before joining with the U.S. men's national team. It's also where the 24-year-old began his professional career. It would be a significantly bigger deal if Clint Dempsey or Michael Bradley declined to join the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC, respectively, for a Mexican club. Those two grew up in the United States and started their careers in the United States.  Diskerud isn’t as connected to the league or the country as much as some of his teammates. However, losing the American international is a worry for a variety of reasons. Liga MX offers more money, and it isn't a single entity like MLS. There are ...

Erick Torres Transfer News: Updates on the Chivas Star’s Future

Updates from Thursday, Dec. 18 MLS has taken up the option to bring striker Erick Torres to the league. The Mexican international has been loaned to Chivas for six months as part of the deal, per ESPN soccer reporter Tom Marshall: However, Marshall goes on to say that the statement from Chivas doesn't mention MLS purchasing Torres. On the other hand, no individual club has actually signed him, so that could be the reason. Signing a player like Torres with all of his potential is a great move by MLS. He'll be able to help any team that has issues up front.   Original Text Liga MX side Chivas will keep 21-year-old striker Erick Torres for the next six months, as confirmed by the club (h/t ESPN soccer reporter Tom Marshall): There were rumours of the Houston Dynamo being the front-runners for the young Mexican forward, per Ives Galarcep of Goal.com. The reported fee for Torres was around $7.5 million. He would have been signed as a designated player. However, there could be a silver lining for MLS teams in the future. Marshall goes on to say that the league may get Torres on a permanent basis after six months. Chivas apparently wanted to keep him in order ...

Seattle Sounders Hiring Garth Lagerwey Could Be Their Biggest Offseason Signing

The Seattle Sounders have reportedly landed one of the top free agents in MLS. Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey will join the Sounders, per ESPN's Taylor Twellman (h/t MLSSoccer.com) for the 2015 season. If this comes to fruition, it will be a massive coup for Seattle. The details of Lagerwey's deal with the Sounders, as well as his official title, are unknown at this point, per Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated. Straus claims that he'd replace Adrian Hanauer, who has been the club's sole GM since their inception. In fact, it appears as if Hanauer wants Lagerwey because he's trying to find a new stadium for the Sounders, according to Twellman (h/t Jeremiah Oshan of Sounder at Heart). Hanauer has done fantastic work in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is arguably the soccer hotbed of the United States. It also helps when the professional team never misses the playoffs and has won five major trophies. However, Lagerwey has been equally, if not, more impressive as a general manager. Real Salt Lake has won an MLS Cup and the club is the only side from the U.S. to reach a CONCACAF Champions League final. RSL is also a model of consistency with regard to ...

Examining New York City FC’s and Orlando City SC’s Biggest Needs

New York City FC and Orlando City SC beefed up their squads in the expansion draft on Wednesday, Dec. 10 and also executed a few trades. However, the MLS season doesn't start until March, so they both have plenty of time to add more players.  The two teams each have a couple of positional needs which will be examined in this piece.   Orlando City SC The most important trade for Orlando was to acquire Aurelien Collin and Amobi Okugo which gives them two proven MLS players in key positions. They now respectively have an established center back and a player who can play as a holding midfielder or on defense.  Orlando is set with their goalkeepers. Tally Hall will be injured for the first few weeks of the season, but that's why the club picked up Donovan Ricketts in the expansion draft. The Jamaican is an experienced, formidable MLS starter even as he approaches 40. Heath Pearce is a valuable addition, but he struggles in the air and with his tackling, so Orlando's brass could sign an upgrade to play alongside Collin. Youngsters like Tommy Redding could eventually become starters, but for now it may be best to try and find someone else. Eighteen-year-old Tyler Turner and Rafael Ramos ...

New England Revolution Is Still the Beast of the East in MLS Despite Final Loss

The LA Galaxy defeated the New England Revolution, 2-1, after extra time to win MLS Cup on Sunday. Even though the Revolution lost their record-breaking fifth final in franchise history, they're still the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. New England had just two wins after their first seven games of the 2014 regular season. The Revs improved in April and May, but then lost eight matches in a row from the end of May and into the final week of July. The Revolution's chances of making the playoffs were grim. Around a month later, Jermaine Jones was signed as a designated player. New England won 10 of their last 12 games with the American international on the roster. The Revs subsequently qualified for the playoffs as the second seed in the East. MVP finalist Lee Nguyen was also integral to the Revolution's success in the second half of the season. The American midfielder scored nine of his 18 goals after Jones arrived at the club. Nguyen was also extremely difficult to contain with Kelyn Rowe, Chris Tierney and Teal Bunbury alongside him. Players such as Nguyen, Rowe, Tierney, Bunbury, Jones, Scott Caldwell and Charlie Davies make up the core of the Revolution. Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth ...

LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution: Key Issues That Will Shape MLS Cup Final

The 2014 MLS Cup final will be played this Sunday. The LA Galaxy and New England Revolution will battle for the title at the StubHub Center, where the Revs were crushed 5-1 by the Galaxy in July. However, the Revolution won eight of its final 10 matches in the regular season after Jermaine Jones joined the club in August, but the Galaxy is no slouch and will be a fearsome force against the Revs on Sunday. Here are the key issues that will shape the MLS Cup final between the Galaxy and the Revolution.Begin Slideshow