5 MLS Teenage Stars of the Future

The All-Star festivities in MLS have begun with the inaugural Homegrown Game on Monday. The game was significant as several future stars were on display, and some of them are teenagers. Many youngsters in MLS have tremendous potential to rise to the top of the league, and some who were deserving did not get called up to play in the big game. In this slideshow, five players who are 19 years old or under are featured as potential game-changers in MLS in the future. Most of them have been prominently featured with their clubs already. Here are the ones to watch.  Begin Slideshow

Seattle Sounders vs. LA Galaxy: 5 Things We Learned

The Seattle Sounders lost for the second time in their last three games, as the Los Angeles Galaxy crushed the hosts 3-0 at CenturyLink Field on Monday night. Thanks to that win, LA catapulted into a playoff spot, sitting third in the Western Conference. Seattle remains on top with a six-point gap between second place Real Salt Lake with a game in hand. The Sounders have now lost six of their last seven regular-season meetings against the Galaxy. However, head coach Sigi Schmid didn't have center back Chad Marshall available due to back spasms from a car accident. His absence was felt as Gyasi Zardes opened the scoring, and LA didn't look back. Here are five things we learned from Monday's match.Begin Slideshow

MLS Has to Fix Refereeing to Improve Quality of Play

One of the major talking points from this past weekend in MLS surrounds the referees. In Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 win over Toronto FC on Saturday, referee Ted Unkel was the center of attention for the wrong reasons. His indiscriminate use of yellow cards, combined with poor foul calls, are just two of his blatant errors. This is the latest example of why commissioner Don Garber has to work on improving the officiating in the league. Refereeing is one of the most difficult jobs. A decision has to be made on the spot without any help from replays. Also, Unkel is inexperienced in MLS. He took charge of just three games during the 2013 season, per the official PRO website. He's officiated four this season. Unkel hasn't been the only referee that's been guilty of making incorrect calls or being too card happy. There have been 5,221 fouls called in 190 games in both MLS and the US Open Cup, per the PRO website. That's an average of 27.48 per match. There's also been 621 yellow cards issued (3.27 per game) and 57 reds (0.3 per match). MLS has significantly higher foul numbers per team than the Premier League, per Whoscored.com. In the 2013-14 season, ...

Frank Lampard to NYCFC Makes Sense for All Parties

New York City FC unveiled former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard on Thursday as the newest addition to the Big Apple. The England international signed a two-year designated player contract with NYCFC, per MLSSoccer.com. Lampard is the second big-name acquisition for the club after David Villa joined in June, per the team's official website. Lampard is 36 years old, and the ageing player is no longer at the top of his game. However, this signing is still beneficial for everyone involved. For the England international, he remains a star as part of one of the fastest growing leagues in the world.  He is also set to make around $150,000 a week, per Sports Illustrated, which would make him the highest-paid player in MLS. Lampard will also reside in one of the most vibrant cities on the planet, which probably enticed him to move across the pond. NYCFC benefits in many ways as well. The profile of the club is raised significantly with the addition of Lampard. Even with a two-year contract, this will still grab the attention of the casual fan and could hook them on both the team and MLS. If Lampard leaves at the end of his contract, other players might be drawn to NYCFC if ...

MLS Will Grow More Thanks to Success of 2014 World Cup

There were 22 MLS players included on 2014 FIFA World Cup rosters which is an all-time high for the league. Half of those were members of the U.S. men's national team that qualified out of the "Group of Death" and narrowly lost 2-1 to Belgium in the round of 16. These numbers signify that Major League Soccer is set to take another giant step forward. Seven MLS players started against Germany, and many of them played key roles in the next match versus the Belgians, including Sporting Kansas City's Matt Besler and Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey. Even though the U.S. progressed out of arguably the most difficult group at the World Cup, the feeling is that the Belgium defeat reflects negatively on MLS. This is partially correct as the U.S. averaged the seventh lowest possession percentage, the joint-sixth lowest shot total, and allowed the most attempts out of any other country, per Whoscored.com. However, the US traveled over 10,000 miles compared to Belgium's 1,368, per the Daily Mail's Craig Hope. It's definitely less taxing for the team that spends less time commuting. Even injuries took their toll on some players, including one integral figure that plies his trade in MLS.   Regardless of the opinions on the USMNT's showing in Brazil, ...

MLS: Can Seattle, DC and SKC Keep Dominating in the Second Half of the Season?

The World Cup break in MLS is over, which signals the onset of the second half of the season for the North Americans.  The league standings do change dramatically every week, but could this be the year that everyone maintains their same position? After their abysmal end to the 2013 campaign, wherein head coach Sigi Schmid's future was called into question,the Seattle Sounders started off 2014 with high expectations.  Schmid stayed on, and the team made a big splash in the offseason by chopping and changing the squad. These moves paid off as the Sounders lie at the top of the Western Conference, holding the best record in the league. Seattle has a seven point lead over second place Real Salt Lake, and that's largely due to the club's top earners delivering when called upon.    Last August's blockbuster signing, Clint Dempsey, recovered from his poor 2013 thanks to a full winter to prepare. The American international has improved greatly, scoring eight goals. His teammate, Obafemi Martins, has also bagged eight, per Whoscored.com.  As the second half of the campaign gets underway, it appears as if no one is going to trump Seattle for that top seed in the West, although they lost 1-0 in their last game ...