Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: Wondolowski 1 Strike Away from Goal Milestone

Major League Soccer prides itself on week-to-week unpredictability and parity from top to bottom, but the one constant that hasn't changed over the last seven seasons is Chris Wondolowski's knack for scoring goals.  The San Jose Earthquakes forward can jump into sole possession of fourth place on the MLS all-time scoring chart with a tally on Saturday in Portland. Wondolowski moved level with Ante Razov on 114 goals with his strike in San Jose's 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday.  The 33-year-old striker usually doesn't produce tallies that end up on the weekly highlight reel, but he does find the back of the net on a consistent basis like no other player has been able to.  Starting with his 18 goals in 2010, Wondolowski has reached the double-digit goal mark in six consecutive years. If his current pace keeps up, the San Jose forward will extend that streak to seven years before the summer begins.  The veteran forward receives plenty of criticism from the United States men's national team fan base for his lack of production at the international level, but he has never let those performances affect him in MLS.  Some may say if you've seen one Wondo goal, you've ...

MLS Power Rankings: The Western Conference Rules the Top 3

There were plenty of big results in MLS this past weekend, with a couple of rivalry games influencing the latest power rankings. A few teams were missing a few starters, and they also have games in hand this early in the campaign. Therefore, the following criteria will be used to grade each club: Form over the last five games Injuries/absences Quality of a team's most recent performance Games in hand (if applicable) Here is where every team stands after the weekend.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Plata Stays Top, Wondo, Adi, Dwyer Surge into Top 10

Week 6 certainly wasn't the flashiest week of the Major League Soccer season to date, but it saw a few big-name attackers score meaningful tallies.  Five of the top seven players in our latest Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings found the back of the net over the weekend.  Due to the absence of some stars from the pitches across the United States and Canada in Week 6, we witnessed plenty of fluctuation in the top 10.  Our player rankings take into account the last four performances of everyone in MLS, with the most recent showing carrying the most importance. Continue reading to see which 20 players secured a spot on our list of the best in-form players in MLS. Begin Slideshow

Nigel De Jong Makes X-Rated Tackle on Darlington Nagbe During Galaxy vs. Timbers

Nigel de Jong's horror tackle on Darlington Nagbe forced the American midfielder to be stretchered off in the 72nd minute as Los Angeles Galaxy and Portland Timbers drew 1-1 at the StubHub Center on April 10.  The pair both went in for a 50-50 ball, but Dutchman De Jong's lunge was wildly mistimed, and he ended up stamping on Nagbe's ankle—see below video, via sportswriter Eduard Cauich: As shared by Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated, Nagbe suffered a sprain and contusion to his ankle during the clash, and it's unclear when he'll be ready to return to the pitch: On Friday, the club announced De Jong has been suspended three matches and fined an undisclosed amount. De Jong said after the match that it was never his intention to hurt Nagbe, per the club's website: It was a ball that came my way. It was 50-50 and normally I always have those balls. But I went over the ball and caught the ball a little bit and caught most of his ankle. It was a pity; it was never my intention to hurt him. He’s a good kid, as well, and I said that after the game, as well, to him. It’s a pity, but that’s football, as well. ...

MLS Team of the Week: Sapong, Dwyer, Espindola Lead List of Week 6’s Best

The sixth week of play in Major League Soccer provided fans with a wide array of talking points once the weekend's final whistle sounded on Sunday night. The biggest attacking headline was produced by D.C. United, who powered four goals past the Vancouver Whitecaps at RFK Stadium on Saturday.  Sporting Kansas City continued their terrific early-season form with a win over the New York Red Bulls, who can't seem to figure things out in the final third.  In addition to the splendid attacking performances throughout the United States and Canada, there was also a bit of controversy on Sunday night, when Nigel de Jong injured Darlington Nagbe with a harsh challenge and only received a yellow card for his actions.  After going over all the noteworthy individual showings from Week 6, we settled on a 4-3-3 formation for our latest Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week. Continue reading to see which 11 players found their way into our list of Week 6's top stars. Begin Slideshow

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: Red Card Issue Can Be Fixed by Adjustments

The one issue that has plagued Major League Soccer during the first five weeks of the season has been the enforcement of red cards.  In the 42 matches played across the league since March 6, 16 ejections have been delivered by 13 different referees.  The concern about the presumed growing number of red cards throughout the United States and Canada came to the forefront again after four players were sent off during Week 5.  During a conference call with the media on Thursday afternoon, Professional Referees Organization general manager Peter Walton tried to clear things up regarding the increased criticism of officials.  “Nothing has changed in law," Walton said. "Nothing has changed in the way PRO wants the game to be played and administered. What has changed is our referees are much more consistent in the application of the law we want them to apply."  While the quality on the pitch in regard to the personnel has dramatically improved over the last few years, PRO has worked on fine-tuning the skill sets of its referees.  What we are seeing at the start of 2016 is the consistency that Walton and others in charge at PRO are looking for.  "I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with the ...

MLS Power Rankings: Orlando City Surges into the Top 5

Eighteen teams were in action this past weekend in Major League Soccer. Once again, most matches were dominated by controversy, but a few results had a major impact in the standings and power rankings. As always, the following criteria were used to grade each club: Current form Injuries/absences Quality of a team's most recent performance Games in hand (if applicable) Here is where every MLS team stands after the weekend.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Plata Remains on Top, Kaka Surges Up List After Week 5

The fifth week of play in Major League Soccer wasn't an attacking showcase like the month of March, but there were a few standout showings in the final third.  The top performance of the weekend came from Kaka, who marveled in front of goal in his season debut for Orlando City.  As for the players near the top of our MLS Player Rankings, only Joao Plata produced a solid effort in Week 5. Some of the stars near the top of the list were ravaged by injuries.  Our player rankings take into account the last four games individuals participated in, with the most recent match holding the most importance.  Continue reading to see who landed where in our list of the 20 best in-form players in MLS.   Begin Slideshow

Kaka Scores 1, Sets Up 2 in Orlando City’s 4-1 MLS Win over Portland Timbers

Class is permanent—just ask Orlando City's Kaka. The Brazilian made his Major League Soccer season debut Sunday night as Orlando thrashed defending champions Portland Timbers at the Citrus Bowl in Florida. The former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder delivered a cross for Seb Hines to head home to put the hosts in front after 13 minutes. Shortly after the half-hour mark, the 33-year-old exchanged passes with Brek Shea, who fired an unstoppable shot to double the advantage. And Kaka put the game out of Portland's reach early in the second half with a goal of his own: A Kevin Molino spot-kick made it 4-0 before Jack McInerney scored a consolation goal in the 89th minute. After four games, the undefeated Orlando leads MLS' Eastern Conference, while Portland has yet to kick into gear, sitting ninth in the West. [Twitter, Reuters; h/t MailOnline]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Team of the Week: Kaka, Dempsey Shine in Critical Week 5 Wins

Major League Soccer returned from the international break with a near-full slate of games that was capped by a tremendous four-goal output from Orlando City.  Former Ballon d'Or winner Kaka lifted the Lions to three points with a standout performance in his first start of the year.  Over in the Western Conference, Clint Dempsey powered the Seattle Sounders to a much-needed victory at home with a goal of his own.  In addition to the pair of superstars, a few first-time scorers made their way into the Week 5 edition of the Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week.  Continue reading to see which players featured in our best XI from the first weekend of April. Begin Slideshow