Tim Howard Would Be an Unnecessary Signing for the Colorado Rapids

Everton and U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Tim Howard are nearing a deal with the Colorado Rapids, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC. Despite his recent struggles in the Premier League, Howard would instantly become one of MLS' top shot-stoppers. However, this is still a curious move by the Rapids. Colorado finished last in Major League Soccer's Western Conference in 2015, although the Rapids defense was formidable. They conceded 43 goals, which was less than Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy, who both made the playoffs. This still did not stop the Rapids from trading goalkeeper Clint Irwin to Toronto FC. Defender Drew Moor also joined TFC via free agency. Both players were defensive pillars for the past few seasons. Those two departures weren't even Colorado's strangest decisions. Homegrown defender Shane O'Neill was sold last August. Deshorn Brown, who led the Rapids in goalscoring in 2013 and 2014, transferred to Norwegian club Valerenga in March 2015. He scored 20 goals over those two seasons. The Rapids finished the 2015 campaign with 33. The likes of Kevin Doyle and Luis Solignac arrived last summer to provide a scoring boost, but it wasn't enough. The Rapids were a playoff team under ex-head coach Oscar Pareja in 2013. They were ...

50 Players to Watch in MLS in 2016

The 21st season of action in Major League Soccer is expected to be as wild and unpredictable as years past with almost all of the 20 teams set to contend for the postseason.  Each of the clubs in MLS enters 2016 with plenty of promise thanks to certain players who are poised to have breakout campaigns over the next nine months.  With that in mind, we selected 50 players across the league to watch in 2016. Some of the players are rookies looking to make a statement, while others are working their way back from injury and hoping for a big 2016.  There are also a few superstars of the league on this list who are somehow going to try and top their spectacular 2015 campaigns. In additions to the first three types of players mentioned, a fourth group of athletes attempting to recover from disastrous 2015 seasons are included in this list.  Continue reading to see who are our 50 players to watch in MLS in 2016. Begin Slideshow

DC United Players Robbed During CONCACAF Champions League Match vs. Queretaro

The Washington Post's Steven Goff reported Monday that some members of D.C. United had their cellphones and cash stolen last week in Queretaro, Mexico, during the squad's CONCACAF Champions League match against Queretaro F.C.   "S--t happens down there," manager Ben Olsen said, per Goff. "It's upsetting that stuff like that still goes down in CONCACAF." However, Queretaro F.C released a statement in Spanish, via Twitter, denying any phones were stolen from the stadium. ESPN FC's Tom Marshall provided a short summary: Per Steven Streff of SB Nation's Black and Red United, the club will compensate the D.C. United players: Olsen commended both CONCACAF and Queretaro F.C. for what he called a "very professional" response to the incident, per Goff. Goal.com's Thomas Floyd added that no evidence points to either the club or match organizers having direct involvement in the robbery. Floyd countered, however, saying team members don't completely absolve Queretaro or CONCACAF of blame: Recovering the phones will prove difficult. Floyd reported a D.C. United player used an iPhone app to locate his phone, which was roughly 130 miles away in Mexico City. D.C. United lost the first leg 2-0 and will look to overcome the deficit at home Tuesday night. Should it move on to the semifinals, United will ...

Outlook Bleak for MLS Clubs in CONCACAF Champions League 2nd Legs

The quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League opened on Tuesday and Wednesday with a quartet of disappointing results for the four MLS teams left in the competition.  Even though D.C. United, Seattle, Real Salt Lake and the L.A. Galaxy all showed signs of promise at certain points of their respective matches, they all displayed the qualities of clubs still working their way through the preseason.  Now as the four teams enter the return legs of their fixtures with clubs from Mexico, the outlook for an MLS side to remain in the competition is bleak at best.  D.C. United set the unfortunate tone for MLS in the knockout round in the opening quarterfinal clash against Queretaro. The Black and Red, who fielded most of their first-team squad, held firm for 70 minutes before they were undone by Yerson Candelo's magnificent strike from the right side of the pitch. A second goal from Edgar Benitez and the failure to score on the road put D.C. in a precarious position heading into Tuesday's contest at RFK Stadium.   Seattle showed plenty of promise on its home turf against Club America, but a few lapses led to a pair of away goals that will be hard to get ...

5 Dark-Horse Contenders to Watch During the 2016 MLS Season

The 2016 MLS season begins on March 6, headlined by the MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers hosting the Columbus Crew in a rematch of December's final. Both sides will surely contend for the championship. However, MLS' parity usually produces a couple of surprise playoff teams. We will analyze five dark-horse contenders in this slideshow. It consists of teams that missed the 2015 playoffs and underwent significant change to the front office, coaching staff or squad during the offseason. Here are five clubs that can make a run in the postseason.Begin Slideshow

Frank Lampard Reveals He’s Trying to Get Andrea Pirlo Drinking Beer

Frank Lampard has revealed he has been trying to get his New York City FC team-mate and famed wine connoisseur Andrea Pirlo onto a different form of beverage...beer. "I always try to get him a nice lager or a beer," Lampard told Shortlist (via the Sun). "He’s quite open to that but he is Mr Italian man, so loves his Italian restaurants, which there are a lot of in New York." The two veteran midfielders have quickly become friends since trading Europe for the United States in 2015, often socialising with their families in the Big Apple. "We spend time together with our other halves, go to dinner, share a glass or two of red wine. He owns a vineyard back in Italy, where he makes his own family wine, so he’s a bit of a connoisseur." [h/t the Sun]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Will Ferrell Talks Los Angeles FC: Chants, Turtlenecks, Stadiums and More

Comedian and actor Will Ferrell appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday to discuss his part-ownership of new Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC.The Anchorman star introduced the audience to his simple but catchy chant for the team, before revealing he wants to help build the club's new stadium and that he hopes to base his ownership style around that of the late New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner.LAFC, whose other part-owners include NBA legend Magic Johnson and former MLB star Nomar Garciaparra, hope to take part in MLS in 2018.[YouTube]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

How Does the Chinese Super League’s Spending Spree Affect MLS?

The Chinese Super League's blockbuster transfer market has crept its way into Major League Soccer. Seattle Sounders striker Obafemi Martins is closing in on a move to Shanghai Shenhua for around $3 million, per ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle.If the deal is confirmed, China's spending splurge will become a worry for MLS.Both MLS and the CSL are considered to be up-and-coming leagues. Yet it is the latter that is rapidly growing into a top competition, despite starting in 2004.Firstly, the CSL is snapping up players in their prime. Alex Teixeira was a Liverpool and Chelsea target, per Marcus Christenson and Thiago Rabelo of the Guardian. The Brazilian ended up signing with Jiangsu Suning and will earn around €10 million annually, per the Sport Bible.Meanwhile, the highest-paid MLS player is Kaka at about $7.1 million, per the MLS Players Union.The structures of both leagues are telling based on these figures alone. MLS' salary cap prevents the teams from signing more quality players. This is not the case in China.Designated players, general and targeted allocation money allow for some flexibility. This has allowed Toronto FC to spend more in annual wages than any other MLS club at $22.7 million, per ESPN FC.However, it's still an inadequate ...

Can the Seattle Sounders Be MLS Title Contenders Without Obafemi Martins?

The Seattle Sounders received news over the weekend that no club wants to hear less than a month before the regular season begins. The Sounders are expected to lose their leading scorer from 2015, Obafemi Martins, to Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League.  The transfer shouldn't come as a major surprise given the recent spending power of the Chinese first division and the history Martins has. Before spending three years in Seattle, Martins bounced around between six different clubs in seven seasons.  Having Martins stay in Seattle for three seasons has to be judged as a success given the player's propensity to go after a big payday. It must be noted Martins isn't officially gone as of this writing, but all signs are pointing to the transfer happening sooner rather than later.  "I can tell you that Oba is not here with us for this phase of camp," Seattle general manager Garth Lagerwey told ESPN's Jeff Carlisle. "We've had an approach from a Chinese club for his services. It could take a while to have that resolved. There's really nothing else we can add at this point, but hopefully we know more by the end of the week." With the Nigerian forward not ...

Could the Balance of Power Shift from West to East in MLS in 2016?

Major League Soccer prides itself on parity, but when the championship is determined, there is a good chance a Western Conference team will pick up the trophy.  Since the Columbus Crew captured the MLS Cup in 2008, six of the last seven MLS Cup champions and four of the seven Supporters' Shield winners have come from the Western Conference. The only Eastern Conference team to win the MLS Cup during that span was Sporting Kansas City, who now resides in the West, in 2013.  As the 2016 season approaches, the West is still seen as the better conference, but there could be a chance that the East takes over the throne if certain things fall into place.  The good news for the East entering the new season, which begins March 6, is it possesses a few teams that are capable of winning the MLS Cup.  The New York Red Bulls, who have won two Supporters' Shields in the last three years, bring back the majority of last season's Shield-winning squad. With Bradley Wright-Phillips up top and Dax McCarty leading the midfield from his spot in front of the back four, the Red Bulls have the talent to finally get over the hump and win ...