Jozy Altidore Issued Red Card on Bench for ‘Foul and Abusive Language’

Jozy Altidore's mouth earned him a red card while he sat on the bench during Wednesday's match between Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls. The striker was issued the red card in the 34th minute for "foul and abusive language," per Gothamist's Dan Dickinson: The referee Altidore reportedly verbally abused was Daniel Radford—the same official whose notebook his USMNT teammate, Clint Dempsey, tore up in June: Altidore will miss the club's next game against Columbus Crew SC.   [Twitter]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls Live Blog: Instant Reactions and Analysis

Toronto FC earned a first Major League Soccer postseason berth with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday evening.  A lackluster first half was quickly erased from memories when Herculez Gomez put the hosts up a goal six minutes after the halftime break. Sebastian Giovinco then continued his MLS Most Valuable Player campaign for 2015 with a wondrous tally 11 minutes from time.  Shaun Wright-Phillips cut the deficit in half with a goal three minutes from time, but the Red Bulls could not find an equalizer.  The Red Bulls remain in control of their Eastern Conference playoff fate. New York will secure first place in the conference standings if the club can manage to pick up a single point in its last two games of the regular season. TFC move up to second in the conference (h/t MLSSoccer.com). Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Power Rankings: New York Red Bulls Reign Supreme

There were only three matches in MLS last week due to the international break. However, there were still two major stories that emerged after Week 32. The New York Red Bulls inched closer to their second Supporters' Shield in three years. The Montreal Impact fell to the Red Bulls but are on the brink of the playoffs thanks to the former's win on Saturday. Despite the lack of activity across the league, there was still some significant movement in the power rankings this week. As always, the teams will be graded based on the following criteria: Quality of opponent and performance Recent form beyond the last week Key absences Current standing Remaining games in hand (if applicable) Here are the latest MLS power rankings.Begin Slideshow

The 5 Most Important Storylines Heading into MLS Decision Day

For the first time in Major League Soccer history, the final day of the regular season will replicate that of the Premier League and other major European leagues.  The 10 games that will be played on October 25 will feature two blocks of simultaneous action in each conference.  The Eastern Conference kicks off the day at 5 p.m. ET with its quintet of matches, while the Western Conference starts its action at 7 p.m. ET.  Throughout Decision Day, we will find out who will be the top seeds in each conference and who earns the coveted Supporters' Shield.  A few close battles for individual titles will also be decided on the final Sunday of the regular season before the MLS Cup playoffs kick off three days later.  Here's a look at the five biggest storylines to watch on MLS Decision Day. Begin Slideshow

Didier Drogba Scores Another Pinpoint Free Kick vs. Colorado Rapids

Didier Drogba continues to tear up MLS since moving from Chelsea in the summer, scoring via a free kick as Montreal Impact took on Colorado on Saturday night. The Ivory Coast veteran could scarcely have hit the latest free kick any better, and the scale of his achievements were summed up neatly on Twitter by his club: Didier #Drogba: 9 goals in 9 games 6 goals in last 6 games A goal in 5 of last 6 games Already 7th all-time with #IMFC in #MLS — Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) October 10, 2015 [@Ben_Jata] Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Didier Drogba Puts off NY Red Bulls Penalty Taker with Mind Games

Looks like Didier Drogba learned a thing or two during his time working with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.The Chelsea legend is playing MLS football for Montreal Impact and used some of Mourinho's famous mind games to put off an opposing striker before his penalty kick.Drogba seemed pretty happy with himself after New York Red Bulls' Sacha Kljestan produced a fairly weak penalty, nodding and grinning at the bench.It was to no avail, though, as Montreal lost the match 2-1, despite Drogba scoring a penalty of his own.[YouTube: Major League Soccer; h/t Dirty Tackle]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Power Rankings: New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas Rise After Week 31

Three teams have officially qualified for the playoffs after last weekend's MLS games. FC Dallas, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls are the teams to have clinched a postseason spot, but they have bigger aspirations. Dallas and New York were both victorious, and in doing so, bolstered their chances of winning the Supporters' Shield.  The Los Angeles Galaxy failed to defeat the Seattle Sounders, which means a new No. 1 will be named in this week's power rankings. As always, the teams will be graded on the following criteria: Quality of opponent and performance Recent form beyond the last week Key absences Current standing Remaining games in hand (if applicable) Here's where every team stands following Week 31.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Wondolowski, Larin Rise, 7 Players Debut After Week 31

A week after the biggest names in Major League Soccer lit the back of the net on fire, very few came up with goals to start the final month of the regular season. Only four of the top-10 players in our MLS Player Rankings were able to score in Week 31. Two of those players were Chris Wondolowski and Cyle Larin. Thanks to their efforts in front of goal, the pair of forwards jumped the most spots this week.  Beneath the stars in the top-10 positions, seven new faces added their respective names to the list following a weekend that left few things settled in both playoff races.  Our player rankings take into account form over the last four matches with the player's most recent performance holding more stock than the other three. Continue reading to see who landed where in the latest edition of the MLS Player Rankings.Begin Slideshow

Seattle Sounders Fans Get Married in the Stands at Half-Time vs. LA Galaxy

Two fans confirmed their mutual admiration for Seattle Sounders and each other by getting married at half-time during the Sounders' draw with LA Galaxy on Sunday. The couple enjoyed a quick ceremony in the stands before posing with the Supporters' Shield, given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record. 1st Half : Fiancé 2nd Half : Husband Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen (and my new wife, @Bridges_16) pic.twitter.com/JQbL7ze0gR — Matt Banks (@MLDBanks) October 5, 2015 Congratulations to the happy couple! [h/t mlssoccer.com, YouTube: Tom Conquergood]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Team of the Week: FC Dallas Trio, Chicago Fire Pair Star in Week 31

The first weekend of action in October in Major League Soccer produced a sliver of clarity in a league known for its parity.  FC Dallas became the first team to clinch a playoff spot out of the Western Conference on Sunday, and the Hoops did it dominant fashion as they trounced rival Houston 4-1 in the Texas derby.  Oscar Pareja's side may have had the most dominant showing of the weekend, but the Hoops were unable to leapfrog the LA Galaxy in the Supporters' Shield race as Bruce Arena's team drew 1-1 in Seattle to secure their spot in the postseason.  Over in the Eastern Conference, last-place Chicago stole all the headlines with a 3-1 win over New England, while D.C. United recovered from a brutal losing streak with a win over New York City FC that put them into the playoffs. Because of the strong performances put in by FC Dallas and Chicago, they are two of the three clubs represented by more than one player in the latest MLS Team of the Week. We shaped this week's team in a 3-4-3 formation in order to include three impressive center backs and a wealth of attackers. Continue reading to see who landed a spot in ...