Frank Lampard Buys 16 Tickets for Fans He’d Just Met to Watch New York City FC

He's always been considered one of the game's greatest role models, but Frank Lampard seems to have enhanced his already-stellar reputation by apparently buying 16 tickets for a group of British fans he'd just met after training with New York City FC. Lampard is alleged to have done the good deed after one of the group asked him for tickets to New York City's game with Toronto, which took place on Sunday. After initially explaining he only had four complimentary tickets to the game, the former England midfielder dipped into his pocket to buy another 16 tickets for the 20-strong party, at a cost of almost $500. The chuffed fans took to social media to share the news and praise the Chelsea legend. Still can't believe Frank Lampard bought all 16 of us tickets to go to the New York City game today! 😁👌🏻 what a legend, — Lisaaaaa :D (@lisamc93) July 12, 2015 While Lampard missed the game due to a calf strain, the group were treated to a thrilling 4-4 draw, with David Villa scoring twice for New York. [h/t Talking Baws]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Giovani Dos Santos Transfer News: Latest Rumors on Potential LA Galaxy Move

Giovani dos Santos could become the latest stellar name to join Major League Soccer, with reports linking the Mexico international with a move to LA Galaxy. Continue for updates. Dos Santos Reportedly Agrees Galaxy Switch Wednesday, July 15 According to the Los Angeles Times, (h/t Adam Serrano of LAGalaxy.com) a deal was finalized for the player on Tuesday evening. “It’s going to be a challenge for him,” said Galaxy boss Bruce Arena about the move, per the aforementioned piece. “He’s not been at a club yet where he’s had those kind of responsibilities. And he’s in a community where he’s going to be sought after. He’s going to have to be mature about it.” The piece claims the Villarreal man will sign a four-year contract with the MLS outfit and will earn an annual salary of around $6 million. He could apparently make his debut for the club on August 9 against Seattle Sounders. Having made his debut for Barcelona B in 2006, a transfer would end a nine-year stay in European football for the 26-year-old, during which time he has played for Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray, as well as Villarreal. As we can see here, Dos Santos is a thrilling player to watch: For the Galaxy, this ...

Double Red Card Fully Justified as Club America Beat San Jose Earthquakes in ICC

In one of the more peculiar happenings this pre-season, Tuesday's International Champions Cup match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Club America provided a rare moment of level-headed justice. The double red card. All too often we witness the provoked party receive punishment, rather than both provocateur and responding party, but referee Alejandro Mariscal, in conjunction with his linemen, made the right call after some contentious moments in the ICC's second match. In the game's opening sequences, Club America were countering San Jose from a Quakes corner kick. Instead of letting Dario Benedetto run through his defence, Clarence Goodson elected to be cynical, and took a "professional foul," and in turn, a yellow card. The collision, however, left Benedetto injured, as the forward twisted his ankle in ugly fashion, and the game took on a more aggressive tone after the incident. Both clubs were rather agitated with one another, and the pent-up frustration recklessly boiled over in the 45th minute. Just before the half-time whistle, San Jose's Sanna Nyassi reacted strongly to an America challenge. The Earthquakes midfielder kicked out at Erik Pimentel, who was attempting to assist him in getting off the pitch. Paolo Goltz came over to defend his team-mate and escalated the situation, rather than defusing it. Both Nyassi ...

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard Call-Ups to MLS All-Star Game Are an Embarrassment

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard joined their Major League Soccer clubs this month, and neither player has played a single competitive minute for their respective teams. Despite their inactivity, commissioner Don Garber added the former England internationals to the All-Star Game roster, per the official league website. This news is an absolute embarrassment for MLS. Following the announcement, MLS players voiced their displeasure over Twitter, via Total-MLS.com. It's clear what Garber's intentions were for adding the New York City FC and LA Galaxy stars. He wants more viewers to watch the All-Star Game on July 29. Most soccer fans know who Lampard and Gerrard are, so he must believe that if they play in this match, it will attract more attention. If Garber's sole purpose was to raise the awareness of the game and the league, he accomplished both tasks. However, this is bad publicity. This does not send a positive message to the players, fans or casual onlookers. If two marquee players can be added to the All-Star Game without playing in a single MLS match, it's a slap in the face to deserving candidates. Sebastian Giovinco wasn't voted into the game by the fans, but surely he'll be selected by head coach Pablo Mastroeni. ...

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard Named in 2015 MLS All-Star Team to Face Tottenham

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur will face familiar opponents in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard when the club travels to Colorado for the 2015 Major League Soccer All-Star game on July 29. Despite neither having played a competitive match in the division, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has included both Englishmen in the lineup, reported ESPN FC. While Lampard was meant to compete in New York City FC's recent 4-4 draw with Toronto FC, he remained absent with a calf problem, per the aforementioned report. He spent the 2014-15 Premier League season on loan at NYCFC's sister-club Manchester City, who finished runners-up to Lampard's former side Chelsea. Gerrard has only just made the switch to Los Angeles Galaxy after spending 17 years in the Liverpool first team. The Reds' former captain recently took part in a friendly match for the American side, having helped Liverpool to sixth in the Premier League earlier this year. Dirty Tackle's Brooks Peck commented on the strange situation, while Men in Blazers highlighted another European legend who could have been included: As reported by MLSsoccer.com, supporters of the division have voted for plenty of new and high-profile names to take part against Spurs: Incidentally, Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins is included after winning the "More ...

MLS Player Rankings: Giovinco Takes Top Spot After Week 19 Hat-Trick

Sebastian Giovinco once again left followers of Major League Soccer in awe during Week 19 with three goals and an assist for Toronto FC against New York City FC.  The Atomic Ant outdueled fellow big-name offseason acquisition David Villa in an exciting 4-4 draw that was devoid of quality defending for most of the 90 minutes.  Due to his fantastic performance on Sunday afternoon, the front-runner for the Most Valuable Player award is back atop the MLS Player Rankings for the first time since after Week 15.  Continue reading to see who joined the dynamic Italian on the list of the league's 20 best players. Begin Slideshow

Club America vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Team News, Preview, Live Stream & TV Info

If any competition signals the beginning of a new season, the International Champions Cup (ICC) has surely taken that particular mantle. Hailing from the World Football Challenge (2009-2012), the past two pre-seasons have witnessed true European giants take their campaign's first steps on North American soil. Real Madrid were the inaugural winners of the ICC in 2013, followed by Manchester United last summer. This year, the tournament has expanded further; more heavyweights are planning to indulge spectators in four continents and seven countries over 25 days. The International Champions Cup starts this weekend: Our fixture list to bookmark http://t.co/1C7yB74arZ https://t.co/KAk3eeEGpN — Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) July 11, 2015 After beginning their American pre-season schedule in defeat vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, Mexican champions Club America travel 350 miles north, from Los Angeles to San Jose—in the ICC's second North American encounter—looking for retribution from an MLS side.   Date: Tuesday, July 14 (USA) / Wednesday, July 15 (UK) Time: 10:30 p.m. EST/3:30 a.m. BST Venue: Avaya Stadium, San Jose, California TV Info: Fox Sports 1 / ESPN Deportes / Sky Sports 1 Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (USA only) / Sky Go (UK only)   Form Line    Team News / Starting XIs  Así juegan nuestras Águilas esta noche #JuntosPorLaGloria pic.twitter.com/AAHYf24IuS — Club América (@CF_America) July 15, 2015 Quakes starting XI: Meredith, Wynne, Bernardez, ...

MLS Power Rankings: Sporting Kansas City Reclaims No. 1 Spot

MLS team rosters were depleted this week thanks to the Gold Cup, and that helped several sides upset the top clubs.  The Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union defeated two of the Western Conference's best teams in the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. The Colorado Rapids also picked up a much-needed win over their rival Real Salt Lake. Elsewhere, Sporting Kansas City edged the Vancouver Whitecaps on the road. SKC has lost just once in its last 10 games, but where does the rest of the league sit after the weekend? Here are the MLS power rankings after Week 19.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Giovinco, Villa Star in Thrilling Week 19

The 19th weekend of play in Major League Soccer brought out the best in two of the league's top offseason acquisitions.  Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa combined to score five goals in the 4-4 draw between Toronto FC and New York City FC on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The performances by the pair of forwards showcased just how high the bar has been raised in regard to attacking talent in MLS.  A day before the thrilling eight-goal contest in New York City, plenty of surprising results were handed out across the league, including big wins from the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union. Because there were a plethora of superb individual showings from midfielders and forwards in Week 19, we lined up our MLS Team of the Week in a 3-4-3 formation. We attempted to put all of the terrific midfielders in the squad, but only four could make it due to three remarkable forward performances.  Continue reading to see which players found a way into our latest MLS Team of the Week. Begin Slideshow

USMNT Watch: Adu Linked with NASL, Beasley Impresses for Houston

One of the most intriguing stories in American soccer closed another chapter this week as Freddy Adu announced his departure from Kuopion Palloseura in Finland.  Adu, who has played for 11 different teams since he began his career in 2004, looks like he has a new home already lined up in a lower tier of the American soccer pyramid.  In the top division of the game in North America, a few members of Jurgen Klinsmann's 35-man preliminary CONCACAF Gold Cup roster turned in impressive showings at key positions. Due to those shining moments, the discussion about which six players should be called up for the knockout rounds began.  Below is extended news on Adu, the Gold Cup reserves and other Americans involved in club matches in this week's USMNT Watch.    Adu Close to Signing with Tampa Bay in NASL  Adu announced through his personal Twitter on Tuesday that he would be opting out of his contract in Finland. The 26-year-old made five appearances for KuPS' first team.  On Friday, Goal.com's Ives Galarcep reported that Adu would be joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL. If the move goes through, the Rowdies would be the fourth American side to employ the former child prodigy. Adu started his ...