Seattle Sounders Channel Their Inner Barcelona for Quality Team Goal

Seattle Sounders got their MLS season off to a great start with a 3-0 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday night.The undoubted highlight of the match was their third goal. In scoring it, they looked more like Barcelona than an MLS side. The Sounders produced some delightful tika-taka football before U.S. men's national team soccer star Clint Dempsey slotted home for his second of the game. [Seattle Sounders FC]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Team of the Week: Kaka, Dempsey & Altidore Shine in Week 1

The first week of action in Major League Soccer saw some players display a bit of rust as other stars pick up where they left off in 2014. A few of the new additions to the league also starred for their respective clubs, as Jozy Altidore and Kaka shone bright in key roles in the matches played by Toronto FC and Orlando City. The best performance from a specific position in Week 1 came between the pipes, as four goalkeepers made legitimate claims to be named in the first best 11 of the season. Our inaugural MLS Team of the Week of the 2015 season is shaped in a traditional 4-4-2 to accommodate a few strong showings at full-back, which is seen as the weakest position in the league. Continue reading for a look at which 11 players feature in the first MLS Team of the Week of the new season.Begin Slideshow

Kaka Hits Late Free-Kick Equaliser in MLS Debut with Orlando City SC

It wasn't quite a Hollywood ending for Kaka's Major League Soccer debut, but the Brazilian legend showed he's still got the flair for the dramatics on the pitch. Kaka hit a late injury-time equaliser against the David Villa-led NYCFC from a set piece. OK, it wasn't perfect—it smashed off of the NYCFC wall, landing his opposing goalkeeper on his backside going the wrong direction, but the much-ballyhooed Orlando City SC signing made a poignant mark in his first MLS match and sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. [Vine]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

David Villa and Kaka Lead Influx as Foreign Stars Look Set to Star in MLS Again

Major League Soccer returns for a new season on Friday with high hopes that it will be the most successful yet. A couple of new teams and a whole host of new players contribute to the hopes that this will be the most exciting and entertaining season yet, with plenty of franchises looking well poised to succeed the Los Angeles Galaxy as MLS Cup holders come the end of the campaign. The recently agreed collective bargaining agreement might have been, at its core, about the league retaining key elements of its insular structure, elements that help keep it separate from the completely free-market situation that operates around the world. Nevertheless, a number of highly paid foreign stars look set to be driving forces in events this season. Designated players in Los Angeles and New York, along with plenty of other spots around the United States and Canada, come into the new season with huge numbers on their paychecks and consequently huge expectations on their shoulders. Here are some of the new names and returning faces to watch out for this season.  The New Names Shaun Maloney (Chicago Fire) Shaun Maloney may not have as wide a profile as some of the other players debuting in MLS this season, ...

MLS Schedule 2015: Week 1 Match Listing and Preview of Top Games

The 2015 Major League Soccer season gets underway on Friday night when the reigning MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Chicago Fire. That matchup kicks off a slate of weekend action that also includes the debuts of New York City FC and Orlando City SC. There were some tense moments this week, as the threat of a player strike loomed over the league until Wednesday. That's when MLS announced an agreement with the players union on a collective bargaining agreement that will be in place through the 2019 campaign. With the dark cloud lifted, it's time to look forward to the opening week of play. So let's check out the complete schedule for Week 1 followed by a preview for three of the most anticipated matchups as MLS enters its 20th season.   Week 1 Fixtures   Top Games to Watch LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire The Galaxy head into their title defense with most of the key players who helped them win last year's title. They edged the New England Revolution in the final thanks to a Robbie Keane tally in extra time. He'll take on an even larger leadership role this season with Landon Donovan retired. Finding a way to replace Donovan in the midfield ...

MLS 2015: Fixtures, Live Stream and TV Schedule, Designated Players and Preview

Defending champions LA Galaxy kick off the 2015 Major League Soccer season on Friday at the StubHub Center against Chicago Fire, the start of a new term which sees two new clubs enter the division. Newcomers Orlando City and New York City FC face off against each other on Sunday for the start of their maiden MLS campaigns, with each side looking to make an early impact. With 20 teams competing in 2015, MLS is bigger than ever, and there will be some appropriately world-class talent on show, with the likes of Kaka and David Villa set to participate from the word go. Here is the full schedule for Matchday 1 of action in MLS 2015: A full season fixture list can be found at MLSsoccer.com, with live streaming available via ESPN Player, Fox Sports Go, Univision Deportes and Sky Go.   A key absentee will be Landon Donovan, MLS' most successful ever player, and a US soccer legend per ESPN's Paul Carr, the 33-year-old having retired after his final Galaxy triumph last season: Not only will he be missed by his LA teammates and coach Bruce Arena, but by the entire league in which he starred for so long. However, Galaxy still have star forward Robbie Keane on their books—the Irishman netted ...

New York City FC’s Jeb Brovsky on His Quest Against Domestic Violence

Footballers are often negatively portrayed by the media, stereotyped as being reckless and morally questionable—unfit, some would say, to be role models to young, impressionable people.From the Ched Evans rape conviction, to Luis Suarez and John Terry being involved in incidents of racial abuse, the case for footballers being good role models is becoming increasingly difficult to make. Not all footballers are the same, of course, but it’s easy to see why many feel there is a somewhat nasty undercurrent to the culture of the game. Jeb Brovsky, New York City FC’s attacking full-back, is certainly doing his best to challenge any negative preconceptions people may have of footballers. Educated at Notre Dame university, Brovsky graduated with a BA in Business Management and International Peace Studies, and upon leaving decided to set up Peace Pandemic, a charity aimed at using football to stamp out violence around the world. The remit of the charity soon changed, though, focusing more specifically on trying to stop violence towards women, an issue close to Brovsky’s heart. “I set it up while I was at university,” he said, during a preseason training camp at Manchester City’s new academy facility. “Basically, it was an accumulation of my ...

5 Storylines to Follow During the 2015 MLS Season

Now that Major League Soccer and the players' union have agreed in principle to a new collective bargaining agreement, it is time to fully focus on the 2015 season. The 20th installment of MLS will feature two new clubs, Orlando City and New York City FC, as well as a new conference structure to accommodate the additions to the Eastern Conference.  While there are plenty of storylines worth following throughout the next nine months, we opted to select five key ones that fans should have their eyes on. Here's a look at the five key storylines to follow in the 2015 MLS season. Begin Slideshow

Jason Kreis Exclusive: NYCFC Coach on Lampard, Villa and Shadowing Pellegrini

One of the most interesting developments at Manchester City in recent times has been the creation of the City Football Group, a collective of clubs across the world that bear the City name and wear the famous sky blue shirts. City Football Group have acquired Melbourne Heart in the Australian A-League and rebranded them as Melbourne City FC, and Yokohama F. Marinos in the Japanese J-League. Perhaps the most well-known addition to the group, though, is New York City FC, a brand new franchise that will begin competing in this season’s MLS when it gets under way in March. Jason Kreis was the man headhunted to take the role of head coach at NYCFC. He is known for his work at Real Salt Lake, where he enjoyed a successful seven-year stint in charge, winning the MLS Cup in 2009 and finishing runner-up to Sporting Kansas City in 2013.He plays an attractive, possession-based brand of football, in keeping with the style and ethos City said was such an integral part of the club’s “holistic” approach when Roberto Mancini was sacked in 2013. It seems their holistic remit has been expanded to encompass all aspects of the City Football Group.Since his appointment ...

Insider: MLS Likely Destination for Out-of-Favour Barcelona Star Xavi

Multiple sources have been linking Barcelona midfielder Xavi with a move to MLS, including Mail Online's Pete Jensen. Although nothing official has happened yet, Spanish football insider Guillem Balague thinks that MLS is a viable option for the aging playmaker who seems permanently out of favor at Barcelona.Balague also asserts that MLS has gained some prestige in Spain and could be looked at as an option for other Spanish players in the future.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com