Kaka Named Captain of New MLS Franchise Orlando City

Brazilian legend Kaka will ply his trade in Major League Soccer this season with new franchise Orlando City.  The man who's starred and captained AC Milan and laced up for Real Madrid will fittingly lead the new club's inaugural MLS season wearing the captain's armband, the team has announced.  Manager Adrian Heath explained the decision to have the seasoned pro lead the side, per Copa America's official website: Kaka has demonstrated great leadership both on the filed and in the locker room since the start, and the other players have naturally looked to his guidance throughout pre-season, so he was the natural pick to skipper the club.  Ricky's role will extend off the pitch as well, serving as the team's liaison with the front office and coaching staff on all player-related concerns to ensure we provide the best possible environment for the players to train, develop and succeed personally and professionally.  The 32-year-old Kaka has already shown fans several glimpses of what exactly he's capable of in an Orlando shirt:  ¡CRACK! @KAKA con Orlando City. Caño tremendo. https://t.co/i18QhSpiL8” — eljugadordelidolo (@eljugadordepes) February 24, 2015   Kaká marcou pelo Orlando City https://t.co/88EOuU1yHa" — Dividida FC (@BlogDivididaFC) February 22, 2015   Kaka still knows where the goal is at Orlando City training https://t.co/NhQYivBe7g — 101 ...

MLS: Why the Canadian Teams Should Be Feared in 2015

MLS' Canadian teams are often overlooked by American supporters. The casual American fan rarely gets to watch the franchises north of their border unless they're on local TV or MLS Live. Now supporters should sign up for a subscription, because Canadian clubs are destined to make an impact this season. Toronto FC will have more interest from fans this season due to the American connection of Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. There will also be a lot of pressure for TFC to make the playoffs considering the enormous amount of money ownership spent this winter. However, before Bradley and Altidore arrived, Toronto was known as the futile team who were an embarrassment year in and year out. Their humiliation reached a new high after Jermain Defoe wanted out of Toronto despite signing a multi-million-dollar contract just seven months earlier. TFC managed to swap an unhappy Defoe for a determined Altidore from Sunderland. The U.S. international's struggles in England were well-publicized. He only scored once in 42 Premier League games. However, during Altidore's tenure, Fabio Borini and Steven Fletcher were Sunderland's highest-scoring strikers with seven Premier League goals apiece. Sunderland is a team whose sole focus is to survive relegation. That means they'll defend a lot and rarely generate scoring chances. The Black Cats currently rank third-last in ...

Matt Besler Can Silence Jurgen Klinsmann’s Criticism with Strong 2015 MLS Season

Over the past few weeks, fitness has been discussed more than it should be in regard to the Major League Soccer contingent in the United States men's national team talent pool. One of the central figures of the situation has been Sporting Kansas City center-back Matt Besler, who suffered one of the biggest drops in form after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The controversy began after the USMNT's 3-2 loss to Chile in which the Yanks conceded late in the second half on two occasions. "After the World Cup, a lot of players dropped their levels 30, 40 percent when they came back from vacation,” United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann said after the match, per Dan Itel of MLSSoccer.com. “It doesn’t matter if they are in Europe or the US, you can’t do that at the international level," he continued. "You get exposed after minute 65 or 70 if you can’t go the speed anymore, and both ways, so there’s a lot of work ahead of us, ahead of the players first of all.” Because of the key role he is supposed to fill at the international level, Besler was one of the main targets of the criticism. Although he was not named ...

New York City FC Launching Youth Academy: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

New York City FC has taken another stride toward becoming a force of Major League Soccer by announcing the launch of a new youth academy.    The club revealed on Tuesday its intention to craft "one of the leading youth talent development centres in the United States," with sporting director Claudio Reyna quoted by the club's official website as saying: I couldn’t be happier to announce our new Academy. We have been building the foundations over the past months to get us ready to launch the Academy and everything has come together to ensure that sustainable youth development can be at the heart of our Club. It is particularly pleasing for me to be involved with our Academy. I am passionate about developing young players; something I was very proud to be involved with as Youth Technical Director of the US Soccer Federation. This is another critical step as we build New York City FC. This is a Club, not just a team and we want to develop a long and sustainable future, rooted in our community. We want to show the world how much young talent there is in and around New York and make sure we are playing an active and enthusiastic role ...

Bob Bradley’s Legacy Is Cemented with U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame Induction

Bob Bradley is one of the most successful American soccer coaches in history. He's been in charge of university teams, MLS sides such as the Chicago Fire and New York MetroStars, and the U.S. men's national team. Bradley's resume is impressive, but his National Soccer Hall of Fame induction confirms his status as a legend. Bradley's career began while he was still earning his Master's degree. He coached Ohio University's men's soccer team in 1981, and he guided his Alma mater, Princeton, to two Ivy League titles and the Final Four in 1993. Fellow American head coach Bruce Arena had a big influence on Bradley's career. When Arena was coaching the University of Virginia, Bob was an assistant. The 58-year-old was also a member of Bruce's staff with D.C. United. Those experiences with Arena helped Bradley gain valuable experience before joining Chicago, New York and Chivas USA. The Fire won MLS Cup in its expansion season in 1998 and finished as runner-up in 2000. The team also won two U.S. Open Cups in both of those seasons under Bradley. Before Bradley joined the MetroStars, they were struggling for consistency and failed to reach a major final. They also missed the MLS playoffs three times. Once he was ...

Examining Robbie Rogers’ Impact on the American Sports Culture

Two years ago, Robbie Rogers published a post on his personal blog in which he announced his coming out.  In the 24 months since his announcement, Rogers has left a profound impact on the American sporting culture, and he has turned himself into one of the more reliable players on one of the best sides in Major League Soccer.  By inspiring others to come out as gay and using the game of soccer as a positive platform, Rogers has become one of the most recognizable faces in the American game for all of the right reasons.  When he made his announcement, Rogers was a free agent after he spent time in the lower tiers of English football. He decided to retire from the game in his blog post following his release from Leeds United. "Now is my time to step away. It's time to discover myself away from football. It's 1 a.m. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision. Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest. Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear. My secret is gone, I am ...

Ranking the 10 Most Important Players in the MLS 2015 Season

The 2015 MLS season kicks off on March 6 with plenty of new storylines after a plethora of offseason moves and signings and two expansion clubs looking to make a good first impression. The 10 players were ranked by what they will contribute to the club both on and off the field as well as the club's situation and any compelling storylines that will follow a player through the season. English forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (NYRB), Jozy Altidore (TOR) and Robbie Keane (LA) are all in the Top 3 but who ends up being the most important player heading into the 2015 season? Keep clicking to find out.Begin Slideshow

David Villa Scores the 1st Goal in New York City FC’s History

New York City FC played the first match in their history on Tuesday night, and one of their marquee signings scored their first-ever goal.  Spanish legend David Villa grabbed the opener in a 2-0 victory against Scottish side St Mirren at the new Manchester City Academy.  It was a typical striker's finish from the former Valencia, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid man, and fans of the new franchise will be hoping to see the same in more competitive matches when the MLS kicks off in March.  [Twitter, Vine]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Several 2015 MLS Jerseys Leaked Online

Footy Headlines leaked several MLS kits on Saturday as the 2015 season approaches. Sporting Kansas City's jersey has a new pattern, but overall, it's a nice design and probably one of the nicer shirts of the leaked items. Toronto FC's new jersey is also quite sleek, but it doesn't include a sponsor because BMO ended its deal with the club near the end of last season. The Portland Timbers' shirt looks all right, but the white and yellow across the sponsor is slightly distracting. However, the "Let it rain. Let it pour. Let the Portland Timbers score" slogan on the collar is a nice touch. The New England Revolution's 2015 away jersey looks a lot different than the 2014 shirt. The green trim is an interesting addition. Columbus' jersey is a lot plainer than the others, but that's not a bad thing. Sometimes, a simple design is the best. D.C. United will keep its 2014 home kit but will have a new away shirt for 2015, according to Footy Headlines. FC Dallas, the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake have not revealed any of their new designs but will keep some of their jerseys from last year. Both expansion teams have already unveiled their jerseys. New York City ...

5 MLS Offseason Signings Who Will Have the Highest Expectations

MLS received a big boost on Friday, as ex-Juventus attacker Sebastian Giovinco was finally introduced by Toronto FC. The 28-year-old will be earning an annual salary of $7 million, per Kurtis Larson of the Toronto Sun. However, those high wages come with lofty expectations. There are a few big names, like Giovinco, who have immense pressure on their shoulders. Those players will be highlighted in this slideshow. They will be graded based on their star-power, their role with their new team and if the individual is a designated player. Players who won't arrive until July, like Steven Gerrard, can also be considered since he signed a contract this winter. If a specific individual wasn't acquired between December and the present day, he doesn't qualify. Here are the five offseason signings who will have the loftiest expectations this season.Begin Slideshow