MLS: Is the East Really a ‘Weak’ Conference?

The 2015 MLS season will begin on March 6 barring a potential work stoppage, and it promises to be an exciting one, as the conferences will look a lot different this year. However, even though the East has two expansion teams, it will be extremely difficult to qualify for the playoffs this campaign compared to 2014. MLS announced changes to its playoff format in January. Twelve teams (six from each conference) will now be able to qualify for the postseason, as opposed to the usual 10.  If this system was used last year, teams like the Portland Timbers and the Philadelphia Union would have competed for the MLS Cup. However, the flurry of activity by almost every club is what makes this new format so intriguing. Western teams like the Timbers, LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo have bulked up their squads to prepare for what will be a hotly contested battle in the West. In addition, plenty of teams in the Eastern Conference made significant moves. Toronto FC spent big to acquire Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco and others as the Reds vie for their first postseason berth in franchise history. The Chicago Fire and Montreal Impact have had busy winters. Expansion sides Orlando City ...

Kaka Scores 1st Goal for Orlando City in the Most Low-Key Way Imaginable

Kaka scored his first goal for Orlando City, although we will be hoping that more exciting efforts are on the way. The Brazil legend converted a penalty (just after the one-minute mark above) for the expansion franchise in a low-key pre-season friendly, where there seemed to be more people on the pitch than watching.  Orlando won the clash against FC Dallas, 4-0.  [MLSsoccer.com]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Report Card for Every MLS Team’s Offseason as February Begins

MLS teams have begun their preseason regimens as the 2015 campaign draws closer. While the season might be delayed due to the ongoing CBA negotiations, every club is still preparing as if everything will go on as scheduled. Plenty of teams made some marquee signings this winter, such as Toronto FC and expansion side Orlando City SC. Meanwhile, the likes of New York City FC were in the news for all of the wrong reasons. Every MLS club will be graded based on their offseason moves between December and February. If a team addressed their biggest weaknesses or upgraded specific positions, that will result in a high grade. If a specific side didn't fill any voids or had any negative publicity, they will be ranked lower. Here are the complete report cards for every MLS team's offseason to this point.   All official transactions via MLSSoccer.com.Begin Slideshow

Tim Cahill, NY Red Bulls Mutually Part Ways: Latest Details and Reaction

Australia international Tim Cahill has left Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls by mutual consent, it's been revealed.    The club's official Twitter account announced on Monday that Cahill's contract has been terminated, allowing the veteran forward to sign for a new club before Europe's January transfer window closes: Per the official New York Red Bulls website, sporting director Ali Curtis was quoted as saying of the decision: This decision was not made lightly, and it is the result of many conversations between our staff, Tim, and his agent. After much deliberation, we have agreed that this decision is best for all involved. We thank Tim for his service to the organization. He positively impacted the growth of the beautiful game in the United States, MLS and for the Red Bulls. We are pleased that Tim will continue to be an ambassador for Red Bull moving forward. Sports journalist Pete O'Rourke confirms where Cahill will play next: Cahill signed for the Red Bulls in July 2012 after bringing an end to his eight-year tenure with Everton, the MLS outfit being just the third club of his professional career. Speaking on his time in New York, Cahill was quoted by the official Red Bulls account as speaking ...

Why Jozy Altidore Joining MLS Could Help His Career

Jozy Altidore made the best possible decision for his career when he exited English Premier League side Sunderland on January 16.  There is no doubt the United States international needed to leave Wearside in order to get playing time, but there were some questions about his landing spot.  By moving to Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, Altidore put a ton of pressure on himself to succeed, but that is exactly what the player needs to further his career.  At 25 years old, Altidore still has plenty of time to develop into one of the best forwards produced by the United States. But few are willing to put him in the discussion based on his time at Sunderland and his spotty form at the international level of late.  With the guarantee of first-team action in front of him in 2015, Altidore is expected to take the league he once played in by storm.  In three seasons with the New York Red Bulls, Altidore scored 15 goals in 37 appearances, which is a respectable number for a young player coming through the ranks at a club.  In his return to North America, Altidore is expected to score close to 15 goals to be considered a success with ...

Is Sacramento Now the Favorite for MLS Expansion?

The Sacramento Republic received a big boost on Thursday night. The San Francisco 49ers owners announced that they will invest in the team as the USL Pro side vies for MLS expansion, per the club's official website. The Sacramento Kings are also involved with Republic FC, and these two owners as business partners will make the California city an attractive market for MLS expansion. Jed York, the 49ers' CEO, told The Sacramento Bee that the Republic's lead investors are "a great group of people" and that he's confident of the club gaining MLS status. York's confidence is understandable. Vivek Ranadive, the Kings owner, is worth $700 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com, and is close friends with Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, per Marcos Breton and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. Meanwhile, York has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion as of 2013, per ESPN The Magazine's Seth Wickersham, so there is certainly no shortage of available monetary resources for the Republic's MLS project. This project already includes a stadium (with renderings) if Sacramento is awarded an MLS franchise, and the demand is definitely there. Republic FC broke attendance records in its inaugural USL Pro season. The club finished the season by winning the league title ...

Are the Chicago Fire a Team to Fear in MLS After Offseason Acquisitions?

During the wild and crazy Major League Soccer offseason, the Chicago Fire have flown under the radar with their slew of acquisitions.  The Fire, who have missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, are once again looking for new designated players to bring them back to the promised land.  In the busy offseason, the Fire have brought in Kennedy Igboananike, David Accam and Shaun Maloney as their latest designated players. All three players are expected to improve the team's attack, which already features Mike Magee, Quincy Amarikwa and Harrison Shipp.  Given the history of designated players in Chicago, it is easy to doubt the talent the Fire will put out on the pitch in 2015. Only Cuauhtemoc Blanco experienced a good amount of success in a Fire shirt as a designated player from 2007 to 2009.  Despite the lack of trust in the club's eye for talent, there is plenty of hope surrounding the Fire heading into the new campaign.  On top of stockpiling talent in attack, Frank Yallop's side have attempted to secure the back line with the additions of Adailton, Joevin Jones and Eric Gehrig.  Unlike the depth in attack, Chicago only has a few returning players in the back four ...

Report: Toronto FC, LA Galaxy and New York City FC Want to Sign Iker Casillas

Updates from January 28, 2014 Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has attracted interest from three MLS teams since he told the Wall Street Journal that he'd like to play in MLS. According to Fichajes.net (h/t Spanish newspaper AS), the LA Galaxy, Toronto FC and New York City FC are keen on signing the World Cup winner.  In order to pry Casillas out of Madrid, then one of the clubs would have to pay a fee of €6 million. Inside Spanish Football claims that the shot-stopper would command annual wages of about €6 million as well. TFC has already forked out several million dollars to acquire Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco on designated-player deals. The Reds have two other DPs in Michael Bradley and Gilberto, so they would have to offload two of them in order to afford Casillas. The Galaxy would also need to either sell one of their three designated players, or pay down Casillas with allocation money in order to sign him. The club's current No. 1 goalkeeper, Jaime Penedo, has been solid, but he does take a few too many risks and is 33 years old. Surely if Casillas is interested in signing with LA, the Galaxy brass will jump at the opportunity. NYCFC has ...

MLS’ Single-Entity Structure Is the League’s Biggest Obstacle

MLS is on the rise. Average attendance was at an all-time high in 2014, and a new eight-year TV deal with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes will begin this season. This is all great news, but the league's single-entity structure is still restricting growth. MLS defines its system on the Press Box page as "a single, limited liability company (single-entity). In the single-entity business structure, club operators own a financial stake in the League, not just their individual team." It sounds, and actually is, very confusing. Commissioner Don Garber said that the league wanted to be more transparent beginning this year. However, Garber also indicated that the single-entity system wouldn’t change in order to accomplish that goal. Also, it appears that Garber will have a serious fight on his hands during the CBA negotiations. According to Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated, the players are willing to go through a work stoppage in order to gain free agency. It's understandable that the players are pushing for free agency. Their contracts are owned by MLS and they want to have freedom to choose their team. However, the league doesn't want to go down this road. This isn't the only issue in a single-entity league. The ridiculous and confusing player ...

The 9th Edition of Frank Lampard’s ‘Frankie’s Magic Football’ Is Poorly Timed

Just as New York City's wounds started to heal from the prolonged Frank Lampard contract saga, Lampard's latest children's book has been revealed.  Nope, the timing of it is not good.  Lampard, of course, signed with MLS' New York City FC (owned by Manchester City), was shipped on loan to Manchester and then extended his loan, delaying the start of his NYCFC career. The whole ordeal is broken down here.  NYCFC fans were not fond of the move.  So when the ninth edition of Lampard's children's book was revealed, "Frankie's New York Adventure," it's safe to assume it won't sell especially well in New York.  It will be released on Feb. 5. At least NYCFC fans will get to see Lampard in book form before they see him in human form.  [Who Ate All The Pies]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com