5Sep/160
MLS Team of the Week: Chicago Fire Trio Impress in Shortened Week 26
Major League Soccer presented us with a limited slate of five matches on Saturday during the international break. FC Dallas were the biggest winners in the Western Conference as they moved eight points ahead of Real Salt Lake at the top of the West and in the Supporters' Shield race. Over in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Fire made a major leap in the direction of the playoffs with a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union. The Fire, who found themselves at the bottom of the East for most of the season, are all of a sudden six points back of sixth-place D.C. United. The New York Red Bulls also picked up a key victory as they were the only road team to earn three points during Week 26. We shaped our latest Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week in a 3-4-3 formation to suit the number of impressive performances in attack. Continue reading to see who was named to our best XI from Week 26. Begin Slideshow1Sep/160
MLS Releases Video on Nigel De Jong After Transfer from LA Galaxy to Galatasaray
Nigel de Jong completed a move to Turkish side Galatasaray on Wednesday, and it's fair to say that Major League Soccer's official Twitter feed were not fans of the Dutchman, based on the video they released to mark his departure from the LA Galaxy. Here is the video, which contains a series of digs at the midfielder's stats from his brief spell in the United States: While goals and assists aren't what the midfield enforcer was brought in for, his lack of discipline will not come as a surprise to those familiar with him from his time in Europe. MLS weren't the only ones to bid him farewell with a video—KICK shared a compilation of his typically robust challenges: Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson also enjoyed a joke at the 31-year-old's expense: Meanwhile, former United States international Alexi Lalas believes De Jong has been a little hard done by, but the Galaxy had to move him on to avoid the risk of him becoming a designated player: Tim Steller of the Arizona Daily Star offered a different reason for Los Angeles to part with him: Given his age, a move to MLS felt somewhat premature for De Jong anyway—he still has the potential to make an impact ...30Aug/160
MLS Player Rankings: BWP Remains on Top; Finlay, Mullins Surge Up List
In a league full of in-form strikers, Bradley Wright-Phillips has been able to fend off all challengers to his top spot in the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings. The New York Red Bulls forward has been on a tear in front of goal since the end of July, and he's showing few weaknesses as the stretch run of the regular season begins. Not only are players on potential playoff teams heating up, but a few on the other side of the red line are making noise as well, including Ethan Finlay of the Columbus Crew. Since there were quite a few midweek games in Week 25, some players have a smaller sample size in terms of date range for our latest list, as we take into account the last four performances from each player. Continue reading to see who fell into place behind Wright-Phillips in the latest Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings. Begin Slideshow30Aug/160
Toronto FC Investigation Launched After Lewd Banner Unveiled vs. Montreal Impact
Major League Soccer club Toronto FC have launched an investigation after a fan displayed a banner depicting a woman performing oral sex in their match with Montreal Impact on Saturday. According to the Mirror's Liam Corless, the banner—which included the caption "Montreal sucks"—was produced by a supporter during the game at BMO Field, and the club have appealed to any fans who have information that could identify the person responsible. Here is the banner, courtesy of Twitter user blackbetty07: Per Corless, Toronto released a statement after the game apologising for the banner, branding it "insulting to many including our opponent, the City of Montreal, and their fans." The club further condemned those responsible: It was an embarrassment to our club and to our supporters and will not be tolerated. We sincerely apologize to the Montreal Impact, the City of Montreal, and all fans for this disgraceful act. We are currently investigating through all available security and social media footage and strongly encourage fans with any information to assist us in identifying those involved so that they can be held responsible. The two sides met in the Eastern Conference, with the Impact claiming the 1-0 victory thanks to Ignacio Piatti's second-half winner.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com29Aug/160
MLS Team of the Week: Mullins, Nyarko Shine in D.C.’s Blowout Win in Week 25
The latest twists and turns of the always unexpected Major League Soccer regular season were created by some unlikely characters in Week 25. D.C. United made a statement, or as much as a team can make against the lowly Chicago Fire, with a four-goal rout at RFK Stadium to keep them above the red line in the Eastern Conference. One week after losing to rival Seattle, the Portland Timbers used a four-goal outburst in the first half to bring a little bit of sanity to the ever-changing cast of teams near the red line in the Western Conference. Week 25 also proved just how hard it is to win on the road in MLS. Toronto and Philadelphia earned wins on their travels on Wednesday, while only Montreal and FC Dallas earned three points on the road during Saturday's action. Since there were a handful of midweek matches, we took those performances into account along with the weekend ones for the latest Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week. Due to the bevy of strong attacking showings over the last seven days, we shaped our latest best XI in a 3-5-2 formation. Continue reading to see who was named to the Bleacher Report MLS Team of the ...26Aug/160
Jozy Altidore’s Recovery Helps Spark Toronto FC’s March Up Standings
Toronto FC was always going to be one of the main players in the race for the Supporters' Shield and Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer, but the club has elevated its status in those competitions lately with the reintroduction of Jozy Altidore to the starting XI. The United States men's national team forward has been plagued by hamstring injuries at the worst times on the international level as he has missed parts of three major tournaments in the last three years. He also missed a good chunk of time for Toronto this season. Since returning to the pitch as a substitute on July 23, the 26-year-old designated player has shown how much of an impact player he can be in the stretch run for the Reds. Altidore has found the back of the net in five of his last six games, including one in each of his last four contests. All of that success is coming as he still works his way back to full fitness. "It’s just getting the minutes and the legs under you," Altidore told reporters after Toronto's win on Saturday against Philadelphia. "I think cardio-wise I’m OK. It’s just getting the legs in the humidity and keeping them turning. ...23Aug/160
MLS Player Rankings: BWP Takes Top Spot; Altidore, Dempsey Move into Top 10
It's a great time to be a top scorer in Major League Soccer. As the race for the Golden Boot heats up, some of the league's best in front of goal are stringing together terrific performances entering the stretch run of the regular season. Few players have been as hot in the final third as Bradley Wright-Phillips has over the last month. Thanks to his goal-scoring prowess, the New York Red Bulls forward is the latest No. 1 in our weekly MLS Player Rankings. Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, who have surged up the scoring charts of late, make their return to the list of the top 20 in-form players in MLS this week as well. Our player rankings take into account the last four performances from a certain player, with the most recent one holding more stock. Continue reading to see who joined some of the league's top strikers in our Week 24 edition of the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings. Begin Slideshow22Aug/160
MLS Team of the Week: Dempsey, Roldan Shine for Surging Sounders
The last three days of play in Major League Soccer produced a plethora of unexpected results that set up the league's playoff races for more drama than expected. After wins by Seattle, Chicago, Columbus and Houston, the biggest gap between sixth and 10th place in the league is eight points between Portland and Houston in the Western Conference. The Sounders stole the headlines for their victory over rival Portland to close out the weekend. The two sides meet in a week's time and another win could land Seattle a spot above the red line, which is something no one expected to see when Sigi Schmid was fired. Chicago and Columbus also added intrigue to the Eastern Conference race. The Fire, who were already written off by many, are not out of the postseason race by any stretch of the imagination as they sit six points back of sixth-place D.C., while the once-struggling Crew are all of a sudden five points back. All three of the biggest winners from Week 24 in MLS have a pair of players in our latest Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week. Continue reading to see who joined the likes of Clint Dempsey and David Accam in our best XI ...19Aug/160
Healthy Frank Lampard Revelling in Life Under Patrick Vieira at NYCFC
Frank Lampard had to wait longer than expected to show off his talents in a New York City FC shirt. But ever since moving back to full fitness, the 38-year-old midfielder has been one of the best players in Major League Soccer. The former Chelsea and West Ham United man admitted his long injury break, which came with plenty of criticism that he was one of the worst signings in league history because of his inactivity, was frustrating to sit through because he wanted to please the fans of the second-year club. “It was frustrating," Lampard told Bleacher Report. "I’m not the only player to get frustrated when being injured. It was tough and it was a difficult injury that probably wasn’t as well-documented out loud than what it was behind the scenes and I knew I was going to be out for a while. "It didn’t come across, so it was probably frustrating that I couldn’t get out and do my thing on the pitch to show people what I could do. I just tried to keep a calm head so when I did get fully fit, I could help the team. I wouldn’t call it a relief to be back, it was ...16Aug/160