MLS Team of the Week: BWP, Villa, Kaka Headline Week 23’s Best

Week 23 in Major League Soccer belonged to some of the top scorers in the league. Bradley Wright-Phillips, David Villa and Dom Dwyer were among the players who found the back of the net on two occasions over the weekend.  In addition to a few big performances at the forward position, a good amount of midfielders also put their names on the scoreboard more than once.  Due to the plethora of solid attacking in Week 23, we set up our Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week in a 3-4-3 formation. Continue reading to see who else was named to our best XI from the weekend. Begin Slideshow

Relentless Real Salt Lake Surging Up MLS Western Conference Table

Real Salt Lake manager Jeff Cassar admits he uses the word "relentless" a lot when he speaks with his team.  Although the results have only started to show the relentless nature of the club, the Claret and Cobalt have stuck to their aggressive mindset for the entire Major League Soccer regular season.  Cassar uses the term because of how many different players in the RSL starting lineup can hurt opponents on a weekly basis.  “I use the word relentless a lot when speaking with the team, and you can only be relentless when you have depth and when you can start one way and bring players on to keep exactly what we’re trying to do at the beginning of the game and doing it at the end," Cassar told Bleacher Report.   That approach has been apparent over the last three matches as RSL beat Philadelphia on the road and produced a fine performance against Chicago at home in Week 22. Between those two victories, the club lost to Toronto FC at BMO Field in a midweek match, but despite the defeat, Cassar believes his side played well.  “I think for the most part of this year, we’ve been playing very good soccer," Cassar said. "We ...

MLS Player Rankings: Magnificent Giovinco Claims Top Spot

All everyone wanted to talk about after Week 22 in Major League Soccer was the masterful display put on by Sebastian Giovinco at BMO Field on Saturday.  The same feeling has been echoed after countless other weekends since the Atomic Ant joined Toronto FC at the start of the 2015 regular season.  Outside of Giovinco, there were plenty of other star performances in our Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings.  Our player rankings take into account the last four showings from individuals, with the most recent performance carrying most importance.  Continue reading to see who fell where behind Giovinco in the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings after Week 22.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Hat-Trick Heroes Giovinco, Dempsey Headline Week 22’s Best

The two hat-tricks scored in Major League Soccer in Week 22 carried different meanings for the clubs of Sebastian Giovinco and Clint Dempsey.  Giovinco's three-goal performance at BMO Field moved Toronto FC even closer to the top spot in the Eastern Conference, while Dempsey's breakout showing handed the Sounders hope that a late run at the postseason is possible.  Two of Dempsey's teammates also join him on the list of Week 22's best players because of their work moving forward.  To accommodate the two stellar forwards and one of Dempsey's teammates, we aligned our MLS Team of the Week in a 4-3-3 formation. Continue reading to see who else joined the hat-trick heroes in the latest Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week. Begin Slideshow

Toronto’s Sebastian Giovinco Nets Brilliant Hat-Trick in 4-1 Win vs. New England

Take a bow, Sebastian Giovinco. The reigning MLS MVP was at it again on Saturday night, scoring a hat-trick as his Toronto FC strolled to a 4-1 win over the New England Revolution at BMO Field. The ex-Juventus man was almost unplayable throughout the evening, as Toronto moved to within a point of Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC. Giovinco's first goal was a beauty, struck with the outside of his boot: And his second wasn't too bad, either: Teal Bunbury and Jozy Altidore rounded out the scoring after the Italian forward had added a third from the penalty spot: Back-to-back MVP titles, anyone? [Instagram, Twitter]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Does the Philadelphia Union’s Transfer Spending Make Them MLS Cup Contenders?

One of the biggest winners of the Major League Soccer transfer window was an unexpected club that doesn't have a strong history in the transfer market.  Instead of refusing to make a splash like they have in the past, the Philadelphia Union made a pair of moves to strengthen their squad at the end of the transfer period.  The move that earned the most attention was the acquisition of United States men's national team midfielder Alejandro Bedoya from Nantes. In order to bring in Bedoya, the Union swapped spots with the Chicago Fire in the allocation order and gave up their first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft as well as an undisclosed amount of general and targeted allocation money.  Philadelphia wasn't done on Wednesday, as it locked up a trade with the New England Revolution for forward Charlie Davies in exchange for its first-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft and allocation money.  In addition to bringing in a pair of big names, the Union shipped fan favorite Sebastien Le Toux to the Colorado Rapids for general allocation money.  The trio of moves should set the Union up for a charge at the top seed in the Eastern Conference as long as Bedoya and ...

MLS Player Rankings: Lampard, Giovinco Dominate Headlines After Week 21

The two players dominating the headlines in Major League Soccer at the moment are names we're used to seeing on the marquee.  Frank Lampard and Sebastian Giovinco have taken the league by storm in recent weeks due to their performances in front of the net.  One week after Giovinco busted out of his slump with a hat-trick, Lampard extended his terrific form with a three-goal performance.  Joining the dynamic pair near the top the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings are a record-setting goalscorer and one of the best defenders in the league. Our player rankings take into account the last four performances from a certain player, with the most recent one holding more weight. Continue reading to see which players landed where in the Week 21 edition of the Bleacher Report MLS Player Rankings. Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Lampard, Giovinco Star in Week 21

Just like it was a week ago, Week 21 in Major League Soccer belonged to a few of the world's best players. Frank Lampard, who is in scorching-hot form for New York City FC, produced a hat-trick in the opening match of the weekend, while Sebastian Giovinco contributed to all three of Toronto FC's tallies against Columbus Crew on Sunday. In addition to the stellar performances put in by two of MLS' megastars, a few young players shone up top for their respective sides and a debutant handed a struggling side some hope for the future. Continue reading to see who was named to the Week 21 edition of the Bleacher Report MLS Team of the Week.Begin Slideshow

Breaking Down the MLS Playoff Races After the All-Star Break

Now that the excitement of the Major League Soccer All-Star Game is behind us, it's time to get down to business. Over the next three months, we'll find out who is worthy of earning the six playoff positions in the Eastern and Western Conferences.  Per the usual trend, the West is the more difficult of the two conferences once again in 2016. The West contains a few clear-cut MLS Cup favorites, while the East is still sorting itself out.  Below, we'll take a look at the playoff picture in each conference, starting in the East, and predict which six teams we think will qualify for the postseason.      Eastern Conference New York City FC are the surprise leaders heading into the final weekend of July. Patrick Vieira's men have climbed into the top spot on 33 points thanks to a tremendous road record of 6-4-1.  In order to continue their pace at the top, City must extend their road form into August, September and October, and they must also improve on their 3-3-5 home mark.  Unlike a few other clubs in the East, NYCFC don't have a long stretch of matches at, or away from, Yankee Stadium for the rest of the regular season, which may suit ...

MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal: Score and Reaction from MLS All-Star Game 2016

It took a dramatic late goal from Chuba Akpom, but the Premier League's Arsenal outlasted the MLS All-Stars, 2-1, in Thursday's MLS All-Star Game in San Jose, California. The Gunners also received a first-half goal off Joel Campbell's penalty kick, while Didier Drogba scored the lone goal for MLS. Arsenal snapped a two-game MLS winning streak in the event, as the All-Stars beat Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur in their previous two matches. Paul Carr of ESPN Stats & Info noted Arsenal's triumph was the first win by a London team over the MLS All-Stars: Arsenal weren't in midseason form as they build toward the upcoming Premier League campaign, but they managed 52 percent possession and seven shots on goal, compared to four for MLS, per ESPN FC. Pace was not an issue in the initial few minutes. Arsenal's Theo Walcott nearly found the net on an early set piece bu goalkeeper Andre Blake turned it away, and the MLS All-Stars failed to convert a golden scoring opportunity when Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech blocked Giovani dos Santos from close range. The quick back-and-forth action led to an early goal, after Arsenal found Campbell with a long ball and Laurent Ciman fouled him in the box as he was ...