28Mar/110
MLS All-Stars Will Face Manchester United Again at the 2011 MLS All-Star Game
New York, NY - The MLS All-Star team will have an opportunity to avenge last year's horrific 5-2 loss to Manchester United. Earlier today, Major League Soccer announced that Manchester United will return to face the best of MLS in the 2011 MLS AT&T All-Star game. Taking place at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday, July 27, this game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, Galavision and TSN (in Canada) starting at 8:30 p.m. ET. The 16th Annual All-Star game will mark the third time the game is hosted in the New York/New Jersey area. “We are pleased to host Manchester United again for our marquee summer event,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. “Our All-Star Game has become a true celebration of soccer, and our best players look forward to the challenge of competing against one of the top clubs in the world.” Many fans will have the opportunity to visit the 25,000 seat Red Bull Arena for the first time. For many, it the RBA is considere to be the best Soccer Specific Stadium in the country. Not only is the atmosphere fan friendly, it's also very accessible to get too if you're coming in from New York City. “Since ...28Mar/110
Chad Ochocinco: NFL Superstar Following Childhood Dream and Disproving Critics
I'll admit, I was sketchy about Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco when he decided to accept an invitation to join Sporting Kansas City on trial. Then again, because I never liked his on camera antics, I never took Ochocinco seriously as a real player in the NFL. I just thought of him as a guy who loved the camera and loved the checks. It's amazing what a couple of days can do. Since Tuesday, my respect level for Ochocinco has skyrocketed. I always knew of Chad's love for the game of soccer, or as I call it, real football. He played in his youth and was an exceptional player. Family influence and the uncertainty of a stable career in the brand new and financially strained Major League Soccer caused him to choose a career in the NFL. He is a big fan of the game in general. In fact, he is currently struggling with who to root for when he goes to the Real Madrid-Barcelona derby on April 16. He has friends on both teams. His friends in the world football community include Barcelona star Lionel Messi, Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry. In fact, the only ...28Mar/110
Hottest Cheerleaders of Major League Soccer
You know it. The MLS has cheerleaders. Well, some teams anyway. We all know you've not made it to this point in my commentary, so we'll move on. Go ahead and click the button. Go ahead. It's all right.Wow, you stayed to read. Let's count down the top five MLS cheerleaders, rated entirely by hotness factor.Begin Slideshow28Mar/110
Covering the U.S. Men’s National Team Match Against Argentina with Bill Menzel
"I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion." - Mia Hamm Last night 78,936 soccer fans were treated to classic international friendly match of Style versus Heart as United States Men's National Team tied the Argentina National Team 1-1. While Argentina marveled the fans with their precision short-passes and attacking offense, the United States countered them with the excellent goalkeeping skills of Tim Howard and Juan Agudelo's equalizer. Last night soccer fans witnessed the amazing ball-handling skills and toughness of Argentina's forward Lionel Messi. Not only was he breaking down defenses, but he would also get up immediately after being checked so his teammates can pass him the ball. Messi was not only attacking the net, he was also beautifully passing the ball to his teammates. His 50-yard dribble towards the net was spectacular and memorable. Despite Tim Howard making a sensational save, Messi brought the crowd to their feet on his scoring attempt while serving notice to the United States National Team that at any point, he will make a dash for the goal if they're ...27Mar/110
MLS Referee Review: Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity
In the Laws of the Game, Law 12 states that denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) has two different punishments, depending on the outcome of the play.But let's start by defining what DOGSO is. The law says it's when "a player denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick (direct or indirect) or a penalty kick."The interpretation of the punishment is important as well. The law states, "If the referee makes use of the advantage during an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and a goal is scored directly, despite the opponent’s handling the ball or fouling an opponent, the player cannot be sent off but he can still be cautioned."In that case, a yellow card is warranted, according to FIFA. If the opponent does not score, however, it is a send-off offense.In today's referee review, we'll take a look at four videos and see how MLS referees interpreted the rule.Begin Slideshow27Mar/110
2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 2
Now with two weeks of the 2011 Major League Soccer season in the books, Real Salt Lake makes their move, while the Los Angeles Galaxy tumble in grand fashion.Along the way, the Philadelphia Union are making their move to challenge RSL, while D.C., Sporting Kansas City, and Vancouver are also sliding down the ladder.Who is up and who is down? Let's take a look in this week's MLS Power Rankings here on Bleacher Report.Begin Slideshow27Mar/110
NFL Podcast: The Rise of the UFL, NFL Wants HGH Testing, and More!
I run a weekly NFL podcast, down at The Pigeon Toe. A buddy and I get together, grab some topics, stick 'em in between two slices of banter and deliver an NFL video podcast sandwich, topped with horseradish, because we're extremely saucy. We're in our virgin year, and we started back in October 2010. We're getting better, we hope, but we would like some feedback. Here at the Bleacher Report, communities are awesome enough to deliver that. Take a gander, and let us know what you think. Watch this week's NFL video podcast here! You can 1) Subscribe to our show on iTunes, or 2) Download the .wmv files directly. Here's a breakdown of this week's episode: The rise of the UFL Neil Tillman and I discuss the hiring of Marty Schottenheimer by the UFL's Virginia Destroyers as the head coach and general manager. We also tackle the hiring of Jerry Glanville by the Hartford Colonials. We try to answer the age-old question, "Who the heck is Jerry Glanville?" NFL wants HGH testing We also break down why the players are against HGH blood testing in the first place, as well as decide if this is even a good idea. Friendly 40-yard-dash competition Though this was ...27Mar/110
Seattle Sounders Dominate Against Houston Dynamo, Finish with a Draw
What do you call an MLS game where shots number 26-6? Apparently in Seattle, we call that a draw. The Sounders once again dominated a significant amount of time on the pitch, but this time came away with a 1-1 draw rather than a loss. “I think we deserved more tonight than a tie,” Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid said. “I’m very proud of the team. I’m very proud of the effort they put in. Right now we can’t get anything to break our way sometimes. So I’m happy that we fought back and got the equalizer. Like I said, we deserved more on the day.” (http://www.soundersfc.com) Dynamo keeper Tally Hall was kept very busy, but a large number of Sounders shots went wide or high. In the first half, it appeared the Sounders we set for a rout, but the ball never found the back of the net. This all changed, except not from the boys in green. Dynamo midfielder Lovel Palmer racked a shot off the crossbar and Geoff Cameron set the ball back towards the net. Sounder defender, and often-criticized player in this column, Jeff Parke put the final touch on the ...27Mar/110
Real Salt Lake Are Unstoppable in 4-1 Victory over Los Angeles Galaxy
A "suicide mission" this was called to become, and a suicide mission this ended up becoming.Last year, early in the season at that, the question was this: Can anybody stop the Los Angeles Galaxy? This year, the question is this: Can anybody stop Real Salt Lake?And somewhere out in San Jose, Costa Rica, a certain team wearing purple stripes is taking a deep breath and a big gulp: Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake team are the real deal.They made the Galaxy look like a ragtag group of overpaid prima donnas, crushing LA to the tune of 4-1. And this came from successfully incorporating their brand of football, which involved excellent pace and speed, superior ball movement, timely defending from their backline with stops from goalkeeper Nick Rimando, and clinical finishing.Last year at Rio Tinto, Javier Morales was the culprit in stopping the winning streak for the Galaxy. This year, Morales wasn't the only one in on the party.While Morales got his goals in the 10th and 41st minute, Andy Williams broke open the scoring just less than 120 seconds into the match. Paulo Araujo, Jr. added an insurance goal in the 68th minute of play.The Galaxy's Juan Pablo Angel added ...26Mar/110