MLS Week 21: Complete Schedule and 5 Things to Watch for This Weekend

Righting the ship will be the narrative surrounding MLS Week 21. A pair of Western Conference powers can no longer afford to sink with it. The mid-week action picked up late Wednesday night. The Colorado Rapids rallied back from an early 1-0 deficit to capture a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution. Down a man, Chivas USA captured a one-goal victory of their own. Erick Torres—with an assist by a Toronto FC deflection—netted a game-winner in his MLS debut to snap Chivas' 14-game winless streak. Eight matches will follow this weekend. But with so much action on tap, what warrants your attention in Week 21? Read on to find out.   Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, credit all statistics to the official MLS Press Box Stats and Standings.Begin Slideshow

Who Should Start for the USMNT Against Costa Rica in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup?

With a difficult grudge match looming against Costa Rica today, Jurgen Klinsmann has some decisions to make in order to maintain the confidence and chemistry shown during this seven-game winning streak.  Some of the positions on the field are not in flux, as we can expect Landon Donovan, Nick Rimando and DaMarcus Beasley to all get the starting nod come game time. The former two have been consistently good in the group matches and Beasley seems to be the only real lock on a back line that has delivered mixed results against lackluster teams in Guatemala, Belize and Cuba. Beasley's impressive performances in World Cup Qualifying games are further evidence to justify his starting spot as well. With three spots down, there are eight spots remaining to help bolster the United States' chances of finishing group play undefeated, entering the quarterfinals with an easier opponent, and most surprisingly, improving to a historic team high eight-game winning streak. The surprising element comes with the idea that this group of players for the United States is generally regarded as their "B" team, with some players like Donovan and Chris Wondolowski gaining consideration for the "A" team. If today's match results in a victory, the U.S. Men's National ...

Week 20 MLS Power Rankings

On a weekend overshadowed by action in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the powers of Major League Soccer showed their hand. The biggest power club of them all right now is Real Salt Lake, who won easily on the road without four regular starters. Was that win enough to keep RSL atop the B/R MLS Power Rankings for another week? Read on to find out where they placed in this week's list.Begin Slideshow

Best and Worst from MLS Week 20: Thierry Henry, Portland’s Game-Winner and More

After MLS Week 20, never say never again. The Portland Timbers and Peguy Luyindula can attest to that. Tiki-taka football and long-range blasts propelled Sporting Kansas City to a 3-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday. With the win, the team now sits atop the Eastern Conference with 33 points. The Vancouver Whitecaps followed suit with a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Fire, with Camilo Sanvezzo stealing the show at BC Place. MLS' hottest striker netted a brace and has scored a league-best nine goals since June 1. But some tough competition kept Sanvezzo and Kansas City from making the list of best and worst from MLS Week 20. Read on to find out why.Begin Slideshow

MLS Weekend Wrap

On a weekend highlighted by action in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Major League Soccer delivered plenty of quality to rival the North American competition. Adam Moffat was the face that perfectly fit the quality as he delivered two impressive goals for Houston in their victory over New England. Not to be outdone, Sporting Kansas City delivered one of the classiest goals of the season in their match against Toronto FC. Out on the West Coast, Portland and Los Angeles delivered fans who stayed up late to watch with plenty of drama at Jeld-Wen Field. Read on for comprehensive recaps of those three matches as well as the other five played this weekend in MLS.Begin Slideshow

MLS Week 20: Complete Schedule and 5 Things to Watch for This Weekend

The MLS action heats up in Week 20. Unfortunately, that might be too much for some to handle. After a five-day layoff, the time has come to rededicate your focus to some important MLS fixtures. A total of eight matches are scheduled for this weekend. But with so much action on tap, what warrants your attention? Read on to find out.    Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, credit all statistics to the official MLS Press Box Stats and Standings.Begin Slideshow

Week 19 MLS Power Rankings

All good things must come to an end sooner or later.That is exactly what has happened to the Portland Timbers' reign atop of the MLS Power Rankings.After their 15-match unbeaten run was broken by Columbus on Sunday, they were forced to relinquish their No. 1 ranking.Read on to find out who took over for Portland at the top of the B/R MLS Power Rankings.Begin Slideshow

Best and Worst from MLS Week 19: LA Galaxy Surge, a Botched Penalty and More

The usual suspects returned to form in MLS Week 19. Well, everyone except Federico Higuain. The Colorado Rapids followed an impressive 2-0 victory on the Fourth of July with a scoreless draw against DC United. The Montreal Impact also failed to impress on Sunday, earning just a 1-1 draw at home against Chivas USA. With the draws, neither team made the list of best and worst from MLS Week 19. Read on to find out who did.Begin Slideshow

MLS Weekend Wrap-Up

After a brief slate of matches on Saturday, the action in Major League Soccer heated up on Sunday.The highlight of Sunday's matches was the breaking of Portland's 15-match unbeaten streak by the Columbus Crew.Read on for comprehensive recaps of that match and the other seven played across MLS this weekend. Begin Slideshow

FC Dallas, Sporting Kansas City on Upset Alert in MLS This Weekend

Before I begin, I would just like to say I hope all of you had a fun, safe holiday and you still have all of your fingers and toes.In the midweek games over the past couple of days, there have been a few shocking results.For example, if you'd told me Chivas USA would hold FC Dallas scoreless at all, much less on the road, I would have thought you were crazy. Chivas has allowed 31 goals this season, more than any other team in the league.If you also told me that the Colorado Rapids would hold the New York Red Bulls scoreless, I would have asked you if you were current on your medication; the Rapids defense has allowed almost as many goals as the Red Bulls.Who needs to watch their backs over the weekend? Let's take a look. Upset Alert No. 1: Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago FireThe two teams haven't played since an absolutely dreadful, mind-numbing scoreless draw on March 16. I remember it because I was there for Sporting KC's home opener. A few weeks later, I asked a friend if Frank Klopas would be the first coach fired in MLS this season.His answer? "Frank Klopas should be ...