Steven Gerrard’s LA Galaxy Switch Shows MLS Still Boasts an Elite Allure

It's been confirmed that Steven Gerrard will move to the LA Galaxy this summer after agreeing to join the franchise as its third designated player. The Liverpool captain's deal at Anfield expires in June, and after already announcing that the 2014-15 campaign would be his last, the official LA Galaxy website posted footage of Gerrard talking about his move: I'm very excited to begin the next chapter of my career in the United States with LA Galaxy. The Galaxy are the most successful club in Major League Soccer history, and I am looking forward to competing for more championships in the years to come. My discussions with Bruce Arena (manager) and Chris Klein (president) were extremely positive, and the future of the team is very bright. I am committed to helping the LA Galaxy compete for trophies and to having an impact in Los Angeles, and I will give my all for the club. In the meantime, I will continue to give everything for Liverpool for the remainder of this season before joining up with the Galaxy. It's a move that shows Major League Soccer retains its ability to draw world-class players, but the issue at hand is that not enough of those stars are coming ...

Report: New York City FC Close to Signing USMNT’s Mix Diskerud

New York City FC appears to have moved on from the Frank Lampard debacle. According to Ives Galarcep of Goal.com, NYCFC is closing in on the signing of U.S. international Mix Diskerud. Diskerud is out of contract after talks broke down between him and Norwegian club Rosenborg, per Sports Illustrated. The USMNT member was being courted by Xolos Tijuana in Mexico, per MLSSoccer.com, and the Columbus Crew, via Ryan Rosenblatt of SB Nation. STV claimed that even Scottish side Celtic was interested in Diskerud. However, none of those deals came to fruition, which meant Diskerud was still available on a free transfer. Now it appears as if one of MLS' newest teams is set to sign the Norwegian-born American international. NYCFC holds the top spot in the allocation ranking, so if Diskerud were to join the league, he'd go through that process due to the fact that he's a national team player. It's still unknown whether Diskerud would be signed as a designated player. NYCFC has used two of its three spots on Lampard and striker David Villa. If NYCFC agrees to a deal with Diskerud, it would be a great acquisition. The 24-year-old can complement the defensive qualities of Ned Grabavoy in midfield.  Diskerud is a ...

New York Red Bulls Fire Head Coach Mike Petke

The New York Red Bulls have confirmed that they've parted ways with head coach Mike Petke, per the team's official website. Assistant Robin Fraser has also been removed from the technical staff page of the club's site.  Dave Martinez of Empire of Soccer claims that the Red Bulls are lining up Jesse Marsch as the new coach. Marsch's last job was with the Montreal Impact in the club's first season in MLS. The always reliable Taylor Twellman has since confirmed Martinez's report:   Original Text The New York Red Bulls have fired head coach Mike Petke, per Kristian Dyer of Metro New York: According to Dyer, sporting director Ali Curtis sacked Petke after a meeting at Red Bull Arena. Goal.com's Ives Galarcep believes that the club's reasoning was due to a disagreement between management and the coach: Regardless, the move still comes as a surprise. Petke claimed the Supporters' Shield in 2013, which is the only trophy the club has won since the rebrand. He also helped guide the Red Bulls to the Eastern Conference finals this year. They lost to the New England Revolution 4-3 on aggregate.  There's also a rumor involving one of Petke's assistants, Robin Fraser, departing New York for Toronto FC, which was also reported by ...

Are LA Galaxy and MLS the Right Move for Steven Gerrard After Liverpool?

Steven Gerrard has confirmed he will join LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer after he leaves Liverpool in the summer. The 34-year-old, who last week announced his departure from Anfield, will link up with Bruce Arena's team in July after the end of the current Premier League campaign. Arena is quoted by Sky Sports from an interview with the LA Times as saying: Steven Gerrard arrives in July and by then we will certainly have a plan available. He's a player of quality. I'm not concerned about how he's going to fit in with our team. We have a club now with a proven history of success. All those things go hand in hand in making LA Galaxy a very attractive team for players such as Steven Gerrard. Gerrard is following a familiar path for Premier League players. David Beckham starred for the Galaxy, while Robbie Keane is the club's main striker. But is the Liverpool midfielder making the right move?Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Steven Gerrard to Los Angeles Galaxy: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Steven Gerrard will join the Los Angeles Galaxy in July, the team announced on Wednesday. The 34-year-old Liverpool captain will be brought on as a Designated Player during Major League Soccer's summer transfer window. Terms of the deal were not made public, as is league and club policy. Per the Galaxy's announcement, Gerrard said: I’m very excited to begin the next chapter of my career in the United States with LA Galaxy. The Galaxy are the most successful club in Major League Soccer history and I am looking forward to competing for more championships in the years to come. My discussions with Bruce Arena and Chris Klein were extremely positive and the future of the team is very bright. I am committed to helping the LA Galaxy compete for trophies and to having an impact in Los Angeles and I will give my all for the club. In the meantime, I will continue to give everything for Liverpool for the remainder of this season before joining up with the Galaxy. Bruce Arena, manager of the MLS side, first announced the deal in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, where he confirmed Gerrard's arrival will coincide with the expiration of his Liverpool contract: We have a club ...

5 Reasons Why Steven Gerrard Isn’t the Right Fit for the LA Galaxy

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is set to join the L.A. Galaxy after signing an 18-month contract, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC. The deal will reportedly be worth a pro-rated $6 million per year. MLS will pick up $750,000 of Gerrard's salary. At first look, signing the Reds captain is a great move for the Galaxy. Gerrard is a marketable player so LA will sell more merchandise, tickets, advertising and generate more revenue as a result.  However, there are negatives to signing the Liverpool legend. His position on the team is unknown and MLS is a unique league and difficult to understand. The cons will be ranked in terms of how hard these potential issues can be resolved. Here are five reasons why Gerrard isn't the right fit for the LA Galaxy.Begin Slideshow

Steven Gerrard Move to MLS Is Good for League, Bad for LA Galaxy

Steven Gerrard looks set to join Major League Soccer, with his most likely destination appearing to be the LA Galaxy. After announcing that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the current season, Gerrard confirmed that he would be coming to play in America, and ESPN's Jeff Carlisle has reported that he will be joining the Galaxy on an 18-month contract worth $6 million per year. While the signing will be good for MLS overall, it looks to be a bad decision on the Galaxy's part for a number of reasons. Having won the MLS Cup in three of the last four seasons, the Galaxy will enter the 2015 season with a Landon Donovan-sized hole in their roster—one they seem to be intent on filling with Gerrard. The problem lies in the fact that Gerrard is not a like-for-like replacement for Donovan, who normally occupied a wide-midfield role for the Galaxy. Gerrard, who made his bones as an attacking midfielder for Liverpool, has become a holding midfielder in the twilight of his career. But the Galaxy already have an established center-midfield combination: Marcelo Sarvas and Juninho (assuming both stay healthy). That means Galaxy coach Bruce Arena will be forced to either push one of ...

How Frank Lampard Decision Affects New York City FC’s Inaugural Season

Now that the inevitable is finally over with, New York City FC is under more pressure to put a winning product on the field starting in March. Frank Lampard is officially a Manchester City player until at least the end of May. There is absolutely nothing head coach Jason Kreis or director of football operations Claudio Reyna can do about it now.  Instead of lamenting every time Lampard steps on the pitch in a Man City shirt, fans of the club should embrace the challenge presented to club's brass.  Now seems like a good time to remind everyone with an opinion on this topic that Kreis built Real Salt Lake out of nothing into a consistent contender in the Western Conference.  Kreis also prepared for the lack of Lampard's presence by selecting Ned Grabavoy in December's Expansion Draft. While he may not possess the quality of the English international, Grabavoy was a rock in the defensive half of midfield for RSL before leaving for the bright lights of New York City.  With two months left in the offseason, Kreis has the opportunity to go out and find another player of Grabavoy's quality to shore up the defensive part of midfield.  The months leading up to March's ...