MLS Player Rankings: Piatti, Plata and Giovinco Rise to Top After Week 2

The tremendous attacking displays witnessed in Major League Soccer in the opening week of play carried over to Week 2 as only five teams recorded clean sheets—two of which were in one game.  Due to the terrific start by the attack-minded players across the United States and Canada, the majority of the players on the list of the league's 20 best in-form stars are strikers.  As expected, we saw a good amount of early-season movement in the top 20. Only a few of the standout performers from Week 1 were able to keep high positions in our weekly MLS Player Rankings.  Our player rankings are a cumulative list that take into account play over a specific time span. Until the second month of the season begins, we'll base our current list off matches from March only.  Continue reading to see which 20 players were named to the Week 2 edition of the MLS Player Rankings.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Dwyer, Villa, Pontius, Wenger Headline Week 2’s Best XI

The second week of action in Major League Soccer exemplified all the qualities that make the league so unique.  Saturday's wacky line of results featured a 5-0 thumping by the Houston Dynamo over rival FC Dallas, Philadelphia's first-ever victory in Columbus and Colorado's late win over the LA Galaxy. The trend continued on Sunday as the San Jose Earthquakes downed 2015 MLS Cup champion Portland at Avaya Stadium to close out the 10-game weekend slate.  It comes as no surprise that the majority of the players who feature in our MLS Team of the Week were involved in the Week 2 upsets.  From a trio of two-goal scorers to a pair of a surprising performances from two unlikely defenders, our best XI has it all this week.  Continue reading to see which 11 players were named in our MLS Team of the Week.Begin Slideshow

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: Can Houston End Texas Derby Losing Streak?

The first big rivalry match of the season in Major League Soccer takes place on Saturday night when the Houston Dynamo host FC Dallas in the first Texas Derby of 2016.  While the passion has been there over the last three years, the results haven't shown up for the Dynamo. Since the start of 2013, FC Dallas have won five straight league matches against Houston and an additional two in the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Open Cups.  Earning a big result in the second week of the season means more to Houston than FC Dallas. The Dynamo come into Saturday's showdown at BBVA Compass Stadium off a 3-3 draw with the New England Revolution in which they let three points slip away in second-half stoppage time.  Not only would a victory in Week 2 help the Dynamo rebound from their Week 1 heartbreak, but it will give fans of the club hope that Season 2 under manager Owen Coyle will see progress. The pieces are there for the Dynamo to improve, but to do so they must win at home against the difficult competition in the Western Conference.  A win on the road would help Oscar Pareja's side earn some early separation from the ...

MLS Power Rankings: Portland Timbers Are Still the Team to Beat

Major League Soccer returned in entertaining fashion on Sunday, with a record 36 goals across 10 games. Now that the league is back, it's time for the first power rankings of the 2016 season. Due to the small sample size of games, the criteria used to grade each team will be as follows: Last season's final standing Off-season player acquisitions Injuries Quality of a team's performance Here are the MLS power rankings for Week 1.Begin Slideshow

MLS Player Rankings: Magee, Piatti, Plata, Fagundez Top List After Week 1

The first week of the Major League Soccer season provided us with plenty of talking points as 36 goals were scored across the United States and Canada on Sunday.  A good amount of the strikes came from the usual suspects like Sebastian Giovinco and Ignacio Piatti, but a few of the standout performances from Week 1 were produced by unexpected heroes.  The man who stood out the most was LA Galaxy substitute Mike Magee, who was one of two players to record two goals and an assist on Sunday. In total, 11 players contributed to two or more tallies during Sunday's 10-game slate.  Since we're only one week into the new campaign, our MLS Player Rankings could only take into account Week 1 performances. As the weeks go on, this will become a cumulative ranking of the top 20 players in MLS.  Continue reading to see where Magee and the other stars from Week 1 landed in the first MLS Player Rankings of 2016.Begin Slideshow

MLS Team of the Week: Magee Shines off Bench, Plata, Giovinco Star in Week 1

Major League Soccer dove head first into its 21st season with 36 goals across 10 games on a busy Sunday that featured plenty of stellar individual performances.  With superstars like Kaka and Frank Lampard out of their respective lineups for the early slate of matches, a few players jumped into the spotlight with impressive attacking showings.  When the day turned into night, defense took over for a small amount of time before a league veteran exploded off the bench to close the night with one of the unlikeliest performances in recent memory.  Due to all of the scoring across MLS in Week 1, we opted to form our first Team of the Week in a 3-4-3 so we could incorporate as many attackers as possible.  Continue reading to see which 11 players were named to the first MLS Team of the Week for the 2016 season.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. D.C. United: Winners and Losers from MLS

The LA Galaxy stormed back from a one-goal deficit at halftime to defeat D.C. United 4-1 in the final contest of Sunday's 10-game slate across Major League Soccer.  Mike Magee was the catalyst of the comeback as he scored twice, earned an assist and set up Robbie Keane's 83rd-minute penalty.  The win came without major contributions from LA's big-name stars in attack like Steven Gerrard, Giovani dos Santos and Keane. One headliner who was a difference-maker at the StubHub Center was Ashley Cole, who produced a stellar second half.  United, who went ahead in the fifth minute on a strike from Lamar Neagle, had no answer for the Galaxy once the hosts got going in the second half.  Here's a look at our winners and losers from LA's season-opening win over D.C. Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. DC United: Live Score, Highlights from MLS

Major League Soccer--StubHub Center, Carson, Calif.  LA Galaxy 4-1 DC United  Goals: Lamar Neagle (DC) 5'; Daniel Steres (LA) 54'; Mike Magee (LA) 64', 87'; Robbie Keane (LA) 83' pen LA Galaxy: Kennedy (Rowe 20'), Rogers, DeLaGarza, Steres, Cole, Zardes, De Jong, Dos Santos (Magee 46'), Gerrard, Lletget (Husidic 80'), Keane  DC United: Dykstra, Kemp, Boswell, Birnbaum, Franklin, Rolfe (Aguilar 72'), Sarvas, DeLeon, Nyarko (Espindola 46'), Acosta (Buescher 75'), Neagle    Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Ultimate Guide to MLS Weekend: MLS Cup Rematch Headlines Opening Slate

Almost three months have passed since the Portland Timbers hoisted the MLS Cup at Mapfre Stadium with a win over the Columbus Crew.  When the 2016 Major League Soccer season opens on Sunday, the two sides will meet in one of the marquee fixtures of the 10-game slate at Providence Park in Portland.  During an offseason in which many clubs across the United States and Canada adjusted their rosters in an attempt to make 2016 a more prosperous year than 2015, the two participants from December's final only made minor alterations.  The most important of those moves came at left-back for Portland as the Timbers brought in Chris Klute through a trade with Columbus to replace Jorge Villafana, who left for Santos Laguna in Liga MX in the days following the MLS Cup. A month after Klute traded in Columbus gold for Portland green, the Crew sent forward Jack McInerney to the Timbers in a trade.  Columbus replaced McInerney on the depth chart with Ola Kamara and Conor Casey, both of whom will back up leading scorer Kei Kamara. Corey Ashe, Amro Tarek and Emil Larsen were the three other names brought in by the Crew to join one of the most talented squads in ...

Tim Howard Would Be an Unnecessary Signing for the Colorado Rapids

Everton and U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Tim Howard are nearing a deal with the Colorado Rapids, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC. Despite his recent struggles in the Premier League, Howard would instantly become one of MLS' top shot-stoppers. However, this is still a curious move by the Rapids. Colorado finished last in Major League Soccer's Western Conference in 2015, although the Rapids defense was formidable. They conceded 43 goals, which was less than Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy, who both made the playoffs. This still did not stop the Rapids from trading goalkeeper Clint Irwin to Toronto FC. Defender Drew Moor also joined TFC via free agency. Both players were defensive pillars for the past few seasons. Those two departures weren't even Colorado's strangest decisions. Homegrown defender Shane O'Neill was sold last August. Deshorn Brown, who led the Rapids in goalscoring in 2013 and 2014, transferred to Norwegian club Valerenga in March 2015. He scored 20 goals over those two seasons. The Rapids finished the 2015 campaign with 33. The likes of Kevin Doyle and Luis Solignac arrived last summer to provide a scoring boost, but it wasn't enough. The Rapids were a playoff team under ex-head coach Oscar Pareja in 2013. They were ...