MLS Expansion Draft 2014: Date, Start Time, Format, Rules and Schedule

The MLS will have its first expansion draft since the 2011 season on Wednesday, December 10, with Orlando City SC and New York City FC each having 10 selections to help build their rosters ahead of the 2015 campaign. The rules for this year's draft don't deviate much from the previous ones, but they remain relatively complicated nonetheless. In this article, we'll provide a layout of the draft schedule and basic rules as provided by the MLS. All rules are courtesy of the MLS and can be accessed by clicking here.   Date and Start Time The draft will take place on Wednesday, December 10 and starts at 2 p.m. ET.   Format and Schedule Each team will have 10 selections and will alternate making picks. Orlando won the right to select first. As a result, the schedule looks simple: Each of the existing 18 MLS clubs had to submit a list of 11 protected players by Friday, December 8, and the MLS is expected to make the list public before the start of the draft, via Opta's Ben Jata. At the time of writing, the list had not yet been made public: Orlando and New York will make their 10 selections based on the list of unprotected players. Once ...

MLS Cup Finals 2014: Galaxy vs. Revolution Date, Time, Live Stream and TV Info

The LA Galaxy and New England Revolution will meet on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Carson, California for the 2014 MLS Cup, the final match which will determine the 2014 Major League champions. The hosts will be appearing in their ninth Cup final, winning four so far, while the Revs are winless in four tries. Both teams narrowly qualified for Sunday's showpiece after winning their conference semi-finals, and with little to separate them on paper, this year's final should be a close affair. Landon Donovan's last match in the MLS has dominated headlines all week, as America's most decorated player in the sport's history will have a chance to give his career the kind of Hollywood-ending it deserves.   Date: Sunday, Dec. 7 Time: 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. GMT Venue: StubHub Center, Carson (Home of the Galaxy) TV info and live stream: The match will be broadcast on ESPN and UniMas (for U.S. viewers), with mobile coverage available via WatchESPN.   Preview To say people are excited about the 19th edition of the MLS Cup final would be an understatement—ESPN FC's Taylor Twellman and Goal's Ives Galarcep have been talking about the match all week: The level of excitement is understandable, of course. The amount of storylines surrounding this match ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders 1st-Leg Score and Reaction

The LA Galaxy booked a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders in the first leg of MLS' Western Conference Final on Sunday, setting up an interesting scenario for next week's return leg with an eye on the MLS Cup. The new away-goals rule means that if the Galaxy score once in Seattle, the Sounders will need three to progress to the next round. That fixture, which will be played on Sunday, should provide fans with a lot more drama and excitement than today's nervy affair.    Seattle started the match on fire, immediately applying high pressure and displaying a lot of physicality in the duels. DeAndre Yedlin was booked after just three minutes for an apparent elbow on Robbie Keane, although the veteran certainly contributed to the incident.Inside MLS was hardly surprised:The ball went up and down the pitch really well in the opening stages, and Keane came close to opening the score just one minute later, but his acrobatic effort missed the target. The MLS' Twitter feed had a nice angle of the action, right behind the goal:Gyasi Zardes then forced Stefan Frei into action for the first time with a well-taken shot, but the goalkeeper was equal to the task.The Sounders' ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: New England vs. Columbus 2nd Leg Score, Twitter Reaction

The New England Revolution easily qualified for the MLS Eastern Conference final, beating Columbus Crew 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday to advance 7-3 on aggregate. The Revolution will face the New York City Red Bulls, who knocked out DC United on Saturday.     Fans expecting New England to just sit back and defend their lead were quickly reminded that simply isn't their style, with Kelyn Rowe taking a shot on goal within 30 seconds of the opening whistle. Needing at least three goals to advance to the Eastern Conference final, Columbus predictably committed men forward in an attempt to score an early goal. With Federico Higuain not playing, the onus fell on the creative midfielders to make the difference, with Justin Meram looking lively early. New England quickly took control of the midfield proceedings, however, and Jermaine Jones in particular seemed to be in excellent form. While possession remained with the Crew, there were no openings to be found early. Inside MLS saw the same thing: Columbus had their first chance after a deflected shot fell into the path of Jairo Arrieta, who was beaten to the ball by Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, knocking it into Arrieta and out of play. Lee Nguyen was unusually quiet, with ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: New York vs. DC United Score and Twitter Reaction

New York Red Bulls took a strong option on qualifying for the Eastern Conference Finals of the MLS playoffs by beating DC United 2-0 at home Sunday, dominating from start to finish and giving themselves a healthy lead as they head for RFK Stadium on Saturday. The hosts took control of possession early, finding some success against DC's high press in midfield. Thierry Henry was lively drifting out wide and produced the first bit of attacking display, firing in a cross that was dealt with well by the defence. The visitors looked as organized as you'd expect from one of MLS' elite defenses, but the same couldn't be said for Chris Pontius' beard, via the league's official Twitter feed: Nick DeLeon launched an excellent counter opportunity for DC, but both Jamison Olave (for the hosts) and Fabian Espindola (for the visitors) couldn't control the ball.    New York continued to look the better team, with star striker Bradley Wright-Phillips bent on sneaking behind the defence. The 29-year-old consistently timed his runs wrong inside the first 30 minutes, however, negating plenty of the hosts' attacking moves. Peguy Luyindula came close to opening the score, as Dax McCarty's shot took a wicked deflection off the Frenchman, only to ...

Revolution Beat Crew 4-2 in 1st Leg of Semis

New England Revolution took a major step toward qualification for the Eastern Conference final, beating Columbus Crew 4-2 in Ohio to set up the perfect scenario for the return at Gillette Stadium next Sunday. The first chance of the match fell to the visitors and found Charlie Davies isolated in front of goal. The striker attempted a cheeky backheel but missed the ball completely, and he really should have done better with the early look on goal. Both teams came out with a lot of aggression in the first half, but official Drew Fischer took a wait-and-see approach, letting both teams battle it out in the centre of the pitch. Revolution manager Jay Heaps didn't appreciate the referee allowing plenty of contact, via the MLS' official Twitter feed: New England had the better of play in the first half, with Lee Nguyen in particular putting in an excellent performance. Finding Andrew Farrell inside the box, stopper Steve Clark was forced into making a spectacular save to deny the visitors from scoring that all-important away goal. Nguyen's brilliance throughout the match drew rave reviews from Goal's Ives Galarcep: Justin Meram should have opened the scoring for the hosts in the 29th minute, after the New England ...

Chivas USA Contracts as MLS Announces Realignment, Los Angeles Market Strategy

In a move everybody saw coming, MLS club Chivas USA will officially cease operations effective immediately, as the league will realign its current structure with plans to add a second team in Los Angeles in 2017.    MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed the news to Sports Illustrated's Brian Straus, while releasing a statement on the new franchise:As part of our new strategy for Southern California—a major hotbed of soccer participation and fan support—we believe that engaging with a new ownership group which has the resources and local community ties, and a plan for a dedicated soccer-specific stadium, provides us with the best chance for success.He also wrote a letter to the club's fans, via the MLS' official website: Dear Chivas USA Supporters, Later today, the League will announce a new strategy for the Los Angeles market. After conducting a comprehensive strategic review of the market and Chivas USA’s operations, we will announce that effective this afternoon, Chivas USA will cease operations. This was a very difficult decision. We want to thank you, the fans, for ten years of unconditional support. We are grateful for your commitment to the club and to the sport. Chivas went through a multitude of issues in the front office and ...

Real Salt Lake vs. Club Tijuana: Date, Time, Predictions and Preview

Real Salt Lake will play a midseason friendly against Mexican side Club Tijuana on Tuesday, as they look to keep the squad's match rhythm on the right level in the hunt for Major League Soccer's Supporters' Shield. Real chase the Seattle Sounders by two points in the Western Conference (although Seattle has two games in hand) and look like a safe bet to make the play-offs, but with several clubs making a push for the top five, the Royals will have to stay on their toes. A friendly against Club Tijuana might do the trick. Xolos have completely missed their start in the Liga MX, but they still boast the quality to give the hosts a strong challenge.   Date: Tuesday, August 12 Time: 8 p.m. MT/10 p.m. ET Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium   Preview Tijuana need a break to shake things up—badly. Xolos have only secured two points in their first four matches and find themselves near the basement of the Liga MX standings, but this early in the season, that doesn't have to be a death sentence. What Tijuana need most is a spark, something that gets the team started. The squad has looked uninspired in front of goal, and the lack of offence has largely negated several ...