MLS: 5 Players Who Will Be Vying for the Scoring Title This Season

With a third of the 2012 Major League Soccer campaign complete, a number of familiar faces are atop the goal-scoring chart. But which one of these grizzled veterans will have what it takes to be on top at the end of the season? Let’s take a look at five most likely players to win the MLS Golden Boot in 2012.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls: Key Takeaways from MLS Showdown

Playing their third game in eight days, the Los Angeles Galaxy hosted the New York Red Bulls Saturday night at the Home Depot Center. Despite the fact that the Red Bulls were forced to play without several of their stars, including Thierry Henry, the Red Bulls managed to pull off a 1-0 victory over the Galaxy. Here are six thoughts from the game.Begin Slideshow

10 Hottest Players in the MLS Right Now

After this weekend's slate of games and now six weeks into this season's schedule, Major League Soccer's cream is beginning to rise to the top.With most teams now a quarter of the way into their respective seasons, let's take a look at who makes the list for the ten hottest players in the league right now.Begin Slideshow

DC United vs. New York Red Bulls: 6 Things We Learned from MLS Showdown

On a rainy Sunday evening in front of a small but lively crowd, DC United cruised to a 4-1 victory over their Eastern Conference rivals, the New York Red Bulls. United was able to take advantage of three first half goals to secure all three points on the night, leapfrogging the Red Bulls and taking over second place in the Eastern Conference standings. Here are six things we learned from the game.Begin Slideshow

Picking an Over-30 Veterans XI from the MLS

With the Major League Soccer season off and running again, let’s take a look at who would make the Best XI of players in the league that are on the wrong side of 30.The Rules—to be selected, a player must currently be playing in Major League Soccer and have played at least one full season.Begin Slideshow

MLS Week 2: 10 Things We Learned

There was a full slate of Major League Soccer games this weekend, with a host of teams (including Sporting KC, the Colorado Rapids, the Houston Dynamo, the Vancouver Whitecaps and Real Salt Lake) off to perfect starts with six points from two games. Here are 10 things we learned from this weekend’s action.Begin Slideshow

MLS Opening Weekend Review: Game-by-Game Analysis

After a long three-month offseason, Major League Soccer returned to action this weekend. The opening round featured a nice slate of games ranging from battles of recent champions (Real Salt Lake v. LA Galaxy) to games between recent expansion teams (Vancouver v. Montreal). Here are the highlights from the seven weekend Major League Soccer matches.Begin Slideshow

2012 MLS Mock Draft: Complete First-Round Predictions

In search of the next prospect to take their team to the promised land, Major League Soccer scouts and coaches have flocked to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to watch the select few MLS Combine invitees compete. Following the completion of the combine, these scouts and coaches will have just a few days to put together their draft boards, with the draft itself set to begin at 12:00 p.m. EST this Thursday. Fans around the country can watch the MLS draft live from Kansas City, Missouri on ESPN2. Here are my predictions for the first round. No. 1: Montreal Impact - Darren Mattocks It has been generally assumed that the Impact will need a forward because many consider it unlikely that Brian Ching, selected by the Impact in the expansion draft, will play this season. The Houston Dynamo left Ching unprotected in the expansion draft thinking no one else would select him because Ching, who is 33, had stated he would retire rather than play anywhere else. The Dynamo also believed that the hefty price tag attached with the final year of Ching’s contract would thwart any interest. However, the Impact called Ching and the Dynamo’s bluff and selected him anyways. It ...

MLS Goals of the Season: 2011

With the 2011 Major League Soccer season done and dusted and attention now focused on the usually boring minutia of roster moves, it's time to take a look back at the best goals of the year. Whether from a deft touch, a scorching blast or a perfectly curled free kick, these goals brought roars from the crowd, lifted the hearts of supporters and made jaws drop.Begin Slideshow

MLS 2012: 10 Superstars Who Could Become Designated Players

Despite continuing growth, soccer-specific stadiums and a fantastic MLS Cup final last weekend, Major League Soccer still faces some significant questions. For one, how did the MLS Cup final, chock full of superstars in Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Robbie Keane get beat in the ratings by a rerun of the Chelsea-Liverpool game? Another question is how will MLS keep the quality of play, already in question by many soccer fans, from dropping as it continues to expand? And perhaps most importantly, how will a post-Beckham era MLS raise its profile while losing its most famous player? The quickest, and easiest, answer is to bring in more superstars under the league’s designated player rule. But DP’s can be a double-edged sword especially if the high profile players a team brings in lack the quality they once had or become destructive to team chemistry. Both of these issues have recently been faced by the New York Red Bulls. The trick, of course, is to bring in players who still have the quality to bring a team to another level without becoming disruptive to the framework a team has already built. And finally, to enhance attendance and interest, the player must have ...