Donovan Can Go Out on High with MLS Cup Following Turbulent Final Season

Landon Donovan's final Major League Soccer season began badly. Stumped on 134 career goals, which had him level with all-time leading goalscorer Jeff Cunningham, he failed to find the net in each of his first seven matches for Los Angeles Galaxy. It was a dry spell that no doubt contributed to his omission from his country's World Cup squad and, given Jurgen Klinsmann's displeasure with his 2012 sabbatical, likely served to reinforce a decision the United States manager had long wanted to make. Donovan was understandably devastated. "I was looking forward to playing in Brazil," he remarked in a Facebook post. "I am very disappointed with today's decision." The following Sunday—with a point to prove—the 32-year-old delivered one of the more memorable performances of an unforgettable career. In the second minute against Philadelphia Union, his free-kick from distance was headed into goal by teammate Leonardo. Then, shortly after the restart, he stabbed Robbie Keane's cutback past goalkeeper Zac MacMath to finally surpass Cunningham. With his hands in the air as he let out an almighty yell, he ran a few yards in celebration before collapsing to the pitch in relief. It was, indeed, more relief than joy—and in the 81st minute, he bagged a second goal for good ...

Los Angeles vs. Seattle: Winners and Losers from MLS Game

Marcelo Sarvas scored the only goal at StubHub Center as the Los Angeles Galaxy prevailed 1-0 over the Seattle Sounders in Sunday's Western Conference semi-final first leg. The Major League Soccer rivals contested a tight, physical first half in Carson, California, but just seven minutes after the restart, Sarvas' drive from 17 yards took a deflection before beating Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Overall, there were a handful of standout performances at the home of the four-time champions, as well as a few underwhelming displays. We'll look at examples from both categories in the following slideshow. Here are the individual winners and losers from this contest.Begin Slideshow

New York vs. New England: Winners and Losers from MLS Game

New England Revolution were outplayed in Harrison, New Jersey, but bookended the first leg of their Eastern Conference final with goals from Teal Bunbury and Jermaine Jones en route to a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls. Bradley Wright-Phillips notched the lone tally for the hosts, who will now go into the return match trailing on aggregate. Referee Allen Chapman presented 10 yellow cards in what was a tempestuous afternoon at Red Bull Arena, and with his booking in the 60th minute, Wright-Phillips, who led Major League Soccer in goalscoring during the regular season, will be suspended for Saturday's showdown in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Overall, there were a handful of standout performances on Sunday as well as a few underwhelming displays, and over the following slideshow we'll look at examples from both categories. Here are the individual winners and losers from this contest.Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles vs. Seattle: Live Score, Highlights from MLS Game

MLS Cup Playoffs—StubHub Center   LOS ANGELES GALAXY 1-0 SEATTLE SOUNDERS (52' Sarvas) Aggregate: 1-0 Referee: Kevin Stott   Lineups Los Angeles Galaxy: Penedo, DeLaGarza, Gonzalez, Meyer, Rogers, Ishizaki, Sarvas, Juninho, Donovan, Keane, Zardes Seattle Sounders: Frei, Yedlin, Marshall, Scott, Gonzalez, Evans, Pineda, Azira, Pappa, Dempsey, Martins Follow @jerradpetersRead more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

New York vs. New England: Live Score, Highlights from MLS Game

MLS Cup Playoffs—Red Bull Arena   NEW YORK RED BULLS 1-2 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (27' Wright-Phillips; 17' Bunbury, 86' Jones) Aggregate: 1-2 Referee: Allen Chapman    Lineups New York Red Bulls: Robles, Eckersley, Olave, Sekagaya, Oyongo, McCarty, Alexander, Sam, Luyindula, Henry, Wright Phillips New England Revolution: Shuttleworth, Tierney, Goncalves, Soares, Farrell, Caldwell, Jones, Rowe, Nguyen, Bunbury, Davies Follow @jerradpetersRead more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas: Winners and Losers from MLS Play-off

Seattle Sounders are through to the penultimate round of the Major League Soccer play-offs following Monday's scoreless draw at home to FC Dallas. Having come out of the first leg of this Western Conference semi-final with a 1-1 draw in Texas, Seattle never needed to score in the return fixture and ended up progressing on the away-goals rule. Dallas, meanwhile, created plenty of chances on the Pacific Coast but lacked precision in the final third, and at the final whistle questions swirled over manager Oscar Pareja's second-half substitutions. Overall, several performances stood out from the second leg, as the following slideshow will highlight. Here are the individual winners and losers from Monday's encounter.Begin Slideshow

Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas: Live Score, Highlights from MLS Play-off

Major League Soccer—CenturyLink Field, Seattle   SEATTLE SOUNDERS 0-0 FC DALLAS Seattle advance on away goals Referee: Baldomero Toledo   Lineups Seattle Sounders: Frei, Yedlin, Marshall, Scott, Gonzalez, Evans, Alonso, Pineda, Pappa, Dempsey, Martins FC Dallas: Seitz, Hernandez, Loyd, Hedges, Watson, Ulloa, Michel, Castillo, Akindele, Diaz, Perez Follow @jerradpetersRead more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Vermes & Kreis Poised for Sporting Kansas City-Real Salt Lake MLS Cup Match

They are two of America’s up-and-coming managers, and in seven head-to-head encounters there has been little to separate them. Since Peter Vermes took charge of the then-Kansas City Wizards in August 2009 he and Real Salt Lake’s Jason Kreis have each won three matches against the other and drawn once. Only twice has the spread between them been two goals or greater; just once has one of the two clubs strung back-to-back victories against the other (Real Salt Lake in 2009 and 2010). It goes without saying the eighth and tie-breaking match will be a closely-fought, and likely low-scoring, affair, and in this particular instance the stakes could not be higher. On Saturday, December 7, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake will square off to determine American football supremacy in the 2013 MLS Cup. And that both clubs have won the league on one occasion—Kansas City in 2000 and Salt Lake in 2009—only serves to set up a tie-breaker of even greater proportions. But given Kansas City’s 13-year MLS Cup drought, Vermes has had to create a winning mentality from scratch in recent seasons whereas Kreis and a handful of his current players are just four years removed from their memorable win on ...

Robbie Rogers: First Game as Openly Gay Footballer Felt ‘Normal’

Robbie Rogers, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer made history on Sunday night. Rogers, who had announced his retirement from football in an eloquently-written blog post in February, was making his competitive return to the sport for Galaxy against the Seattle Sounders.Even though he played just 13 minutes in a 4-0 win that included a Robbie Keane hat trick, it was him that the cameras, reporters and eyes of the world were focused on before, during and after his brief appearance on the pitch. His, after all, had been no ordinary comeback.“For the past 25 years I have been afraid, afraid to show who I really was because of fear,” he blogged from London just over three months ago. “Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay.” With those words, Rogers both revealed his sexual orientation and announced he was stepping away from the game he had loved all his life. Professional sports and the macho culture of the locker room—a sort of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” code—remained, for him, incompatible. So, he embarked ...

Why MLS Is the Right Place for Manchester City Owners to Invest

Major League Soccer should be doing cartwheels over Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan’s interest in securing an expansion franchise. Sheikh Mansour, who already owns Premier League side Manchester City, was said to be seeking an MLS license last November, and on Sunday the New York Times revealed the 42-year-old was the “odds-on favorite” to win expansion rights for a franchise in New York City. At present, New York Red Bulls represent the tri-state area, but the former New York/New Jersey MetroStars play their home matches in Harrison, New Jersey, and MLS has always been keen to have more of a presence in New York City proper. Earlier this week the Telegraph reported Sheikh Mansour had already targeted a potential site in Queens for constructing a $500 million stadium—money that would be over and above the $100 million Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group would have to dole out in expansion fees.The good news for MLS is that Mansour and his holding company are both flush with cash and adept at running sports organizations. Mansour’s personal wealth is estimated at nearly $5 billion, and his portfolio includes holdings in Virgin Galactic, Daimler AG and the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation. Then there ...