3 Things MLS Must Do to Take Advantage of Euphoria in US Soccer

As the United States men's national soccer team made its run in the 2014 World Cup, Americans showed up at public watch parties by the thousands to support them. For a country like the United States, with a nascent soccer culture, the World Cup offers a unique quadrennial opportunity to grow the sport's fanbase. And with the U.S. team providing four exciting matches, many Americans were given their first taste of the game. Many of these newbies are now hooked on soccer and will be seeking ways to stoke their passion in the weeks and months ahead. Here are three things Major League Soccer can do to take advantage of that euphoria and bring those fans into the MLS fold.Begin Slideshow

USMNT Performance in World Cup Is Validating Quality of MLS

When Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley returned to Major League Soccer this past year after long stints in Europe, many fans of the United States men’s national team immediately assumed the moves would have disastrous consequences for the U.S.’s hopes in the 2014 World Cup. In addition to Bradley and Dempsey, some of the U.S.’s budding talents, like Matt Besler, Graham Zusi and Omar Gonzalez have made the decision over the past few years to forego European offers and instead re-signed with their respective MLS sides. Those decisions were questioned as well, with many U.S. fans assuming that staying in MLS would squash their development as players. For years, most Americans have harbored an inferiority complex about MLS (and the game in general), assuming the only path to success went through development in European leagues, through European styles of play and with European coaches. That viewpoint is still the belief of many Europeans as well. During a recent World Cup broadcast, ESPN commentator Steve McManaman insinuated that MLS lies somewhere between a U-10 league and the English Premier League, and British journalist Piers Morgan recently continued the erroneous belief that the term “soccer” was a word developed and used solely by Americans (the word originates ...

Winners and Losers from MLS Week 13

It was another exciting week of Major League Soccer action in Week 13, highlighted by stunning goals from Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and Will Johnson, as well as another tally for the league's all-time goal scorer Landon Donovan. Check out all the action along with plenty of highlights in this week's edition of MLS Winners and Losers.Begin Slideshow

Can USMNT’s Performance in World Cup Deliver a Verdict on Quality of MLS?

Over the past two years, with so many key components to the United States men’s national team choosing to either stay in Major League Soccer or make a return to the league after stints in Europe, the league’s importance to the national team has never been higher. In addition to Landon Donovan, who has been in the league since he was a teenager, Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley have returned, while Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Graham Zusi have spurned offers in Europe to stay home. Additionally, Clarence Goodson, Maurice Edu and Michael Parkhurst returned this past year and a number of other MLS players—notably Kyle Beckerman, Eddie Johnson, Brad Evans and Chris Wondolowski—are expected to compete for playing time on the United States’ World Cup team headed to Brazil this summer. So with the potential of 13 players (adding in Nick Rimando) on the United States’ World Cup roster coming from MLS, including six players who will most likely start for the red, white and blue, the USA’s performance in Brazil should deliver a clear-cut verdict on the quality, or lack thereof, in MLS. Or, maybe not. If the U.S. offense can manage to score against its considerable group-stage foes Ghana, Portugal and Germany, it ...

MLS Youngsters Who Could Be Part of 2018 World Cup Cycle for USMNT

In less than two months, the United States men’s national team will be off and running in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although the 2014 cycle wasn’t without its hiccups, the U.S. qualified for its seventh straight World Cup by finishing first in CONCACAF. However, when the 2014 World Cup is over, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will have the unenviable task of replacing many of the aging pieces of his squad and beginning the long process of preparing for 2018 World Cup qualifying. Major League Soccer has increasingly become a part of the USMNT’s backbone. Full of bright young talent, the league will surely be a big part of the 2018 cycle as well. Here are 18 MLS youngsters, ages 25 and under, who could be a part of the next round of World Cup qualification for the U.S.   Goalkeepers Tim Howard could conceivably still be around in 2018, and Brad Guzan is next in line after Howard, but two MLS goalkeepers waiting in the wings are Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid. Johnson has become the U.S.’s No. 4 over the past year, earning shutouts in both of his appearances for the U.S. in 2013. Hamid earned a shutout in his only senior appearance for the ...

Breaking Down the MLS Contingent in USMNT Squad for Mexico Friendly

On Wednesday, United States men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named a 22-man roster for next week's friendly against Mexico with 19 of those players coming from Major League Soccer.Here's a breakdown of the players he selected and those he didn't. The GivensAs one would fully expect, Klinsmann named the bulk of North American regulars to the squad, many of whom are expected to compete for starting spots on the team the Americans will take to Brazil this summer. This group includes Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Graham Zusi (DaMarcus Beasley also made the team but plays club in Mexico, not in MLS).Also included on the roster for the Mexico friendly are a number of MLS players who are likely to make the World Cup roster, albeit as role players, including Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman, Clarence Goodson and Eddie Johnson. The Fringe PlayersWith limited World Cup roster spots still up for grabs, Klinsmann did call in a number of MLS players expected to be in position battles. At right-back, he called in Brad Evans, Michael Parkhurst and DeAndre Yedlin (Liga MX defender Michael Orozco was also called in and can play any position along the ...

World Cup Will Offer Insight on Progress of MLS

When Michael Bradley decided to return to Major League Soccer this winter, many fans decried the move, worried about how it would affect the United States men’s national team’s chances in the World Cup. After all, Bradley was playing for a storied European side, AS Roma, and while he wasn’t starting week in and week out, he did play in almost every game for the Italian club. A move back to MLS, fans reasoned, would kill his sharpness and, as the U.S.’s best player, doom the U.S. to a poor finish in Brazil. And this week, as three MLS teams crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League to three Liga MX sides, fans had largely the same reaction. On the other side of the argument are those who have watched the U.S. squad struggle in its last three matches in Europe and claim the poor results were because the team’s top MLS players were not there. But this summer in Brazil, barring injuries to its key MLS-based players, the league’s players will have an opportunity to prove that they can (or can’t) play with the best players in the world. This will be especially true of the USMNT as six MLS-based Americans (Matt Besler, Omar ...

Why MLS Fans Should Be Excited for the 2014 Season

I’ll admit it—I’ve bashed Major League Soccer. And I’ve done it publicly. I’ve been part of the chorus of fans who bemoaned the lack of possession, the lack of stylish play, the lack of technical ability and the low-scoring games. You know who you are. I used to be one of you—but not anymore. Like many soccer fans in the United States, I’m an MLS orphan. Growing up in Michigan, I had no hometown team—the closest semblance being trips to Chicago to see the Fire. And even though some of my fondest MLS memories are from those Fire matches—watching Carlos Bocanegra, DaMarcus Beasley and Hristo Stoichkov at Soldier Field in downtown Chicago—I consider myself to be an MLS neutral. I have no particular allegiance to any team. As such, it took me a long time to get into the league and as a rabid United States men’s national team fan, I took far more interest in watching European matches than those of MLS. But over the past three seasons, that has slowly begun to change. I was pulled into the 2011 playoffs by a familiar draw—watching the L.A. Galaxy and their stars Landon Donovan and David Beckham—but the narratives of the next two seasons are what really ...

10 Overseas Players Who Would Be Massive Hits in MLS

Since signing David Beckham seven years ago, Major League Soccer has continued to look overseas each year in search of talent that can help the league grow.  After signing Beckham, the tradition of big-name signings continued with foreigners like Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and, most recently, Jermain Defoe. But, it has also recently extended to American internationals playing abroad like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley. Here are 10 more overseas players who would be hits in MLS.Begin Slideshow

Why Relegation Would Be a Terrible Idea for MLS

Any time a discussion about improving soccer in America is taking place, one of the most popular ideas thrown about is implementing a promotion and relegation system into Major League Soccer. However, relegation is not a magic panacea for making America a world powerhouse in soccer and, in fact, would likely do far more harm than good. Here's why. The main argument behind the promotion/relegation system is that it motivates teams to put the best possible product on the field. But even a quick look at numerous examples throughout Europe prove that the rewards and punishments of such a system are not effective motivators. One perfect example is English Premier League club Stoke City. For years, soccer purists bemoaned the style of Stoke, who relied heavily on a "park the bus" strategy under former manager Tony Pulis—a style created primarily because of the team's fear of relegation. This season, under new manager Mark Hughes, the team is attempting to play a much more aesthetically pleasing style of football, but they are not doing it to avoid relegation, which they had done successfully for the past five years under Pulis. They are doing it because they themselves got sick of the exact style that had helped them avoid ...