Obafemi Martins Scores from Ridiculous Angle for Seattle Sounders

The Seattle Sounders beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer, and the game's only goal was worthy of winning just about any match. It came in the eighth minute via Seattle's Obafemi Martins, who responded to being snubbed for Nigeria's World Cup squad this week by saying that he would play his own World Cup in the Pacific Northwest with his Sounders teammates. Looks like he meant it too. Check out the goal and you'll wonder what Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi was thinking. Decent strike, that. [SB Nation]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Expansion: Why It’s the Right Time to Add More Teams

At halftime of an otherwise unmemorable Major League Soccer All-Star Game on Wednesday night in Kansas City, MLS commissioner Don Garber announced the league's plans to add four more teams by 2020. Considering the league's recent gains on and off the pitch, this was the right move at the right time, with caveats. Together with New York City FC, which is set to begin play in 2015, the four new franchises will bring the league's total to 24. MLSSoccer.com reports: The league had previously held to the idea that a 20-team league was the sweet spot for the foreseeable future. MLS has added 10 clubs since the beginning of the 2005 season, and the recent addition of New York City FC—who begin play in 2015—will bring the league to 20. “These expansion clubs have brought new ideas that have contributed to our strategy for growing the league and the addition of new markets has expanded our geographic reach while increasing our fan base,” Garber said in a league press release. As the report indicates, Garber's announcement comes in the latter stages of an expansion boom for MLS. Besides the 10 new teams that have joined since 2005, the league has also benefited from the ...

Manchester City, New York Yankees to Partner in MLS Club: Why It’s a Good Thing

Manchester City and the New York Yankees are teaming up in the American soccer market. Their joint venture, New York City Football Club (NYCFC), is set to become Major League Soccer's 20th team, and while that might mean the league now has a super villain, it also means unprecedented investment is heading to MLS.For that latter part of the equation, NYCFC is good for American soccer, where investment lags far behind both the European game and the traditional American triumvirate of baseball, basketball and football.MLS announced the news in a press release Tuesday. Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced today that a partnership of global sports powers, Manchester City Football Club and the New York Yankees, has acquired the League’s 20th expansion club. The new team will be named New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and expects to begin play in 2015. … Manchester City will be the majority owner of the new Club. As an investor, the Yankees will be an active member of the ownership group. The Yankees and Manchester City, two of the biggest-spending teams in all of sports, already have a commercial relationship. Both have large fanbases but also often provoke negative reactions from fans.With 27 World ...

Robbie Rogers’ Potential Return Could Give MLS Chance to Prove Progress

Robbie Rogers says he could come back to Major League Soccer this year. If he does, his return will give the league, its players and even its fans a chance to put into practice all the enlightened talk that surrounded his big announcement from just a few months ago.And if that happens, then the real work can begin.Rogers, a former Columbus Crew and U.S. national team midfielder who turns 26 next week, in February revealed on his website that he is gay. His announcement predated that of Jason Collins, and it coincided with Rogers' retirement from professional soccer after an injury-plagued spell with Leeds United in England.It also produced a stream of positive reactions from the American soccer community, led by MLS commissioner Don Garber. I am proud to be part of a sport that has been so supportive of @robbierogers. I admire his courage and hope he stays involved in the game.— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) February 16, 2013 Said L.A. Galaxy center-back A.J. DeLaGarza (per LAGalaxy.com), who played with Rogers in college at Maryland: "He is one of the nicest kids that I've ever met. He's a great player and coming out is brave of him. To live like ...

Chris Wondolowski Exclusive: MLS MVP Talks Playoffs, USMNT, Red Cards, More

Even when you're the reigning Major League Soccer MVP, you never forget the bad calls—no matter how long ago they happened.San Jose Earthquakes and United States national team striker Chris Wondolowski, who was named MLS MVP after a stellar 2012 season, spoke with B/R world football lead writer Michael Cummings by phone on Monday.As he continued preparations ahead of the 2013 regular season, which begins March 3 for San Jose, Wondolowski spoke about personal accolades (and there were many in 2012), the playoffs, his chances with the national team, turning 30 and one very bad call he remembers from his high school days.So what happened to make Wondo remember the incident more than a decade later? Read on to find out. Bleacher Report: 2012 was such a successful year for you. What, if anything, disappointed you about the season?Chris Wondolowski: How we ended the year. You always want to raise the MLS Cup championship and you play to win championships. All the personal accolades are very special and I take great honor in them, but to be honest I’d trade them all in for a championship. So that’s the big goal for this year. BR: I thought you might say something about ...

Landon Donovan Reportedly Staying with LA Galaxy, but Should He?

Landon Donovan looks increasingly likely to spend 2013 with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Whether or not you agree with Donovan's decision, he's earned the right to do what he wants.Galaxy coach Bruce Arena on Monday said Donovan will "definitely" play for Los Angeles this season, seemingly ending months of speculation about the 30-year-old's future."We’ve given him a little more time off,” Arena said (via LAGalaxy.com). “He’s definitely playing this year, but we’re just working out a return date that makes sense for all of us—we’re working that out soon.”Donovan spoke about retirement in a May 2012 interview with Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl. At the time he spoke of being "excited to pass the torch" to the younger generation of American soccer players.In October, he told ESPN FC that he has "struggled with motivation" at times. In August, he spoke with Goal.com about his MLS contract expiring after the 2013 season. He spoke about his options after that, including retirement or a move abroad."Why wouldn't I (consider retirement)?" he said.To answer Donovan's question, he shouldn't consider retirement because he can still perform on the pitch. In 2012 he led the Galaxy as captain to their second straight MLS Cup ...

Omar Gonzalez Steals Show in MLS Cup Final, Leads Los Angeles Galaxy to Title

David Beckham was the main attraction. Landon Donovan scored the winner. Robbie Keane put the champagne on ice.None of them had the impact of Omar Gonzalez.Saturday night's MLS Cup final played out on multiple levels as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-1 at the Home Depot Center for their second straight league championship. At once, it represented a rematch, a sendoff, a record-setting evening and a red-carpet premiere for a player who could be one of America's next big talents.And you thought it was just a soccer game.For the casual fan, the night served as one last chance to see Beckham—the man, the legend, the underpants—in the flesh. Almost six years after joining the Galaxy, Beckham played his final match for the team, and the hype machine nearly imploded on itself.For the dedicated fan, it was a chance to enjoy a grudge match, a rematch between the same teams that contested the 2011 final. The Galaxy won again, but only after the Houston Dynamo took a deserved first-half lead and threatened to ruin the previously scheduled SoCal Saturday night.For the record keepers, it was a busy night on multiple fronts. The Galaxy won a fourth MLS title—tied for ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Send David Beckham Out a Champion in MLS Cup Final (Video)

For our Set Piece Video of the Day for this first Sunday in December, we head to the land of Hollywood and happy endings.It wasn't technically Hollywood, of course, but on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the Los Angeles Galaxy sent superstar David Beckham off into the sunset with a fairytale ending.After falling behind to Calen Carr's first-half goal, the Galaxy stormed back with three second-half goals to claim their second straight MLS Cup title. Omar Gonzalez equalized with a powerful header before Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane scored penalties to give the Galaxy a 3-1 Cup-clinching win.We still think Beckham should have taken the second penalty. It came in stoppage time, after all, and would have served as a perfect send-off for the former England captain.No matter. The win itself was enough.Now, as he leaves another club, we're detecting an intriguing pattern.When he left Manchester United in 2003, Beckham left as a league champion. When he left Real Madrid in 2007, Beckham left as a league champion. Saturday night made it a perfect 3-of-3, and it was hard not to feel good for Beckham. That's why we've posted the highlights from the match as ...

Poll: Where Should David Beckham Go Next?

David Beckham is set to bring his six-year stay in Los Angeles to an end. With just days to go until his final match with the Galaxy, speculation is growing as to what the former England captain's next move will be.Beckham, 37, announced last week that the MLS Cup final on Dec. 1 will be his last match with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Since joining the club in 2007, he has helped the Galaxy win one MLS Cup, with the chance for another title upcoming.So, where will he go next? Beckham has been linked with clubs literally across the world, but only he knows where he might end up.Keep reading for some of Beckham's potential options, then vote in the poll below. New MLS clubBeckham's announcement last week included a tidbit that led some to believe he might work with a future Major League Soccer expansion club.Here is the comment (via MLSSoccer.com): "I don't see this as the end of my relationship with the league as my ambition is to be part of the ownership structure in the future."ESPN FC cites a report in Irish newspaper the Sunday World that said Beckham has been offered to join the newly reformed ...

David Beckham’s Legacy with LA Galaxy More Complex Than Success on Pitch

Introspection is only natural in situations like this. With or without David Beckham involved, an end to any era always prompts the kind of Hornby-esque, what-does-it-all-mean soul-searching that most of us, as American soccer fans, are already doing. That Beckham serves as the main actor in our drama only makes it inevitable.Even so, in the aftermath of the Beckham Bombshell, it's important not to take all of this too far.The situation is this: Beckham is leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy. The MLS Cup final on Dec. 1 will be his final match with the club.This is undeniably a big deal. And yet, as he leaves the Galaxy, possibly for far-away shores, it would be a mistake to rush into making grand pronouncements about Beckham's legacy and effect on the sport in America.Beckham is, after all, only a man, and the process is still running. Global fame and all, Beckham is not and never was the sport's savior in America (assuming such a singular figure will ever exist). Major League Soccer will go on, and the game will continue to grow in the United States.Before and after Beckham, soccer was and is still the world's most popular sport. His arrival has ...