David Beckham: See All of His Goals with Los Angeles Galaxy in One Place (Video)

David Beckham. Check.All his goals in one convenient video. Check."Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve. Oh yeah.It's David Beckham Day here at Set Piece, and to mark the occasion, we're bringing you this video of each and every one of Beckham's goals with the Los Angeles Galaxy (excluding friendlies) in one place.Beckham and the Galaxy announced Monday that next month's MLS Cup final will be his last match with the club. For American soccer fans and Galaxy supporters, it brings to a close a memorable run that began in 2007 and saw the sport make real gains in the country.No surprise, then, that for MLS fans, Beckham's announcement felt bittersweet. Thus the backing musical track to the video above.So, without further delay, take a look at the clip above and appreciate the goals Beckham has scored for the Galaxy. The clip is our Set Piece Video of the Day for this Tuesday. Enjoy.According to MLSSoccer.com, Beckham has scored five match winners in his 18 career MLS goals. His best scoring season has been the current campaign, in which Beckham has scored seven times.The Home Depot Center, which is the Galaxy's home stadium, has witnessed 10 of Beckham's 18 MLS goals. ...

Sporting Kansas City Must Drop Livestrong from Stadium Name (Poll)

The sad and stunning downfall of seven-time Tour de France-winning cyclist Lance Armstrong has little to do with the world of American soccer. A connection exists, though, and everyone who watched the United States men's national team defeat Guatemala on Tuesday night already knows it.The U.S. won that match 3-1, and with the victory advanced to the final round of CONCACAF, qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. All was right with U.S. soccer that night, except for the location of the match.Livestrong Sporting Park.Now, I have no problem with Livestrong Sporting Park itself. Let me be clear on this point: Livestrong Sporting Park is a magnificent venue for soccer, and the noisy, intense atmosphere created in the stadium that night was perfect for a home qualifying match.My problem has to do with that first word, Livestrong. That part of the stadium's name refers to the Livestrong Foundation, also known as the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping cancer survivors and their families through the recovery process.It's a cause that's close to Armstrong's heart. Amstrong himself is a cancer survivor, and the Livestrong Foundation has produced almost immeasurable good through his work as its chairman.As we all know ...

MLS Stars Design, Wear Special Adidas Cleats for Breast Cancer Awareness

Notice anything pink about Major League Soccer over the weekend?It was almost impossible not to.MLS, like the National Football League and other American professional sports leagues, is participating in Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. To mark the occasion, a number of MLS players designed special cleats with Adidas.The color of Breast Cancer Awareness Month is pink, and for that reason, so were the special cleats.Several players participated in the effort, including Fredy Montero of the Seattle Sounders, Teal Bunbury of Sporting Kansas City, Chris Pontius of DC United, Darlington Nagbe of the Portland Timbers and Kenny Cooper of the New York Red Bulls.Wearing his new shoes, Montero scored in Seattle's 3-0 victory over Portland on Sunday.All of those players designed the shoes themselves (you can do the same thing at miadidas.com), and the results were on display around the country this past weekend.For Bunbury, designing the cleats had personal meaning."I wanted to make something fun and exciting and that definitely looked good," Bunbury said in a press release. Mainly though I wanted to show my continued support of Breast Cancer Awareness having that a family member was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Having the ability to ...

Changes MLS Must Make to Become More Popular

The times are changing for Major League Soccer, but how fast? And what can be done to speed up the process? Soccer in general and Major League Soccer in particular keep growing in popularity in the United States. America’s top-tier soccer league this year became America’s third most-popular major sports league in terms of total attendance, beating out more established leagues like the NBA and NHL. And with attendance figures passing 4 million for the year in 2012, MLS now ranks No. 8 among the world’s most-attended soccer leagues. With that said, the league is still young (it began only in 1996) and still trails Major League Baseball and the NFL by a wide margin. What can be done to change that? Watch as B/R soccer writer Michael Cummings discusses possible changes MLS could make to increase its popularity, then add your own thoughts to the comments below.   Follow @MikeCummings37.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Thierry Henry Scores Directly from Corner Kick, Leads Red Bulls to Win (Video)

Thierry Henry: Proponent of va va voom. Scorer of beautiful goals. Master of understatement?Henry, the man and myth who became a legend with Arsenal and France for scoring classics like this, this and this, knocked in another memorable strike Saturday night. With his New York Red Bulls leading the Columbus Crew late in the second half of an MLS match, the 35-year-old Henry curled a corner kick directly into the Crew's net.So, a big-time goal demands a big-time statement afterward, right? Um, nope. Here's what Henry said, via the New York Daily News:“I’ve scored some OK goals in my career. But I have to say, this one is not a bad one.”Indeed, Thierry. It wasn't bad at all.This shot, known in Latin America as an olimpico, requires the shooter to overcome a basically impossible angle. But as Henry has shown repeatedly throughout his career, the laws of physics and the universe don't necessarily matter when scoring is possible.So, then. Did Henry mean it? Was he actually going for goal?As Dirty Tackle points out, the Crew's keeper was backup Matt Lampson, and he had just entered the match moments earlier. From the footage, it looks like Henry had planned on taking ...

MLS, Adidas Announce World’s First ‘Smart League’ in World Soccer

Imagine a soccer league in which coaches and players had data on players' speed, acceleration, power, running distance and even heart rate.Then imagine all the numbers coming across in real time.In 2013, we won't have to imagine anymore. In 2013, Major League Soccer will become the world's first "smart league," thanks to the Adidas Micoach Elite System.If that sounds something like the futuristic football game played at the beginning of the movie Starship Troopers—well, it's not. Actually, it'll be here before you know it.Before MLS becomes the world's first smart league in 2013, Adidas will give fans a sneak peak of the Micoach Elite System next week in Philadelphia. On July 25, the MLS All-Stars will play Chelsea in the 2012 MLS All-Star Game, which is about to become the world's first "smart game."Here's how it works, according to an Adidas press release (via MLS.com): The Micoach Elite System includes a small data cell that fits into a player’s base layer in a protective pocket on the back between the shoulder blades. Connected by a series of electrodes and sensors woven into the fabric of the base layer, the cell wirelessly transmits more than 200 data records ...

Viral Video of the Day: Thierry Henry Scores in MLS with Stunning Volley

Thierry Henry's still got it.Proof comes in the form of today's B/R Viral Video of the Day. It's a clip that needs little introduction.The basic facts are these: Henry scored on Wednesday during the New York Red Bulls' 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer action.Simply put, the goal was stunning.Watch and you'll agree. Henry can still bring the genius after all these years.In this clip, it's Red Bulls teammate and fellow Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux who provides the cross. Henry brings down the cross-field ball with his chest, and with his second touch, unleashes an unstoppable volley off the far post and into the net.Yes, unstoppable. This isn't a case of Henry scoring a soft goal against a weak MLS keeper. Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon wouldn't have stopped that shot.If you're an Arsenal fan, you probably watched that and felt a wistful twinge in your gut. As Gooners, we became accustomed to seeing goals like this one regularly during Henry's eight-year spell with Arsenal (and sort of again last winter when he was on loan).Some memorable goals that immediately come to mind are Henry's turn and volley against Manchester United in 2000, the outrageous preseason ...

Viral Video of the Day: David Beckham Curls Trademark Free-Kick Goal

David Beckham: Still got it.Fresh off his surprising ESPY award win last week (if you don't know, don't worry), Beckham turned in a vintage performance Saturday for the Los Angeles Galaxy against West Coast MLS rivals the Portland Timbers.At the ripe age of 37, Beckham scored twice as the Galaxy romped past the Timbers 5-3. And, yes, the goals were definitely worthy of such a zany scoreline.Not convinced? Just ask the Associated Press, which had this descriptive little tidbit to say about the match (Beckham was mentioned before this, of course):Landon Donovan had a goal and an assist for the Galaxy (8-10-2), who handled the Timbers defense.Well played, AP. But how does a team "handle" another's defense? To find out, take a look at Beckham's first goal, an all-too-easy 35-yard curler from open play in the 19th minute, right here.Then watch his second, a signature curling free kick, in the video slot above. It's the B/R World Football Viral Video of the Day.Vintage Beckham, no? It's a precision strike, an in-swinger that beats the wall then curls sharply into the net at the near post.That makes five goals for Beckham this season, tied for the most in a single season ...

Brek Shea Exclusive: FC Dallas Star Talks USMNT, Football, MLS, Arsenal, Tattoos

Brek Shea been called "one of the biggest young talents" in American soccer by Jurgen Klinsmann. He's trained with Arsenal and at age 22, he's already a regular in the United States national team. After a breakthrough campaign in 2011, the current season has proven to be more of a struggle for Shea, who has missed playing time through injury and suspension. And Shea was not selected for the United States' recent friendly matches and World Cup qualifiers, a first under Klinsmann.Shea spoke about all those topics and more when I caught up with him on the phone last week. Here's what he had to say.MICHAEL CUMMINGS: Hi Brek, thanks for speaking with me today. Let's talk about growing up in Texas. First, how did you get into soccer, and what was it like being a soccer guy deep in the heart of Texas? BREK SHEA: (Laughs) Yeah, I mean football is everything (in Texas). It’s actually grown a lot here. Dallas is a pretty big hotbed for soccer. But growing up in Bryan, Texas, soccer wasn’t anything at all. I had to drive all the way to Houston to play on a team. I remember I was in high ...

David Beckham Gives Beethoven a Football Makeover in Phone Ad (Video)

Earlier this month, we saw what David Beckham is still capable of doing on the pitch for the Los Angeles Galaxy.Today, in B/R's Viral Video of the Day, we see Beckham doing something even more impressive:He makes Beethoven cool.What you're watching here is an advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy Note. (Hey! See how they did that with the Galaxy thing?) If you're not into technology, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a smart phone that allows you to do all sorts of newfangled stuff.Does that include playing Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" with nothing but your feet, a few footballs and a bunch of tuned drums?Apparently so.In truth, this is an impressive display from the 37-year-old Beckham, even if the feat probably needed hours upon hours of photographic wizardry to succeed. Playing classical music with footballs: Who would've thought?Anyway, it's been a busy period for Beckham, who recently flew the Olympic torch from Greece to Britain, where he was announced as "Sir David Beckham." Before that, he visited the White House, where he received a zinger or two from the American Commander Jokester in Chief.The Galaxy, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom of Major League Soccer's Western Conference table.But that's ...