Seattle Sounders Are Still a Major Contender for MLS Cup

The Seattle Sounders' 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake was the team's ninth defeat in its last 11 games in Major League Soccer. Despite this poor form, Seattle should still be considered as a favorite for the MLS Cup. According to recent odds provided by ESPN's Paul Carr, the Sounders are listed as 12-1 favorites. Only five teams have lower figures and two are in the Western Conference: However, Seattle only has a 34 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs, per Carr. Only three teams are below the Sounders: Those numbers appear to contradict one another, but upon closer scrutiny, they make sense. The Sounders are tied for the sixth and final playoff spot in the West with the San Jose Earthquakes. Seattle has also played 26 games compared to San Jose's 25. Seattle has a tough ending to the season. It faces the Portland Timbers, Toronto FC, LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake at home. The Sounders will play the Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps, Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo on the road. The main issue with the Sounders during the summer has been injuries and international call-ups. General manager Garth Lagerwey noticed this and bolstered the squad with several solid additions. Panamanian defender Roman ...

MLS Power Rankings: LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps Rise After Week 25

When MLS fans check the Supporters' Shield and Western Conference standings, they'll see a familiar sight for the next few days. The LA Galaxy crushed New York City FC on Sunday to claim the West's top seed. It also passed D.C. United as the top team in MLS. Week 25 also produced some surprising results that sees three teams tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference. The San Jose Earthquakes are also level with the Seattle Sounders for the West's final playoff spot. With several matches altering the standings, here are the latest MLS power rankings.Begin Slideshow

Chicago Fire Are the Most Disappointing Team in MLS

The Chicago Fire were once a powerhouse in Major League Soccer. Chicago won the MLS Cup in its first season in 1998 and finished twice as the runner-up in 2000 and 2003. Now, the Fire are languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They're also the only team without a road win in 2015. It is easily the most sorry franchise in the league. To make matters worse, Chicago's prized offseason acquisition, Shaun Maloney, is nearing a move to Hull City in the English Championship. Head coach Frank Yallop (via Orrin Schwarz of the Daily Herald) confirmed that a deal was close: Maloney left for personal reasons because of the "setup not being right," according to sports agency Global Premier Management: The Scotland international scored three goals and recorded two assists in 14 appearances with Fire. Maloney missed some matches due to injury and international call-ups. Despite Maloney's short stint with the Fire, he's still tied for sixth in appearances among Chicago designated players, per freelance writer Jeff Crandall: Ever since Cuauhtemoc Blanco left Chicago, the Fire have struggled to find a DP who can produce. David Accam could buck the trend. The forward has six goals in 14 appearances and is still just 24 years old. However, ...

MLS: Can Small-Market Teams Translate Regular-Season Form into an MLS Cup?

Major League Soccer never fails to dramatically entertain fans due to the parity across the league. This allows small-market teams to compete with the big spenders in MLS. However, these smaller sides may face stiff competition from the reloaded LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders once the playoffs begin. On the other hand, neither LA nor Seattle is on top of the Supporters' Shield standings. That honor belongs to D.C. United. D.C. has played more games than any other side in the Eastern Conference, but it still deserves its success. United has topped the league thanks to its balanced attack and stingy defending. Chris Rolfe has a team-leading nine goals. Fourteen players have scored at least once. D.C.'s 29 goals conceded is the fifth-lowest amount in MLS. Considering it has played more matches than the other teams ranked below United in this category, that's an impressive feat. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid has been key to the defensive accomplishments. Hamid was developed in the team's academy and has been compared to current U.S. men's national team stalwart Tim Howard. He’s also drawn interest from European clubs in the past. Center back Steve Birnbaum and full-backs Taylor Kemp and Chris Korb were chosen in previous SuperDrafts. Midfielders Perry Kitchen and Nick DeLeon were also selected. The ...

MLS Power Rankings: Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls Rise

Week 24 in MLS was jam-packed with entertainment like Sporting Kansas City's incredible comeback or the Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire game, and there was no shortage of storylines. The Seattle Sounders also returned to winning ways by crushing Orlando City SC. The Sounders will certainly move up this week in the MLS power rankings and a few others will rise as well. With the Vancouver Whitecaps losing to SKC, coupled with wins by the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls, this will affect the top five this week. Here are the latest MLS power rankings.Begin Slideshow

10 MLS Players That USMNT Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann Should Be Monitoring

With another World Cup cycle beginning, U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has a busy few years ahead of him. Several in-form MLS players would be excellent additions to the USMNT in this cycle. L.A. Galaxy winger Sebastian Lletget has been tremendous since signing with the defending champions. Dax McCarty has also thrived with the New York Red Bulls this season. We will list other potential call-ups in this slideshow. They have to be under 30 years old as of December 31, 2015, so players such as Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan will miss out, and those who haven't been with the USMNT since the January 2014 camp will receive extra consideration. Here are 10 MLS players Klinsmann should be monitoring for potential call-ups.Begin Slideshow

MLS Power Rankings: D.C. United and New York Red Bulls Move Up After Week 23

Week 23 in MLS was uniquely historic, as D.C. United became the first team ever to win a match with just one shot attempt, as noted by the official league website. The LA Galaxy have moved up in the standings and are just two points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps following a 3-1 win over the slumping Seattle Sounders on Sunday afternoon. The New York Red Bulls also managed to sweep New York City FC by defeating the expansion side, 2-0 at Red Bull Arena on Sunday night. With several of MLS' top sides winning, here are the latest power rankings.Begin Slideshow

MLS MVP Is Sebastian Giovinco’s Award to Lose in 2015

There's no sense arguing about it anymore. Toronto FC's star forward Sebastian Giovinco is en route to a record-breaking MVP season. Giovinco's hat trick lifted TFC to a 4-1 victory over Orlando City SC on Wednesday. Admittedly, Orlando center back Aurelien Collin was abysmal, but the Italian is the one who embarrassed him. The forward collected the ball on the left flank, cut inside and ran towards Collin. The French defender then lunged into Giovinco with a two-footed tackle in the box. The ex-Juventus youth product won and converted the subsequent penalty. A well-placed free kick and another brilliant individual strike in the second half led to Giovinco's next two goals. Giovinco is now MLS' leading scorer, and he needs just three more assists to top the league in that category as well. He was also voted MLS Player of the Month for July, per the official TFC website. In scoring his 16th goal in 2015, Giovinco set a record for the most goals in a single MLS season for TFC, per Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star. Dwayne De Rosario owned the feat before Wednesday night. He's also broken the record for most hat tricks in a season with two, per Daniel Squizzato of the official MLS website: Giovinco has been involved in ...

MLS Power Rankings: Vancouver Whitecaps and LA Galaxy Rise After Week 22

There were a record 40 goals scored in MLS this past weekend with 10 scored in one game alone. D.C. United and Real Salt Lake battled in one of the highest-scoring matches in MLS history, and there was plenty more drama on Saturday. The Vancouver Whitecaps handed the Seattle Sounders their seventh loss in their last eight games, and Orlando City SC also picked up a massive victory against the Columbus Crew. With all of these results in mind, here are the latest MLS power rankings after Week 22.Begin Slideshow

5 Alternative Formats for the MLS All-Star Game

MLS defeated Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday in the 20th edition of the All-Star Game.  It was also the 11th meeting against an international opponent since 2005. However, the likes of Goal.com's Ives Galarcep has called for a change to the competition. The East vs. West format was suggested by Galarcep, which is plausible, but there a few other noteworthy ideas. Here are five alternative formats to the MLS All-Star Game.Begin Slideshow