Raul and David Villa Swap Shirts After New York Cosmos vs. New York City Clash

Two legends of the game came face-to-face on Wednesday night as the New York Cosmos took on New York City FC in the U.S. Open Cup. Spanish strikers Raul and David Villa showed their mutual respect at the end of the clash by swapping shirts, despite Raul being a former member of Real Madrid and Villa having starred for their two main rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. The Cosmos won the game on penalties after a 1-1 draw. [YouTube: New York Cosmos, h/t 101 Great Goals]  Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Clint Dempsey Sent Off for Seattle Sounders for Tearing Up Referee’s Notebook

Sorry, Clint Dempsey, but you're not allowed to do that. The Seattle Sounders striker was sent off during the club's U.S. Open Cup clash with the Portland Timbers after ripping up the referee's notebook. Dempsey had already been shown a yellow card for arguing, and that was quickly upgraded to a red for the secondary act. The Sounders had three players sent off in total, and they lost 3-1 in extra time. [Twitter, Vine]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Female Canadian Soccer Reporter Burns Unfunny Toronto Fans

Broadcast journalists have had to cope with idiots trying to ruin their reports by shouting a particular obscene viral phrase for quite some time now.You know the one—the "FHRITP" line.So fair play to City News reporter Shauna Hunt for showing up a group of Toronto FC fans by asking them why they were shouting the phrase during her live broadcast.Their reasoning was as childish as their original statement, and Hunt managed to show them up for the fools they are.The "jokers" were no doubt hoping to go viral. It looks like they might get their wish but not for the reason they hoped.UpdateToronto FC have said they will act after seeing the footage. A club spokesperson told the Toronto Sun: We're appalled that this trend of disrespectful behaviour would make its way to our city, let alone anywhere near our stadium. We are working to identify the individuals, and when we do they will be banned from all of our facilities. Moving forward, we will also work with our local television outlets to provide extra security support to female reporters doing live hits at any of our games. Our organization is committed to an environment where everyone can feel safe and included and discrimination or ...

David Villa Sets Up and Finishes Great Team Move for New York City

David Villa showed his class on Saturday as he scored a brilliant team goal for New York City against Philadelphia Union in the MLS. A little backheel flick from Villa opened up the play for NYCFC and then the Spaniard was on hand to tap home after some quick passing.  Unfortunately for him, though, his team lost 2-1.  [YouTube]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

David Villa Opens MLS Account with Beauty for NYCFC vs. New England Revolution

David Villa is off the mark for New York City FC in the MLS and in some style too. The Spanish legend played a lovely one-two with Ned Grabavoy before perfectly placing the ball into the net.  It helped set up NYCFC for a 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution at Yankee Stadium.  [Twitter: @MLS]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

2 Orlando City Fans Jump out of Stands After Kaka’s Late Equaliser

It is fair to say Orlando is pretty pumped for the MLS. A sold-out crowd of 62,510 watched Orlando City draw their first-ever MLS match 1-1 with New York City FC on Sunday. However, there were just 62,508 in the actual stands soon after Kaka's late equaliser, as two fans decided to jump out of the stands after the goal. Or as our friends at 101 Great Goals put it: "They turned into lemmings."[Twitter, Vine, 101 Great Goals] Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Sounders Channel Their Inner Barcelona for Quality Team Goal

Seattle Sounders got their MLS season off to a great start with a 3-0 win over the New England Revolution on Sunday night.The undoubted highlight of the match was their third goal. In scoring it, they looked more like Barcelona than an MLS side. The Sounders produced some delightful tika-taka football before U.S. men's national team soccer star Clint Dempsey slotted home for his second of the game. [Seattle Sounders FC]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Orlando City’s MLS Debut Is a Confirmed 60,000 Sell-Out a Week in Advance

Who says Americans don't care about "soccer"?Orlando City make their MLS debut on Sunday against fellow new franchise New York City FC at the Florida Citrus Bowl, and all 60,000 tickets for the game have been snapped up. The club also has fewer than 1,000 season tickets remaining after capping the number on sale at 14,000. No doubt interest in the team has been helped by the marquee signing of Brazilian superstar Kaka, who is the highest-paid player in MLS history. Orlando City club president and founder Phil Rawlins said in a statement: Today we demonstrate how Orlando City and the City Beautiful continue to defy expectations. We're humbled by the response of our supporters, partners and community. Today we also kick off an exuberant celebration leading into our historic home opener and inaugural season. The excitement is palpable throughout the city and we're thrilled to see all our hard work come to fruition. Come March 8th, we will turn the broadcast purple and show the nation why we are the 'Soccer Capital of the South.'  [Fox Sports]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

David Villa Scores the 1st Goal in New York City FC’s History

New York City FC played the first match in their history on Tuesday night, and one of their marquee signings scored their first-ever goal.  Spanish legend David Villa grabbed the opener in a 2-0 victory against Scottish side St Mirren at the new Manchester City Academy.  It was a typical striker's finish from the former Valencia, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid man, and fans of the new franchise will be hoping to see the same in more competitive matches when the MLS kicks off in March.  [Twitter, Vine]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Kaka Scores 1st Goal for Orlando City in the Most Low-Key Way Imaginable

Kaka scored his first goal for Orlando City, although we will be hoping that more exciting efforts are on the way. The Brazil legend converted a penalty (just after the one-minute mark above) for the expansion franchise in a low-key pre-season friendly, where there seemed to be more people on the pitch than watching.  Orlando won the clash against FC Dallas, 4-0.  [MLSsoccer.com]Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com