MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: FC Dallas vs. Seattle Score and Twitter Reaction

The Seattle Sounders took a major step toward advancing in the MLS Cup playoffs on Sunday, earning a 1-1 tie against FC Dallas. Michel gave the hosts an early 1-0 lead on a well-taken penalty, but the Sounders—notorious for their second-half performances—got an equalizer from Osvaldo Alonso on a set piece and held on for the draw. It's a huge edge for the Sounders in their quest to back up their Supporters' Shield-winning regular season, but Fox Sports' Kyle McCarthy wasn't impressed with either side: ESPN's Taylor Twellman disagreed: Either way, the Sounders are just a clean sheet away from booking a spot in the conference finals for the second time in the club's short history. The first major chance came in the 18th minute. Obafemi Martins got clear behind Dallas' back four, but a tame effort was saved by Raul Fernandez. Although the defense was bearing down on him, it was undoubtedly one that the MLS' No. 5 goal scorer would love to have back, as The Seattle Times' Matt Pentz alluded to: After a bit of back-and-forth in the midfield, Dallas struck first thanks to a calamitous mistake by Marco Pappa. The 26-year-old Guatemalan took down Andres Escobar with a completely unnecessary challenge in the ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: Conference Semifinal Dates, TV Schedule and Predictions

There will be a new MLS Cup champion in 2014. The New York Red Bulls' thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over defending champion Sporting Kansas City wrapped up the knockout round and trimmed the remaining field down to eight clubs. If the conference semifinals produce similar drama, we are in store for a special tournament. Let's take a look at when to catch all the action.   Schedule Note: Schedule courtesy of MLSSoccer.com   Western Conference Predictions: Seattle Sounders and L.A. Galaxy The Seattle Sounders and L.A. Galaxy have not only been the class of the West, but the class of the entire MLS. En route to their first Supporters' Shield in a very brief-yet-successful MLS history, Sigi Schmid's squad lost two in a row just twice all season and finished with 64 points. Only the 2011 Galaxy and 2012 San Jose Earthquakes have scored more since the move to 34 games in a campaign. While the Sounders' defense—especially at the start of matches—has been shaky, it's difficult to bet against the multitude of attacking options. The combination of Clint Dempsey and MVP candidate Obafemi Martins is especially dangerous. With Dempsey's mesmerizing dribbling and Martins strength and speed off the ball, they are a terror to stop when working well together. DeAndre Yedlin, ...

MLS Cup Playoffs 2014: Dates, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions

The MLS Cup playoffs are officially set.  With the Seattle Sounders' capture of the Supporters Shield on Saturday, and the Columbus Crew avoiding the knockout round with a 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Sunday, we now know the path for each of the 10 playoff contenders.  We enter the playoffs on some interesting comments from Seattle—and future Tottenham—right-back DeAndre Yedlin: It's certainly a compelling debate, and supporters of Yedlin's argument will point to many of the top leagues around the world that determine their champion based on season-long results.  No matter how you feel about the importance of the MLS Cup, though, one thing is certain: It's a month-long tournament featuring some of the best players in North America. There will be heaps of entertainment, excitement and stellar play.  Let's take a look at what's in store.    Schedule Note: Schedule courtesy of MLSSoccer.com   Some may point to Yedlin's comments as a lack of motivation for Seattle, but recent history for Supporters Shield winners is perhaps the more concerning fact for the Sounders, as illustrated by ESPN Stats & Info: Unfortunately for this Seattle native, there's a good chance that trend continues.  While it's difficult to pick against a team with the unbelievable attacking power of Clint Dempsey and MVP candidate ...

Jermaine Jones to Revolution: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

The MLS is set to welcome yet another Team USA standout. Thanks to a blind draw conducted by the league, the New England Revolution have signed midfielder Jermaine Jones.     The team's official Twitter feed confirmed the news: Jones, who previously played for Bundesliga side Schalke 04 before a short-lived stint with Besiktas in Turkey, discussed the move, via press release on the Revolution's website: I’m very excited to come to MLS and join the Revolution. New England is an exciting team on the rise, and I believe I can come in and help the team make a push toward MLS Cup. Playing with the U.S. National Team has given me a great connection with the American fans and I’m looking forward to playing in front of them every weekend. I’m ready to get started with the Revs. ESPN's Jeff Carlisle added some intriguing details about the transfer:  The Revs and Chicago Fire both had the available funds and an open designated player spot for Jones, which led to a blind draw between the two clubs. It seems like a highly questionable process to decide the 32-year-old's future, but New England will take it.  Jones was born in Germany and represented Die Mannschaft at both the under-21 and national-team levels, ...

MLS All Stars vs Bayern Munich: Post-Match Controversy Shouldn’t Be the Focus

The MLS All-Star game against Bayern Munich Wednesday night had a little bit of everything.  Two world-class goals. A game-winner from American legend and MVP Landon Donovan in what turned out to be his All-Star swan song. Thrilling, wide-open play. A slew of terrific saves. An unbelievable showing from Thierry Henry. Possibly the greatest substitution ever—the Bundesliga giants brought on four World Cup champions for the final 10 minutes.  And yet, all anyone can talk about is what happened after 93 minutes of scintillating play. Thanks a lot, Pep Guardiola.  For the uninitiated, the 43-year-old grumpy manager, as a result of some aggressive, unnecessary tackles from MLS stars Osvaldo Alonso and Will Johnson, refused to shake hands with opposing manager Caleb Porter, offering his best Dikembe Mutombo impression in the process.  SportsCenter's Twitter feed provided a look at the bizarre and attention-grabbing moment: Alright yeah, it's certainly not something you see every day. It was supposed to be an exhibition, and it ended with the manager of one of the best clubs in the world going on a tantrum. It's something worth talking about.  But it's not the only thing worth talking about.  Instead, let's talk about a pair of unbelievable strikes from Bayern's Robert Lewandowski and the New York ...

MLS All-Stars vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

The MLS has shown immense growth as a league over the last several years, and a 2-1 victory for their All-Stars over powerhouse Bayern Munich will only help that progression.  Prior to the match, Portland Timbers and MLS All-Star head coach Caleb Porter discussed the importance of the contest, via Fox Sports' Kyle McCarthy: It’s a showcase for the league. Hopefully, we can make it a competitive game and try to make it exciting. We have a lot of very good attacking and defensive players, but it wouldn’t do these players justice to sit back all game. We’re going to attack and make it an exciting game. They were more than competitive. The MLS erased an early wonder goal from Robert Lewandowski with second-half goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Landon Donovan, earning the win in front of a raucous crowd at Providence Park in Portland.  Donovan was awarded the MVP after his game-winner.  Afterward, emotions ran high. Bayern manager Pep Guardiola refused to shake Porter's hand, presumably as a result of a handful of yellow cards from the MLS side: Much like Roma during last year's MLS All-Star Game, it didn't take Bayern Munich long to find the back of the net.  In the eighth minute, Lewandowski received ...

Michael Bradley Signs with Toronto FC

Major League Soccer has landed yet another American superstar.  A little more than five months after the Seattle Sounders agreed to terms with Clint Dempsey, who is now back with EPL side Fulham on a two-month loan, Toronto FC has agreed to terms with Roma's Michael Bradley, according to ESPN's Doug McIntyre: Joe Prince-Wright confirmed the news on Thursday, and his former squad AS Roma wished him farewell:   The Fox Soccer Twitter account provides the financial details of the deal: Bradley, who is in the prime of his career at 26 years of age, has fallen out of favor with his Serie A side this season, appearing in just 11 matches (five starts) and scoring one goal.     He is currently in his second season with Roma after spending a year with Italian side Chievo and several more with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga. He also made a few appearances with EPL club Aston Villa on a loan during the 2010-11 campaign.  Bradley isn't a true goal-scoring threat, although he has a tendency to send in some world-class efforts from time to time. Exhibit A: But while he doesn't find the back of the net as much as fellow American midfielders Dempsey or Landon Donovan, an argument can be ...

MLS All-Stars vs. AS Roma: Score, Highlights and Post-Match Reaction

In easily the most unique all-star game in all of sports, A.S. Roma defeated the MLS All Stars, 3-1, at Sporting Park in Kansas City on Wednesday night. The Serie A side took advantage of some shoddy MLS defending, getting goals from Kevin Strootman and Alesandro Florenzi in the opening moments of each half, and the two-goal deficit would prove to be too much for an all-star side that clearly lacked chemistry. Florenzi was awarded with the MVP award, while Francesco Totti was on a completely different level despite not finding the back of the net: Things started off just about as bad as can possibly be imagined for the home side.  With the MLS playing an impossibly high back line, veteran playmaker Totti—a man who has been linked to the MLS this summer—did Francesco Totti things, delivering a beautiful ball into Strootman behind the defense.  As the Dutch international moved in on goal, Aurelien Collin's attempted recovery tackle deflected off Strootman into the net: A calamitous mistake in the fourth minute in front of his crowd. Eesh. Collin would do well to forget about this night as soon as possible.  In the next five minutes, Roma created two more wonderful chance but failed to capitalize when ...

Landon Donovan Is a Rightful Selection for Tonight’s All-Star Game

If Landon Donovan's name wasn't Landon Donovan, he wouldn't be an MLS All-Star this season. He has barely appeared in half of his team's matches (13 of 22) and his three goals and six assists are good, but not exactly earth-shattering. And you know what? I couldn't care less.  His name is Landon Donovan. He remains the greatest and most productive soccer player in United States history. He is fresh off a Gold Cup where he proved to the world—well, proved to the CONCACAF world, at least—that he is still very much in elite form. He could have spent the first half of the MLS season on the sideline watching Glee for all I care—he still would have deserved the MLS All-Star Game selection that he got.  (OK, maybe not Glee.)  That's not to say he hasn't been productive on the pitch. According to WhoScored.com, Donovan has completed 40.8 passes (with a 75 percent completion percentage), 2.1 key passes, 1.8 crosses and 2.1 long balls per match. The Los Angeles Galaxy have struggled a bit to find cohesiveness with Donovan in the lineup (seven losses in his 13 appearances), but he has been every bit the dynamic playmaker and conductor we know him to be. Still, that's not why the ...

MLS Super Draft 2012: Breaking Down This Year’s Top Picks

Here's a closer look at the top picks from today's MLS Super Draft. Andrew Wenger (Duke), MontrealWenger is listed as a defender on the MLS website, but he easily has the offensive skills to play anywhere on the field. That's rare.Last season, Wenger won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and this season won the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. That just goes to show the amazing versatility he has.It's still unknown where he ends up in MLS, but I could easily see him as a defender that pushes forward. But in reality, he can step in and play anywhere.Some question the height of his potential, and that's a valid concern. His versatility was just too much to pass up for Montreal, however. Darren Mattocks (Akron), VancouverMattocks and Wenger were the two popular choices for the No. 1 pick, and fortunately for Vancouver, it had the easy job of picking whoever fell.You can't go wrong with Mattocks. He is an absolute dynamic goal-scorer, as he netted 39 goals in 47 games during his two years with Akron. The Jamaican has electric speed and is an exciting talent.Throw in brilliant creativity, and he's going to bring a lot of excitement to ...