By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 13, 2019) US Soccer Players - The final MLS match of the 21st century's second decade played out on Sunday in Seattle. When the Sounders toppled Toronto FC in the 2019 MLS Cup, they also put the 2010s to rest. Next season ushers in a new decade full of new teams and new challenges. It is anyone's guess who the team of the 2020s will be. It could be a team that . . .
MLS Power Rankings: Counting the Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 7, 2019) US Soccer Players - The two clubs left standing in the 2019 season are not the top two teams in these rankings. LAFC slipped from the top spot, but the club's season was so stellar. That's still better than Toronto FC's even though the Reds are playing for the MLS Cup title and not the second-year Los Angeles club. For the rest of the teams involved, . . .
The Galaxy in the latest version of MLS
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - MLS Cup is heading back to the West Coast, but in Seattle rather than Los Angeles. LAFC took care of the Galaxy and then Seattle took care of LAFC to set up an unlikely Sounders vs Toronto MLS Cup. Both clubs are playing for their second league title. In a league where only five clubs have won more than once, it's an accomplishment. . . .
LAFC’s unfinished season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - The greatest team in league history entered the Western Conference final against Seattle. They finished the night as the greatest footnote in league history. LAFC had a magical, dominant, and amazing season now tarnished by the final act. LAFC was no match for the Seattle Sounders, at Banc of California Stadium no less, and watched . . .
The playoff edition of the LA derby
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - Over the last two seasons, LA's Major League Soccer clubs have been all over the place. Los Angeles FC arose from nothing, pieced together a strong lineup and coaching staff, and has blossomed into one of the most successful teams in the league over the last two seasons. The LA Galaxy, meanwhile, reminded Angelenos that it has been . . .
Being the best in MLS requires lifting the Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 16, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer has seen some amazing players compete in the league and defend one of its clubs' colors. Ask ten different people, and you will get ten different Best XI lineups. Trying to narrow all those players down to one all-time best MLS player? Nearly impossible. There is one person, though, who seems quite certain about . . .
Mexico on the road in Concacaf
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 9, 2019) US Soccer Players - Concacaf nations traditionally are not strong. That is no secret. Every four years, the world gets a reminder of the relative strength of the confederation. Only two Concacaf teams have reached a World Cup quarterfinal in the last eight World Cups. A Concacaf nation has never won the World Cup, and the prospects of that happening are . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The end of the regular season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 3, 2019) US Soccer Players - The playoffs are almost upon us. There is one matchday left in the regular season that will determine the final rankings of the bottom half of this table. Everything else will be left up to the postseason finish of most clubs. If form holds, LAFC will host NYCFC for MLS Cup. Of course, form never seems to hold in this league. Upsets . . .
The LA Galaxy then and now
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 2, 2019) US Soccer Players - With one match left to go in the 2019 regular season, the LA Galaxy has a playoff berth secure for the first since 2016. Much has changed across the league since then. LAFC and Atlanta United had yet to debut. The league was at 20 teams. Toronto FC and Seattle hadn't gotten to an MLS Cup before 2016, let alone win one. The MLS Best XI . . .
The Galaxy, LAFC and the league need a playoff derby
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Sep 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - The playoff format in MLS has been as stable as the number of teams in the league. Over the years, the league has featured knockout matches, two-leg series, three-leg series, and various methods of how to determine seeding and who plays home or away. At the end of 2018, MLS changed the playoffs yet again. This season, the system will . . .
