By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Feb 9, 2022) US Soccer Players - As the start to the 2022 Major League Soccer season, several teams are already in position as contenders. Reigning champions NYCFC leads that group. It includes Supporters' Shield winners New England, MLS Cup runners-up the Portland Timbers, and Western powers Seattle Sounders and Sporting KC. If you ask the LA Galaxy, though, that . . .
Familiar expectations for LAFC
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Feb 3, 2022) US Soccer Players - Is it easier to succeed when there are no expectations or high expectations? Aim at nothing, get nothing or shoot for the moon and settle for landing among the stars? LAFC's 2022 campaign will be a testament to which approach is better. With manageable expectations, LAFC hit the ground running upon joining MLS in 2018. Everything . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The 2021 season ends
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 15, 2021) US Soccer Players - The 2021 MLS season came to a thrilling finish Saturday as New York City FC survived a dramatic late equalizer and penalties to win its first-ever MLS Cup title at Portland. The best team won MLS Cup, of course, but how much will that finish reflect on the final Power Rankings of 2021? The playoffs, after all, are a bit random. . . .
Soccer City USA hosts a title game
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 8, 2021) US Soccer Players - The city of Portland has several nicknames. The Rose City, Rip City, Stumptown, and PDX pay homage to some portion of the city's history and culture. None of those nicknames are going anywhere. For instance, the Rose City nickname is not contingent upon the number of roses that bloom in and around Portland at any one time. But there . . .
Another year that wasn’t the Galaxy’s
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 1, 2021) US Soccer Players - This year was supposed to have been the year of the LA Galaxy. Maybe not the year the storied MLS club returned to its former glory, but certainly the year the club made strides toward that end after several down seasons. After all, everything was seemingly in place for such a breakthrough. They hired an MLS Cup-winning coach to guide . . .
The LAFC job
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 24, 2021) US Soccer Players - LAFC's 2021 season did not go nearly as planned. What was supposed to be a continuation of their successful beginning in MLS turned into something else entirely. After a 2020 season where they finished 7th and exited in the opening round of the playoffs, LAFC struggled to be a factor in the Western Conference. Eventually missing out . . .
The Whitecaps’ chance to follow the Canadian example
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 17, 2021) US Soccer Players - Canadian soccer is all the rage these days. Canada is top of the Octagonal table after taking down Mexico in subfreezing temperatures in Edmonton's so-called Iceteca on Tuesday. Even though Mexico had the history behind it, going to Canada was never going to be an easy thing. All El Tri had to do was to ask the Seattle . . .
LAFC and the Galaxy end the season as outsiders
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 10, 2021) US Soccer Players - If Los Angeles wants to be the center of the MLS universe, it's going to need more from both of its teams. After the Covid-19 pandemic upended the 2020 season, things were set to return to normal. It was a fair expectation that would include LAFC and the LA Galaxy returning to their winning ways. LAFC, of course, dominated the . . .
MLS Power Rankings: New England’s season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 3, 2021) US Soccer Players - The last stretch of the season is proving to be important for many clubs. Five teams are fighting for three spots out West. In the East, six teams have life with two games left in the season. Still, it is the top team in the standings that has impressed the most. New England has set some high-water marks with its impressive season . . .
The LA Galaxy has an opportunity to reset the West
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 27, 2021) US Soccer Players - At the start of the 2021 MLS season, the LA Galaxy looked like a team within reach of its old identity. The one where they're a Western Conference contender from the start of the season, grouped in with the best teams in Major League Soccer. Under new coach Greg Vanney, the club met early expectations. Through 10 games, the Galaxy . . .
