By J Hutcherson (Jul 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - While Monday's holiday schedule extended the weekend, it remained a familiar story in Major League Soccer. The tables shifted, and it's worth asking if reasonable assumptions have already followed along with them. The league has spent its matchdays confounding basic ideas about form and separating some clubs from the rest. Although that might make . . .
Big wins for DC and the Galaxy
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the Independence Day results in Major League Soccer. DC United beat Orlando City 5-3 at Exploria Stadium. Taxi Fountas go the DC goals going scoring in the 5th and 8th minutes, finishing off his hat-trick in the 51st. Orlando City pulled two goals back through Facundo Torres in the 57th and Ercan Kara in the 66th minute. DC's Kimarni Smith made it 4-2 in the 74th . . .
MLS Week 18: Atlanta draws with NYCFC, Vancouver beats LAFC, Charlotte wins on the road
Week 18 of the 2022 Major League Soccer season started with Seattle shutting out Toronto 2-0 at BMO Field. Dylan Teves scored in the 39th and Fredy Montero made it 2-0 in the 60th minute. Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland made six saves to keep the clean sheet. Vancouver beat LAFC 1-0 at BC Place with Adrian Cubas scored the game's only goal in the 89th minute. LAFC finished without a shot . . .
Insigne at Toronto is a big move and a major statement
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (July 1, 2022) US Soccer Players - Toronto FC certainly knows how to go big. In retrospect, it's fitting that Major League Soccer's first Canadian franchise entered the league upon the arrival of the Designated Player rule. Though TFC wasn't the first club to leverage the new freer spending rules, the history of Toronto's success on the field can be connected . . .
Another Eastern Conference twist in MLS
Friday's soccer news starts with three teams tied at the top of the Eastern Conference table on 29 points. 1st-place Montreal has a game in hand and holds the total wins tiebreaker, but the Red Bulls pulled level after winning last night. They hold the total goals tie-breaker over the 3rd-place Union with NYCFC a point behind in 4th-place. A week ago, NYCFC was in 1st-place before Philadelphia . . .
Philadelphia loses, NYCFC draws, and Montreal moves into 1st-place
Thursday's soccer news starts in MLS with another reminder that it's tough to take much as a given this season. That was certainly the case for the two teams that started the night at the top of the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia and NYCFC. Chicago beat 1st-place Philadelphia 1-0 at Soldier Field. Federico Navarro scored for the Fire in the 68th with the Union playing a man down from a 72nd . . .
Once again in 2022, LAFC raises its game
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (June 29, 2022) US Soccer Players - LAFC sits in 1st-place both in the Western Conference and Supporters' Shield standings as the calendar approaches July. The summer months, then, would be a time for the club to continue working with its pieces in place and trying to maximize the potential it has within its roster. Instead, LAFC raised the ante quite a bit. That . . .
The Union and NYCFC build an MLS rivalry
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 29, 2022) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer loves a good rivalry. Check that. MLS loves any rivalry, even ones that might not be immediately apparent. MLS decided long ago that pushing rivalry was a winning marketing strategy. Rivalry can come from nearly anything, but geography is the most common variable at play. Put a couple of teams on a soccer field . . .
Charlotte at home, Atlanta on the road
Wednesday's soccer news starts in Major League Soccer. Charlotte hosts Austin tomorrow night while Atlanta United is on the road at the New York Red Bulls. It's the conclusion of a midweek round in MLS with seven games set for tonight. That could once again shuffle the Eastern Conference table with 3rd-place Montreal and the 4th-place Red Bulls both in position to match 1st-place Philadelphia's 29 . . .
Playing for the now in MLS
By J Hutcherson (Jun 28, 2022) US Soccer Players - In its expanded version, MLS had become a one-season league. The best teams can fade quickly. Surprises are bound to happen, becoming so common that it's almost a tactic. Each year, a low payroll team will look like an overachiever and potentially surprise even itself. That throws a willingness to spend into contrast. An MLS season may reward it, . . .