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 . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The problem with the East
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Sep 5, 2019) US Soccer Players - Every three months, there is a great number of coaching casualties. At least that's the trend that exists in MLS in 2019. It happened in May when three coaches got the sack. It happened again in August when another three coaches joined the MLS unemployed. MLS Teams have either become frustrated with the performance or, in the case of . . .
MLS Power Rankings: Plenty of changes but LAFC stays top
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Aug 1, 2019) US Soccer Players - The theme in the league this year seems to be inconsistency. One week, teams look like MLS Cup contenders and the very next, they look like they are in preseason form. This has made it quite difficult for teams to settle into a rhythm here in these rankings. LAFC has shown consistency from the start and remains atop the league. Two . . .
MLS Power Rankings: LAFC stays top, FC Cincinnati stays bottom
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jul 4, 2019) US Soccer Players - The dog days of summer are fastly approaching. MLS clubs had some downtime in June while the Gold Cup group stage was going on. Some teams took well to the break while others did not. With July here so too are crammed schedules and busy travel itineraries. The rankings did not change much from last month, partially because of the . . .
MLS Power Rankings: International roster disruption
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jun 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - Injuries, transfers, and international duty are threatening to change what we know about the league so far and these rankings. Teams like Columbus and FC Dallas have been hit hard by player movement of one kind or another, but it's a league-wide issue. Through it all, LAFC seems rather unaffected. LAFC is still the league's premier . . .
Good and bad in MLS
The soccer news starts with something that is easily filed under not a problem until it becomes a problem. It's the latest twist to MLS parity, the week-to-week changes in the league. What we've seen so far this season is that anything can happen. Whether or not that's a good thing is a question already worth asking. Week 10 saw the Red Bulls suddenly look like the defending Supporters' Shield . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The West Coast shift
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (May 2, 2019) US Soccer Players - The balance of power in MLS is shifting to the West Coast. Not only do the top teams share the spotlight in the same West Coast town, but the entire western part of the country is home to five of the six strongest teams in the league. Imagine if the Portland Timbers could play home games. The theme is already clear this season. The . . .
The LA Galaxy makes a defensive move
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 12, 2019) US Soccer Players - The LA Galaxy moved to strengthen its defense on Wednesday with the signing of Costa Rican center back Giancarlo Gonzalez from Serie A side Bologna. Gonzalez returns to MLS after nearly five years in Italy where he also played with Palermo. The defender played with the Columbus Crew for half a season back in 2014 before the club . . .
LAFC pushes the offense in year two
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Apr 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - For the start of its second season of existence, Los Angeles FC has taken a different approach. Instead of a sophomore slump, LAFC has propelled itself to even further heights. LAFC is flying so high and looking so good doing so that the team may not come back down to the ground any time soon. The class of the league through the . . .
MLS Power Rankings: Nowhere but up for San Jose
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Apr 4, 2019) US Soccer Players - After more than two decades of existence, MLS may have entered into a new era. The weight of the crown might finally be getting too big to carry. In the league’s first 21 seasons, the defending champions had only failed to reach the postseason twice. However, last year Toronto FC followed up its championship by missing the playoffs. . . .
