By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 14, 2020) US Soccer Players - MLS is heading full steam toward the finish line, but the realities of life still affect the league. Several matches have been postponed due to Covid-19 outbreaks, with Colorado the hardest hit. Empty stadiums are the norm, with a scant few games featuring fans. Through it all, the teams are starting to separate themselves. The . . .
MLS Power Rankings: One week in
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Mar 4, 2020) US Soccer Players - Two new teams came into MLS this year, but neither figures to be as successful as recent expansion sides LAFC and Atlanta United. Both sides will try not to flop like FC Cincinnati did in its first season a year ago. The Power Rankings expand to 26 teams with the additions of Inter Miami FC and Nashville SC. In this first edition, . . .
MLS Power Rankings: 2019 Season Ender
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 5, 2019) US Soccer Players - The 2019 Major League Soccer season has been over for a bit now, with Seattle beating Toronto FC to lift the MLS Cup early last month. With the offseason already in full swing and two new clubs on the horizon, the focus has begun to shift to the start of a new decade and a continuation of the league's unofficial expansion era. Before . . .
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, . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
