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. . . .
MLS Power Rankings: Seattle on top, Cincinnati bottom
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Mar 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - The first MLS Power Rankings of the year can be tricky. Teams are starting from scratch, and yet they are not. It is not fair to rank teams based on their results from 2018, but it is difficult to know which offseason acquisitions will pay off and which ones will not. Throw in the fact that every team has already played one league . . .
Counting down to the 2019 MLS season
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 25, 2019) US Soccer Players – Those countdown clocks set to signal the start of the 2019 MLS season are about to hit all zeroes. Three months after Atlanta United FC lifted MLS Cup, here we are again. The start of a brand new season is less than a week away and there’s plenty to look forward to this year. There’s been plenty of action already. The National . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The 2018 MLS season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - Only two teams are left standing in what has been an entertaining and memorable 2018 MLS season. Atlanta United will host the Portland Timbers as one team will lock down immortality while the other will rue the day for years to come. The final will culminate a month-long march that has had moments of drama and surprise. While only a . . .
