The soccer news starts with the ratings for the 2016 MLS Cup. The league released a statement calling it "the most watched championship game in league history", letting us know that "more than 3.5 million soccer fans watched". Success all around then? Well.... Here's how MLS gets to that over 3.5m number. They include the Spanish language broadcast on UniMas and the Canadian coverage on TSN and . . .
Toronto built a defense
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 9, 2016) US Soccer Players - The lead up to MLS Cup 2016 includes more written pieces tracking the paths of the respective finalists to the game than most of us can count. There’s a purpose in them, of course. The season stories of Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders are part of the build-up to the game. They provide the backdrop for the clash at BMO Field on . . .
Preview: Toronto FC vs Seattle Sounders for the 2016 MLS Cup
It's easy enough to refer to Saturday's 2016 MLS Cup final (8pm ET - FOX) as "unlikely", but that requires overlooking the game's history. It's rare for the MLS playoffs to advance the #1 seed from both conferences. The last time the Supporters' Shield winner also won the MLS Cup was LA in 2011. Complain about the playoffs devaluing the regular season if you want, but the postseason is its own . . .
More pressure to fix the Champions League
Tuesday's soccer news starts with a lot of people no longer pretending that the Champions League group stage matters in December. There are calls to drop the group stage entirely and return to the now very old two-leg knockout format from the beginning. That's counter to what UEFA needs from the Champions League, subbing in for a breakaway Super League. Instead, the current pressure is simply . . .
5 things from the 2016 MLS season
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 5, 2016) US Soccer Players – With MLS preparing to crown a new champion in less than a week, now is a great time to look back on the season gone by. Several high-profile stars who made a dramatic difference to this league decided to go (Robbie Keane), while another made a brief return (Landon Donovan) after coming out of retirement. A new crop of rookies . . .
Jordan Morris wins 2016 MLS Rookie of the Year
Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris is the MLS Rookie of the Year for 2016. Morris chose MLS over European options, allocated to the Sounders as a Homegrown Player. He was already an established USMNT player in college. As a Sounder, he led the club with a dozen goals and four assists in 2016. He's a key part of a Sounders team that shook off a coaching change and a season ending injury to star . . .
MLS creates a David Villa issue
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 2, 2016) US Soccer Players - Toronto FC’s 2-0 win over NYCFC on Sunday created a bit of controversy. It had nothing to do with Patrick Vieira’s decision to change his team’s long-standing attacking approach. It wasn't his choice to swap out the starting goalkeeper for 33 of the club’s 34 regular season games for a backup with just one MLS game on his . . .
Next season is already starting in MLS
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 31, 2016) US Soccer Players – While many MLS teams – some believe too many – spent the past week preparing for the playoffs, there were several teams already left wondering about next season. The moment to rebuild is now for those teams who failed to make the playoffs. While there are five months to go before the start of the 2017 season, it's imperative that . . .
Advantage played in MLS
Give a team home field and they're supposed to use it. That's now the trend in the 2016 MLS playoffs, with the lower seeds going four for four in the Conference semifinals. Hit the parity button at MLS headquarters, letting the world know that this is a league of competitive balance. That's certainly a story worth telling, considering the score lines. As always with MLS, there are several stories . . .
Home field advantage counts in the MLS Conference semifinals
The 2016 MLS Conference semifinals opened with all of the lower seeds winning the first-legs. The upsets started at Saputo Stadium with Montreal shutting out the Red Bulls 1-0. Matteo Mancuso scored the game's only goal in the 61st minute with Evan Bush making three saves for the clean sheet. New York's Omer Damari saw red three minutes into stoppage time. At StubHub Center, the LA Galaxy shutout . . .
