By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 27, 2019) US Soccer Players - Year one under a new head coach is often an exercise in balancing excitement and expectation with the reality on the ground. No coach can remake a team in his image in the short time frame of a single offseason. For coaches who don't step into a job until later in the winter, the challenge is significant. The Major League Soccer . . .
Zlatan, Rooney, and MLS’s pesky relevance quandary
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 14, 2019) US Soccer Players - Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his departure from the LA Galaxy this week after two seasons packed with scoring exploits on the pitch and headline-grabbing quotations off it. David Villa, an MLS icon of similar proportions with NYCFC before spending the past year in Japan with Vissel Kobe, revealed his impending retirement as well. . . .
Who was the MLS team of the 2010s?
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 13, 2019) US Soccer Players - The final MLS match of the 21st century's second decade played out on Sunday in Seattle. When the Sounders toppled Toronto FC in the 2019 MLS Cup, they also put the 2010s to rest. Next season ushers in a new decade full of new teams and new challenges. It is anyone's guess who the team of the 2020s will be. It could be a team that . . .
The playoff edition of the LA derby
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - Over the last two seasons, LA's Major League Soccer clubs have been all over the place. Los Angeles FC arose from nothing, pieced together a strong lineup and coaching staff, and has blossomed into one of the most successful teams in the league over the last two seasons. The LA Galaxy, meanwhile, reminded Angelenos that it has been . . .
Being the best in MLS requires lifting the Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 16, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer has seen some amazing players compete in the league and defend one of its clubs' colors. Ask ten different people, and you will get ten different Best XI lineups. Trying to narrow all those players down to one all-time best MLS player? Nearly impossible. There is one person, though, who seems quite certain about . . .
The LA Galaxy then and now
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 2, 2019) US Soccer Players - With one match left to go in the 2019 regular season, the LA Galaxy has a playoff berth secure for the first since 2016. Much has changed across the league since then. LAFC and Atlanta United had yet to debut. The league was at 20 teams. Toronto FC and Seattle hadn't gotten to an MLS Cup before 2016, let alone win one. The MLS Best XI . . .
The Galaxy, LAFC and the league need a playoff derby
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Sep 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - The playoff format in MLS has been as stable as the number of teams in the league. Over the years, the league has featured knockout matches, two-leg series, three-leg series, and various methods of how to determine seeding and who plays home or away. At the end of 2018, MLS changed the playoffs yet again. This season, the system will . . .
Carlos Vela in the clutch
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Aug 28, 2019) US Soccer Players - Carlos Vela has been having himself a season. The LAFC talisman has shattered MLS records and dominating opponents and is likely to win the league's Most Valuable Player award. Aside from his 27 goals and 15 assists though it was his team's performance in last weekend's LA derby that makes his MVP case stronger. With the game in the . . .
The rivalry problem in MLS
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Aug 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - MLS has done a great job at building the league up over the last decade-plus. After the 2007 MLS season, 12 teams were in existence. Now, 24 teams are vying for the MLS Cup title. On Tuesday, the league announced St Louis as the 28th franchise. Forming the league has been a systematic process based on geography, venues, and willing . . .
Tigres and Cruz Azul advance in the Leagues Cup
The soccer news starts with the Leagues Cup. Tigres advanced 5-3 on penalties over Club America with their game finishing 2-2 in regulation at BBVA Stadium. Tigres went up in the 14th minute from an own-goal with Andres Ibarguen equalizing from the penalty spot in the 36th. Ibarguen scored again in the 83rd minute. Club America went a man down in the 90th minute with a red card to Roger Martinez. . . .
