Thursday's soccer news starts with Chicharito Hernandez arriving in LA as the next Galaxy superstar. He joins an impressive list of players carrying that title, with the Galaxy in no doubt that winning the local market means winning the West. Chicharito isn't a Zlatan Ibrahimovic stand-in. He's a different player, though how he operates at the top of the Galaxy attack carries the same importance. . . .
The early MLS contenders
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 16, 2019) US Soccer Players – The close of a calendar year is often a time for reflection. It is also a time to look ahead to the new year and what 2020 may have in store for all of us. For MLS, the big question is how will teams navigate player signings, preseason, and the Concacaf Champions League as a new MLS season approaches. While MLS is unpredictable, . . .
Is the 2020 Concacaf Champions League the opportunity for LAFC?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - Truly historic seasons are easy to spot. They come with gaudy numbers and long winning streaks. They seem to buck the odds and cut against the type of bad luck that invariably affects everyone. They are marked by great individual campaigns that reflect on the work of the team as a whole. They always prompt debate, particularly when . . .
LAFC’s unfinished season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - The greatest team in league history entered the Western Conference final against Seattle. They finished the night as the greatest footnote in league history. LAFC had a magical, dominant, and amazing season now tarnished by the final act. LAFC was no match for the Seattle Sounders, at Banc of California Stadium no less, and watched . . .
Seattle upsets LAFC
The soccer news starts with a shock result at Banc of California Stadium. The Seattle Sounders knocked LAFC out of the playoffs, winning the Western Conference final 3-1. Eduard Atuesta put LAFC up from a freekick in the 17th minute. Raul Ruidiaz equalized for Seattle in the 22nd minute. Seattle took the lead through Nicolas Lodeiro in the 26th with Ruidiaz scoring again in the 64th minute. "The . . .
The Western Conference final
The soccer news starts with LAFC hosting the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference final (10pm ET - ESPN) in what many see as a foregone conclusion. One way or another, the best team in MLS will advance. LAFC may have somewhat returned to the MLS mean late in the season, but they had already put the work in. 72 points to win the Supporters Shield, Carlos Vela setting the new single-season . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
LAFC in the regular season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Sep 18, 2019) US Soccer Players - The stretch run in MLS has arrived. Teams have a handful of matches left on their schedule and have scant few opportunities to snag points to make one last desperate push to make the playoffs or try and jockey for a better spot in the table. Then there's LAFC. The second-year club has four matches left and sits atop the Western . . .
LAFC with and without Carlos Vela
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 4, 2019) US Soccer Players - The criticism was as easy as it was predictable. Following LAFC's 2-0 loss to Minnesota United on Sunday night in Los Angeles, voices from many quarters declared the league's best team so far in 2019 "average" in the absence of its Mexican superstar, Carlos Vela. LAFC certainly did not look as dominant without Vela, who missed the . . .
