Wednesday's soccer news starts with MLS taking the work week off, a rarity since the season resumed. Many are correctly asking if it's possible to determine much of anything about this league week-to-week. Pick a team, and there's probably a lack of coherency and results that are cause for concern. The playoff safety net still looms, but it's going to be a questionable reward for the teams that . . .
Toronto’s streak ends
Montreal ended Toronto's undefeated streak in league games that stretched back to last August. Rudy Camacho scored in the 14th minute with Clement Diop making six saves to keep the clean sheet at BMO Field. Toronto had a first-half stoppage-time penalty called back after Alejandro Pozuelo passed the ball rather than taking the shot. Pablo Piatti though he had equalized from the pass, but the . . .
Is Toronto FC the best team in MLS?
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the kind of question that's becoming easier to answer. The top six teams in the Eastern Conference are level on games played with eight. As ridiculous as that number seems on the first day of September, it's Toronto FC at the top of the East with 18 points. Their lead over Columbus is all of a point, but it's worth stressing a significant difference between . . .
Seattle, Toronto, and contending in this version of MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 29, 2020) US Soccer Players - Say goodbye to the champions. The Seattle Sounders exited the MLS Is Back tournament in Orlando on Monday night, humbled by LAFC. Call it revenge if you like, though the stakes are just a bit different. The Sounders knocked LAFC off of their championship path in the 2019 MLS Cup playoffs. Say goodbye to last season's MLS Cup . . .
The Galaxy, Atlanta, and Toronto face preseason pressure
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 22, 2020) US Soccer Players - Now that all 26 MLS clubs are underway with preseason camp, it's worth taking stock of where they are right now. Late winter is the season of perpetual hope. MLS works hard to make sure no group of fans is without some reason to believe that their beloved side might make a surprise run to a final in any given year. The odds of a . . .
Valeri and Bradley stay put
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 18, 2019) US Soccer Players - The Portland Timbers announced late Monday that Argentine playmaker Diego Valeri signed a new multi-year contract to remain with the club for the foreseeable future. The 33-year-old Valeri helped the Timbers lift an MLS Cup back in 2015 and won the league's Most Valuable Player Award in 2017. He remains one of the most dangerous . . .
Bradley stays with Toronto
The soccer news starts with Toronto announcing that club captain Michael Bradley will stay with the team. Bradley was out of contract at the end of the 2019 season, but there was little speculation of him ending up anywhere else. "I feel so attached to the city of Toronto, the club, the team. I love it here and I am really proud of what we’ve been able to do over the past six years," Bradley . . .
Weather counts for the Cup
The soccer news starts with Sunday's MLS Cup final (3pm ET - ABC). Home field advantage would be a bigger deal had Seattle not gotten it with a road win at Banc of California Stadium and Toronto hadn't won at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. That took out the two biggest home field advantages in MLS, suggesting that a capacity crowd at CenturyLink is nice but not a huge issue for either team. Whatever . . .
The revamped playoffs gave us an underdog MLS Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 4, 2019) US Soccer Players – Were these the best MLS Cup Playoffs in league history? It's always easy to lean to the present for hyperbole. In this case, however, it may prove true. Better players, stronger coaching, and a revamped format all certainly helped. The one-and-done playoff format contributed to a greater sense of urgency. The home-field advantage . . .
The unpredictable MLS Cup
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 1, 2019) US Soccer Players - Not that long ago, we considered the possibility of a Seattle Sounders versus Toronto FC matchup in the 2019 MLS Cup final in this very space. At the time, that possibility seemed remote. Neither team held favored status heading into their respective conference finals. The club they'd face were easy picks as the league's clear best. . . .
