By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 11, 2019) US Soccer Players – This is the time of year where the MLS champion, and congratulations to the Seattle Sounders, becomes the center of a debate over whether they are in the conversation for the best team in league history. It's also perhaps the first time in a decade that the post-playoff debate isn't about who's the best ever. MLS revamped the . . .
Mark Lowry on El Paso Locomotive’s unexpected year one success in USL
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 7, 2019) US Soccer Players - The USL Championship postseason is down to its final four as the Conference Finals play out this weekend ahead of the league’s cup final on November 17. Back-to-back defending league champions Louisville City are in the mix, as are familiar names like 2017 regular-season winners Real Monarchs SLC and Indy Eleven. Then there's the . . .
MLS Power Rankings: Counting the Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 7, 2019) US Soccer Players - The two clubs left standing in the 2019 season are not the top two teams in these rankings. LAFC slipped from the top spot, but the club's season was so stellar. That's still better than Toronto FC's even though the Reds are playing for the MLS Cup title and not the second-year Los Angeles club. For the rest of the teams involved, . . .
The Galaxy in the latest version of MLS
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - MLS Cup is heading back to the West Coast, but in Seattle rather than Los Angeles. LAFC took care of the Galaxy and then Seattle took care of LAFC to set up an unlikely Sounders vs Toronto MLS Cup. Both clubs are playing for their second league title. In a league where only five clubs have won more than once, it's an accomplishment. . . .
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 . . .
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. . . .
The rise of the lower seeds
By J Hutcherson (Oct 31, 2019) US Soccer Players - If one thing stood out from the lower seeds advancing on both sides of the 2019 MLS Cup bracket, it's that the same old truism still holds in this league. A standout player can make the difference, but one team doing even a slightly better job holding shape is more likely to result in a championship. That's what turned a mismatch between LAFC and . . .
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 . . .
There is no David vs Goliath in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer doesn't have titans. Even the David vs Goliath narrative is an overreach because no MLS team truly merits the label of "Goliath" relative to any other MLS team. The traditional, non-specific designations used so casually in Europe like "big club" and "small club" won't work in a single-entity league. It's not . . .
