Earl Reed

A couple months ago, you might have circled a Columbus Crew match on your schedule as one that you might want to avoid. Jairo Arrieta and Federico Higuain should make you think otherwise. Each of these two recent acquisitions for the Crew scored two goals, with Arrieta's 86th minute goal breaking a deadlock and earning […]

So far, so good. That's the general theme for Major League Soccer squads competing in this incarnation of the CONCACAF Champions League. It's going to have to remain that way if they want to advance to the knockout rounds, given the new Group Stage format. There is little room for error for the teams who […]

Sunday’s clash between Liverpool and Manchester City certainly poses a lot of questions for both teams. Will Manchester City cope without the services of their talismanic Argentinian goal machine Sergio Aguero? Will Liverpool be able to nullify the threat of Manchester City with the loss of arguably their best defender Daniel Agger? Clearly there are […]

United States Men's National Team fans, if you haven't had a reason to lobby your local carrier for the new beIn Sport network, you just might have one now. The rumors I spoke of on this week's MLSTalk Podcast have come to fruition, and beIn Sport has acquired the rights to the upcoming away fixtures […]

3 Red Cards. A fight. A penalty retaken. These things, when combined, might be seen in one full weekend of action in any other soccer league in the world. Yet it all happened in a single night of Major League Soccer action. Truth-be-told, it all happened in a single game. Last night's 1-1 draw between hosts D.C. […]

What's that saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same?" So was the story for Arsenal fans on Saturday, as Martin O'Neill's Sunderland squad stifled, squashed, and blocked their way to a point at the Emirates. Everyone has been wondering how Arsenal would cope without Robin van Persie. They started in Arsene […]

The forthcoming Premier League season is arguably the most anticipated campaign in many years. The groundbreaking signing of Robin van Persie by Manchester United has certainly captured the imagination and notice of everyone involved in English football and therefore, before a ball has been kicked in anger the season has already had one of its […]

The CONCACAF Champions League is taking a step towards it's UEFA counterpart in it's United States distribution. For American consumers who have enjoyed free, legal feeds from the Confederation's site, that convenience should soon go away. CONCACAF and FOX Soccer, in a press release issued today, announced that they have signed a new multi-year contract […]

The excitement of a new season is merely days away, as the friendlies are nearly complete, and the Barclay's Premier League season will kickoff on Saturday. Today, the yearly tradition of the Community Shield took place at Villa Park, displaced from Wembley Stadium due to the Olympic tournament. Manchester City took advantage of the ejection […]

As we go through this first season of Major League Soccer's contract with NBC Sports, we've read many a story about the way that the league has received increased exposure (here's one). The move from FOX Soccer to NBC Sports Network (and NBC to a lesser extent) constituted a fundamental change the number of matches […]

The Philadelphia Union punished a wasteful New England Revolution side on Sunday evening, as Jack McInerney notched the late winner to give the Union a solid victory between two teams whose playoff lives hinge on matches like these. The winning goal came in the 90th minute, as the Union applied pressure trying to get the […]

There have been a number of friendlies over the course of the past two weeks, as teams from England and beyond look to prepare for the start of the league campaign. The difference with most of those matches is that they rarely involve two league rivals — aside from Saturday’s French Super Cup. But in […]

Debate the meaning, debate the significance, debate the need all you want. The MLS All-Star Game garnered plenty of fine moments, and it was especially pleasing if you are a fan of the comeback. It's a friendly, of course. If you decided to put on baseball game #97 of 162 to find a contest of […]

The first friendly of Aston Villa's US tour was a success for newly appointed manager Paul Lambert, as they opened a 3 game preseason set in the United States. Their first stop was PPL Park in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An accurate Nathan Delfouneso strike settled the scoreline 1-0 in favor of the visitors. Villa arrived […]

A match that appeared to be headed to a scoreless draw came alive in the final 10 minutes, as the Philadelphia Union prevailed 2-1, beating back the Montreal Impact with a stoppage time goal by Carlos Valdes. The tactical match was one of unproductive possession and razor-sharp counterattacking for much of the match. The Union […]