The U.S. Soccer Federation yesterday announced an expanded Open Cup format and schedule, one that will incorporate all MLS and lower division teams in a newly and hopefully more condensed way.  In essence, the changes allow the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to mirror the English FA Cup, where lower division and semi-pro teams have […]

Defending champions in all sports have had down subsequent seasons, but few have imploded quite like Colorado.  Despite qualifying for the playoffs, the Rapids' season was a roller coaster.  Struggling with injuries and added games the entire season, the team constantly rotated players and tried to field a healthy eleven, ending the season with third-string […]

MLS fans were treated to four games last night instead of the usual one or two, as the schedule makers begin to crowd in a few more league games in anticipation of international friendlies and late-season CONCACAF Champions League matches.  In a cool twist, all four had some playoff implications as the results had a […]

For American soccer fans, we are entering a frantic month of soccer.  In addition to our normal MLS action, we will have the chance to see the Gold Cup and an impressive friendly against Spain.  With the action spread out across the U.S., this may be the most soccer saturated this country has been since […]

It was an incredibly busy week in American soccer.  Between the US national team, MLS midweek matches, and all sorts of FIFA controversies, there was a wealth of story lines for fans of the beautiful game.  Below are some of the ones we were following this week that we did not have time to post […]

After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday.  For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you'll just have to wait for Saturday night's glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.S. leg of the […]

One would be tempted to overlook the two matches going on tonight in MLS and focus on an incredible slate of games this weekend, with LA/NY as the headliner.  To do so would be to miss some important storylines as the four teams taking the pitch tonight are all in a critical stretch of games […]

It was an underwhelming display last night, but the Seattle Sounders held on to defeat the home-team Colorado Rapids 1-0, despite having a man advantage the entire match.  Colorado played an aggressive game, pressing throughout while Seattle was content to use their man advantage and hit on the counter. Obviously the key to this match […]

Fabian Espindola knocked in a loose rebound late in stoppage time to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids and a leg-up in the 2011 Rocky Mountain Cup.  Espindola also gave MLS fans the only goal of the evening, as the other match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Toronto FC […]

For the uninitiated, the Rocky Mountain Cup is a yearly fan rivalry between the only two MLS clubs in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado and Real Salt Lake.  The Cup has been awarded since 2005 and the games to decide the Cup have been heated, with Wednesday's match-up expected to be the same.  But more than […]

MLS could not have asked for a better opening weekend of soccer than this weekend.  After a somewhat pedestrian first match between the Galaxy and Sounders, there were a ton of story lines to follow in this weekend's games.  While it may be a lot to ask for every weekend to be this exciting (although […]

Just weeks before the beginning of the season, MLS yesterday finally released its playoff format for the 2011 season.  As dreaded, it will include 10 of the 18 MLS teams, and officials acknowledged the number could change as more teams join MLS.  As for the current structure, the playoffs will go as such: The top […]

In any sport, a championship season depends on getting some breaks at the right times.  Some of those breaks occur in the offseason, when the current season's roster is composed of trades scrutinized by the media as well as those that fly under the radar.  The trade of Jeff Larentowicz to the Rapids was the […]

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the players who have been called up and accepted the invitation to the U.S. men's national team training camp in January.  These players are the ones who will play in the next friendly against Chile in California and likely Egypt in Cairo.  And the theme of this year's team is […]

The cold days of winter have gotten a little sunlight – MLS today unveiled their schedule for "First Kick 2011", the first home games for every MLS team in the upcoming season.  The week will be the first week of the new balanced scheduling and offers some tantalizing match-ups for American soccer fans. First up […]