(New England and DC fans, avert your eyes.  This could hurt). The Columbus Crew hold the distinction of opening MLS's first soccer specific stadium when Crew Stadium was opened in 1999.  Since then, the stadium has hosted one MLS championship and two All Star games; more importantly, however, it has become an absolute fortress for […]

For the past three years, the gulf between the two MLS conferences has seemingly been as deep as the Grand Canyon.  In 2011 and 2012, the East's representative in MLS Cup was Houston, a convert from the West.  The last time MLS Cup featured an original Eastern Conference team was 2008 when two teams from the […]

When you have seen a world class striker perform many times, either on television or in-person, you think you have seen that player do everything.  Then they score an amazing highlight reel goal that makes you scratch your head and you remember their greatness.  Thierry Henry is that player. In the mid-week early afternoon game […]

Apologies, folks, but Monday Morning Sweeper has to take another week off.  But fear not, because to try and make it up to you, here are the top fives goals of the weekend that was in MLS. 5. David Beckham does what he does best to draw the Galaxy even with Montreal 4. Sebastian Miranda […]

On the eve of the second leg of the conference semifinals, the league has stirred some intrigue around one of its teams not in the playoffs.  According to Steven Goff of The Washington Post, soccer fans in the Baltimore, MD area have begun to receive surveys gauging their interest in locating an MLS franchise in […]

The question I wrestled with in my head last night was this: if there were no playoffs or a playoffs with just four teams instead of 10, would this weekend be as exciting?  Regardless of how you feel about the playoff format or the playoffs in general, the answer I came up with was YES. […]

The talking point since First Kick has been the same: the Western Conference is vastly superior to the Eastern Conference.  For the past six months or so, we've heard about the top teams in the West and their chances of winning the MLS Cup.  Recently, with the playoffs looming, the talk has focused on how […]

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 […]

The Columbus Crew have a knack for late game heroics recently.  This past weekend it was Rich Blachan grabbing a goal late in stoppage time to salvage a tie with the Red Bulls.  Last night it was a furious second half rally full of controversy that saw home fans booing the game-tying goal and Will […]

This weekend, Tony Tchani became the latest victim of one of the dumbest soccer rules on the books.  After scoring his goal for a Toronto franchise that is probably at its lowest point, he ran off the pitch and jumped up to the stands to celebrate with the fans.  Already sitting on a yellow card, […]

On March 19, the Columbus Crew dejectedly walked out of RFK Stadium in Washington on the wrong side of a 3-1 game.  The team allowed two Charlie Davies goals (one a penalty kick) and looked outclassed, out played, and in for a long season.  The result came after they were shown the door from the […]

After the shine of the first weekend has worn off, MLS gets into the grind with some of its biggest names missing for international duty.  Some teams have a second chance to show they've improved, while some have another chance to prove they aren't bottom feeders.  Make sure you vote in our poll below for […]

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 […]

DC United and the Columbus Crew are two of the MLS's original franchises and two that are going through the reboot phase.  For DC United, the rock bottom came last year with a last place finish, a porous defense, and an offense that at times wouldn't scare a high school team.  Management decided the team […]

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 […]