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 […]

In MLS, 56% of teams made the playoffs this year, meaning your team had a pretty good chance to make at least the 4 v. 5 game of the playoffs (except you, Toronto fans, sorry). Of course, at the end of the season, 44% of teams didn't. Some just fell short, like Montreal and FC […]

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 […]

The atmosphere was charged in historic RFK Stadium as two teams on opposite sides of the standings faced off in front of a national TV audience. DC United was winless in their first three matches and had scored one goal; the Black and Red were looking for an elusive home win to set their season […]

Team: San Jose Earthquakes Coach: Frank Yallop Last Season: 8-12-14, 7th Western Conference, 14th Overall Hashtag: #SJEarthquakes Although it is an overused phrase, this year is a critical year for the San Jose 'Quakes. The team is at a crossroads and this season will show if the newer franchise with the classic name can create a permanent and financially […]

As the preseason gets into full swing and rosters begin to stabilize, it's time to take a look at the men who pull the strings and have the greatest impact on the team itself. The modern manager is part tactician, part showman, and part PR man. The best are the ones who can bring a […]

Poor New York Red Bulls. In a season when it was all supposed to come together (young stars! established DPs! weak conference! newish stadium!) it all fell apart. New York struggled all season and barely made the playoffs, defeating a floundering Dallas side before falling in the conference semi-finals. The offseason has not been kind […]

FC Dallas was an up-and-down team last season, getting off to a slow start (remember Brek Shea as a fullback) before surging in the summer then falling off a cliff in the fall. The team ended the season on a whimper with a playoff loss to New York, but it was a particularly traumatic and […]

Tonight MLS shifts from the regular season to the postseason as two teams that could have entries in the DSM-IV face off on Fox Soccer Channel at 9 PM ET. The New York Red Bulls will try to advance to face the Los Angeles Galaxy this weekend but standing in their way are the fourth place […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhsgKRpWKPY Anyone who watches MLS knows Brek Shea is having a breakout season. And as much as the British media may want to dismiss MLS and its talent, it is now beginning to it pay attention. Sky Sports is reporting that Liverpool and Manchester City both were scouting the U.S. national team's 1-0 win over […]

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 […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-tJZZLys8I Former FC Dallas forward Bobby Rhine died Monday of an apparent heart attack. Rhine, aged 35, made 212 league appearances for FC Dallas, where he later became a club ambassador for the MLS side after retiring from his playing career. Rhine was also a commentator for the team's television broadcasts. As you can see […]

Going into the MLS regular season and CONCACAF Champions League games last night, American soccer fans knew it was going to be an interesting night. The CCL matches would determine who would advance to the group stage while the three MLS games had major playoff implications. However, even I was unprepared for the intense level […]

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 […]