The Week 2 numbers look like this... 5 year comparison Week 2 13 GP YTD Avg +/- GP Avg +/- Avg +/- GP 2006 19,001 6 20,660 20,646 12 2007 16,827 -11.44% 7 16,496 -20.16% 16,496 -20.10% 13 2008 17,842 6.03% 7 16,753 1.56% 18,046 9.40% 13 2009 14,168 […]

I suspect you've all heard by now about the rule change in MLS regarding Designated Players. Here is the transcript of the press conference in which the changes were outlined in detail by Todd Durbin of MLS. One thing that emerges from this is the heightened importance of one of the leagues more arcane intricacies, […]

According to the MLS Web site, the league has decided to add to its designated player rule. Effective immediately, teams will now have two designated player slots, and an option to buy a third. The third slot, it seems, would cost a team $250,000 – money that would be shared as allocation money among the […]

Before we get into the weekend's games, there is a bit of news today. Jon Busch, waived last week by the Fire, has reportedly signed with the San Jose Earthquakes. He's a quality keeper, but the Earthquakes' issues, I think, would be better addressed by adding some defenders. Now, for the week that was: Thursday, […]

The Week 1 numbers look like this... 5 year comparison Week 1 8 GP YTD Avg +/- GP Avg +/- Avg +/- GP 2006 22,292 6 22,684 22,292 6 2007 16,109 -27.73% 6 17,051 -24.83% 16,109 -27.73% 6 2008 15,312 -4.95% 6 16,803 -1.46% 15,312 -4.95% 6 2009 17,095 […]

There is a world-wide assumption that, when it comes to a ball, Americans can only throw and catch while Brazilians can do the samba with the ball at their feet and never miss a step. Every time a Brazilian joins a MLS team, the fans greet those players like time-travelers from the future, eager to […]

Some Starters The new MLS Website.. Du Nord: Top 10 significant signings and influential departures. First, how they finished in 2009 – PPG=Points Per Game – GFA=Goals For Average – GAA=Goals Against Average 2009 PPG GFA GAA CLB 1.63 1st 1.37 5th 1.03 3rd LA 1.60 2nd 1.20 10th 1.03 3rd HOU 1.60 2nd […]

The 2010 season is upon us, so to help you get ready, or in case you're bored, here are previews of each of the 16 teams. For each team, I've linked to more than one preview. I always find it interesting to see what different folks say about the same situation. Given the late settlement […]

With weeks of labor talk dominating the MLS headlines, the start of the season has been sneaking up on me. Seems like a good time for a preview. Eastern Conference 1. Columbus Crew– It's hard to bet against them winning the Eastern Conference this year after watching them – in the preseason, no less, take […]

It's game on for Major League Soccer in 2010. In a teleconference at around 1 p.m., MLS and its players' union announced the agreement on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. Details haven't really been released yet, but it appears that the players won some concessions in reagrds to guaranteed contracts and player movement, but […]

If you thought that MLS and its players union had until March 25 to avert a work stoppage and get a new collective bargaining agreement done, the timetable has moved up a bit. Multiple reports, quoting sources close to the investigation, have stated that the players will strike on Monday, March 22, if a new […]

For the last couple of weeks, we've read with interest as players have sounded off about the ongoing labor dispute between owners and players. Today, the owners strike back. AEG chief executive Tim Leiweke spoke at length with the Los Angeles Times in a story published today, and to say he took a few shots […]

Landon Donovan took a plane from London to Los Angeles on Sunday, wrapping up his 10-week loan spell with Everton. After hitting an In-N-Out, he'll be getting set to start the MLS season with the Galaxy. Maybe. As I'm sure you've heard, his fellow MLS players have voted to strike if a new collective bargaining […]

I had the sudden realization Sunday that if aliens descended on my town and were asked to find any life of Major League Soccer in South Florida, the only thing they would find is MLS trading cards in the bargain bin of the local dollar store. Seriously. Sadly, Major League Soccer is extinct in South […]

Before ESPN or Fox Soccer Channel begins the live broadcast of a Major League Soccer game on a Saturday evening, many soccer fans are burned out. They're burned out from watching a smorgasbord of European soccer that has been on television all day. Take a typical Saturday on US cable and satellite television, for example. […]