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 […]

When the 2012 preseason opened for the New York Red Bulls, there were a lot of questions that had to be answered. No one knew the club’s plans after a season that looked disjointed and at times looked disgraceful – especially after the end of their first leg quarterfinal at home against the eventual MLS Cup […]

The most intriguing pick-up in the 2012 MLS Superdraft was the one not made in Kansas City.  The Portland Timbers traded forward Kenny Cooper to the New York Red Bulls for the team's 2013 first round Superdraft pick and conditional allocation money.  The move, announced prior to the draft, clears up some intriguing personnel conundrums […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

The difference between MLS and most other major American sports leagues is that two teams with losing records can play a low scoring game in the rain and have it be one of the most exciting games of the year. Actually, it may have just been one of the most exciting 20 minutes of the […]

Houston Dynamo 1 – Chicago Fire 1 (Clark 33′, Oduro 43′) With the way the results in the Eastern Conference shook out this weekend, not getting the full three points was a major blow for Chicago, who see their playoff hopes still alive but a bit more on life support.  Neither team looked like they […]

A report out of Toronto indicates that MLS fans had better get their overcoats ready for First Kick 2012. Duane Rollins reports that Toronto FC executives told a fan gathering that they expect the MLS season to begin Saturday, March 10, with the First Game logically falling on March 8.  The start, which would be […]

Until Saturday's match versus RSL, Dwayne De Rosario was a good pickup for DC United.  The team was playing better with him in the lineup and he gave them an offensive spark that they had lacked with Dax McCarty.  Then on Saturday night he took it to a new level.  First he fed Andy Najar […]

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. […]

It's catch-up time.  In both games in hand and playoff positioning. In the shadow of the CONCACAF Champions League matches six MLS clubs will take the pitch tonight in critical games for playoff positioning.  One of the matches is a match-up of heavyweights, while the other two look to be mismatches that could be surprises. […]

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 […]

The Los Angeles Galaxy, looking at its rivals for the MLS Cup and seeing them focus more on acquiring American players overseas and trading amongst themselves, decided to make the big-named signing by acquiring Irish international Robbie Keane from Tottenham.  The cost of the contract is huge, rumored to be roughly $9.75 million over two […]

Those who know my writing know that I have an affinity for DC United and have followed the team, with varying levels of intensity, since its inception. So it should surprise no one that I have been closely following the Black-and-Red this season, not just because of rooting interest but because this has shaped up […]