This time last year, the San Jose Earthquakes were riding high. They had upset the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference playoffs and had seen the emergence of Chris Wondolowski as a bona fide goal scorer. Although the team had definite weaknesses and was not at the level of, say, Real Salt Lake, […]

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 […]

UPDATE: The DC United-Portland Timbers match has been postponed; a make-up date will be announced next week. The expected landfall of Hurricane Irene has caused MLS and other major professional sports teams to shift their schedules in anticipation of dramatic winds, rain, and flooding. Irene is expected to reach land by Saturday and move up […]

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 […]

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 […]

First there was Brand Beckham going to Hollywood. Now we have King Henry coming to the Big Apple. While MLS is getting that knack as a semi-retirement league for the world's greatest stars (Frank Lampard has mentioned it as well), Henry's signing is still a major deal for the young league. Put simply, on footballing […]