The fight for three points intensified in MLS Week 25. Unfortunately, Saer Sene and Bakary Soumare decided to take it a step further.

The New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union lacked the punching power for 90 minutes on Saturday. The two played to a scoreless draw in front of a capacity crowd at Red Bull Arena. With the result, both clubs remain separated by one point in the standings.

It should come as no surprise, but some tough competition kept New York and Philadelphia from making the list of best and worst from MLS Week 25.

Read on to find out why.

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In 2015, New York City FC will be the newest member of Major League Soccer.

While there certainly won't be any expansion teams in 2014, it's entirely possible there will be a club or two entering MLS in 2015. But for the sake of this article, let's pretend that this will not happen.

When NYCFC—which has a nice ring to it—enters the league, there will be 20 teams. Which means (hallelujah!) there will be two conferences with the same number of teams in each.

With 10 teams in the East (NYCFC will play in that conference, obviously) and nine in the West, an Eastern Conference club will make the switch to the West. The question is, which one?

The teams on the coast are ruled out, so no Red Bulls or Revolution. Any team in the Eastern time zone is safe for that matter, so Toronto, Montreal, Columbus, Philadelphia, and D.C. United will all be staying put. 

That leaves the three teams in the Central time zone, Chicago, Sporting KC and Houston. Chicago is safe, because it's visibly more east than either Kansas City or H-Town.

On a map, Houston is only slightly more to the west than KC. That's not the only reason they should move to the West, though. 

Firstly, they were there until 2010, when the Portland Timbers expansion would have overcrowded the West, so they switched to the East. It makes sense to return them to the conference they played in for so long and where they won both of their MLS Cups. 

Secondly, FC Dallas is in the West. If MLS wants to market the Texas Derby as a real rivalry, they need to play three teams a year. With the new scheduling, the teams switch from playing one to two games every year. How can El Capitan be decided in one game every other year?

In-state games are great: MLS should ensure they happen as much as possible. Two teams from the same state shouldn't be separated by conferences. 

Returning to geography, if you look at every MLS team on a map, there's a grouping of teams (from KC to Montreal) in the northeast quarter of the United States and east of Canada. Houston is pretty far away, considering how far south it is. Dallas, Colorado and even LA are closer than the northeast. I'm sure MLS wants to market itself as an environmentally friendly enterprise, so the Dynamo shouldn't have to fly so far all the time.

Houston should therefore be the Western Conference addition. But as a Dynamo fan, I am conflicted by this prospect.

On the one hand, it will be great to return to our old conference and play Dallas three times a year; but when the Dynamo go to the west coast, which will be fairly often, the games always start late here, at 9pm or 10pm. When they travel east, the game usually starts no later than 6:30pm.

And I'm not looking forward to facing Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and Clint Dempsey five times a year.

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A few days ago, I was listening to the MLS Extra Time radio podcast, and they touched on something I'd been thinking about for a long time. What if MLS were to introduce a Community Shield of sorts, a cup final that is a trophy of it's own?

The first question is, is this a good idea? I certainly think so. Having a game to kick off the new season would be a great way to start, like the traditional Thursday season opener in the NFL. It's the only game on and it gets the season underway.

The next question is, who will be in it? While there may be some shouts for the Supporters Shield winner, it has to be the winner of the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup. If a team wins both then they can play against the Shield winner.

Who should host it? This is also intertwined with the amount of legs there should be. Although all the top European leagues have a cup final between last year's champions, the amount of legs varies. While the English Community Shield is one game at a neutral venue, the Spanish Super Cup is two legs where each team hosts a leg.

I think that this should be as short as possible to prevent unnecessary fatigue, so it should definitely be a single game. A full 90 minutes with extra time and penalties if needed. So then the issue is deciding who should host it. 

The United States is interesting because it's a huge country spanning four time zones with big metropolitan areas in all four corners and in many places in between. It's not like England, where London is pretty much a no-brainer to host a cup final. Also, it's such a small country that traveling anywhere within it isn't a problem. But, in the US, a flight from coast to coast usually takes at least five hours. That makes deciding on a neutral venue much more difficult.

If it's on the west coast, teams in the West will have an advantage in fans. If it's on the east coast, the same for Eastern teams. The venue could be randomly rotated around each year or somewhere as close to the middle of the country as possible, like Kansas City. 

The only advantage to the two-legged tie is each team can host a game, and this isn't an issue. If there's only one leg, it would either have to be a neutral venue or the winner of the MLS Cup would get to be the host. That seems fair, but I don't really know what I think the right thing to do is.

In short, I think this is a great idea, but I'm torn on how to solve the issue of where the actual game(s) will be played. Please leave your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to hear other people's opinions on this and possible solutions to the issue.

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On Saturday, August 17th, young star Juan Agudelo got the call for his club the New England Revolution against the visiting Chicago Fire in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup.

This was little over a week since it had been confirmed that Mark Hughes and Stoke had reached an agreement with the Colombian-born player that would bring him to England at the start of January.

I'm sure Mark Hughes will be even more happy with his decision after he sees what Agudelo did to open the scoring in this crucial fixture. It's still the wee hours of the morning in England, so I would assume he was asleep when this happened:

As Chris Tierney hit a great ball over the top from behind the halfway line, Juan Agudelo realized the onrushing keeper would prevent him from hitting the ball straight at the goal for a classic breakaway finish.

With this in mind, he had, as the commentator said, the audacity to hit this with his HEEL, looping the ball way over the keeper from maybe 10 or 12 yards out. While it's unclear upon viewing if it actually went in because of the attempted defensive clearance, the assistant referee affirmed that it had crossed the line.

The American international did this knowing good and well that it could have easily gone wrong and that he could have looked like an idiot. World-class. 

The New England Revolution won the match 2-0 and are now sixth in the East with 33 points. The Fire are two points back in seventh place. Since only five teams from each conference make the playoffs, the Revolution will need more goals from Agudelo to ensure qualification.

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On Saturday, Aug. 17, 20-year-old Juan Agudelo got the call for his New England Revolution against the visiting Chicago Fire in a crucial Eastern Conference matchup.

This was a little over a week since it had been confirmed that Mark Hughes and Stoke City had reached an agreement with the Colombian-born player that would bring him to England at the start of January. He signed a pre-contract with the club, which was first reported on Aug. 6. 

I'm sure Hughes will be even happier with his decision after he sees what Agudelo did to open the scoring in this crucial fixture. It occurred in the wee hours of the morning in England, so I would assume he was asleep when this happened:

As Chris Tierney hit a great ball over the top from behind the halfway line, Agudelo realized that onrushing keeper Sean Johnson would prevent him from hitting the ball straight at the goal for a classic breakaway finish.

With this in mind, he had the audacity to hit it with his heel, looping the ball way over the keeper from around 10 yards out. Despite the impressive attempted defensive clearance from Bakary Soumare, the assistant referee affirmed that it had crossed the line.

The American international did this knowing good and well that it could have easily gone wrong. The level of touch needed to pull off such a goal was extraordinarily high. 

The Revolution won the match 2-0 and are now sixth in the East with 33 points. The Fire are two points back in seventh place. Since only five teams from each conference make the playoffs, the Revolution will need more goals from Agudelo to ensure qualification.

I'll be honest, I've always thought Agudelo was a decent striker, but never thought he was capable of something like this. Now I'm thrilled to see what he could bring to the United States national team once he further develops.

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The Los Angeles Galaxy have announced that Omar Gonzalez will become their third designated player (DP).

The 24-year-old's contract was set to expire at the end of the season, and a move across the pond would've been the next logical step for him. Now, his European aspirations will have to be put on hold for now.

The U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) defender has enjoyed tremendous success with the Galaxy, winning two MLS Cups and MLS Defender of the Year.

Gonzalez is far from the best DP ever that many expected though. Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan are L.A.'s two other current DPs. Former Galaxy designated players include none other than David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel.

With the likes of Kaka, Frank Lampard, Andrei Arshavin, Gio dos Santos, and Samuel Eto'o all rumored at some point to be the Galaxy's third and final DP, signing Gonzalez to the lucrative contract seems to be somewhat of a letdown.

As for how this impacts the national team, it can be debated whether or not staying in MLS is the right choice for Gonzalez. Going up against tougher competition in Europe is always good for a young player, but staying with the Galaxy and getting guaranteed minutes leading up to the World Cup may be more important.

Gonzalez's DP contract also means a lot for the growth of MLS. The league has recently been keeping and bringing back many USMNT players. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi both signed extensions with Sporting Kansas City. Clarence Goodson now plays for the San Jose Earthquakes. And of course, Clint Dempsey's transfer to Seattle Sounders FC tops them all.

Perhaps this now paves the way for Landon Donovan to re-sign with the Galaxy once he's out of contract at the end of the season. And if Donovan does stay, what does that say about MLS? Perhaps other top American players will remain in the league, or some may even pull a "Clint Dempsey" and make their way back.

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Another version of the three Rs will be on display in MLS Week 25. This time, the return, the rebound and the rematch will be on display.

A total of nine matches have been scheduled for this weekend. Eight alone will fill your Saturday viewing pleasure to the brim. But with so much action on tap, what warrants your attention in Week 25?

Read on to find out.

Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, credit all statistics to the official MLS Press Box Stats and Standings.

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American soccer fans had plenty to be proud of in MLS Week 24. For once, it had nothing to do with Clint Dempsey.

Alvaro Saborio continued his ascendancy over MLS competition on Saturday. The Costa Rican scored his ninth goal of the season in a 1-0 victory for Real Salt Lake. Camilo Sanvezzo followed suit with a goal of his own in a 2-0 victory for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Brazilian is now tied for the MLS Golden Boot lead with 14 goals.

The Chicago Fire also joined the winner's circle with a 2-1 victory at Toyota park. The club is now two points out of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

But some tough competition kept all the aforementioned parties from making the list of best and worst from MLS Week 24.

Read on to find out why.

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As the Clint Dempsey era in Major League Soccer officially began, the stars of the league rose to the occasion and shined brightly on the league's biggest stage.

Stars like Landon Donovan, Kei Kamara, and Federico Higuain all put on spectacular goalscoring displays this weekend. 

As for how their respective clubs fared in this week's B/R MLS Power Rankings, you'll have to read on and figure out. 

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This weekend of Major League Soccer marks the return of a legend to America’s top flight professional soccer league: the United States Men’s National Team's captain, Clint Dempsey.

The Seattle Sounders will take the Dempsey show on the road to Canada to face a Toronto FC side that is unbeaten in its last three MLS matches.

While seeing Dempsey back in MLS will spark intrigue of its own, it might well be even more fascinating to see how manager Sigi Schmid deploys his newest weapon. Deuce is a diverse enough to player to fit in just about anywhere in the midfield or as a striker.

Odds are, though, that with Designated Player Obafemi Martins available, as well as USMNT striker Eddie Johnson, the Texan will find himself in a No. 10-inspired role.

Regardless, it is official: Clint Dempsey is a Major League Soccer employee.

Here are three other players to watch this weekend in MLS.

Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls are scorching hot, most recently coming off a massive road victory against fellow Eastern Conference favorites Sporting Kansas City.

They head to Columbus to face a Crew side that has been unable to put together a full 90-minute performance of late.

Historically, the Frenchman has picked apart the Crew, seemingly scoring goals at will against a slower MLS backline.

This could be a multiple-goal performance out of Titi. The tallies could be dripping with flair, too.

Landon Donovan

The L.A. Galaxy’s match against FC Dallas tonight should mark the return of Landon Donovan to competitive action for Bruce Arena’s club.

L.D. sliced and diced the competition in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, leading the tournament in nearly every offensive category. Donovan is in rare form and is set to continue to tear apart opponents in MLS.

Not to mention, too, that the whispers of interest from Europe (via Goal.com) surrounding Donovan are rearing their head once again. It will be great entertainment to watch and see if he can lead L.A. to a third straight MLS Cup title.

Luis Silva

Since being traded from Toronto FC to D.C. United, Luis Silva has been brilliant. The second-year attacking midfielder has already notched three goals in his three games for the black and red.

He now leads United in goals scored and has been a key cog in why Ben Olsen’s team has been able to find improved play.

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