In his 10th-consecutive start for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Gyasi Zardes netted his third goal of the season, and it wasn't just any old goal. It was the first goal he's scored using his feet. The equalizer against the Vancouver Whitecaps last Saturday showcased the incredible talent and skill that the 21-year-old possesses. 

After signing with the Galaxy as a Homegrown player before the season began, expectations were high for the youngster. He was widely considered to be one of the best players coming out of college, and if he had gone through the MLS superdraft, there's no doubt that he would've been picked first overall.

Known for his speed and eccentric hairstyle, the young forward has had somewhat of an average season so far. The match against the Whitecaps was his chance to step up and lead the Galaxy attack as both Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan were unavailable to play.

Zardes did indeed put his best foot forward and out-shot the entire Vancouver team 6-2. He's done the same to Chivas USA (8-6) and FC Dallas (7-6) this season. Not afraid to shoot, the 21-year-old ranks seventh in the league (minimum 11 appearances) in shots per game with 3.2.

Just for some perspective on how impressive Zardes' feat is, the league's leader in shots per game, Camilo Sanvezzo (3.7), has only out-shot an opposing team once in 15 starts this season.

The young speedster does have much to learn and improve on though. He averages 3.1 turnovers per game (the most in MLS) and only has a 67 percent pass-completion rate.

In comparison, Robbie Keane, his strike partner and arguably the best forward in MLS, has a 77.6 percent pass-completion rate and turns the ball over 1.9 times per game (18th in the league).

However, the Irish captain makes up for his giveaways in assists and key passes. With seven assists this season, he's tied with Sebastien Le Toux for the lead and 2.9 key passes per game puts him in fifth.

With Robbie Keane still questionable for the upcoming match against Colorado and Landon Donovan away on Gold Cup duty, Gyasi once again has the opportunity to be the focal point of the offense.

If he can build off of his great performance last week and continue to impress, there's no reason why he can't contend for MLS Rookie of the Year honors.

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Professional soccer is full of characters. With inflated contracts and equally inflated egos, these guys are never far from the spotlight.

Major League Soccer has seen its fair share of personalities, and despite the high-intensity nature of athletic competition, sometimes these players remind us that it is just a game after all.

From shocking misses to goal celebrations gone awry, the beautiful game can provide a good laugh every now and then.

The following is a collection of the funniest bloopers, fails and moments caught on video in MLS.

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Yesterday's performance against Honduras was about as complete and fun to watch as we've seen from this U.S. Men's National team during the Gold Cup. 

There was not much to dislike from their overall game, aside from the poor marking on Honduras' lone goal by Nery Medina. However, the U.S. team countered the opposing team's goal with one of their own only a minute later.

The quick answer effectively ended the game as Honduras never really created many dangerous chances from then on even, though they did seem to have more of the possession as the game wore down. That quick answer was also a sign that the U.S. did not become too complacent, allowing Honduras a chance to get back in the game. The poor marking on defense was a small hiccup that was immediately rectified with great work from Clarence Goodson, Alejandro Bedoya and Landon Donovan.

Speaking of Landon Donovan, his tournament has become more and more spectacular with each passing game as he remains the creative spark and central force that the offense flows through. Another two goals yesterday, along with the beautiful assist to Eddie Johnson, gives Donovan five goals and seven assists for an incredible tally. His composure on the first goal was absolutely phenomenal, having the awareness to chest the ball down and hit it on the half-volley instead of waiting for it to settle.

His numbers get watered down slightly by the first few teams he played, but it seems that Donovan has saved his best for last, and what he has in store for the final should be quite the sight to see. 

The offense was in full force yesterday as chances were created early and often with Johnson converting in the 11th minute. Johnson checked in towards the ball played by Goodson on the ground, only to dummy it to a trailing Donovan. Johnson's curling run towards goal after the dummy gave Donovan a perfect window for a one-touch through ball. Johnson made no mistake after speeding past the Honduran defenders to finish neatly, giving the United States a 1-0 lead on an excellent combination play.

Johnson's hold-up play in the first half was also a pleasant sight to watch. His tall, strong frame allowed him to control the ball under pressure from the more slender Honduran defenders. His sneaky-good speed also allowed him to race past unassuming defenders to get a touch first and lay it off to his advancing teammates. He was unlucky to not score in the second half on a lay-off from Bedoya.

Overall, Johnson's play was typical of the past performances that have made him a regular in Jurgen Klinsmann's eyes as of late and he is certainly a bright spot going forward.

After a slow start, Bedoya was one of the best performers of the day. His hustle and smart play contributed to the other two goals scored by the United States. He outworked his defenders to two long balls played in over top of the defense to get two one-touch crosses in to Donovan. Bedoya was also physical on defense with the slender Honduran wings attempting to cut across the field and make dangerous runs. These subtle uses of his body altered his opponents' balance and slowed them down.

His impact on the game was greatly felt and speaks to the depth this United States team has shown in this tournament. It is also a testament to the faith Klinsmann has in each of his players to perform. Bedoya started over Joe Corona, who scored in a previous game, which might have seemed questionable before the game started.

By the end, it's become the smart move to accept Klinsmann's choices as he believes and we have seen that each and every one of his players is always ready to play, and play well when called upon. 

Goodson's passing out of the back in this game was also a pleasant sight as he was directly involved with two of the three goals, providing the hockey assist to the actual assist. His play on the ball was smooth and he never forced much. His recent performances may cause Klinsmann to rethink his first-choice pairing of Omar Gonzalez with Matt Besler, as Gonzalez has been shaky in his recent games with the team.

The last player who should merit a stand-alone mention is Kyle Beckerman. As always, Beckerman was the anchor of midfield who started many of the United States' counter-attacks. His distribution off the ball yesterday was impeccable and he made very few mistakes. He was constantly in the fray, breaking up plays, winning back balls and slowing down Honduran counter-attacks. His defensive midfield spot in the final should be all locked up after this performance.

While those four players had slightly more effective games yesterday, that is not to say that the rest of the team lacked in quality or positive impact on the game. Jose Francisco Torres was a ball of energy as usual in the first half, but he was frustrated by several late challenges by the Honduras defense and that seemed to knock him off his game a bit.

He may have also been the defender to lose Medina on the set piece where Honduras scored. It is slightly hard to tell who was marking him as several players were in the vicinity of Medina when he headed it home. 

Stuart Holden turned in another strong game as he provided many of the same qualities that Beckerman did on defense while also attempting some creative passes and shots on offense. It is also worth noting that Holden went a full 90 minutes to dispel the idea that he is still not match-fit. His stamina and game play are improving with each contest and a return to his previously stellar form in 2010 may be in order soon. 

The rest of the back line was solid, but not spectacular. Michael Parkhurst did have some shaky moments on the right side, but it never led to anything of serious danger for his team. Matt Besler turned in another steady performance and made a crucial block on a close attempt on goal in the second half. DaMarcus Beasley was rarely troubled in the game, but he did not seem to get forward much to help in the attack until late in the second half. 

Honduras did not do much to mount any serious attack going forward, so there may not be much to criticize or pick apart in regards to defensive efforts. The U.S. does need to improve on set pieces, though, as it has become a bad habit of allowing dangerous attempts on goal. 

Nick Rimando was stellar in net with the limited chances he had to deal with. On the set piece where Honduras scored, he was left out to dry by his defense for an unmarked header that he could not have saved.

He did bail out Clarence Goodson on his mistake in the second half when he became a bit too cozy on the ball and Honduran forward poked it forward, forcing Rimando to come out. He got to the ball first and made a nifty move with his feet to dribble around his opponent and clear the ball. This play was quite surprising, yet it showed his great composure and awareness to attempt this. 

The substitutes also played well in their short stints on the field. Brek Shea had several inviting crosses into the box, one of which almost resulted in a goal by Eddie Johnson after Bedoya's smart lay-off. His speed and inventiveness on the wing is a good asset to have in the future.

Mix Diskerud was his usual self in midfield, making few, if any mistakes with the ball and doing his part to win it back as well. 

Chris Wondolowski did not have much to do in his brief time on the field. He was limited to link-up play and minimal looks on offense. 

The last thing to mention about this game was the U.S. team's resilience in the second half to resist the urge to combat Honduras' chippy and overly physical play with some of their own. The fouls they drew were out of frustration for Honduras and it visibly aggravated Klinsmann to the point where he became angered with the referee for allowing it to continue without some sort of punishment.

The referee subsequently threw Klinsmann out, but I'm sure it was, no doubt, great to see the fiery passion in their coach as he defended his team to the bitter end as they marched on to victory. 

The U.S. Men's National team will play Panama in the Gold Cup final on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago. 

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MLS Week 22 will separate the pretenders from the contenders. Unfortunately, it won't be able to separate Chivas USA from the rest of the league.

At total of nine matches have been scheduled to bookend Sunday's Gold Cup final. Eight alone will fill your Saturday viewing pleasure to the brim. But with so much action on tap, what warrants your attention in Week 22?

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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Major League Soccer’s D.C. United spent its first 16 years at RFK Stadium, but that will soon change. 

UPDATE: Thursday, July 25, at 11:10 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

MLSsoccer.com's Charles Boehm has the latest on DC United's stadium:

The day D.C. United and their fans have been dreaming about for years may finally have arrived.

United and Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray announced on Thursday morning the signing of a $300 million public-private partnership to build a 20-25,000-seat soccer stadium in the Buzzard Point area of Southwest D.C., about a mile and a half south of the US Capitol near the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.

The new home of the four-time MLS Cup champions will be located adjacent to the Fort McNair Army base, bounded by Half Street and Second Street SW between R and T Streets a few blocks west of the Nationals Park baseball stadium, and is anticipated to be completed in time for the 2016 season.

'We are proud to say that D.C. United has achieved a major milestone towards establishing a permanent, state-of-the-art home in Washington, D.C.,' United managing partner Jason Levien said in a club statement. 'This is a significant step forward, and we are going to continue to work diligently and collaboratively with the Mayor’s office and the D.C. Council to expedite this process and make this stadium a reality.'

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Jonathan O’Connell of The Washington Post originally reported, D.C. United and District officials have reached a preliminary agreement to build a new stadium for the team: 

D.C. United executives and District officials have reached a preliminary $300 million deal to build a 20,000-seat stadium for the team on Buzzard Point in Southwest Washington.

The agreement, team and city leaders said, could end a decade-long search by the Major League Soccer franchise for a new venue that would allow it to leave RFK Stadium, where D.C. United has played since its founding in 1996 but where its investors say the team loses money every year.

O’Connell also notes that the new stadium would be part of an “economic development achievement” for Mayor Vincent C. Gray and would add to a string of developments along the waterfront.

The District is said to be willing to put $150 million toward the land and site preparation, while D.C. United will be responsible for the rest of the expenses in building the stadium. According to O’Connell, the team would have the land on a 25- to 35-year lease with the option of adding additional revenue-building businesses to the area.   

Steven Goff of The Washington Post expanded on the financial impact of moving from RFK and into a new stadium, and quoted D.C. United managing partner Jason Levien as being “laser-focused” on securing a new venue.

According to Goff, the move from RFK would be about more than moving into a new, more modern home. With few sources of revenue in the current stadium, D.C. United has reportedly lost “several million dollars annually.”

With the complicated deal still in the early stages, Goff also notes the team isn’t likely to begin playing in the new stadium until 2016.

Per both reports, the stadium proposal is for a stadium of at least 20,000 seats, though O’Connell indicates D.C. United has yet to decide if it will boost the seating to 25,000 from the onset or leave room for future expansion.

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As an American soccer enthusiast, it is refreshing to see Major League Soccer in such a stable position. Soccer's premier system in the United States is nearly two decades old and has expanded to 19 teams in 18 cities with the 20th, NYC FC, coming in 2015. MLS is responsible for producing several American stars on the international level such as Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley. Still, there is one major flaw with the current structure of MLS—the playoff system.

Make MLS On Par With Other Leagues

Playoffs are the backbone of the American sporting body. The Super Bowl is considered the largest sporting event in America; the commercial benefits exemplify America's capitalistic environment. College Football has been criticized for NOT having a playoff system, leading to a change in policy where four teams will contest for the national championship. The mystique of March Madness is the "David versus Goliath" scenario which allows the underdogs one chance to upend their superior opponents.

American soccer has a different feel though. The United States does not possess the highest level of talent in regards to soccer, unlike basketball, baseball, American football, etc. The Barclays Premier League is the most watched "football" league on the planet and even the American audience follows the BPL much closer than MLS. While Major League Soccer may be miles away from reaching the level of popularity like its European brethren, it can learn a lesson from the format of these leagues.

All top flight leagues in Europe (and most of the world) use the table format to determine its champion. The concept is simple, each team plays every team twice (once home, once away). The champion, of course, is determined by points at the end of the season. Adopting to this format would put the MLS on similar grounds with the more popular leagues across the globe, adding legitimacy to the game in the States.

Regular Season Hindered

The main critique of the playoff system in soccer is that it essentially renders the regular season useless. Yes, a team must finish at a certain position to qualify for the playoffs; 10 out of 19 teams will qualify for the MLS Playoffs—an absurdly high amount. The MLS regular season is essentially identical to those of leagues across the globe, minus the playoffs, of course. This adds more incentive to drop the playoff system altogether, because the regular season would not change.

Naturally, the playoffs allow a team to get on a hot streak and win the title based on a handful of matches—not exactly a "best team wins" kind of scenario. The Supporters Shield is a title given to the team with the most points at the end of the MLS regular season. This team would theoretically be the league champion if governed by international football standards.

However, in America, the Supporters Shield winners bare no importance. Since 2003, only 2 Supporters Shield winners have gone on to win MLS Cup (Columbus—2008, LA Galaxy—2011). If MLS does not change their format, they are rewarding teams with mediocre regular seasons by allowing them opportunities to win the title in one or two matches.

TV Ratings Low

MLS Commissioner Don Garber believes the playoff hunt provides the "excitement" that American audiences are accustomed to watching. Well, according to the American TV ratings, this is far from the truth. MLS Cup 2012 between LA Galaxy and Houston scored a 0.7 overnight rating—basically 700,000 viewers. This match is remembered by many as David Beckham's final match with the Galaxy, however, it is likely that most of America was watching the SEC Championship game between Alabama and Georgia that afternoon. In 1996, the inaugural MLS Cup even scored a 1.4 overnight rating. Clearly, there is a negative trend in regards to viewership in America for Major League Soccer's showcase event. If Garber believes this playoff format is exciting, I would not want him planning my bachelor party.

Worst Possible Timing

I previously hinted at this when I mentioned the Alabama/Georgia game, but it must be reiterated: the MLS Cup—and the entire playoffs for that matter—occur at arguably the worst possible time of the American sports calender. The bulk of the playoffs occur during the middle of the NFL season and end of the college football season. Because most MLS playoff matches are scheduled for weekends, the chance of common fans tuning in to watch is slim to none.

MLS Cup 2013 is expected to draw slightly higher approval because it is scheduled a week later than most seasons (around December 7-8). League offices suggest this move will not interfere with college football dates, though it is still nearing playoff season in the NFL. If MLS wanted a portion of the sports calendar all to themselves, they should consider making the MLS playoffs in the summer months (July-August) and begin the regular season in the winter. Of course, removing the playoff format altogether would be justifiable since the title would not be decided on one given date.

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Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake battled for 97 minutes on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium in a match between the MLS' two best teams.

Sporting won the match in controversial fashion, but was it enough to boost them above RSL in the B/R MLS Power Rankings this week?

Read on to see where those two clubs and the other 17 in the league landed this week.

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Goals were at a premium in MLS Week 21, and so was decent officiating. Just ask Real Salt Lake.

The Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids opened a mundane afternoon with a 1-1 draw at CenturyLink Field. The Portland Timbers and Philadelphia Union carried that momentum into the evening with a scoreless draw at PPL Park.

It's not hard to imagine, but some tough competition kept all four clubs from making the list of best and worst from MLS Week 21.

Read on to find out why.

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When New York City FC were announced as an MLS expansion side in May, they became the 20th team in a constantly growing league. From that point on, the question switched to which team would become the 21st team.

At the present moment, there are several cities where expansion talks are high. Orlando City SC has made it clear it wants to be in MLS, and that dream may become a reality should it land a stadium.

Further south in the Sunshine State, Simon Evans of Reuters reports that Miami is where David Beckham wants to locate his MLS expansion franchise. Being the savvy businessman he is, when Beckham entered MLS and signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007, he made sure there was a clause in his contract that if he chose to start an MLS expansion side, the expansion fee would be highly reduced.

So Beckham will start a franchise, and it seems Miami is the place where he will do so.

However, beyond the buzz in the southeast corner of the United States, there are several cities that would be fantastic locations for MLS expansion franchises that are rarely talked about. (These are also prime candidates for places to relocate Chivas USA, wink wink.)

So here are the top three cities for an MLS expansion franchise that you won't hear about, in no particular order.

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With a little over half of the MLS regular season gone, it's time to start looking at the playoff picture. Both conferences are jam-packed near the top with only four points separating first-place Sporting Kansas City from fifth-place Houston Dynamo in the East and seven points between first-place Real Salt Lake and fifth-place L.A. Galaxy in the West.

In the Eastern Conference, bottom-dwellers Toronto FC and DC United have almost no chance of making the postseason, which leaves New England, Columbus and Chicago among those who are currently on the outside looking in. The Western Conference is a bit more competitive. Chivas USA is the only team that hardly has any chance of making the playoffs. This means Colorado, Seattle and San Jose are the ones that need to climb their way back up the standings.

The playoff hopes of many teams may look dim right now, but let's not forget the Galaxy's incredible run to make the postseason that started around the midway point of last season. Who has the potential to make a similar run? Keep on reading to find out.

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