The MLS action in Week 16 was as awe-inspiring as it was disgraceful...and that’s just Kenny Miller.

FC Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez put forth a Herculean effort in a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers on Saturday. The Peruvian international exhibited his world-class ability in each of his seven saves. 

Steven Lenhart returned to his 2012 form for the San Jose Earthquakes. The 26-year-old forward scored his first goal of the season in emphatic fashion.

But neither player was able to make the list of best and worst from MLS Week 16.

Read on to find out who did.

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The US Open Cup is the domestic cup tournament in the United States, a single-game knockout competition only followed by hardcore soccer supporters in America. I love Cup competition and think there's an inherent excitement in them, so, to get others on board, here are three things that can be done to increase viewership.

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As always, the most recent round in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup featured plenty of great action, goals and surprising results.

Some teams undoubtedly took the tournament more seriously than others, and some lower-division players made their marks by getting on the scoresheet or putting on a solid defensive showing.

Let's examine the three biggest things we learned from the fourth round.

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When you only have five matches to choose from over a weekend, it's not easy to come up with a whole bunch of teams to put on upset alert.

Sometimes, you have to really stretch the meaning of the word "upset."

Which is what I've done for this weekend's matches in MLS.

Upset Alert #1: D.C. United v. Toronto

It's really a stretch to call either team winning this match an upset. Considering they have two wins between them in the league this season, the word for either team winning this match would probably be "shocking," "unbelievable" or "miraculous."

However, I will put D.C. on upset alert due to the fact that they will be feeling pretty good about themselves after their 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night. Dwayne De Rosario's hat trick in that game was 1 more goal than DC scored in the entire month of May, unless you count the penalty kicks in their game against the Richmond Kickers in the third round of the Open Cup.

Toronto, on the other hand, has not played since June 1—a 1-1 home draw with Philadelphia. They've also scored twice as many goals in league play as D.C. United. That's not saying much, considering D.C. only has six goals.

Upset Alert #2: Portland v. Dallas

Front-running Dallas should be on upset alert when they visit the Rose City on Saturday.

While both clubs posted clean sheets in the fourth round of Open Cup play, Dallas shouldn't let the fact they knocked off Houston go to their heads. Houston's substitute-heavy lineup didn't really stand much of a chance. First-choice goalkeeper Tally Hall was among the spectators at FC Dallas Stadium for Houston's 3-0 defeat.

Thoughts? Think I'm loony? Let me know in the comments.

Follow @FntnCitySoccer

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Teams will need to deliver more than pizza in MLS Week 16. Crucial points are on the line.

Ten teams returned to action on Wednesday. Five advanced to the quarterfinal of the U.S. Open Cup with victories. Inclement weather forced the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew to postpone their match to Thursday afternoon.

The MLS action continues this weekend with five matches scheduled for Saturday night. But what warrants your attention in Week 16?

Read on to find out.

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For those unfamiliar with the 100 year old competition, the US Open Cup is the oldest ongoing soccer competition in the United States. It's similar in format to many of the more well known cup competitions, such as the FA Cup and Copa del Rey. In short, it's a knockout tournament where losing one game means you're out.

The third round, which took place two weeks ago, pitted all 16 stateside MLS teams against opponents from lower leagues in the US soccer pyramid. As always, there were some upsets, with LA Galaxy, San Jose, Seattle and Colorado losing to clubs farther down the food chain.

Some teams take this competition more seriously than others, but along with it comes $250,000 and a place in next year's CONCACAF Champions League.

The fourth round, which will take place on June 12, will feature 8 matches, and I'll be predicting the result of each. Starting now.

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While it may have been a short weekend in Major League Soccer with just five matches played, fans of the league did have plenty to talk about when the matches ended. 

In four of the five matches this week, more than three goals were scored and plenty of late-match heroics were shown as well.

Read on to find out where your favorite club sits in this week's power rankings. 

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Less was more in MLS Week 15. Especially in Seattle.

A total of nine teams were idle this weekend. Unfortunately, DC United and the New England Revolution weren't among them. They might as well have been. The two played to a scoreless draw at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

But how did the other active teams fare this week? Was it worthy of being mentioned in the best and worst from MLS Week 15?

Read on to find out.

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Just hours before the weekend began, the San Jose Earthquakes announced that they were going to part ways with longtime manager Frank Yallop, per sjearthquakes.com. 

In a statement released by Yallop through the club, it was learned that the decision was made between himself, club president Dave Kaval and general manager John Doyle. 

“Dave, John and I met earlier this week and we mutually agreed that it was time for the club and me to move in different directions..... The ownership group has been very supportive during my time here. I would also like to thank Dave and John for all their efforts to help me put the best team on the field, while also building a professional atmosphere for both players and staff." 

-Statement from Frank Yallop via sjearthquakes.com (June 7, 2013)

Yallop had been with San Jose since 2008 when the club was reborn in Major League Soccer after the previous franchise under the same name moved to Houston in 2006.

Last season was the most successful season of Yallop's managerial reign, as he led the Earthquakes to the Supporters' Shield title. The 2012 edition of the club also reached the semifinals of the Western Conference playoffs before they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Galaxy.  

This season, Yallop's Earthquakes side has failed to produce a strong spell of results, with three wins and six draws spread sporadically between six losses. 

Recently, the Earthquakes have lost three of their last four matches, including Saturday's loss to Real Salt Lake that saw the club get outplayed for an entire 90 minutes. 

With Yallop now out as manager, Mark Watson will take over as interim manager. Watson was an assistant on Yallop's staff and will be in charge of the club for the remainder of the season. 

Watson's first chance to right the ship in San Jose will come on June 15 when the Earthquakes visit Dick's Sporting Goods Park to play the Colorado Rapids. 

With his departure, Yallop became the second reigning Coach of the Year winner in a major American sports league to be let go this week. George Karl of the NBA's Denver Nuggets was let go earlier this week. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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World Cup qualifying will dominate the headlines come Friday, but don’t neglect MLS Week 15. Lord knows Seattle won’t.

Two teams were in action Wednesday night, but if you look at the scoreboard, it was really only one. The Philadelphia Union defeated the Columbus Crew 3-0 at PPL Park. The victory lifted the Union into a tie for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Not much action will follow this weekend. Only four matches are scheduled for Saturday, but we still managed to extract the five things that warrant your attention.

Read on to find out what they are.

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