MLS will have a new team in 2015. New York City FC will be majority owned by Premier League Manchester City and partially funded with investment from the New York Yankees. A global sports mega-brand is in the offing.

Read Tuesday's press release here. 

The news has excited football fans all over the world and upset a few, too—especially those who believe the southeast U.S. was more deserving of an expansion MLS franchise than the New York area (consolation may be on the way if David Beckham buys a franchise down that way, of course).

What we know so far is the team will compete for the first time in 2015 and be located inside the five boroughs of New York City. The grand plan is to build a new stadium in New York, but that won't be ready in time for their launch.

"New York City FC is committed to seeking a new permanent stadium in New York," read the statement on that matter. "Until that time, the new team is arranging to play in an interim home beginning in its inaugural MLS season in 2015." 

In the meantime, the speculation begins as to who might be play for the inaugural NYC FC team. You can be sure they'll try and launch with some big names. Here are six who might be considered candidates to do for New York what Beckham did for soccer in L.A.

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Manchester City and the New York Yankees are teaming up in the American soccer market. Their joint venture, New York City Football Club (NYCFC), is set to become Major League Soccer's 20th team, and while that might mean the league now has a super villain, it also means unprecedented investment is heading to MLS.

For that latter part of the equation, NYCFC is good for American soccer, where investment lags far behind both the European game and the traditional American triumvirate of baseball, basketball and football.

MLS announced the news in a press release Tuesday.

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced today that a partnership of global sports powers, Manchester City Football Club and the New York Yankees, has acquired the League’s 20th expansion club. The new team will be named New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and expects to begin play in 2015.

…

Manchester City will be the majority owner of the new Club. As an investor, the Yankees will be an active member of the ownership group.

The Yankees and Manchester City, two of the biggest-spending teams in all of sports, already have a commercial relationship. Both have large fanbases but also often provoke negative reactions from fans.

With 27 World Series titles, the Yankees are the most historically successful team in American professional baseball. Under their late former owner George Steinbrenner, the Yankees outspent opponents and sometimes drew outright hatred from many neutral fans.

Manchester City surged to elite status in the English Premier League with the help of heavy investment from the Abu Dhabi United Group, which bought the club in 2008 (BBC Sport). Since the takeover, City often have simply outspent their rivals in order to attract top talent. The heavy spending and financial losses have drawn criticism.

Such a partnership of obvious villains could alienate some American fans, particularly those who support the Boston Red Sox (the Yankees' main rivals) or Manchester United (City's main rivals). But in American soccer, where investment lags so far behind, the partnership will be positive overall.

Major League Soccer's salary cap currently stands just under $3 million per season—for an entire team (via Soccer America). Compared to the NFL ($123 million, per NFL.com) or the NBA (just over $58 million, per NBA.com), MLS deals in pocket change.

(Major League Baseball does not have a salary cap but charges a luxury tax to big-spending teams. The Yankees, who had a payroll of $222.5 million in 2012, paid a luxury tax of $18.9 million last season, according to CBS New York.)

MLS clubs can circumvent the salary cap partially by using the designated player rule. Introduced ahead of David Beckham's arrival in Los Angeles in 2007, the designated player rule allows MLS clubs to commit only a fraction of a star player's salary toward the salary cap. Clubs currently can sign up to three designated players. For this season's full designated player rules, visit MLSsoccer.com.

Considering the spending habits of its partners, NYCFC will almost certainly take full advantage of the designated player rule. In fact, with all the money potentially available, NYCFC could contend in their debut 2015 season.

Another factor to consider is the draw of New York for overseas players compared to, say, Columbus or Kansas City. With competitive salaries and the backdrop of the Big Apple on offer, world-famous stars based in Europe could feasibly see NYCFC as a realistic option.

That could—maybe will—make NYCFC the team most MLS fans love to hate. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. MLS needs money coming in, and as the press release said, NYCFC is "committed to seeking a new permanent stadium in New York," possibly in Queens.

Whether you love or hate NYCFC, the club figures to provoke strong reactions from most or all American soccer fans. And with heavy investment possible—perhaps even likely—the potential for big-name arrivals could attract an unprecedented number of new casual fans.

Much remains to be decided, and the team has not even played a single match. But once NYCFC begins play in 2015, it's entirely possible to see the landscape of American soccer changing forever.

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Major League Soccer has announced a partnership between English Premier League club Manchester City and Major League Baseball's New York Yankees to create the soccer league's 20th expansion franchise, according to MLSSoccer.com.

The club will be named New York City Football Club, according to the league announcement. 

Manchester City is expected to be the majority owner of the club, but the Yankees will also play a pivotal part in the process, as the team's president, Randy Levine, will have a leadership role with the new club. 

Both powerhouse sports franchises have worked together in the past, developing international entertainment and marketing organization Legends Hospitality.   

New York City FC, which will become an instant crosstown rival to the Eastern Conference-leading New York Red Bulls, is expected to begin play in 2015.  

MLS commissioner Don Garber had the following to say in a statement released by the league (via MLSSoccer.com):

We proudly welcome two of the most prestigious professional global sports organizations to Major League Soccer. This is a transformational development that will elevate the league to new heights in this country. The New York area is home to more than 19 million people, and we look forward to an intense crosstown rivalry between New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls that will captivate this great city.

The club has now begun the search for a venue. According to the announcement, the New York City Football Club will seek an interim stadium for the time being before ultimately finding a permanent venue to call home.

One potential destination for the new club is Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Most sports fans will recognize Flushing Meadows as the annual site of tennis' final Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open.

There are currently 19 clubs in MLS, with the Eastern Conference comprising 10 teams and the Western Conference featuring nine teams. It's not yet known if or how the league will realign to accommodate the new club.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

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This weekend's matches in Major League Soccer contained a six-goal shootout, a clash of the titans and two shocking results.

As a result of all the chaos that took place on the pitches of North America this weekend, this week's power rankings have a new team at the top.

Read on to see what club took away the No. 1 spot from FC Dallas, who had been the top team for five consecutive weeks. 

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If you weren't able to finish all the action in MLS Week 12, no worries. A lot of the players didn’t, either.

There was no shortage of red cards, goals and dramatic finishes in Week 12. Unless, of course, you were in attendance at BMO Field Saturday afternoon. 

Toronto FC fell 1-0 to the Columbus Crew, extending their losing streak to four games. Not to be outdone, Chivas USA extended their winless streak to six games and forced goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to start taking free-kicks in the process.

But a temporary moratorium has been placed on the fault-finding for both clubs by this featured columnist. At least for this week.

So, whose performance was worthy of being mentioned in the best and worst from Week 12? Read on to find out.

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The American soccer scene, at its highest level, is obviously and clearly not up to the level across the Atlantic. The elite players find their way to the European leagues, and that leaves MLS searching for other marketable athletes to fill the ranks.

Without question, MLS has improved over the years, but it was predicated on getting past-their-prime Europeans and young stars before they were discovered by larger clubs.

Keeping top-level American talent at home will not necessarily help U.S. soccer immediately. After all, iron sharpens iron. Having the stars of tomorrow stay at home will help MLS continue to grow and that could pay dividends for U.S. soccer down the road.

So, how do we keep them at home?

There are two big obstacles that leap off the page.

First, the paydays. Top-level talent has the best chance to make a big paycheck in the elite leagues. Those opportunities are not plentiful in MLS. Second, is the players desire to challenge themselves against the best in the world.

The second is harder to convince anyone of at this juncture. It's a hard sell.

How can MLS and U.S. soccer offer top-level American athletes more money to stay? MLS cannot simply skew contracts to the American players.

Are there opportunities to give them sponsorship kickbacks or more sponsorship opportunities? That is a realistic option but not ideal.

Call me a pessimist, but the odds of convincing the best homegrown players to stay is extremely low. The USA is fighting a losing battle in this one right now. The options at the fingertips of those who can attempt to talk the players into staying are slim.

That does not mean we should not try.

There can be creative solutions to the problem. If a solution is fixed, it will help MLS and American soccer in general.

If MLS is to continue its growth and become a top-tier league, it needs to keep its top players in its domestic league. It will make the league more marketable and help enthuse the youth about U.S. soccer.

The residual effect will help U.S. soccer in the future. All positives, but we must solve the riddle to keep players playing at home.

Take to the comments with your thoughts and ideas of how to keep homegrown American talent stateside, or argue that it is better they go across the pond for their careers.

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It has been quite the week for Los Angeles Galaxy and United States midfielder Landon Donovan. 

On Tuesday, it was reported that the 31-year-old would not be a part of Jurgen Klinsmann's plans for the upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Germany as well as the three CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in June (via Los Angeles Times). 

As is the usual with news about Donovan, the reaction surrounding Klinsmann's decision was polarizing to say the least. 

While it now seems like a foregone conclusion that the earliest American fans will see Donovan back with the national team is July's CONCACAF Gold Cup, he must now focus on the task at hand in Major League Soccer with the Galaxy.

Just a day after the announcement was made by Klinsmann, Donovan lit the Philadelphia Union on fire with a stunning performance that included a goal and two assists in the Galaxy's 4-1 win. 

Donovan's impeccable partnership with the forward elevated itself to another level on Wednesday as the two combined on two of the four Galaxy goals in the match. 

The duo also showed signs of their continued dominance without the now-retired David Beckham against Sporting Kansas City on April 20 at the Home Depot Center as they combined on both Galaxy goals in the victory.

If Donovan and Keane are to play at the same rate that they did against Philadelphia and Sporting, the rest of MLS is in for another season of dominance by the Galaxy. 

The two-time defending MLS Cup champions will have Donovan in the squad until at least early July, and even then no one is sure if he will accept the call-up to the tournament where the United States are expected to field their "B" team. 

If Donovan does end up snubbing the national team, and in the process continues the drama-filled run around of words with Klinsmann, the Galaxy could have quite the run of form in the summer. 

Keane, who has retired from international football with the Republic of Ireland, will be in the Galaxy camp all summer alongside Donovan and if the two can do something similar on the pitch to what they did against the Union and Sporting, the Galaxy could end up challenging the record number of points in a season set by the club themselves way back in 1998. 

It is worth pointing out that defender Omar Gonzalez will be playing for the United States in the five upcoming matches in May and June while Mike Magee may get called up for the Gold Cup squad if his current run of form continues. 

Both Magee and Gonzalez have been crucial members of the Galaxy squad for the last few seasons but the scary part about the Galaxy is that they have plenty of depth in case of the possible departures to the international scene. 

The trio of Sean Franklin, Tommy Meyer and A.J. DeLaGarza can easily come in to the vacated spot left open by Gonzalez and the stacked midfield that contains Hector Jimenez, Greg Cochrane and Marcelo Sarvas should be able to fill in for Donovan and Magee, if they were to leave for international duty. 

Regardless of whether Donovan and his teammates head off for the Gold Cup in July, one thing is for sure about their expected play before then—it will put MLS and even Klinsmann on notice that the old Donovan is back for good and a three-peat is in the cards for the Galaxy. 

Follow me on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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If you’re looking to send a message in MLS Week 12, you better put your money where your mouth is. Lord knows the New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy have.

The mid-week action subsided in Week 12, but it did not disappear altogether.

A second-half surge from the Galaxy led to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union Wednesday night. Union head coach Jack Hackworth was looking for respect ahead of LA's visit. His team will have to keep looking for it after conceding three goals in the final 20 minutes at home.

Both teams—along with 16 others—will return to action this weekend.

So, what warrants your attention in Week 12?

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Major League Soccer is just about a third of the way through its 2013 regular-season competition. 

A chunk of matches this size is a decent enough sample to use when trying to determine trends and themes about the league and how the rest of the year might play out. 

Before looking forward, however; its always prudent to look back and discuss what has happened so far.  And in this case, specifically the biggest disappointments.  While there has been plenty of quality both from individuals and overall team performances, there has also been a good amount of letdown. 

The following players and clubs will likely hope to forget how poor they have been so far in Major League Soccer. 

DC United

Last season, manager Ben Olsen was considered one of the hottest young coaches after leading DC United to the Eastern Conference Finals.  That seems like a very, very long time ago for the Black and Red, who have lost seven straight matches in this year's MLS regular season.  They currently sit dead last of the 19 teams in the league and are dealing with a seven-game losing streak.

The issues?  There are many, but poor goalkeeping, errors in the back and a lack of a healthy and productive Dwayne De Rosario are three of the many problems plaguing the hapless United. 

They are not mathematically out of the playoff hunt, per se, but realistically it looks out of the question.  Then again Olsen might simply hope for a victory more than anything else at this point. 

Steven Lenhart and Alan Gordon

It was all about Steven Lenhart and Alan Gordon paving the way for Chris Wondolowski to score goals  in San Jose during last year's Supporters' Shield conquest.  Lenhart and Gordon were playing the game, albeit hard-nosed and physical, with heart and intensity. 

And their soccer was pretty effective, too.

This year, injuries and inexcusable suspensions have seen San Jose's No. 9's spend what seems like more time on the sidelines than on the actual field.  For Gordon, a homophobic slur directed at an opponent landed him a three-game suspension.  And is, frankly, inexcusable. 

Lenhart was forced to sit out two games for unnecessarily raking his cleats across the face of a defender: a dirty and cheap action that is clearly outside the laws of the game.

There is playing hard, playing on the edge and simply crossing the line.  These two have handled themselves just plain poorly.  Hopefully, they will make amends. 

Jose Luis “El Chelís” Sanchez Sola

Chivas USA manager Jose Sanchez, affectionately known as, "El Chelis" has brought fresh tactics to MLS.  Where almost no team plays with three defenders, "El Chelis" has made it clear that he would prefer to get bodies into the attack, rather than focus on defending. 

The offensive gusto sounds nice in theory.  And it certainly was beneficial at the very start of the season.  But not so, as of late, as Chivas find themselves in the cellar of the Western Conference standings.

The wheels appear to be falling off in regards to Chivas' tactics.  Teams' have a good sample of how they play and can plan accordingly: gaps are exposed and weaknesses exploited.  

With stud striker Juan Agudelo recently shipped to New England, it might well be a very long season for Chivas USA.

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This week in Major League Soccer, records were broken and goals upon goals were scored. 

With a slate of six matches played on Wednesday to go along with the usual nine-match slate over the weekend, MLS fans had plenty of action to take in and enjoy. 

The biggest headline from this week's action was the loss at home by the Houston Dynamo for the first time in 36 matches. 

Other headline-makers this week in MLS were the Portland Timbers, who extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches, and D.C. United, who continue to sink to new lows each week.

Read on to find out where each MLS club ranks in this week's edition of the power rankings. 

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