MLS News
Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA: 10 Bold Predictions
MLS News
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 22:08

On Saturday, May 19, Los Angeles's very own football derby begins anew with the first round of the 2012 Honda SuperClasico between Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy and Robin Fraser's Chivas USA.

Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. Here are 10 things to watch out for in this matchup this weekend.

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MLS Weekly Power Rankings: New York Red Bulls Continue to Surprise
MLS News
Monday, 14 May 2012 08:55

Theirry Henry is more than just the best player for the New York Red Bulls. He's the team's leader. He's the Red Bulls' general. And he's the face of the franchise.

But right now, the Red Bulls are winning without their best player, and it's been great to watch the fight the team has. 

Another team grinding out results is Real Salt Lake (no surprise there). The Royals went into Seattle and showed what they're made of. 

 

1. Real Salt Lake (8-3-1, 26 pts.) - Real Salt Lake shows up for the big games. Not many teams will go into Seattle and hold the Sounders scoreless like RSL did.

2. Seattle Sounders (7-2-1, 19 pts.) - Losing at home is a shocker for Seattle against any opponent. 

3. San Jose Earthquakes (7-2-1, 22 pts.) - Drawing with Chivas was a tough blow for San Jose as it tried to surpass Real Salt Lake to get the top spot in the West again.

4. New York Red Bulls (7-3-1, 22 pts.) - The Patrick Ewing Theory is alive and well in New York. 

5. Vancouver Whitecaps (5-3-2, 17 pts.) - Vancouver got run off the field by New England on Saturday, but Martin Rennie admitted to leaving veteran players behind on the short week. The loss will be forgotten if the Whitecaps can beat Toronto on Wednesday in the Canadian Cup Final.

6. Sporting Kansas City (7-3-0, 21 pts.) - The unstoppable juggernaut that was Sporting Kansas City has now lost three in a row.

7. Houston Dynamo (3-2-2, 11 pts.) - The opening of  BBVA Compass Field got a good show from the home side. 

8. D.C. United (5-4-3, 18 pts.) - Let's be honest, D.C. United never had a chance going into Houston for the unveiling of the Dynamo's new stadium.

9. Chicago Fire (4-2-2, 14 pts.) - Chicago is showing the kind of form it had at the end of last season and almost sneaked into the playoffs. Beating Kansas City was a big lift for the Fire.

10. Montreal Impact (3-5-3, 12 pts.) - David Beckham's free kick kept Montreal from getting three important points at home.

11. New England Revolution (4-6-0, 12 pts.) - Lee Nguyen stole the show, but it was a total team effort from the Revolution on Saturday night to dismantle a strong Whitecaps team.

12. Colorado Rapids (5-5-0, 15 pts.) - Colorado gets to make the journey to RFK Stadium on Wednesday after getting the weekend off. 

13. Columbus Crew (3-4-2, 11 pts.) - The Crew came back and beat a struggling FC Dallas side. 

14. Los Angeles Galaxy (3-5-2, 11 pts.) - The Galaxy should be thanking big, bad Beckham today for his free kick.

15. Chivas USA (3-6-1, 10 pts.) - Getting a point from San Jose was a nice boost for the Goats.

16. FC Dallas (3-6-3, 12 pts.) - Dallas made a meal of this week. Losing to the Crew was the tougher of the loss, though.

17. Portland Timbers (2-5-2, 8 pts.) - Portland needed the time off to continue to figure things out. Going to Houston on Tuesday won't be easy, though.

18. Philadelphia Union (2-6-1, 7 pts.) - Freddy Adu put on a great show until he was shown a red card. The youth revolution in Philadelphia is not turning out the way a lot of people expected.

19. Toronto FC (0-8-0, 0 pts.) - The Canadian Cup Final on Wednesday is a must-win.

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MLS: 5 Players Who Will Be Vying for the Scoring Title This Season
MLS News
Sunday, 13 May 2012 19:53

With a third of the 2012 Major League Soccer campaign complete, a number of familiar faces are atop the goal-scoring chart. But which one of these grizzled veterans will have what it takes to be on top at the end of the season?

Let’s take a look at five most likely players to win the MLS Golden Boot in 2012.

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Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: Rating David Beckham's Performance
MLS News
Saturday, 12 May 2012 17:50

Sad to say, this performance came one week too late. But it sure was miles ahead of the gong show that was the match with the New York Red Bulls at the Home Depot Center on Cinco De Mayo.

Midfielder David Beckham may have been all but cut from the roster of Team Great Britain, but he proved that he can still finish when he gets an opportunity to do so.

Just past the hour mark, Beckham gets a set piece from 20 yards out. Picking his spot, his volley bends past the wall, beats Donovan Ricketts and hits the top right corner to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-1 draw with the Impact at Stade Olympique.

It should be noted that Beckham had 10 corners to work with compared to Montreal's two. And the Impact were conceding a lot of set piece opportunities. Montreal should be thankful the damage was not worse than it could have been, because the Galaxy, for the most part, still couldn't find someone to finish those long balls.

Never mind that Ricketts, a former Galaxy netminder, had plenty to do with Beckham being held at bay. The Big Cat from Montego Bay made six saves on the night, and a number of those were on LA's No. 23.

But when all is said and done, it is certain that David Beckham did leave Montreal fans impressed. Many were applauding the goal, and it's those fans who can say "Hey, I got to see David Beckham score in his signature fashion, just like in LA, just like in Manchester, just like in Madrid and Milan and all points in between."

So to the Montreal sporting public—all 60,000-plus on hand to witness this occasion—I say to you, enjoy this match for what it was. It may have only ended in a draw, but this could potentially be the last ever time you get to see David Beckham score on your Montreal Impact as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Aside from the goal and his orchestration of LA's attack, Beckham's stamina and ability to disrupt play defensively shows why he is my man of the match for the Galaxy against the Impact on Saturday.

Rating: 7/10

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Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: Rating the Galaxy Players
MLS News
Saturday, 12 May 2012 17:36

The Los Angeles Galaxy saw their winless streak extend to four matches after drawing 1-1 with the Montreal Impact at Stade Olympique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Davy Arnaud opened up the scoring in the eighth minute of play for Montreal but it was David Beckham who salvaged a point for the Galaxy in the 61st minute of play.

With the draw, the Galaxy improve to 3-5-2 but find their road back to contention a little bit more difficult as they prepare next week for Chivas USA. Here are the player ratings for the Los Angeles Galaxy against Montreal.

 

Brian Perk: 4.5

Gets negative points for failing to stop Arnaud early in the first half but otherwise had very little to do in the match, aside from one save.

 

A.J. DeLaGarza: 6

A.J. DeLaGarza has been one of the more consistent center-backs, and he had another typical performance in the back line for L.A. Made his sweeps and cut out a number of opportunities for the Impact attack.

 

Sean Franklin: 5

Was in on a number of offensive sequences and helped deliver some chances to Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan.

 

Todd Dunivant: 5

Decent outing from the Iron Man. Nothing too remarkable to see here.

 

Kyle Nakazawa: 3

Was completely nonexistent this match and never got a good touch. Subbing him out for Pat Noonan proved to be a godsend.

 

Michael Stephens: 2

Headless chicken play has been Michael Stephens' calling card, and he did not acquit himself today in Montreal.

 

Dan Keat: 1

Let's face it, folks. Dan Keat is not a center-back. He is a midfielder, period. Keat unimpressed today, and he knows it. Worst player on the pitch for the Galaxy against Montreal as he was responsible for failing to mark Arnaud.

 

David Beckham: 7

Man of the Match for sparing L.A. some Galaxy-sized blushes on the road with a signature free kick. Also had an embarrassment of set pieces but was held at bay by Donovan Ricketts.

 

Juninho: 4

Struggled to get some decent touches and lost the ball one too many times. Had to be subbed for Marcelo Sarvas.

 

Robbie Keane: 5

While he matches up better with Donovan, Robbie Keane didn't have a lot of touches and shots to work with. Quiet day from the Irishman.

 

Landon Donovan: 5.5

Donovan needed to be onsides on a number of his chances so that his player rating would be higher. Needless to say, he matches better up top with Keane.

 

Pat Noonan: 5

Noonan and Magee gave the Galaxy a couple of competent flankers, and he was instrumental in creating some scoring opportunities in the second half.

 

Mike Magee: 6

A true gamechanger, Magee's presence not only elicited improved play from the Galaxy, but a few flashes of a certain Argentinean playing for FC Barcelona.

 

Marcelo Sarvas: 5

An upgrade from Juninho. Got forward and pressured the Impact's back line. Improved performance from Sarvas.

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Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: 6 Things We Learned
MLS News
Saturday, 12 May 2012 17:03

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy ended their two-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw on the road against the Montreal Impact at Stade Olympique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

With the draw, the Galaxy improve to 3-5-2 (11 points) on the season but remain near the bottom of the Major League Soccer Western Conference standings.

Here are six things we learned from Saturday afternoon's contest in La Belle Province.

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MLS: 10 Key Matchups to Watch This Weekend
MLS News
Friday, 11 May 2012 10:46

Football is winding down in England, Spain and Germany, but Major League Soccer is just hitting its stride. For all you Europhiles in the States, it's time to get wrapped up in the local version of the game.

We've got Lee Nguyen facing the team that cut him earlier this season, Rafa Marquez trying to keep hold of his demons, and a game that might benefit from the institution of a mercy rule.

Here are 10 key matchups to watch this weekend in MLS.

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MLS Transfer Rumors: Alessandro Nesta and 5 Aging Stars Poised for a Move to MLS
MLS News
Friday, 11 May 2012 07:34

Ever since David Beckham made the move from Real Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy at the age of 32 to see out the rest of his career, it has become in vogue for stars who can no longer compete at the highest level to move across the pond.

Some of the game’s greatest players over the past decade have followed the trendsetting Beckham, including Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Torsten Frings and Robbie Keane. It is an excellent way for them to remain playing, holding on to hopes of once again representing their national side as well as giving the MLS the much-needed star power to expand its brand.

There is little to suggest that this kind of transaction will stop any time soon. Changes in the rules in 2010 expanded the “designated player” options that currently allow teams to fund these transfers. Come this summer, we are likely to hear some once-superstar names come up in conversations about being the latest to make the move to the MLS.

Here are five of the biggest who could make America home to their swansong.

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Chicago Fire to Take on Sporting Kansas City After Tying with Real Salt Lake
MLS News
Thursday, 10 May 2012 22:56

The Chicago Fire completed their second of three games in 11 nights after tying with Real Salt Lake 0-0 on Wednesday.

At halftime, the Fire inducted former star and current Real Salt Lake assistant coach C.J. Brown into the "Ring of Fire" during an emotional ceremony. Brown held back tears of joy during his speech.

The game also featured marvelous defense that won over the praise of Fire coach Frank Klopas.

“As a team we didn’t give anything away and we were good defensively,” Klopas said during his postgame press conference.

When speaking about the match ending in a tie, Klopas spoke of cautious optimism:

“Overall, I was happy with the team’s performance. It would be great to get three points. But in games like this, when you get those opportunities, you have to make them finish because you’re not going to get too many.”

Klopas was aware of the battle that they just had with the team with the best record in Major League Soccer. He is also aware of the team that they will be facing tomorrow when the Eastern Conference-leading Sporting Kansas City invades Toyota Park.

Sporting Kansas City comes to town on a two-game losing streak. With losses to both Montreal and Portland, Sporting Kansas City has not scored a goal since their 3-1 win in Vancouver on April 18.

If the Fire picks up a win, it will move them closer to Sporting Kansas City in the standings.

Ernest Shepard is an Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand.

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Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Montreal Impact: Analysis, Reaction and More
MLS News
Thursday, 10 May 2012 15:12

Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy return to action on Saturday afternoon when they face Jesse Marsch’s Montreal Impact at the Stade Olympique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Currently, the Galaxy have a record of 3-5-1 (10 points) and are struggling to get results early in the season. As for the Impact, they are having a relatively decent inaugural year, earning a record of 3-5-2 (11 points). However, they are coming off a 2-0 defeat to Toronto FC in the Amway Canadian Championship and will need to bounce back from this setback against a Galaxy team also in desperate need of a result.

With a full house expected on Saturday, the biggest question of the day will be: "Which LA Galaxy team will show up?"  Will it be the team that played gong show soccer against New York, or the team that was in fine form last season?

Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00PT/4:00ET and will be televised locally by KDOC and KWHY. Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2012 Major League Soccer season and all things world football.

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