Another year of Major League Soccer is dawning on the world. It seems as if the Los Angeles Galaxy lifted the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, that chalice of footballing glory in the United States and Canada, only yesterday.

But yesterday seems like two months ago, and a clean slate awaits the defending MLS Cup and Supporters Shield holders. Now L.A. finds itself in a race with 18 other teams hunting for hardware, the newest side being the Montreal Impact, who have an intention of living up to their moniker.

As part of Bleacher Report's continuing coverage of the 2012 MLS season, we bring you the preseason power rankings for the league's 17th season. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

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After a busy 2012 MLS SuperDraft, this article takes a look back at the best players to come into Major League Soccer from the NCAA ranks.  

Some teams place very little importance to this drafting process and the quality that can be gained from subsequent drafting. This article will give a little life to this process and show just how important a good draft can be to the success of an MLS franchise.  

Counting down the best MLS picks of the past decade.

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After a few terrible seasons without any real quality in the full-back positions, Toronto has locked up a mainstay starter to secure this position.  

Last season, English full-back Richard Eckersley was signed on loan from League Championship side Burnley.  In his first season with The Reds, Eckersley showed competence at right-back, a desire to push forward and attack from the back, as well as great heart and desire on the pitch.  

However, after finally finding the right-back the team needed, it became evident that retaining Eckersley from his loaner team would not be an easy task due to finances and league policies.  In fact, there were several instances in this short offseason where it appeared as though this signing would not be possible.  

On Thursday, January 26, Toronto FC officially announced the re-signing of the former Manchester United youth defender Richard Eckersley.  

At only 22 years of age, Eckersley holds and has already proven a great deal of potential to be successful in the MLS.  Both team and fans alike can breathe one deep sigh of relief that this deal has been finalized.  Per Toronto FC, club manager and technical director Aron Winter stated:

“Signing Richard was a very high offseason priority, our team has worked tirelessly to ensure he would be returning. This signing represents another successful step in our off season progress as a club. Richard is an important player for our club. We know our fans will be excited to see Richard on the pitch.”

No contract information has been released to date, but this is a permanent move to secure Eckersley.

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Maybe because when you think soccer, you think David Beckham.

And when you think golf, you think Tiger Woods.

However, it's not just in the sporting sense that Woods and Beckham compare. They have both succeeded and suffered in their careers very similarly.  

Woods was rising as the best golfer in the world, winning his first Masters Tournament in 1997 and PGA Championship in 1999.

Meanwhile, across the pond, Beckham helped Manchester United become the first team to ever win the coveted treble—winning the English Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League—during the 1998-99 season. 

And from that success came the usual: money, fame, endorsements, notoriety. Both Woods and Beckham rode their success to levels not seen by many before. 

While still in Manchester United, Beckham signed a three-year extension in 2002 worth £90,000 a week. The contract made him the highest-paid player in the world at the time. 

Around the same time, Woods was raking in the dough from his PGA Championships. He started the new millennium collecting just over $9 million in PGA prize money. Since then Woods has collected over $10 million in PGA prize money three different times—2005, 2007 and 2009.

Beckham's popularity and demand continued to grow, signing for what has been considered one of the most expensive soccer clubs in history—Real Madrid—with a £24.5 million transfer fee.

Four years later, after Beckham's contract was up in Spain in 2007, he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy for a five-year $35 million contract.

Even with the success both Woods and Beckham have been able to create, everyone falls from the top at some point, and it was the same for these two celebrity athletes.

Beckham's biggest downfall was during the 1998 World Cup playing for England. He was red-carded and ejected in the second-round match versus Argentina, which England eventually lost in a penalty-kick shootout. Fans and media alike blamed Beckham for the loss, which led to harsh criticism and death threats. 

However, the Englishman's redemption came several years later in the last game of the 2002 World Cup qualifiers against Greece. Beckham's signature free kick in the waning moments of the match helped England seal the single point needed to qualify outright to the 2002 World Cup.

Woods' fall from grace was far more turbulent, all stemming from a reported accident during the Thanksgiving weekend of 2009. His incident opened the door to reveal Woods' infidelity to his wife, Elin, in a string of affairs linking up to a dozen women.

Woods was severely bashed for his infidelities. He lost several endorsement deals, including Gatorade. Eventually the scandal forced Woods to remove himself from golf and the public eye for some time. Not even Beckham's nanny scandal while playing in Spain was as bad as what Woods went through in the U.S.  

Unlike Beckham, Woods hasn't had an iconic, ceremonious return to the hearts of fans. The golfer returned to the game in April of 2010, placing fourth in the 2010 Masters Tournament, and has slipped down the world rankings since, going down to the mid-50s but rising again to No. 25.

After winning the 2011 MLS Cup, Beckham recently signed a two-year $15 million extension with the LA Galaxy. Meanwhile, Woods will be competing at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, which comes with a guaranteed appearance fee of $1.5 million.

Of course, it is endorsements and ad revenue that make these two hot commodities, and Woods and Beckham take advantage of it better than anyone.

Watch company Rolex locked Woods into a multi-year contract as an ambassador late in 2011 – it was the first major deal since his fiasco. Beckham is also reaping the rewards of being a soccer icon, working a deal with Armani for its underwear line.

As you can see, about 15 or so years after starting their pro careers, Tiger Woods and David Beckham still follow a similar path. Both are trying to maintain the success, wealth and fame after they made their names not just recognizable in the golf and soccer world, but instead a worldwide brand.

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Get ready to be “blamed,” American soccer fans, if Jürgen Klinsmann “fails.”  He is definitely “our guy.” 

Other columnists patronized those of us who go on the blogs screaming for Bob Bradley’s proverbial head after the World Cup, mostly supporting Klinsmann.  If we do not succeed at the next World Cup (and “succeed” and “fail” are wiggle words for sports politicians and their supporters in the American soccer media), prepare for the status quo salivating to blame us for wanting Jürgen.

The truth of the matter is Jürgen is already behind the eight-ball, he should have been hired a year ago.  Not only did this happen at least one year too late (I would argue Bradley should have been fired after choking a two-goal lead to Brazil in the Confederations Cup Final), the youth program is a complete mess, nowhere near the level of where it needs to be, clearly not as promising as Mexico’s. 

The lost year compared to other programs can be recovered to a point.  Argentina is going to have to do that.  But America’s youth program is nowhere near as good as Argentina’s.  Most of our national youth coaches have been let go.  (So much for “Project 2010.”)

The only silver lining to this situation is, if Klinsmann gets the power he claimed he needed, he can start completely over, hire his guys for the other coaching spots.  He is trapped in the proverbial “no-man’s-land.”  Three years may not be enough time to revamp the youth program, even though that is the primary qualification many of us use to tout Jürgen, and keeping coaches past one World Cup cycle simply doesn’t work most of the time.  Just look at Bob Bradley and Bruce Arena. 

The real point is Sunil Gulati refused to give Klinsmann the power he needed the two previous times the job was available, and it’s not certain Klinsmann has the power he thinks he needs now.  If sports fans are going to tear into MLB Commissioner Bud Selig for letting the McCourt family buy the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first place, we must criticize 100 times more Sunil Gulati’s decision not to fire Bradley when he had the chance to a year ago.

To me, the “power” issue is silly.  Gulati is not a coach, and frankly, not a good administrator.  The New England Revolution (which Gulati also runs) is so poorly run, their fans are trying to organize to buy out the team to fire him. 

Gulati’s greatest value to Major League Soccer is the power he has running the United States Soccer Federation, where he can use his clout to prevent promotion and relegation.  It is the USSF, not MLS, that decides if MLS gets sanctioning. 

Gulati’s two jobs are a clear conflict of interest the American soccer media never talks about, one that would never be accepted in serious sports leagues.  Imagine Roger Goodell working for the New York Giants.  Bud Selig had to put his ownership stake in the Milwaukee Brewers in a trust.  Why do we allow this for American soccer?

The correct way to address the “power” issue is not having Gulati control everything.  It’s not giving Klinsmann a “blank check.”  It’s giving Klinsmann anything he wants but tell him that Gulati has direct authority to fire him at any time.  That’s how you do it.  Klinsmann should be under pressure, that’s the nature of the business.  Why shouldn’t it be otherwise?

If Klinsmann wants to improve American soccer, not only does he need to talk about revamping the USSF in terms of revamping the youth system, which frankly makes soccer “the rich kids’ sport” when it’s the “poor kids’ sport” elsewhere, he had to be an advocate for changing our domestic league. 

America cannot ever become a serious threat to win World Cups until we have a domestic system that has the continual pressures that promotion and relegation bring.  It’s not just the lack of superclubs that scare away American soccer players to other countries where maybe they play, maybe they don’t, since developing the American soccer program is not the concern of foreign club coaches. 

It’s the lack of professional teams in lower tiers that MLS causes with their “single-entity” control of American pro soccer that is killing development.

It’s not that a “foreign” coach is better than American coaches just because they are foreigners.  It’s that American coaches are not coaching in leagues with the different pressures of promotion and relegation.  If Bob Bradley had been an assistant at a major foreign club before he was hired as our national coach, that would have been greatly helpful for him.  Same with any other American coach.

The reason we don’t see more “major” soccer teams is the marriage of MLS’ deliberate controls with FIFA’s limit of 20 teams in the top tier.  Why do you think MLS is so desperate to get the New York Cosmos to pay $100 million in expansion fees to join them as the potential 20th team? 

This is why many top 50 media markets don’t even bother trying to field a team. They will permanently be “minor league” no matter what.  FIFA won’t be changing the rules for the “Peter Pan” of global football.  Nor should they.

Qatar, South Africa, Japan (whose women’s team beat us from a semipro league), all have “pro-rel,” but MLS fanboy is conditioned to think like a “trained flea” that “the infrastructure is not there yet” for pro-rel in America.  Rubbish. 

Qatar has two tiers of 12 teams.  A league of 16 teams, playing from late February to August can work in NFL venues and major college venues, could play a 30-game season easy. 

No need for taxpayers to buy “soccer specific stadiums,” just work with local governments and sports commissions on rent abatements and a little infrastructure.  Outdoor venues could roll out either an artificial turf system for soccer or a modular grass system, then change to artificial turf for football. 

Indoor venues would change over with two turf system, just like at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Washington, D.C. actually has to have a new stadium (RFK needs to be dynamited and rebuilt; it really is that bad), but not many other major cities do.  Most major cities could field teams in a few years without taxpayers building new venues.

If there was a “compromise” pro-rel system, one with two tiers of pro-rel for “major” markets and a more regionalized one in “minor” markets, it would revolutionize American sports. 

Start this in 2019, give everyone plenty of time.  Set a limit for the second tier at 12 teams starting out and only relegate two teams each year.  Force local governments to suddenly want to “play ball” because it is much less expensive to start a second-tier team this way than $100 million to play in stadiums that don’t sell out.  

Start adding teams to the second tier after a few years slowly until they get to 20.  Cities that get involved early will be rewarded, and MLS teams will get a huge head start.  How is that "unfair" for MLS teams?  

If people want to scoff at this, go ahead.  But keep in mind that FIFA gave us the 1994 World Cup on a promise to bring a top-tier league to America, and 17 years later, we still haven’t joined the adult football world, and now said, we won’t for the “foreseeable future.” 

If you don’t want pro-rel, fine, just don’t ask taxpayers to build stadiums for you and don’t expect FIFA to give us any more World Cups until we do.  Deeds, not words.

Unless Klinsmann has the guts to challenge the status quo here, not much is going to be accomplished.  His talk of “upside-down pyramid” would be fraudulent.

The other issue Klinsmann talked about in the past is the youth system.  Mainly, reaching out to the inner cities.  Futsal programs should be the way to go to introduce the game.  No, we don’t need perfectly manicured soccer pitches.  Frankly, the travelling teams and overpriced academies are hurting us, driving a lot of African-American kids out of this game.  

No wonder many "soccer kids" end up playing high school football and basketball. We don’t value high school soccer programs (don't forget taxpayers already pay many billions for high schools) and how they could help soccer development (soccer attendance is awful) due to dependence on these academies. 

Unless the academies are directly run by a professional team, we should not depend on them. Without a local pro team running an academy, high school coaches should be running the middle and elementary school programs, just like high school football.

Colleges are also a problem in soccer development.  Colleges are for “late bloomers” and really should be playing in the spring and summer like college baseball. Colleges would be of better use in having physical education programs improving their soccer coaching courses.

The real question is why Gulati failed to do this a year ago.  This clearly is to protect his own job.  But it shouldn’t.  He failed with the World Cup bid, foolishly kept Bob Bradley way too long and used his position to hold down growth in professional soccer with his conflict of interest.  Gulati and his mentality is the problem with American soccer.

The shame is if Klinsmann is serious about really changing American soccer; the next natural job for him is president of the USSF, which he can’t run for because conveniently that office is up for election months before the World Cup, not after.  

The election needs to be changed so after the 2014 World Cup. Klinsmann could step down as national coach and get "promoted" to president, where he can really do positive change for American soccer.

Ultimately, when Jürgen Klinsmann is at his press conference, he needs to be asked what power he actually has.  Does he think MLS is fine as it is, or that the youth program is fine as it is?  If he says “yes” to either question, he’s a fraud. 

I hope he truly “gets it”—no amount of change at his job alone will change anything long-term.  He needs to really speak out on changing our sport from the “rich kids’ game” to the “poor kids’ game” and phasing out the single-entity of MLS a high priority.  And we would need to unite and support him. 

Jürgen, at Monday's press conference you will have the most “power” you will ever have to start a real change in the perceptions and realities of American soccer.  Please don’t throw it away.

(Dennis Justice is running a “citizen-campaign” for President of the United States Soccer Federation.  His website is www.dennisjustice.com)

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Bruce Arena’s Los Angeles Galaxy will look to end July with a bang when they begin the first of two road games in the Pacific Northwest against Tom Soehn’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, July 30.

The Galaxy currently sport a 11-2-9 record (42 points, first in MLS Western Conference) and, with the best record in the league, face a Vancouver Whitecaps outfit that is down on their luck with a record of 2-10-9 (15 points), good enough for the worst record in the league.

It’s a David vs. Goliath matchupat Empire Field in Vancouver, British Columbia—except that Goliath will come in undermanned. David Beckham and Chris Birchall will be sitting one out due to suspension. Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Eric Hassli and Camilo are two players that could deliver a potential upset for the ages.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel and TSN.

Keep it here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2011 Major League Soccer season.

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David Beckham is one of the most legendary figures in sports history. He brings more than the full package to the table, containing all the characteristics a simple soccer fan like me yearns for.

His presence can be felt by ladies hundreds of miles away. His personality leaves television stations desperate for an interview any chance they get.

Finally, his precision and swagger with a soccer ball at his feet inspires kids to shoot 25-yard free kicks before they even learn how to walk. With no offense to Mr. Dos Equis, he is the most interesting man in the world.

All of his characteristics made me stay thirsty for the 2011 MLS All-Star game, as it was a perfect opportunity to compare Beckham with his younger Manchester United reflections.

However, I must say my expectations were not sky-high coming into the game. After all, in the previous four MLS seasons, Beckham had made just one All-Star appearance and in the past had made a habit of getting injured in meaningless games or friendlies.

This being said, I expected nothing more than a 30-45 minute cautious cameo for the fragile figure.

Fortunately, I got a lot more than that.

Beckham put on a show for the full 90 minutes, constantly sending beautiful balls over the top to the strikers or having a go himself from distance. He wore the captain’s armband, ran back on defense, sent in dangerous corners, all to my and Manchester United’s surprise.

He played harder than I have ever seen Beckham play since arriving in the US and all for one reason: to represent England one more time.

It was quite easy to discover Beckham’s unprecedented motivation for this friendly when you realize the situation. After a few years of discouraging football over the Atlantic, Beckham finally had the chance to prove his worth on the biggest stage against the biggest English team.

To him, this game wasn’t the ordinary “Bend in a few kicks and leave” type friendly. This was a primetime game to showcase his talents and confirm that an England call up had just as much relevance now as it did 10 years ago.

He completed the most passes, covered the most ground, and was the most dangerous man on the pitch for most of Wednesday night.  The 2011 MLS All-Star game, was more than just a game for the most interesting man in the world.

With Beckham’s MLS contract done at the end of the 2011 season, last night could have been the start of a new chapter for the English legend: A chapter that contains the revival of a global superstar on the International stage.

If one thing is for sure, it is that Beckham would play harder than any other current English international if he were given one more chance by Fabio Capello.

So here is my advice for the day, Mr. Capello: Don’t judge a book by its cover, judge it by its ink. And man, does David Beckham have more than enough ink to make it worth your while. 

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The MLS All-Stars met Manchester United for the second straight year in the MLS All-Star Game and for the second straight game they were defeated.

Last year, Manchester United won by a score of 5-2 and they repeated that effort this year with a 4-0 victory.

The Red Devils dominated for nearly the entire match and gave up few scoring chances. The MLS failed to capitalize on the few scoring chances they had and were blanked on the scoreboard.

The All-Stars thought they could compete with United, but that was clearly not the case; so what did we learn form the 2011 MLS All-Star Game?

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The Major League Soccer All-Star Game outing for Real Salt Lake defender Jamison Olave ended in the 32nd minute when he was injured while sliding in to defend a ball at midfield.

After executing a good sliding tackle to stop a ball on the ground intended for Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, Olave jumped up to play the ball and seemed to have felt the pain at that time as he fell back to the turf.

Initial reports on the ESPN2 broadcast indicated that he suffered a mild left knee sprain.

In what might be a bit of good news, Olave walked off of the field on his own, and remained on the bench rather than going to the locker room. He will be evaluated by team doctors when he returns to Utah.

Although it is an honor to be selected to participate in the All-Star game, the risk of injury for players is a fear that players, coaches, and fans have as they play.

For Real Salt Lake, if the injury to last year's MLS Defender of the Year causes him to miss any time with the club, it will be another in a line of injuries they have dealt with this season.

Early in the season, midfielder Javier Morales went down with a broken ankle after a cheap tackle from Marcos Mondaini of Chivas USA. His return this season is questionable.

Forward Paulo Jr. has also missed significant time due to injury.

If Olave is unable to play, fellow defender Chris Schuler will no doubt take his place in the central defense. Shuler has played very well in the opportunities he has had this season, but the team will miss Olave's size, speed, and presence along the back line.

The rest of the game was uneventful for fans of Major League Soccer as the All-Stars endured another embarrassing match at the hands of Manchester United. The result was a 4-0 loss for MLS, and the first time the team has failed to score in an All-Star game.

The brightest moment of the night was a surprise entrance into the match of American soccer legend and 19 year veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller in the 83rd minute. Keller was named to the All-Star team First XI players but was not expected to be available due to playing a CONCACAF match in Panama the previous night.

Real Salt Lake and the rest of Major League Soccer now returns to regular season play. Hopefully Olave will not miss any matches due to this injury.

Chris Johstoneaux is a Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @JazzRSLExaminer.

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As the 2011 MLS All-Star Game came to a close, Manchester United walked off the field triumphant and satisfied, having walloped the MLS All-Stars for the second consecutive season, to the tune of four goals to nil.

The game proved to be excellent practice and a significant morale booster for Manchester United, who continue to have an excellent preseason, and was no doubt exciting for neutral fans looking for a high scoring, fast action game.

But for fans of the MLS, the game was undoubtedly rather disappointing.

The 2011 MLS All-Star Game was the second MLS All-Star Game in a row that the MLS All-Stars were not only beaten, but beaten by a significant margin. Last year's MLS All-Star Game ended 5-2 in favor of the Red Devils.

Prior to that, the MLS All Stars were actually rather successful in their MLS All-Star Games.

Since 2003, when the MLS first started playing against foreign club teams, up to 2008, the MLS All-Stars had won all of their MLS All-Star Games against mostly solid but not world-class opposition, in the form of teams like Fulham, Celtic, Club Deportivo Guadalajara and West Ham.

However, even Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, was beaten 1-0 by the MLS All-Stars in 2006.

In the current format of the competition, the MLS All-Stars' first loss came against Everton in 2009, on penalties, but since then, the MLS All-Stars have not won the MLS All-Star Game and have been beaten badly in the last two MLS All-Star Games. 

So the question that must be asked is this: Should the MLS continue to allow their All-Stars to be routed by the best teams in the world, like Manchester United?

To answer this question, we must look at both sides of the debate:

Pro (Continue Playing the Best Teams in the World in the MLS All-Star Games)

There are many reasons why continuing to face the best teams in the world, like Manchester United, would be favorable for MLS.

Manchester United, and teams on the same level as Manchester United, have huge fanbases worldwide and in the US. Bringing them to the MLS All-Star Game automatically raises the profile of the game significantly and generates more interest in the MLS itself.

Furthermore, bringing big teams like Manchester United generates a great deal of revenue for the game itself.

In 2010, MLS sold 70,728 tickets to the All-Star Game, selling out Reliant Stadium and blowing the previous record of 27,000 tickets sold in the 2003 All-Star Game out of the park. In 2011, MLS again sold out the All-Star Game against Manchester United.

One argument that can be made regarding the results of recent MLS All-Star Games is that while there is always the danger of Manchester United or similar stature teams blowing the MLS All-Stars out of the water, it is important that the MLS All-Star Game is nothing more than an exhibition game, designed to do nothing more than provide the fans with an exciting, ideally fast-paced game of football.

Thus, no one should complain when the MLS All-Stars are outclassed by a margin of three or four goals. Ideally, it would be best to have the game be a bit closer, but as long as there are goals and action, no one should complain. 

Con (Stop Playing the Best Teams in the World in the MLS All Star Games)

Just like there are many reasons why continuing to face the best teams in the world would be favorable for MLS, there are many reasons why it may not be favorable.

Despite the win over Chelsea back in 2006, it appears that its current form, the MLS All-Stars are simply unable to take on world class opposition. 

The teams lack cohesion, there is often a lack of understanding between the players, and as we saw in today's game, players are often played out of position, as in the case of David Beckham and Brad Davis, two of the best wings/flank midfielders and crossers in MLS, being forced to play centrally.

Thus, putting such teams out in front of world class opposition to be roasted is not only hard on die hard MLS fans, but also looks bad on the league as a whole.

While the game is technically nothing more than an exhibition game, the game is often drummed up by ESPN as the game when MLS shows off its best talents, and if those talents are consistently put to shame by the opposition, it is very possible that the reputation of the league could go down among Americans, and on-the-fence fans of the MLS could be turned away from watching the league due to its perceived lack of competitiveness in comparison with the rest of the world.

Also, bringing in mid-table, solid European teams has never been a failure for MLS; every All-Star Game featuring a European team has gone on to be sold out.

Especially in the case of teams like Fulham and Everton, where big US internationals play a role in the starting 11, the games have been very popular and well received by fans and the media alike.

Conclusion

There are very strong and tempting arguments to be made on both sides, and the pros and cons nearly balance out.

My personal opinion is that, in the long run, if the MLS All-Stars are unable to make the MLS All-Star Game more competitive and start winning again, then the league should make the move to bring in slightly weaker, but still, solid European teams, like the Celtics, Evertons and Fulhams of the past.

Short-term however, it may be worth it for the MLS to give it one more go at a big European team (not named Manchester United) and see if the MLS All-Stars can give them a decent game.

The potential to raise the profile of the game and increase interest in the game and the league cannot be underestimated and should be valued as a major benefit of the game.

What do you think? Do you think MLS needs to adjust the level of the opposition in the MLS All-Star Games to make them more manageable for the MLS All-Stars, or do you think they should continue bringing in the best clubs of world football and hope that the MLS All-Stars will be able to adjust and make the game more competitive in the future?

Or, alternatively, does it even matter if the MLS All- Stars are competitive, as long as the game is fun and enjoyed by the fans?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reading your comments below.

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