He's always been considered one of the game's greatest role models, but Frank Lampard seems to have enhanced his already-stellar reputation by apparently buying 16 tickets for a group of British fans he'd just met after training with New York City FC.

Lampard is alleged to have done the good deed after one of the group asked him for tickets to New York City's game with Toronto, which took place on Sunday. After initially explaining he only had four complimentary tickets to the game, the former England midfielder dipped into his pocket to buy another 16 tickets for the 20-strong party, at a cost of almost $500.

The chuffed fans took to social media to share the news and praise the Chelsea legend.

Still can't believe Frank Lampard bought all 16 of us tickets to go to the New York City game today! 😁👌🏻 what a legend,

While Lampard missed the game due to a calf strain, the group were treated to a thrilling 4-4 draw, with David Villa scoring twice for New York.

[h/t Talking Baws]

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Giovani dos Santos could become the latest stellar name to join Major League Soccer, with reports linking the Mexico international with a move to LA Galaxy.

Continue for updates.

According to the Los Angeles Times, (h/t Adam Serrano of LAGalaxy.com) a deal was finalized for the player on Tuesday evening.

“It’s going to be a challenge for him,” said Galaxy boss Bruce Arena about the move, per the aforementioned piece. “He’s not been at a club yet where he’s had those kind of responsibilities. And he’s in a community where he’s going to be sought after. He’s going to have to be mature about it.”

The piece claims the Villarreal man will sign a four-year contract with the MLS outfit and will earn an annual salary of around $6 million. He could apparently make his debut for the club on August 9 against Seattle Sounders.

Having made his debut for Barcelona B in 2006, a transfer would end a nine-year stay in European football for the 26-year-old, during which time he has played for Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray, as well as Villarreal.

As we can see here, Dos Santos is a thrilling player to watch:

For the Galaxy, this would be a major coup. While the club has done well to land players such as Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard in recent seasons, Dos Santos is a player who remains very much at the peak of his powers.

From a commercial point of view, as one of Mexico’s most high-profile stars, Giovani will be a huge asset for the club too.

The Mexico man is a tremendous dribbler, has an eye for a pass and is a composed finisher. But he fell out of favor at the Madrigal last season, starting just 15 league games and finding the back of the net on only one occasion, per WhoScored.com.

Many will pour scorn on the player should this transfer go through; after all, he’s still easily capable of doing a job in European football for a top side.

But Galaxy clearly mean business and given the lucrative package reportedly offered to the player, it’s easy to see why he’d jump at the chance of a fresh start in MLS.

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In one of the more peculiar happenings this pre-season, Tuesday's International Champions Cup match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Club America provided a rare moment of level-headed justice.

The double red card.

All too often we witness the provoked party receive punishment, rather than both provocateur and responding party, but referee Alejandro Mariscal, in conjunction with his linemen, made the right call after some contentious moments in the ICC's second match.

In the game's opening sequences, Club America were countering San Jose from a Quakes corner kick. Instead of letting Dario Benedetto run through his defence, Clarence Goodson elected to be cynical, and took a "professional foul," and in turn, a yellow card.

The collision, however, left Benedetto injured, as the forward twisted his ankle in ugly fashion, and the game took on a more aggressive tone after the incident. Both clubs were rather agitated with one another, and the pent-up frustration recklessly boiled over in the 45th minute.

Just before the half-time whistle, San Jose's Sanna Nyassi reacted strongly to an America challenge. The Earthquakes midfielder kicked out at Erik Pimentel, who was attempting to assist him in getting off the pitch. Paolo Goltz came over to defend his team-mate and escalated the situation, rather than defusing it.

Both Nyassi and Goltz were issued red cards by Mariscal, and the game, which was at 1-0 (thanks to 24th-minute Goodson header), was half compete.

While the situation itself was generally uninteresting, the response from the referee was out of the ordinary. The most common practice in incidents of violence is to locate the main culprit and eject them, not necessarily to find the reason or circumstance behind their actions.

In the end, the match's entertainment was not strongly affected by the double sending off.

America rallied from their one-goal deficit, and earned a 2-1 victory—receiving a 76th-minute equaliser from Andres Andrade and an 83rd-minute winner from Francisco Rivera.

What can be taken from Mariscal's refereeing is match officials should be more cognisant of why players do what they do. Players do not risk red cards for trivial reasons, there are usually mitigating factors to their actions and responses. Finding these reasons, and factoring them in the decision-making process should be standard practice around the globe, not just in pre-season matches in San Jose, California.

Moving into Club America's next match, they face defending International Champions Cup winners Manchester United on Friday in Seattle. It's doubtful any refereeing decision could save the Mexican outfit from Louis van Gaal's improving squad.

San Jose, after their exhibition duties, face California rivals Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday.

The MLS sides had conflicting results with Club America, and it should be intriguing to see which version of each club arrives at the StubHub Center.

Follow @danieltiluk

Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.

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Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard joined their Major League Soccer clubs this month, and neither player has played a single competitive minute for their respective teams.

Despite their inactivity, commissioner Don Garber added the former England internationals to the All-Star Game roster, per the official league website. This news is an absolute embarrassment for MLS.

Following the announcement, MLS players voiced their displeasure over Twitter, via Total-MLS.com.

It's clear what Garber's intentions were for adding the New York City FC and LA Galaxy stars. He wants more viewers to watch the All-Star Game on July 29. Most soccer fans know who Lampard and Gerrard are, so he must believe that if they play in this match, it will attract more attention.

If Garber's sole purpose was to raise the awareness of the game and the league, he accomplished both tasks. However, this is bad publicity. This does not send a positive message to the players, fans or casual onlookers.

If two marquee players can be added to the All-Star Game without playing in a single MLS match, it's a slap in the face to deserving candidates.

Sebastian Giovinco wasn't voted into the game by the fans, but surely he'll be selected by head coach Pablo Mastroeni. However, others such as the Columbus Crew's Kei Kamara and Ethan Finlay will likely be snubbed, despite being the league's leading scorer and assists leader, respectively.

Kamara and Finlay should be on the roster, but if they aren't, it won't be because they're not good enough. It will be due to the market they play in and how popular they are compared to other All-Stars. That must affect their morale.

The Fan XI is full of U.S. internationals and big-name designated players. Supporters voted a couple of these players based on reputation instead of ability. It's proof this game is a glorified friendly and a popularity contest.

Nick Rimando has been a solid goalkeeper for many years, but David Ousted and Bill Hamid have had outstanding seasons. Those are two names who should have been given a spot on the roster.

Graham Zusi, another U.S. international, was also voted in by the fans. Finlay, Krisztian Nemeth, Fabian Castillo and Harry Shipp have had better seasons than Zusi, but they're not members of the U.S. men's national team and not as well known.

This was Garber's rationale for picking Lampard and Gerrard. However, if the league wants this game to be about money and viewership, it should just be a simple friendly.

A genuine All-Star Game would be in an East vs. West or USA vs. World format. The league staged both in the past. The latter would be a fantastic game, especially with all of the foreign talent on MLS rosters. 

However, whether or not a United States vs. World match would attract as many viewers as 2014's game is unknown. Ratings from 2001 to 2004 were modest, per Sports Business Daily. The numbers between 2008 and 2014 are comparable.

The matches from 2001 to 2004 were either East vs. West, against the U.S. men's national team or featured Mexican side Guadalajara. A lot has changed over the last 11 years in this league, so it's possible that a USA vs. World game could succeed.

This is when it would be appropriate to include Lampard and Gerrard. It will be intriguing to see how Garber's picks impact the upcoming All-Star Game and MLS as a whole. It's certainly not covering itself in glory right now.

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Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur will face familiar opponents in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard when the club travels to Colorado for the 2015 Major League Soccer All-Star game on July 29.

Despite neither having played a competitive match in the division, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has included both Englishmen in the lineup, reported ESPN FC.

While Lampard was meant to compete in New York City FC's recent 4-4 draw with Toronto FC, he remained absent with a calf problem, per the aforementioned report. He spent the 2014-15 Premier League season on loan at NYCFC's sister-club Manchester City, who finished runners-up to Lampard's former side Chelsea.

Gerrard has only just made the switch to Los Angeles Galaxy after spending 17 years in the Liverpool first team. The Reds' former captain recently took part in a friendly match for the American side, having helped Liverpool to sixth in the Premier League earlier this year.

Dirty Tackle's Brooks Peck commented on the strange situation, while Men in Blazers highlighted another European legend who could have been included:

As reported by MLSsoccer.com, supporters of the division have voted for plenty of new and high-profile names to take part against Spurs:

Incidentally, Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins is included after winning the "More than a Vote" place, which counted each goal scored by the player's virtual avatar on FIFA 15 as a vote. The MLS Twitter account posted a glimpse of the kit the division's representation will wear:

Garber and Colorado Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni will now decide the rest of the MLS squad, as well as settling on a starting XI, per ESPN FC.

Aside from Gerrard and Lampard, a handful of players included have Premier League experience. DaMarcus Beasley played for Manchester City between 2006-07, while Michael Bradley spent the second half of the 2011 season on loan at Aston Villa. Martins represented Newcastle United and Birmingham City across two spells on English shores.

However, the night will be a special one for Clint Dempsey, who spent five years with Fulham before moving to Spurs in 2012. Although things didn't quite work out for the goalscoring midfielder at White Hart Lane, he will be hoping to make an impression.

Toronto's Sebastian Giovinco and LA Galaxy's Robbie Keane are two of the big names who missed out in the fans' vote, but they could be added once the squad is filled out. The latter spent eight years at Spurs and could be the MLS side's most potent attacking outlet if fit.

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Sebastian Giovinco once again left followers of Major League Soccer in awe during Week 19 with three goals and an assist for Toronto FC against New York City FC. 

The Atomic Ant outdueled fellow big-name offseason acquisition David Villa in an exciting 4-4 draw that was devoid of quality defending for most of the 90 minutes. 

Due to his fantastic performance on Sunday afternoon, the front-runner for the Most Valuable Player award is back atop the MLS Player Rankings for the first time since after Week 15. 

Continue reading to see who joined the dynamic Italian on the list of the league's 20 best players. 

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If any competition signals the beginning of a new season, the International Champions Cup (ICC) has surely taken that particular mantle.

Hailing from the World Football Challenge (2009-2012), the past two pre-seasons have witnessed true European giants take their campaign's first steps on North American soil. Real Madrid were the inaugural winners of the ICC in 2013, followed by Manchester United last summer.

This year, the tournament has expanded further; more heavyweights are planning to indulge spectators in four continents and seven countries over 25 days.

The International Champions Cup starts this weekend: Our fixture list to bookmark http://t.co/1C7yB74arZ https://t.co/KAk3eeEGpN

After beginning their American pre-season schedule in defeat vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, Mexican champions Club America travel 350 miles north, from Los Angeles to San Jose—in the ICC's second North American encounter—looking for retribution from an MLS side.

Date: Tuesday, July 14 (USA) / Wednesday, July 15 (UK)

Time: 10:30 p.m. EST/3:30 a.m. BST

Venue: Avaya Stadium, San Jose, California

TV Info: Fox Sports 1 / ESPN Deportes / Sky Sports 1

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (USA only) / Sky Go (UK only)

Form Line 

Team News / Starting XIs 

Así juegan nuestras Águilas esta noche #JuntosPorLaGloria pic.twitter.com/AAHYf24IuS

Quakes starting XI: Meredith, Wynne, Bernardez, Goodson, Stewart, Pierazzi, Barrera, Nyassi, Garcia, Amarikwa, Sherrod. #ICC2015

Player to Watch 

Club America's 2-1 defeat to LA Galaxy was largely expected. The Mexican outfit have just begun their pre-season duties, while the American side were in the midst of their season. It's not getting any easier, as so are San Jose Earthquakes.

A bright spot from America's opening match of the International Champions Cup, however, was Colombian striker Carlos Darwin Quintero. The electric 27-year-old scored the first goal in just seven minutes vs. Los Angeles, but his efforts were not enough for victory.

For CF America to register their first positive result in the tournament, their strike partnership—spearheaded by Quintero—must be active, use their pace and finish chances.

Key Battle 

The biggest takeaway from America's first ICC match was their incredible pace. Even with options resting from international duty, playing in the 2015 Gold Cup or given special permission to sit games out, Ignacio Ambriz has bags of pace and counter-attacking prowess on hand.

For San Jose manager Dominic Kinnear, his first order of business—and the match's most important battle—will be keeping the Mexicans' pace under control. That starts with smart possession, timely hold-up play from forwards and Clarence Goodson's back four being physical when necessary.

On several occasions vs. the Galaxy, Las Aguilas found themselves in promising positions after their opponents set pieces, but failed to convert. Having more game time and match fitness after their first match, America should find more joy in San Jose than they did in Los Angeles.

Follow @danieltiluk

*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.

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MLS team rosters were depleted this week thanks to the Gold Cup, and that helped several sides upset the top clubs. 

The Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union defeated two of the Western Conference's best teams in the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. The Colorado Rapids also picked up a much-needed win over their rival Real Salt Lake.

Elsewhere, Sporting Kansas City edged the Vancouver Whitecaps on the road. SKC has lost just once in its last 10 games, but where does the rest of the league sit after the weekend?

Here are the MLS power rankings after Week 19.

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The 19th weekend of play in Major League Soccer brought out the best in two of the league's top offseason acquisitions. 

Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa combined to score five goals in the 4-4 draw between Toronto FC and New York City FC on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The performances by the pair of forwards showcased just how high the bar has been raised in regard to attacking talent in MLS. 

A day before the thrilling eight-goal contest in New York City, plenty of surprising results were handed out across the league, including big wins from the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union.

Because there were a plethora of superb individual showings from midfielders and forwards in Week 19, we lined up our MLS Team of the Week in a 3-4-3 formation. We attempted to put all of the terrific midfielders in the squad, but only four could make it due to three remarkable forward performances. 

Continue reading to see which players found a way into our latest MLS Team of the Week. 

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One of the most intriguing stories in American soccer closed another chapter this week as Freddy Adu announced his departure from Kuopion Palloseura in Finland. 

Adu, who has played for 11 different teams since he began his career in 2004, looks like he has a new home already lined up in a lower tier of the American soccer pyramid. 

In the top division of the game in North America, a few members of Jurgen Klinsmann's 35-man preliminary CONCACAF Gold Cup roster turned in impressive showings at key positions. Due to those shining moments, the discussion about which six players should be called up for the knockout rounds began. 

Below is extended news on Adu, the Gold Cup reserves and other Americans involved in club matches in this week's USMNT Watch. 

Adu Close to Signing with Tampa Bay in NASL 

Adu announced through his personal Twitter on Tuesday that he would be opting out of his contract in Finland. The 26-year-old made five appearances for KuPS' first team. 

On Friday, Goal.com's Ives Galarcep reported that Adu would be joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL. If the move goes through, the Rowdies would be the fourth American side to employ the former child prodigy. Adu started his career with D.C. United and also spent time with Real Salt Lake and the Philadelphia Union. 

Since leaving Philadelphia in 2013, Adu has experienced little success at Bahia, FK Jagodina and KuPS. At all three clubs, Adu barely saw consistent playing time. If he is fit, the Rowdies should be able to offer Adu some time on the pitch as he looks to get his career back on track again. 

Beasley Highlights Strong Defensive Week for USMNT Players in MLS

A few hours after the USMNT locked up first place in Group A with an unconvincing win over Haiti, DaMarcus Beasley produced a standout showing for the Houston Dynamo in their 2-0 win over San Jose. 

The left-back came out of international retirement before the Gold Cup just in case Klinsmann needed help at the position during the tournament. While he wasn't called in for the group stage, there is still a chance he will replace one of the current defenders in the squad for the knockout phase. 

Left-back is a spot of concern for the Yanks at the moment since Greg Garza put in an average performance against Haiti and Fabian Johnson might be needed elsewhere on the pitch. Beasley would also bring a much-needed calming influence to the back four, which may be exactly what the doctor ordered for the USMNT.

Two young center-backs continued to prove their worth in Major League Soccer this weekend. Matt Miazga and Matt Hedges both played well in key wins for their respective sides. 

Miazga helped silence the New England Revolution attack in the New York Red Bulls' 4-1 win at home, while Hedges and the FC Dallas defense did not allow a shot on goal against Orlando City. 

Bruin Leads Short List of American Scorers in MLS Week 19 

Beasley and the Dynamo secured their win over San Jose in the 81st minute at Avaya Stadium on Will Bruin's eighth goal of the season. Bruin became the second American to find the back of the net on Friday night after Ricardo Clark netted a 10th-minute strike. 

Tommy Thompson, Fatai Alashe and Brad Davis all played 90 minutes in Friday's lone MLS contest. 

Elsewhere across the league on Saturday, few USMNT players scored for their respective sides. The best attacking performance came from the midfield of the Red Bulls. Dax McCarty produced two assists, while Sacha Kljestan also turned in a strong showing. 

Andrew Wenger scored a goal for Philadelphia in its 3-0 rout of Portland at PPL Park. Maurice Edu started and picked up a yellow card for the Union in the victory. 

Jack McInerney started up top for Montreal, but he could not produce in front of goal in the Impact's win over Columbus. League assist leader Ethan Finlay was quiet for most of the match. 

Gordon Nods in Winner for Galaxy Against Club America

The L.A. Galaxy stepped out of league play on Saturday to take on Club America in the first game of the International Champions Cup at StubHub Center. 

In his normal role off the bench, Alan Gordon scored on a trademark late header to hand the Galaxy a 2-1 win in Steven Gerrard's club debut. 

Gordon was named to the USMNT's provisional Gold Cup roster, but it is unlikely he will be called in for the knockout round due to the success of Aron Johannsson and Gyasi Zardes up top against Haiti. 

Guzan Receives Good News on the Club Front

While there may not have been any significant transfer news directly involving American players this week, Brad Guzan did receive some good news in the form of another player's move. 

Shay Given, who replaced Guzan during the stretch run of the English Premier League season, joined Stoke City from Aston Villa on Friday, per Villa's website. With his backup at another club, it looks like Guzan's place in the team will be restored when he comes back from the Gold Cup. 

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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