As the 2014 MLS campaign comes to a close, Bleacher Report will examine the top 10 defenders, midfielders and strikers from this season. The goalkeepers list can be found here.

In this edition, the best defenders will be analyzed based on their technique, communication skills, positioning and frequency of individual errors. All stats used are from WhoScored.com and MLSSoccer.com.

Here are the 10 best defenders of the 2014 MLS season.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

Everywhere you turned this weekend, the stars of Major League Soccer were scoring goals. 

Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins were among the plethora of big-name scorers in Week 29. 

It just so happens that all five of those players sit near the top of the MLS Player Power Rankings along with rising stars Gyasi Zardes and Dom Dwyer, who both scored a goal this weekend too. 

With so many stars vying for the top spot this week, it was hard to choose the best player in the league, but one exquisite piece of finishing helped us make the final decision. 

Continue reading on for a look at who earned the top spot in the MLS Player Power Rankings. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

It was another great week of action in Major League Soccer as the LA Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders continued to battle for supremacy in the Supporters' Shield race and a handful of teams continued to fight for the final playoff spots in the East and the West.

There were also some terrific goals to see and a horrific injury for the Portland Timbers' Will Johnson.

Here are "5 Things We Learned" from this week in MLS.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

Robbie Keane is still doing the business in the MLS, scoring a brace of goals as LA Galaxy crushed New York Red Bulls 4-0 on Sunday night.

The pick of the goals was his first, set up by Landon Donovan after a driving run.

Keane had plenty still to do, but his dinked finish over goalkeeper Luis Robles was something else.

[MLS, YouTube] 

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

The stars of Major League Soccer came out to play in Week 29 and they impressed in a wide variety of ways. 

From the usual star-studded display put in by the Galaxy to some major goals scored by a few United States internationals, this weekend was full of impressive performances. 

Although the big names will get all the attention, there were a few players who shocked us with big games as well.

Continue reading on to see which players earned a spot in the latest MLS Team of the Week. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

Just like we all expected, the matches across Major League Soccer in Week 29 provided the playoff race with plenty of twists and turns. 

A few teams in each conference put together strong wins against quality opposition to boost their respective playoff resumes, while a few clubs failed to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them. 

In some of those crucial clashes, the stars of the league played major roles, which got us even more excited for the home stretch of the regular season. 

Continue reading for a look at the biggest winners and losers from MLS Week 29. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

As we witnessed Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium, the unexpected can happen in any game down the stretch in Major League Soccer. 

For the rest of Week 29, players who have been off the radar will try to replicate David Texeira's double, but unfortunately we are not that bold to predict who that player will be. 

However, we do have bold predictions featuring the wild and crazy Eastern Conference playoff race and two strong defensive proclamations. 

Continue reading on for a look at our six bold predictions for MLS Week 29. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

Before we can get all googly-eyed about Sunday's clash between New York and LA, and the juicy attacking battles that match presents, we have to take a look across the rest of the league for key battles to watch. 

Starting with Friday's Eastern Conference showdown at Sporting Park, Week 29 possesses the potential to produce plenty of star-studded clashes. 

And of course, some of these battles are picked from games that contain massive playoff implications with five weeks left to fight it out for the eight remaining spots in the MLS Cup playoffs. Seattle and LA have already punched their tickets to the postseason. 

Continue reading on for a look at the five key battles you should watch this weekend in MLS. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

The Seattle Sounders recently had their five-match winning streak snapped, and the loss was not only a bad one, but a costly one as well.

With the 4-1 loss to New York, the Sounders dropped into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Western Conference with only a handful of matches left.

In a midweek match, the Sounders look to get back on track, but they are on the road and the betting underdog facing FC Dallas.

Dallas looks like it will be making the playoffs, but if it keeps up its recent play, that may not be the case. Dallas is in the fourth spot in the West—six points clear of fifth-place Portland and eight points clear of Vancouver.

However, Dallas has lost three of its last four matches, including the last two.

The sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark have Dallas as the MLS betting favorite at home, with odds of 7-5. Seattle is at 9-5, and the draw line is 12-5.

The Sounders are tied with Portland for the most goals scored in the MLS, and while their offense was playing well in their winning streak, they only scored one goal in their last match.

Seattle’s Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey have combined to score 25 goals this season.

Earlier this season in Seattle, the Sounders beat FC Dallas 2-1.

One of the main reasons Dallas is not in form is because its offense has been struggling. In its last six matches, Dallas has only scored six goals.

FC Dallas does not have a big gun on offense and plays a team game with no player ranking in the top 16 in the league in goals scored. The squad is led by its defense, which has conceded the third fewest goals in the West.

Still, Fabian Castillo and Blas Perez, who each have nine goals, have to pace the attack, and the squad must have solid play in the midfield.

The Dallas offense has to have some confidence at home facing a Seattle defense that has conceded nine goals in its last four matches, including four in the most recent one.

Prediction: Both teams could really use a win in this one, but each has issues and is not really in top form. There will be goals in this match by both teams, and the final outcome will be a 2-2 draw.

Stats and odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

As the 2014 MLS campaign comes to a close, Bleacher Report will examine the top 10 goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers from this season.  

In this edition, the best goalkeepers have been selected and critiqued based on shot-stopping ability, command of the penalty area, frequency of individual errors and technique. All stats used are from MLSSoccer.com.

Here are the 10 standout goalkeepers of the 2014 MLS season. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here