MLS News
MLS Team of the Week: Donovan Dominates the Headlines
MLS News
Sunday, 25 May 2014 22:27

Whether you like it or not, the last week in American soccer belonged to Landon Donovan.

Donovan caught headlines for being left off the United States' 23-man World Cup roster on Thursday, and then found himself back in the news on Sunday, when he scored twice in the Galaxy's win over Philadelphia.

Thanks to his, and Robbie Keane's, magnificent display at the StubHub Center, the pair were easy selections for the latest MLS Team of the Week. 

Continue reading on to see who joined Donovan and Keane in the Week 12 Team of the Week. 

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Landon Donovan's World Cup Exclusion Is Good for LA Galaxy, Bad for Rest of MLS
MLS News
Thursday, 22 May 2014 21:26

Landon Donovan's exclusion was easily the biggest story after Thursday's release of the United States' 23-man World Cup roster. Now, he can also be included in one of the biggest storylines in Major League Soccer history, depending on how he responds to the news handed to him by U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann. 

If history is any indicator of how Donovan will respond to the biggest adversity he has faced in his career, there is no doubt that he will lead the L.A. Galaxy to what could become an historic run to the MLS Cup.

We only have to look back to the summer of 2013 for the most important example of Donovan laughing in the face of adversity. 

After being on the outside looking in following his self-imposed sabbatical to Cambodia, Donovan returned to the international stage with a vengeance at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The 32-year-old midfielder blazed through opposing defenses for five goals and seven assists on his way to earning the Golden Ball for most valuable player. 

Thanks to his impressive showings against the best in CONCACAF, Donovan regained his regular spot in the national team setup, and he was thought to have clinched a spot on the plane to Brazil. 

Looking further into the past, Donovan used another rejection by a certain German named Klinsmann to fuel a successful 2009 campaign for the Galaxy.

Donovan went on loan to Bayern Munich during the winter of 2009. Despite showing that he could play with one of Europe's best clubs, he was denied a contract by the club that was then managed by the current United States coach. 

After being turned down by Klinsmann for the first time, Donovan lit the American league on fire for 12 goals and six assists. Those numbers helped the Galaxy make it all the way to MLS Cup before losing on penalties to Real Salt Lake. 

Donovan also recorded nine goals and 14 assists in 2012 on the way to winning the MLS Cup after he was not taken on a permanent basis by Everton. During his loan spell with the Toffees, Donovan made a lasting impact on the club, with six assists during his brief second span with the English Premier League side.

Based on those three examples from recent footballing history, Donovan is no stranger to responding to adversity and thriving for the Galaxy.

With more motivation than ever to succeed on home soil, Donovan and the Galaxy should be poised to make a run toward the MLS Cup once again. 

The United States legend has plenty of terrific talent around him this season in Robbie Keane, Juninho, Omar Gonzalez, Jaime Penedo and many others. A Galaxy team at full strength will strike fear into any MLS side, and that is even more likely to happen for Bruce Arena's squad with Donovan looking to prove a point. 

Donovan and Keane are already one of the best attacking duos in the league, and now that Donovan has more reason to thrive, the pair have the chance to combine for between 20 and 30 goals by the time the season concludes.

Keane has already netted six goals in nine games. Donovan hasn't scored the goal that will make him the all-time leading scorer in league history just yet, but something tells me that streak won't last long once he's back with L.A. 

Another thing going for the Galaxy is the fact that they have played the fewest games of any Western Conference team, with nine. 

The schedule also hands the Galaxy a big lift, with two of their three games before the World Cup break coming at home against beatable opposition in Philadelphia and Chivas USA.

If the Galaxy can get rolling during the stretch, where they also play Chicago on the road, the team will have a two-week break that will see some banged-up players recover from injury. After that, they can hit the ground running with Donovan, Keane and the rest on June 28 against San Jose, a game that just happens to be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network. 

If that wasn't enough fuel for Donovan, he has consecutive home games against three of the league's toughest teams in Portland, Real Salt Lake and New England to follow. 

By that time in the season, Donovan should be firing on all cylinders. No matter how well the Yanks do in Brazil, he will be well on the way to proving that Klinsmann made the wrong decision. 

 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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Thunderstorm Fills Colorado Rapids' Stadium with 3 Inches of Hail
MLS News
Thursday, 22 May 2014 15:20

Mother Nature has not been kind to Colorado this month.

Earlier in May, Coors Field was covered by snow. The weather quickly warmed up and melted the snow.

Now, wicked storms have left about three inches of hail at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, home of Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids.

There's still more than a week left in May, so who knows what else Mother Nature has in store for the folks in Colorado.

[Twitter]

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Robbie Keane Scores Impressive Solo Goal for LA Galaxy vs. FC Dallas
MLS News
Thursday, 22 May 2014 02:21

It's been three years since Robbie Keane left English football for Los Angeles and Major League Soccer. In that time, he's accumulated quite an impressive goal tally.

Keane has scored 55 goals in 89 total matches, according to Soccerway, the most recent of which was an absolute beauty to open the scoring in Galaxy's 2-1 victory over FC Dallas.

In the above video, posted by MLS, you can see the 33-year-old still has some gas left in the tank. The only question: Where's his patented cartwheel? 

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MLS Player Power Rankings: Players on Hot Teams Thrive in Latest Poll
MLS News
Monday, 19 May 2014 23:23

After Week 11 in Major League Soccer, it is clear that two teams are in a class of their own in their respective conferences.

Because of their stellar form, Real Salt Lake and the New England Revolution have a combined eight players in the latest MLS Player Power Rankings. 

One of those players was able to snag the top spot away from Bradley Wright-Phillips, who spent just a week at the top after taking down Clint Dempsey.

Continue reading on to see which player earned the top spot on the list for the first time this season.

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Winners and Losers from MLS Week 11: World Cup Snubs, New England and More
MLS News
Monday, 19 May 2014 00:32

Welcome to our latest look at the biggest winners and losers from the last week of action in Major League Soccer. 

In Week 11, plenty of individuals made some costly mistakes, while one debutant made an instant impact on his club's result. 

Other winners and losers included teams and players who felt the effects of the ongoing World Cup camps for nations such as the United States and Honduras.

Continue reading for a look at the winners and losers from MLS Week 11.

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8 Things We Learned from MLS Week 11: World Cup Duty Affects Play of Many Clubs
MLS News
Sunday, 18 May 2014 23:02

The 11th week of play in Major League Soccer was different than any of the previous 10 because of the departures of many players due to international duty. 

Teams like Sporting Kansas City, Seattle and Toronto all faced a bit of adversity due to the arrivals of their players at the United States World Cup camp. 

All three of those teams taught us something about themselves with their play in Week 11, and so did a few other sides that have been either hot, cold or both during the 2014 campaign.

Continue reading for the eight biggest lessons from Week 11 in MLS. 

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MLS Team of the Week: Martins, Higuain, Hagglund Headline List of League's Best
MLS News
Sunday, 18 May 2014 15:31

With some of the stars of Major League Soccer away from their clubs due to international duty, Week 11 presented some players with a chance to step up and show their worth.

That is exactly what happened in the case of a few players in the latest MLS Team of the Week. 

The other stars from Week 11 were some established players that filled the league-wide superstar void left by the likes of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Nick Rimando. 

This week's team is set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation due to some terrific showings in the midfield. 

Continue reading on to see which 11 players were honored for their play in Week 11. 

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Obafemi Martins Scores from Ridiculous Angle for Seattle Sounders
MLS News
Sunday, 18 May 2014 10:19

The Seattle Sounders beat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer, and the game's only goal was worthy of winning just about any match.

It came in the eighth minute via Seattle's Obafemi Martins, who responded to being snubbed for Nigeria's World Cup squad this week by saying that he would play his own World Cup in the Pacific Northwest with his Sounders teammates.

Looks like he meant it too. Check out the goal and you'll wonder what Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi was thinking.

Decent strike, that.

[SB Nation]

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Philadelphia Union's Maurice Edu Gives Fans Glimpse of MLS Day with Google Glass
MLS News
Wednesday, 14 May 2014 11:48

For MLS player Maurice Edu, the day begins and ends much in the same way as your day might: brushing your teeth. However, it's that captivating stuff in between that might differ from your daily experience. 

For the Win's Nina Mandell spotted this posted video, featuring Edu going about his day and recording it all thanks to the budding technology Google Glass. 

As with any day, there is plenty of tedium. However, it's that daily routine that is part of the video's charm, offering what it truly means to see a professional athlete head off to work for the less glamorous part of his life. 

This isn't the first time we have seen an athlete don Glass for our benefit, showing up in various videos thanks to former NFL kicker Chris Kluwe. 

And it won't be the last. 

CNN Money reports Glass was once again put on sale to the masses for a hefty price of $1,500. Now that hardly means the device is about to become as ubiquitous as the smartphone, but it will make videos like this far more prevalent. 

For now, the sight of Edu going through his routine is a novelty, what GIF images might have been years ago. Soon, capturing and uploading similar will be met with nonchalance. 

Edu's day, for the moment, is quite captivating. 

As Mandell notes, one of the best moments may have been when a teammate noticed he was being leered at with technology and proclaimed, "I don’t like it at all."

The 28-year-old leaves his apartment, heads off to training and greets a bevy of colleagues who are happy to offer a smile each and every time they come in contact with Edu. 

From there, we see what's for breakfast, the Union's facilities and a cracking game of two-touch taking place. There is gym work, a boot wall and time to get some eats before resting up and icing up those weary legs. 

After enjoying some pop-a-shot, Edu heads over to a familiar spot. He heads over to Chipotle and offers, "Of course at my favorite place once again."

Never let your significant other chide you for wanting a Chipotle fix. Sure, Edu went with a bowl, but you can now stick out your chest while heavily breathing and proclaim finely tuned athletes also eat at the burrito joint. 

Of course, this all ends in much the same way your own day might, getting ready for bed and preparing for another round of this thing we call life. 

In an odd turn that only comes with the advent of devices such as Glass, Edu's life is far more familiar than it would have been. 

If you thought Twitter and social media really garnered an interesting look into athletes' lives, you really haven't seen anything yet. 

 

Hit me up on Twitter: Follow @gabezal

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