It's been quite the journey for Sporting Kansas midfielder Graham Zusi, who will be at the World Cup this summer with Jurgen Klinsmann's Team USA.

In this episode of the award-winning MLS Insider series, we hear from those who know Zusi best and learn more about his remarkable rise from Matt Besler's basement to Brazil.

[MLS Insider]

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Week 9 in Major League Soccer was thrilling for some and terribly heartbreaking for others. 

All but three of the 18 teams that stepped on the pitch this weekend scored a goal, and of course, there were more penalties awarded—eight of them to be exact—during the drama-filled weekend. 

Thanks to the drama on the pitch, and a few moments off the pitch, we were able to select the biggest winners and losers from Week 9.

Continue reading on to see who was named a winner, a loser or both after Week 9. 

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Any time one weekend of soccer produces 30 goals, and a few games with late theatrics, you will learn plenty about the teams involved in those games. 

That is exactly what happened with the ninth week of play in Major League Soccer, as a few of the league's elite showed their class, and a strong team from last season finally recorded its first win. 

There were also a few negative lessons to be learned from Week 9, as teams such as Chicago and Chivas USA continued to struggle. 

Continue reading for the eight biggest takeaways from Week 9 in MLS.

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Offense dominated in Week 9 of play in Major League Soccer with 30 goals scored across nine games. 

Because of the offensive outbursts by so many teams, this week's edition of the MLS Team of the Week is shaped in a 3-5-2 formation. 

Vancouver, Portland and Houston, who combined for 10 goals this weekend, saw a combined six players find their way into the team of the week.

Continue reading on to see the entire MLS Team of the Week. 

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Warning: Article contains an image of an alligator bite you might find unappealing.

Why was Merritt Paulson putting his hand near alligators?

We don’t know, but it appears one of those scaly mothers bit him good. Earlier this week, the Portland Timbers owner allegedly tweeted out a nasty image of his mangled finger.

Twitter user @nomadpdx (h/t Brian Stern of FanSided.com) received the image of said finger in a conversation Thursday. It looks less like a human digit and more like a gently used Vienna sausage.

Paulson has since deleted the tweet with the picture, leaving fans in the dark regarding the exact circumstances in which he acquired the wound.

Naturally, the denizens of the Internet have taken to drawing their own conclusions.

I have my own theories.

Whether Paulson’s accident involved a tournament down in Florida and hooking a ball near the water remains to be seen. What we do know is that alligators are ornery and the Timbers are probably going to see a lot of the Gator chomp from D.C. United fans at their next match.

Get well, Mr. Paulson, and next time: Run in a zigzag.

They got all them teef...and no toofbrush.

Follow @Dr_Carson_

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One week ago, we took a look at the best teams in Major League Soccer based on their offensive abilities. 

Now that the attacks from each of the 19 clubs have been handed the spotlight, it is time to do the same with the defensive unit from each team. 

Continue reading for a ranking of the best and worst teams in MLS, based on their defensive prowess. 

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The Seattle Sounders are on fire at the moment, and because of that, three of their stars are high up on the list of the league's best players after Week 8.

Clint Dempsey has earned the top spot for the last two weeks, and Osvaldo Alonso has consistently ranked in the top 10 all year long, but a third player rooted himself high up in the MLS Player Power Rankings this week as well. 

As for players not based in Seattle, two of the top performers from Week 8 debuted on the list, while one surprising defender continued his climb up the chart. 

Continue reading on to see where the Seattle trio and 17 other players ranked after eight weeks of play in Major League Soccer.

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After two full months of play in Major League Soccer, we have learned a ton about the 2014 identities of the 19 clubs in the league. 

Play in Week 8 helped us define those identities even more, as a few teams continued old trends, while some showed signs of life that previously were not there. 

Continue reading on for a look at the eight biggest takeaways from the latest weekend of MLS action. 

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In the nine games played in Week 8 of Major League Soccer, there were some big winners and some even bigger losers. 

Some of the winners included a young player making his first mark on the scoresheet, a team on the rise and, of course, the haircut seen around the Internet. 

Among the losers from Week 8 were a goalkeeper who is having a rough few weeks and a team that has struggled out of the gate in every match. 

Continue reading for the complete list of winners and losers from the eighth week of play in MLS. 

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Week 8 in Major League Soccer belonged to a few terrific forwards that lit up the scoreboard for their respective teams. 

Just like he has for the last month, Clint Dempsey was nothing short of spectacular for the Seattle Sounders, but two other forwards starred as well throughout the week. 

Because of the strong play up front across the league, our MLS Team of the Week is set up in an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation.

Continue reading to see who joined Dempsey in the Week 8 edition of the MLS Team of the Week. 

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