It's rare that you'll find someone who claims they don't like pizza, but Columbus Crew striker Dominic Oduro has taken it to the next level. 

Oduro showed his love of pizza by getting his hair cut to look like pepperoni pizza in a promotional move with Papa John's. This isn't Oduro's first pizza-related stunt: he made headlines when he took a bite of pizza after scoring a goal in 2013. 

[Twitter, YouTube, h/t Yahoo! Sports]

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With just under three weeks to go before United States Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann must submit his preliminary World Cup roster to FIFA, the key members of the MLS Home Guard are beginning to round into form.

Clint Dempsey returned from his two-game suspension with fire in his belly and TNT in his boots. The USMNT front man has notched five goals and two assists in the Seattle Sounders' last three games to finally curb USMNT fans' anxieties.

Michael Bradley sat out Toronto FC's 0-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids but returned to put in a full 90-minute shift in a losing effort at FC Dallas. It does not appear that Bradley's knee knock will hinder his World Cup preparations.

We'll look at all of Major League Soccer's World Cup hopefuls in this edition of the Home Guard by focusing on the players' metrics from the early stages of the 2014 MLS campaign. 

Each World Cup candidate is categorized by the position he plays in Klinsmann's base 4-2-3-1 system: forwards (including the "withdrawn" forward), central midfielders, center backs, wing-backs (full backs/outside backs) and wing-forwards (outside midfielders). Bear in mind that some of the Home Guard play different positions for Klinsmann than they do for their MLS club, and we'll use each player's projected first position with the USMNT.

Different groups of metrics are given for each position. The list of all reported metrics includes:

All of the raw data for the computed metrics come from the MLS game "Chalkboards" published by MLSSoccer.com.

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In less than two months, the United States men’s national team will be off and running in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although the 2014 cycle wasn’t without its hiccups, the U.S. qualified for its seventh straight World Cup by finishing first in CONCACAF.

However, when the 2014 World Cup is over, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will have the unenviable task of replacing many of the aging pieces of his squad and beginning the long process of preparing for 2018 World Cup qualifying.

Major League Soccer has increasingly become a part of the USMNT’s backbone. Full of bright young talent, the league will surely be a big part of the 2018 cycle as well.

Here are 18 MLS youngsters, ages 25 and under, who could be a part of the next round of World Cup qualification for the U.S.

Goalkeepers

Tim Howard could conceivably still be around in 2018, and Brad Guzan is next in line after Howard, but two MLS goalkeepers waiting in the wings are Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid.

Johnson has become the U.S.’s No. 4 over the past year, earning shutouts in both of his appearances for the U.S. in 2013. Hamid earned a shutout in his only senior appearance for the squad back in 2012. Both are in their fourth seasons as full-time starters in MLS.

Defenders

When it comes to young defenders, MLS has a number of exciting prospects.

DeAndre Yedlin is viewed by many U.S. fans as the heir apparent at right-back. The 20-year-old was named an MLS All-Star in his rookie campaign, represented the U.S. in U20 World Cup last summer and already has two caps for the senior side.

Like Yedlin, Kofi Sarkodie is a University of Akron product and also plays right-back. Sarkodie is a little older at 23, but he still has plenty of time to fully develop. Sarkodie has represented the U.S. at the U17, U20 and U23 levels.

On the left side, Colorado Rapids defender Chris Klute could be the next great left-back for the U.S. Klute, 24, emerged last season for the Rapids, winning their Defensive Player of the Year award and earning his first senior national team call-up. Klute also earned high praise from former USMNT great Eric Wynalda, who said Klute is “better than anybody we’ve ever had,” per the official Colorado Rapids website. 

Shane O’Neill, another Rapids defender, earned his first senior call-up this year as well. He also represented the U.S. at the U20 World Cup last summer and was named the Rapids' Young Player of the Year. He is 20 years old.

Matt Hedges, who is only 24, is already in his third season as a regular starter in MLS for FC Dallas. He impressed many in his rookie campaign back in 2012 and is off to another strong start in 2014, recently earning Player of the Week honors.

Austin Berry, a 25-year-old defender for the Philadelphia Union, is another youngster already in his third season in MLS. Berry first gained attention as a rookie for the Chicago Fire when he won league Rookie of the Year honors in 2012.

His teammates Amobi Okugo, 23, and Sheanon Williams, 24, are also highly touted young players. Okugo is a veteran of the U.S. U18 and U20 squads and has been a starter for the past three seasons. Williams has had a bit of a rough start in 2014 due to injury, but he’s been the Union’s regular right-back for three seasons.

Midfielders

Despite a number of strong prospects in the back, MLS boasts its top young talent in the midfield.

Dillon Powers of the Colorado Rapids was the league Rookie of the Year and team MVP in 2013, finishing the season with five goals and six assists. The 23-year-old has already represented the U.S. at the U18 and U20 levels.

Perhaps the most exciting prospect in MLS for the USMNT is the Portland Timbers' Darlington Nagbe. Nagbe, 23, is not yet a citizen, but he is expected to gain U.S. citizenship in 2015. He was the Timbers' Player of the Year in 2013, was named to the MLS Team of Week five times last season and scored the 2011 MLS Goal of Year.

Kelyn Rowe is one of several young prospects for the New England Revolution. At 22, Rowe has already represented the U.S. at the U18, U20 and U23 levels. He is a creative midfielder in his third season of MLS and finished with seven goals and eight assists last season.

Wil Trapp is a 20-year-old midfielder with the Columbus Crew in his second full season of MLS. He started to break into the Crew lineup last year and has already represented the U.S. at the U20 World Cup.

Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil is already an MLS veteran at only 20 years of age. Now in his fifth season, Gil has represented the U.S. at the U17, U18 and U20 levels and earned his first senior cap this January. Many U.S. fans will remember his golazo against Spain in the U20 World Cup last summer.

Benji Joya is a 20-year-old midfielder with the Chicago Fire on loan from Liga MX side Santos Laguna. Joya represented the U.S. last summer in the U20 World Cup.

Forwards

MLS has a few young prospects at forward, but the two who stand out are Jack McInerney and Diego Fagundez.

McInerney, who is 21, scored 14 goals in all competitions last year. He was on the Gold Cup roster with the senior national team this summer and has represented the U.S. several times at the youth level.

The other electrifying youngster, who plays for the New England Revolution, is Diego Fagundez. The 19-year-old is already in his fourth season of MLS and scored 13 goals last season. Fagundez is a permanent resident—currently seeking U.S. citizenship—and is still eligible to represent Uruguay at this point.

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Which team contains the best set of attackers in Major League Soccer? 

That is a question that can ignite a debate that could last as long as a few days based on how much each team has improved in the attacking department over the last few years. 

Thanks to the designated player rule and a strong South American pipeline, the teams are not only getting better at each position, but they are also seeing a ton of creativity flow through their respective attacks. 

With so little difference between the clubs at the top, it was difficult to select just one team as the best.

Continue reading on to see which team earned the honor of best attack in MLS. 

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The race for the top spot in the MLS Player Power Rankings is heating up now that the league's elite players are performing at the best of their abilities every week.

Five of the top six players from Week 6 remained in the top six after Week 7, but there was room for one superstar to find his way into the top five. 

As for the new entries, three players surged into the top 10, one of whom is familiar with this list, after terrific displays for their respective clubs on Saturday. 

Continue reading on to see which players landed a coveted spot in the MLS Player Power Rankings. 

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The biggest winners and losers from Week 7 in Major League Soccer came from some unexpected places. 

A few of the winners this week were players who made big plays for their teams in time of need, and others were able to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them. 

The losers this week include two league veterans, who made crucial mistakes, a team that is sputtering at the moment, and another player that faced plenty of highs and lows in just 73 minutes on the pitch.

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

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Week 7 of play in Major League Soccer brought us a mixed bag of results with a few dull draws and some entertaining displays spread out across North America. 

In the exciting clashes throughout the league, plenty of stars rose to the occasion and some controversial decisions were made. 

One result from Week 7 even brought a club to the brink of panic mode before the month of April concludes.

Continue reading for the biggest takeaways from Week 7 in Major League Soccer. 

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The seventh week of play in Major League Soccer saw a bit of a youth movement on the score sheet. 

Young stars of the league such as 23-year-olds Dom Dwyer and Darren Mattocks, 24-year-old Matt Hedges and 21-year-old Wil Trapp played big parts in crucial goals throughout Week 7. 

A few experienced stars did shine bright as well, but it was the showing by one in particular that had everyone around the league buzzing afterward. 

Continue reading on to see which young stars and experienced veterans found their way into the Week 7 edition of the MLS Team of the Week.

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Kelli Tennant was covering the Los Angeles Galaxy's game against the Vancouver Whitecaps when an errant ball nailed the back of her head. 

Like a true professional, Tennant keeps going after the startling shot to her head.

[Vine, h/t USA Today's FTW]

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CHESTER, Pa. — The Philadelphia Union are apt to wait for weeks if not months to be presented with a more winnable match than the scoreless draw they played with the Houston Dynamo at PPL Park.

The Dynamo were without six-time Major League Soccer All-Star midfielder Brad Davis, who missed his third straight match with a sprained right ankle.

If the Dynamo missed Davis, though, they certainly did not let on in the first half. Houston struck 12 shots at Union keeper Zac MacMath's goal and forced him to make two saves. It also earned three corner kicks in the first 45 minutes and had the Union pinned in PPL Park's River End for most of the half.

Union boss John Hackworth's team talk during the interval must have gotten through, though, because the Union seized control of the match throughout the second half. Unfortunately for the Union fans among the more than 17,000 in attendance, though, a winning marker never came.

The match essentially turned on two plays.

Dynamo forward Will Bruin crashed a right-footed shot off the post past MacMath in the 38th minute. Had the Dynamo scored there, no vivid imagination would have been needed to imagine them getting another goal before the break. The Union were running around in the defensive area without direction.

Having survived the first half, though, the Union will look back at the second half as an opportunity wasted.

New Union acquisition Andrew Wenger had the two best scoring chances of the second half for either side.

In the 52nd minute, Wenger poured down the left wing with the ball and half an acre of open space between him and Dynamo keeper Tally Hall. Inexplicably, though, with an awful lot of net to shoot at, Wenger picked out an onrushing Conor Casey instead of shooting.

Casey's shot was blocked, and the chance went begging.

Before Wenger's second big chance, though, the Union were given an enormous gift.

Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie, playing on a yellow card from the 40th minute on, took too long to deliver a defensive zone throw-in and received a second yellow card in the 82nd minute, leading to a red card and his dismissal.

That decision can only be called harsh, and it seemed perhaps that the referee gave Sarkodie the yellow card for time-wasting without realizing what the consequence would be.

Fortunately for Sarkodie, the Dynamo tightened the defensive screws through the final seven minutes of regulation and six minutes of stoppage time.

Wenger had the ball fall to him in front of Hall's goal, but his shot flew just over the bar.

The MLS season, like so many professional sporting seasons, is interminable. The Union will be playing until the end of October in search of a playoff berth.

If they miss the playoffs again this season, though, they will surely look back on this 0-0 result with a nearly quarter-hour man advantage as a gift-wrapped chance lost.

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