Only MLS league games will be reflected in the rankings. Rankings are voted on by MLSsoccer.com editorial staff; words by Alicia Rodriguez. BIGGEST MOVERS: N/A 1 LAST WEEK: - HIGH: 1 | LOW: 1 The MLS Cup champs begin 2019 on top, but they have a few more questions than

"I dwell in possibility." – Emily Dickinson This is MLS, and thus just about anything is possible. For 24 teams, there is a road to any possibility – including, perhaps, hoisting the Supporters' Shield in mid-October. The Shield is, by my reckoning, the single best domestic trophy to win in MLS.

At the end of last year, I put together my list of the Top 5 performers at every position for the 2018 season. It’s important to note the “performers” part, as it denotes who had the best season, not necessarily who are the best players. Sometimes top players have down

MLSisBack 2019: Every game mattersFC Cincinnati to face the giants earlyPity Martinez among top newcomers primed to light MLS on fireAcademy products set to shine in MLS after breaking out with U.S. MNTWE ARE LAFC documentary airing exclusively on ESPN+Week 1 Notes

MLSisBack 2019: Every game matters

The 24th season

As part of our countdown to MLS opening weekend, we're taking a look at each Week 1 match. On Monday, we break down the storylines around the LA Galaxy-Chicago Fire match on March 2 (8 pm ET | FS1). Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Bastian Schweinsteiger on FS1 on Saturday night of Major

There's no escaping the fact that Major League Soccer clubs and their faithful supporters were forced to say some misty-eyed goodbyes to a handful of marquee performers as 2018 came to a close. But hey, that's the life in any soccer league. The silver lining is that there's no shortage of

The wait is almost over: We are just 5 days from #MLSisBack, the same number of days as championships won by LA Galaxy. A founding member of Major League Soccer's inaugural season, the LA Galaxy are used to making the MLS Cup Playoffs. In fact, there have been just two

After the long winter, we're finally at the end of the tunnel. #MLSisBack this weekend, with a full slate of 12 games to enjoy on opening weekend after some midweek Concacaf Champions League action. A lot happened over the offseason and there are many storylines to follow. It might seem

Just one week until the opening of the 2019 MLS regular season, and no surprise, that means Saturday will be a very busy day in preseason action as teams get their last warm-up matches in. Here's a look at a busy Saturday preseason slate. Orlando City SC vs. Minnesota United

As part of our countdown to MLS opening weekend, we're taking a look at each Week 1 match. On Friday, we break down the storylines around the Houston Dynamo-Real Salt Lake match on March 2 (6 pm ET | ESPN+). The Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake have been flying under

The wait is almost over: We are just 12 days from #MLSisBack, the same number of days as there are Week 1 matches this season. Week 1 in MLS is always special, but this season it'll be unique yet again. With the introduction of FC Cincinnati bringing the league to 24

Here are five questions (and a call to action) to get you through the weekend. Be safe everyone. Who else deserves a statue outside an MLS stadium? Michael Jordan. Hank Aaron. Eusebio. Vince Lombardi. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Bobby Moore. Thierry Henry. Statues outside of sports stadiums are nothing

The reigning MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner will face his former club coach when the Mexico national team plays Venezuela this June in a friendly announced Tuesday. Josef Martinez, Atlanta United's record-breaking striker, will likely lead a Venezuelan squad that could feature several familiar MLS faces against a Mexico squad selected by

The January camp to measure all January camps by came way back in 2002, and to be perfectly honest, it's more than a little bit disingenuous to consider that a "regular" January camp. That's because way back in 2002 Concacaf, for some reason, decided to play the Gold Cup in

The US national team's Gregg Berhalter era got off to a promising start as his green first selection calmly ruled play on its way to a 3-0 friendly victory over Panama on Sunday night. As a periodic reminder, all marks are handed out on a scale with "6" as the average grade.

United States vs. Panama International Friendly State Farm Stadium — Glendale January 27 — 8 pm ET WATCH: ESPN2, UniMás, UDN A month after being named coach of the US men’s national team, Gregg Berhalter will make his anticipated debut in the first international friendly of 2019 against Panama Sunday

Can you feel that? The 2019 MLS season beckons, less than two months away. Not only are we within touching distance of March 2 -- not to mention Concacaf Champions League action kicking off February 19 -- but with Monday's release of the full schedule, one crucial step in the offseason

The full 2019 schedule for Major League Soccer is here. Matches begin on March 2 and run all the way through Decision Day on Oct. 6, followed by the start of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs on Oct. 19, with 2019 MLS Cup kicking off on Nov. 10.  FC

First off, please note some key ground rules: We’ve considered all tournaments and competitions, at home and abroad, in which MLS clubs competed during the 2018 calendar year. And to keep things a bit simpler, we’ve limited our deliberations to moments that occurred on the pitch. Alas, this eliminates incredible

Every year contains it's own share of surprises, and for Major League Soccer, 2018 was no exception. Before the new year clocks in, we felt like looking back at the players, clubs, moves, incidents and trends that kept us all on our toes before, during and after the season that

Major League Soccer announced all 24 clubs' 2019 home openers, with the season kicking off on Saturday, March 2. There are some great matchups to look forward to on opening weekend. The Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC will get the season underway, kicking off at 1 pm ET on Saturday,

FC Cincinnati debut March 2 at Seattle, play historic home opener vs. Portland two weeks later; MLS Cup champions Atlanta United visit D.C. United on March 3; Minnesota United FC open Allianz Field on April 13 vs. NYCFC NEW YORK (Thursday, December 20, 2018) – Major League Soccer today revealed

Some of these teams were eliminated about five minutes after the season started, but that doesn't mean the season meant nothing for them. There was experimentation, breakthroughs, disappointment and struggle. Let's write some epitaphs. Part I: Teams 23-16 (Today)Part II:Teams 15-8 (Wednesday)Part III:Teams 7-1 (Thursday)

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Re-signed LAFC announced on Monday that they have rewarded one of the surprises of 2018 with a new contract. Midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye has signed a three-year contract extension through 2021 with a club option for 2022. Kaye appeared in 20 regular season contests (all starts) for LAFC during

HANOVER, N.J. — There’s been a great debate about who will win the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award this year, with fans and pundits alike making cases for a number of standout players.  Understandably, it appears record-breaking Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez is the favorite among a group of finalists that