MLS goes head-to-head against top Liga MX teams in Champions LeagueTeenage Efraín Álvarez stars for boyhood club Strong road performances highlight Week 1Sounders FC’s Morris scores brace in triumphant return from injurySix teenagers among the 38 academy products to feature in opening weekWeek 2 Notes MLS goes head-to-head against top

They may have played for opposing teams in MLS, but the ties between Mexico teammates Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela run deep. After dos Santos' contract with the LA Galaxy was bought out last week, with the attacker's next destination as yet unknown, LAFC star Vela was asked about

LOS ANGELES — With both of MLS’s Southern California clubs earning dramatic late victories in their home openers this weekend, it wasn’t going to take long before conversation about the regional rivalry came to the fore. Sunday night, when a reporter asked about LAFC’s cross-county foes following the Black &

2019 season, 24 teams. With 12 games to chew over, let's jump right in with an observation on each team. Atlanta United Every coach works on a spectrum of "Autonomy to Instruction." Tata Martino’s magic stroke in Atlanta was that he found the perfect spot on that spectrum. He provided concepts and

MLSisBack, and Week 1 of the 2019 MLS regular season did not disappoint, as reflected in the Team of the Week presented by Audi.

23 teams scored in the opening week, which included a 3-3 thriller played in a blizzard at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, dual comebackwins in Los Angeles,

There is no more home-and-home in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. There is no more question of whether it’s a positive or negative to host the second leg. There is no more questions about whether the best regular-season teams get their due in the postseason. The playoff format has changed, and

MLSisBack. Give thanks and prepare yourself for 36 hours of wall-to-wall MLS.

How should I navigate MLS opening weekend? First off, if you haven't done it yet: Get the app – it'll come in handy. As for prep, you can start with (and likely never finish) Matt Doyle’s 10,000-word treatise on Major

Hablando con Marco Fabián: “La única forma de dejar una huella es siendo campeón” Hace solo 20 días, Philadelphia Union impresionó al oficializar el traspaso de Marco Fabián de la Mora, uno de los talentos mexicanos más notables en los últimos años. Marco Fabián, quien llega del Eintracht Frankfurt de

With a tip of the cap to the great Zach Lowe, here's my own version of his "Annual Tiers of the NBA" column, MLS-style. What follows are not hard-and-fast Power Rankings, per se, but rather something a little more loose in terms of talent level, cohesion, chemistry and all the

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER’S 24TH SEASON KICKS OFF WITH 12 MATCHES THIS WEEKEND The new MLS season kicks off Saturday, March 2, as the quest begins to lift the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy as MLS Cup champions in November. The most successful MLS club in season openers heading into 2019 is

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.