It’s early, but signs indicate that Bruce Arena has wisely rebuilt the Earthquakes roster around players he trusts
Steve Davis
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
MLS in Year 30: Taking stock in maturity and evolution–maybe even more than you realize
Major League Soccer turns 30 this year. It’s “birthday” is Saturday as league play begins for an operation that, truth be told, wasn’t an awesome bet to make it 5 or 10 years from its 1996 inception.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
MLS preseason 2025: The five most intriguing teams
Major League Soccer clubs are back in training, some already having decamped to foreign addresses, some already kitting up for preseason friendlies.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
MLS playoff format: the puzzle that refuses to get solved
It will never be about identifying a perfect solution to the MLS playoff format; it will always be about finding the least imperfect one.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Flipping the MLS calendar didn’t make sense before; now maybe it does
There was a day when MLS’s calendar made perfect sense for a league still wobbling around like a baby dear, and probably as vulnerable as one.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
The MLS playoff myth and the new reality
A guiding principle of Major League Soccer has always held that if teams can just get into the playoffs “anything can happen.”
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Messi is making an already imperfect MVP selection process even more messy
Even at 37 years old he remains a human highlight reel, capable of upending matches on his own.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
The MLS MVP candidate we should talk more about: Portland’s Brazilian playmaker Evander
This MVP business is tricky; selections are always more art than science.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
What makes Columbus Crew special: prodigious success through an unconventional model
Columbus Crew is something of a unicorn. It could be a long time before we see another team like it.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Initial Messi-provided pop distracted from Leagues Cup’s reality: It’s a long path to relevancy
Lionel Messi hasn’t been around for this year’s Leagues Cup, conspicuous by his absence.