"Watching the MLS playoffs has been tremendously exciting. The games in the first round with the penalty shootout, to Portland and Kansas City, to games that were very close, very tight and hard fought. It's been very exciting. The stadiums are packed, the fans are fully engaged and the teams battle themselves through. Sometimes you have your favorite pick then you realize after a game or two, your favorite is not there anymore and out of the playoffs. It's at another level this year and I can't wait to see the MLS Cup final!"

-- U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann on the MLS playoffs. (USSoccer.com)

"It's a different challenge [in MLS]. People think it's easy to play there. Believe me, it's more difficult than playing in the Premier League because of the travel."

-- Didier Drogba, who just finished his first season in MLS with the Montreal Impact. (Reuters)

Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't seem to have a difficult time getting through customs, as demonstrated by this clip of Real Madrid arriving in Ukraine to ... Read the whole story

"I can't believe what I've been seeing on Saturday nights. He's always on his own. Why can't the Premier League, with all those supposedly good defenders, stop him?"

-- Allen Bethel, the chairman of Stocksbridge Park Steels, which was in the eighth division of English soccer went it signed 21-year-old Jamie Vardy in 2008 for about $160 a week. Vardy is now at Leicester City in the English Premier League, where he has scored in 10 straight games, equaling the 12-year-old Premier League record set by Ruud van Nistelrooy. (Wall Street Journal)

Fabian Johnson scored in his second straight game for Borussia Moenchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League as it beat Sevilla, 4-2, in their Group ... Read the whole story

One season with the Philadelphia Union is the full extend of Veljko Paunovic's MLS experience, yet he's been chosen by the Chicago Fire to ... Read the whole story

New England announced Wednesday it has renewed the options on 14 players, signed midfielder Daigo Kobayashi to a new contract, and arranged for three ... Read the whole story

Sporting Kansas City re-signed 12 of the 13 players it had options on -- all but Jalil Anibaba -- and will will extend offers ... Read the whole story

Eight collegians and 12 youth club players comprise Coach Michelle French's roster for the U-20 Women's World Cup Concacaf qualifying tournament Dec. 3-13 in ... Read the whole story