The penultimate weekend of the 2017 MLS regular season produced strong moves for teams such as Seattle, Columbus, Portland, Houston and Chicago, and a steep drop for Sporting Kansas City. Crew SC ran its winning streak to three games by beating Orlando City, 1-0, and Houston took four of six points in a pair of […]
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Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Power Rankings: Minnesota United makes good use of double dip
With just four games played last week, there wasn’t much movement in Soccer America’s MLS Power Rankings, yet by halting Atlanta United’s amazing run of home dominance expansioncounterpart Minnesota United got a boost. The New York Red Bulls also moved up by posting a solid defeat of Vancouver that also clinched a playoff spot. […]
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MLS Power Rankings: Atlanta tucks into second behind Toronto FC
The busiest week of the season — 18 games — produced some big scores and a few playoff fates decided. Top-ranked Toronto FC clinched the Supporters’ Shield for best overall recordand amazing expansion club Atlanta United kept rolling to take over second place. RSL moved up another notch, into sixth place, with another gutty result. […]
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MLS Playoff Race: No Schweini, no problem for Fire
Before German international Bastian Schweinsteiger had played a minute for the Fire, it had already remodeled itself into apretty good team, and one likely to end a long playoff drought. OnWednesday, it displayed how to win without its star midfielder by blowing four goals past San Jose in a rousing 4-1 victory that clinched a […]
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MLS Playoff Race: Two teams clinch, big FC Dallas win
The busiest Wednesday of the season — eight games — resulted in two more teams clinching playoff berths in the Eastern Conference and a logjam at the top and a shakeup on the bubble in WesternConference. Eastern Conference: PTS (GP) TEAM W-L-T GF/GA 62 (31) *Toronto FC 18-5-8 67/33 55(30) *NYCFC 16-8-7 52/38 52 (30) […]
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Atlanta United, best MLS expansion team ever? Not so fast
Atlanta United is on course to set an attendance record in its first MLS season and is playing some of the best soccer ever seen in the league. But how does it rank among expansion teams? With the additions of Minnesota United and Atlanta United, MLS has grown by 15 teams since the first expansion […]
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MLS Power Rankings: Toronto FC stumbles but stays top
Montreal ended Toronto FC’s home unbeaten record and Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver continued their winning ways to edge closer to the leader. Wins for SKC and the‘Caps moved them into the second and third slots, respectively. Another pair of impressive victories at Mercedes-Benz Stadium lifted Atlanta United into fourth place. Portland rode anotherstrong game […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
The long and winding path of Arturo Alvarez from Project-40 player to international
By Ridge Mahoney (@ridgemax) When he served up a perfect cross that Brandon Vincent drove into the net with a divingheader last weekend against D.C. United, Fire midfielder Arturo Alvarez registered just his second assist of the season. That may seem a meager output for a player in his 15th yearas a pro, and […]
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MLS's greatest scoring race ever heats up
Recent tears by Diego Valeri (goals in an MLS record eight straight games) and Josef Martinez(back-to-back hat tricks) have tightened what is shaping up as MLS’s greatest scoring race inhistory. David Villa still leads the race with Nemanja Nikolic tied for second, but only two goals separate the top five scorers. The favorite? Atlanta United’s […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Power Rankings: Surges continue for 'Caps and Atlanta
Four-point weeks for two teams helped jostle the rankings at the top, though the top three of Toronto FC, New York City FC and Seattle stayed pat. Atlanta United delighted combined crowdsof more than 115,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium by scoring 10 goals, and Vancouver took over the Western Conference lead by beating Minnesota United […]