While New York Red Bulls waited to see if they could hold serve to win the 2015 MLS Supporters’ Shield, the major questions in the Eastern Conference on Decision Day circled around the battlefor second place — a four-team affair — and whether the Revs — in sixth place but not secure as a playoff […]
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Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Decision Day: Several MLS teams have much to lose
Of the myriad postseason possibilities facing many of the MLS teams that play on Sunday, a few teams are in the most dire straits: that of falling so far down the standings they miss the playoffsaltogether. New England lost in last year’s MLS Cup final and Sporting Kansas City captured the title in 2013, yet […]
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MLS goes all the way with Decision Day
By Ridge Mahoney I have to give some credit to MLS: it has taken a breakthrough element and tweaked it before seeing it implemented for the first time. It’s not been used,much less broken, but MLS has decided to change it anyway. The ballyhooed Decision Day – modeled after the final day of English Premier […]
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Crew and Impact clinch playoff spots
The final weekend of the MLS regular-season won’t be a lame-duck day as far as the playoffs are concerned. At least three spots will be up for grabs Sunday whenall 10 teams wind up their schedules. Montreal and Columbus eased the angst of their fans by securing their slots during the weekend, but failing to […]
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MLS playoff race drama heats up on Friday night
On the penultimate weekend of the 2015 regular-season all six remaining playoff slots could be decided, but the meaning of Saturday’s games is greatly dependent on the results of Fridaynight. Only three Eastern Conference teams have clinched playoff spots but all the suspense for three other teams could be eliminated Friday. Unless Orlando City beats […]
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Year of parity marks 20th MLS season
By Ridge Mahoney (@ridgemax) The 20th MLS season is a great milestone in the league’shistory, and it could turn out to be the most vivid example of its parity. With three weeks of the regular season remaining, only three teams — the LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City, andthe New York Red Bulls — have lost […]
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MLS Power Rankings: Upsets don't change top spots
It was a great week for teams below the playoff zone; they posted four wins, two of them by Houston, against teams higher in the standings. New York City FC won in Vancouver, and Orlando City SCstunned the Red Bulls, who nevertheless retained the top spot in Soccer America’s MLS Power Rankings. The Galaxy topped FC […]
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Crew's Kamara is looking beyond his record
There’s a significant goalscoring title on the line Saturday when Columbus Crew striker Kei Kamara lines up to face visiting Portland, though it’s not the single-seasonrecord of 27 held by Roy Lassiter and Chris Wondolowski and equaled by Bradley Wright-Phillipslast year. A goal against the Timbers will notonly add to his league-leading total of 21, […]
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MLS: Does anyone want to win this thing?
MLS’s top teams took it on the chin this weekend. The top four teams in the race for the Supporters’ Shield all lost — and lost badly. FC Dallas began by falling 3-1 on Friday night to SportingKC, and it got worst from there. Conference leaders New England and Vancouver and the LA Galaxy all […]
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Slog of frustration weighs on Toronto and Montreal and march to MLS playoffs
By Ridge Mahoney (@ridgemax) While rival Vancouver rides along atop the Western Conference as clearlythe class of Canada, the Eastern representatives, Toronto FC and Montreal, are mired in a slog of frustration. Both are embroiled in the playoff race from which six Eastern Conference teams willemerge, and neither is close to clinching. Both teams are […]