By Ridge Mahoney (@ridgemax) The list of All-Stars was released by MLS on Tuesday and amid the controversy of who got picked and whodidn’t, here’s a personal selection of the 11 most deserving players of the 2017 season to date. This is my Best XI, many obvious choices with a few personal favorites thrown in […]
portland timbers
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Closeup: Timbers anxiously wait for Mabiala to be fit
Sellouts — even a long run of them — don’t guarantee success, as the Portland Timbers found out last year. The 2015 MLS Cup winners stumbled short of the playoffs in 2016 eventhough their home record improved from 8-3-6 in the championship year to 12-3-2 as the hordes poured into Providence Park. Last year Portland […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
USL Rewind: Charlotte wins team-record fifth straight
Jorge Herrera scored the first hat trick in club history in a 5-1 defeat of Saint Louis FC by which Charlotte Independence set a team record for consecutive victories. EnzoMartinez and Bilal Duckett scored the other two goals as the Independence, by winning its fifth straight game, moved to within a point of second place […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS: RSL defense gets boost with Uruguayan vet Silva
Real Salt Lake, which went into July 4 action with the worst defense of any returning MLS team, got some help at center back with the signing of 28-year-old Uruguayan Marcelo Silva. “We have been looking to improve our defense,” Real Salt Lake general manager Craig Waibel said, “but wanted to find the right fit. […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Power Rankings: Red-hot Fire takes over at the top
The Chicago Fire took advantage of Toronto FC’s second loss in the last four games to take over first place in Soccer America’s MLS Power Rankings. A 4-0 rout of Vancouver coupledwith a 3-1 FC Dallas defeat of TFC moved Chicago on top, and New York City FC rose to second by downing Minnesota United, […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Expansion: FC Cincinnati breaks new ground
FC Cincinnati, which hosts the Chicago Fire Wednesday in a round-of-16 of the U.S. Open Cup televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, has come out of nowhere to become a hot favorite for MLS expansion.None of the six MLS clubs that began as minor-league teams came close to enjoying the support FC Cincinnati enjoys. In […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS Power Rankings: Busy week yields little movement
In a week of 14 league matches, the top teams prevailed and mixed results for most of the teams that played twice didn’t much reshuffle the positions in Soccer America’s MLS Power Rankings. The top four held their places by winning — collectively, they have lost only one of the last 12 games — and […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, What They're Saying
What They're Saying: Caleb Porter
“We have to have more guys that are finding ways to f***ing win games. Excuse my French.” — Portland coach Caleb Porter after the Timbers, who played the second half with a manadvantage, gave up a tying goal to the archrival Seattle Sounders at home in the 94th minute and had to settle for a […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
MLS: Timbers' Cascadia draw latest in worrying pattern
The Portland Timbers were coming off two tough losses on the road in the last week — 2-1 at Colorado and 3-2 at Minnesota United — but their 2-2 tie with the archrival Seattle Sounders was eventougher to swallow after Clint Dempsey tied the score in the 94th minute. “It feels like a loss,” Timbers […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Value of Open Cup depends on perspective
By Ridge Mahoney (@ridgemax) Though the end is valuable in itself, the means of the U.S. Open Cup continues to vary wildly for itsMLS participants. It strikes me as ironic that U.S. Soccer has banned the USL teams run by MLS clubs, such as Red Bulls II and their ilk from the Galaxy, Timbers, Sounders, […]