When MLS followed the lead of other major American pro sports and instituted a Most Valuable Player Award, as opposed to a Player of the Year honor or something similar, it presented a dilemma. APlayer of the Year, as is awarded in many countries, is a rather straightforward evaluation of which top player had the […]
portland timbers
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MLS Knockout Round: High-flying Quakes take on floundering Whitecaps
About 70 hours after a stunning, stoppage-time goal by Marco Urena edged San Jose into the playoffs as the sixth Western Conference seed, the Quakes take on the team that led the West headinginto the final day of the regular season. On Sunday, San Jose downed Minnesota United, 3-2, and Vancouver lost to Portland, 2-1, […]
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MLS Awards: Greg Vanney edges strong field as top coach
That the job of MLS head has become more complex and time-intensive is without question. Once the mentor of a single roster, now he oversees an operation with between 28 and 30 first-team players, areserve team or an affiliate in the USL, sports science and performance analysis departments, and academy programs for boys and girls. […]
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MLS Power Rankings: Five playoff teams move up, Sporting Kansas City slips
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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MLS Closeup: Timbers' solid run evoking comparisons to 2015 championship team
During the FIFA international break, Portland Timbers head coach Caleb Porter plans to invoke the three R’s, but not those utilized by teachers. “Mostly just rest,recovery, recharge, sharpen up a few things,” said the Timbers mentor Saturday after a second-half rally had fallen short in a 2-1 road loss to San Jose. “You can’t let […]
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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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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 Playoff Race: Dynamo hopes ride on home dominance
Many of the 16 teams that play twice this week are in dire need of points in the playoff chase, yet the stakes are probably highest for Houston. The Dynamo (10-10-9, 39 points) is tiedwith sixth-place San Jose in the standings, but the Quakes (11-13-6) have the advantage in the first tiebreaker, which is most […]
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Report: Timbers ready to begin stadium expansion
Some MLS clubs have waited years to get approval for their soccer stadiums to get off the ground. The Oregonian reported it’s taken the Portland Timbers only five months to win city approval for a $57 millionexpansion to Providence Park that will add approximately 4,000 new seats to the stadium’s east side.
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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 […]