Just weeks before the beginning of the season, MLS yesterday finally released its playoff format for the 2011 season.  As dreaded, it will include 10 of the 18 MLS teams, and officials acknowledged the number could change as more teams join MLS.  As for the current structure, the playoffs will go as such: The top […]

Earlier this offseason, I posted a poll and question about what EPL teams you would like to see do a tour of the United States.  Since then we have seen Barcelona confirm a three-stop tour of the U.S., where they will be playing both Manchester United (DC) and AC Milan (Miami).  But with as large […]

The past few weeks U.S. soccer fans have bemoaned the loss of national team players like Edson Buddle and Robbie Findley, players who, while not top-notch international players, are U.S. nationals whose presence gave MLS some respectability internationally.  However, while we on this site and others were complaining about the losses, we have not had […]

The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the players who have been called up and accepted the invitation to the U.S. men's national team training camp in January.  These players are the ones who will play in the next friendly against Chile in California and likely Egypt in Cairo.  And the theme of this year's team is […]

Beginning at 8:30 Eastern, MLS Talk will be live blogging the 2010 MLS Cup.  Join us here to discuss the players, coaches, BMO Field, ESPN, and everything else around the fifteenth MLS Cup.  Insightful analysis will be welcome, as well as humor and pop culture references. I look forward to chatting with you at 8:30 […]

To kick off our MLS Cup 2010 Preview, I am pleased to share that we will be live blogging the match on this site Sunday night beginning at 8:30 PM Eastern.  For those of us not in Toronto, please visit this site to share thoughts on the two teams, ESPN's coverage, or the warmth of […]

The story of the MLS playoffs coming into Sunday night was the futility of being a higher seed.  None of the higher seeds had advanced and the playoffs were seemingly wide-open for a new champion.  Then LA took the pitch against Seattle, and they showed the league who should be the favorites for the MLS […]

Soccer fans in the U.S. have long debated whether playoffs should be part of the beautiful game.  Yesterday's Real Salt Lake/FC Dallas match showed exactly why the MLS playoffs can be special, as the lower-seeded Dallas knocked off the defending MLS champions with a 1-1 draw, 3-2 win on aggregate.  Real Salt Lake came into […]

With San Jose's dramatic victory last night, they will await this weekend's slate of matches to see who their next round opponent will be.  Their upset victory has set the stage for an interest weekend of matches where we could conceivably see three more lower seeds win their playoff matches and once again throw the […]

MLS has already announced its award finalists for the 2010 season and throughout the month will be slowly unveiling the winners of each award (congratulations Andy Najar and Donovan Ricketts).  On November 15, MLS will announce the Best XI for the year, and few things get soccer fans as excited as picking out the best […]

The defending MLS champions were out-coached and outplayed in today's first round matchup between the two Western Conference clubs, as FC Dallas got a late goal from Eric Avila to beat Real Salt Lake 2-1. The match saw FC Dallas frantically try and win outright as they knew winning in Salt Lake City was something […]

On the eve of the beginning of the 2010 playoffs, MLS announced the finalists for the end-of-season awards.  While it does not have the international prestige of the Ballon D'Or, there is always a good lively debate about the nominees, who deserves what, and who got left out.  The winners will be announced beginning on […]

"MLS icon," "EPL veteran," "USMNT standout," the "best soccer player from the State of Illinois" are just a few of the ways to describe Chicago area native Brian McBride. With his team needing a spark, the ageless wonder took matters into his own hands and head. He started a play that lead to an open […]

A sparse crowd at chilly RFK Stadium (2,804 announced) wednesday evening witnessed the pieces finally fall into place for a struggling DC United. On a night when the cold weather, local playoff hockey and having an Open Cup match midweek brought only the most hardcore of fans out, those who did make the journey were […]

The end of the regular season has put me in a contemplative mood. Not only because I am left trying to figure out how the San Jose Earthquakes missed the postseason again, but because I am asked to fill out my 2009 MLS Awards Ballot. Following the Quakes as closely as I do, I enjoy […]