Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore enjoyed sweet vindication as Toronto FC made their most compelling pitch for Major League Soccer’s best team everThe spirit of blame has been bouncing around US soccer circles since the USA’s World Cup elimination – but over the course of these MLS playoffs far more than its share has settled on Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. Both men were booed by opposing fans every time they touched the ball during the playoffs, and both had their struggles – Bradley was nullified by Tyler Adams in the home playoff loss to the Red Bulls, while Altidore saw red in the same game and missed the first leg against Columbus. Related: Jozy Altidore has last laugh to...
Stefan Frei pulled off some crucial saves but the most important part of the champions’ season happened back in the summerRoman Torres gives the Seattle Sounders a historic winThis was a defenders’ MLS Cup final and so it was fitting that a defender should strike the decisive blow. Roman Torres was already something of a cult figure for the Sounders support before he strode up to hit the most important penalty in the franchise’s history. Now the image of his celebrations will be immortalised in Seattle.Of course, the narrative that will be drawn from this match seems a little bizarre considering that an entire season came down to a few inches, with Justin Morrow smashing his penalty off the underside...
The MLS newcomers announced a coach with a real pedigree, and fans should be excited. Plus, Portland look worried as Seattle find form at just the right timeEarlier this week, Atlanta United FC, MLS’s expansion team for 2017, made headlines as they introduced to the world their first ever manager. And what a pick it was: 53-year-old Gerardo Tata Martino arrives to America as one of the most experienced coaches to have ever graced Major League Soccer. Aside from his run with the Argentinian national team (just three losses from 29 matches, including reaching the final of the 2015 Copa America and the 2016 Centenario) and a topsy-turvy season with Barcelona, Martino also helped Paraguay reach the quarter-finals of the...
If results go their way, NYC FC could secure a postseason spot for the first time. Plus, DC and Orlando go at it, and Seattle are desperate for a win in LAIn 2002, the New York Yankees outbid the Boston Red Sox for star Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras, forcing Red Sox president Larry Lucchino (who retired last year) to vent his frustration. “The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America,” he told the New York Times, and from that precise moment the Yankees had a new nickname. How fitting then, that 14 years later the evil empire could see their soccer club clinch their first ever playoff spot on Star Wars night in the Bronx tonight. Related: 'We're...
Plus: New England are still the ultimate September team; there’s hope for everyone in MLS; the Red Bulls’ inability to hold on to a leadThe question was never over Jordan Morris’s ability, but of whether he could handle the expectation that came with his move to the Seattle Sounders. He is the brightest young talent in the American game right now, alongside Christian Pulisic – something that was obvious from the moment he made his full international debut as a teenager still playing college soccer. On Saturday Morris provided yet another answer to all that has been posed of him this year. His diving header nine minutes from time gave Seattle a crucial 1-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps, keeping...