What a major weekend from the major soccer league — we were treated to it all. Andrea Pirlo, whose salary of $5.9 million is 35% of NYCFC’s total payroll, was benched because Patrick Vieira cited the need to have a midfielder with an animated body, New England threw away a three-goal lead against Seattle in 15 minutes and the Philadelphia Union are already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
Big ups to Steve Fenn (@StatHunting) for breaking down MLS wages by team and player in a brilliantly interactive infographic. You can get lost in this masterpiece for hours.
The LA Galaxy challenged the Portland Timbers, and our MLS Rankings of Power, by posting a disparaging meme aimed at Diego Chara and David Guzman after the two combined to get Jelle Van Damme sent off on Sunday.
Van Damme was booked for both tackles although he made contact with neither player. Guzman actually spectacularly injured himself with his dive, which is another joke in and of itself.
We’ve never understood power rankings, especially when you can just look at the standings for an official, unarguable list of who’s the best (Portland) and who’s the worst (Minnesota, my God!). So, with a desire to not do something so unnecessary and redundant, but rather create a new list that makes very little sense, we present: The MLS Rankings of Power.
Every week, we’ll update this monstrosity in the hope of finding the most powerful person, place or thing in the most major of major soccer leagues. Let us continue.
I’ve seen some s**t. I remember thinking Sam’s Army was about the coolest thing throughout the buildup to the 2006 World Cup. It was a group of Americans that were all soccer fans that got together to cheer for soccer — it was insane, it was wildly progressive and it was extremely dangerous.
Ellen DeGeneres welcomed back eight-year-old Kai Langer to her show this past Tuesday after he'd gone viral in 2013. He came to sing but encountered more surprises than he ever could've imagined. Not only did he get to meet pop singer Ed Sheeran, but he also left with a birthday gift no one saw coming.
I know, I know. It's way too early to say anyone has a better chance to win the 2017 MLS Cup. The season is only in its preseason stages. But predicting is fun, so why not?
Every new season for MLS is a possibility for previously bad teams to rise to top and snag the coveted MLS Cup.
Could it be the defending champion Seattle Sounders? Maybe we could possibly see a brand-new team surprise the world of MLS and nab the title.
Here are the top five teams we think could win the 2017 MLS Cup.
The 2017 MLS season is fast approaching with training camp beginning on Tuesday for all clubs. With the USMNT currently undergoing their January camp in California ahead of friendlies against Serbia and Jamaica, some big-name American players were missing, but Tuesday also marked the first official training sessions for expansion clubs Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United. Here are some of the best photos from around the league.
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