MLS

Leon Flach scored his first competitive goal of the year and the second of his MLS career to lift the Philadelphia Union to a 1-0 victory over visiting FC Cincinnati in their Eastern Conference semifinal on Thursday night.

Flach's goal lifts the East's top seed Philadelphia (19-5-10, 67 points) to their second consecutive conference finals, which they will host on Oct. 30 against the winner of Sunday's other East semifinal between CF Montreal and New York City FC.

After a big summer window in Major League Soccer that saw the arrivals of household names like Lorenzo Insigne, Gareth Bale and Héctor Herrera, an updated list of the MLS highest paid players 2022 has been released by the Players Association.

Milwaukee’s rich soccer history is writing a new chapter this week. Following the announcement of a new stadium being built in the downtown area, a tweet has confirmed a date for the official announcement from the new club. 

Under the username @MKE_ProSoccer, the new team posted its first message since the account was created in May 2022. An event will be held on Oct. 19 at 4:30 p.m. CST at the corners of W Michigan Ave and N 10th Street, just off Marquette University’s campus. 

Austin FC has advanced to the Western Conference semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs after overcoming the realest of Real Salt Lake challenges: Pablo Mastroeni's team — a massive underdog away from home at Q2 Stadium — played down a man for 68 minutes, faced 38 shots and still managed to get it to a penalty shootout.    

The MLS Cup Playoffs are officially underway and the first day of action featured no shortage of drama. FC Cincinnati came from behind to upset the New York Red Bulls 2-1 thanks to a cool finish from Brandon Vazquez while Julián Araujo was the hero for the LA Galaxy as they beat Nashville SC 1-0. 

America's most promising goalkeeping prospect is officially heading abroad, as Gabriel Slonina is set to begin a 13-day training spell with Chelsea.

The youngest signing in Chicago Fire history and the youngest starting keeper in MLS history, Slonina became Chicago's most expensive player ever on Aug. 2 when he joined Chelsea for a $15 million fee. The keeper was then loaned back to the Fire for the remainder of the MLS season.

Merritt Paulson, the CEO of the Portland Thorns and their Major League Soccer counterparts, the Timbers, said he was removing himself effective immediately, following a report that detailed abuse in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Statement From Merritt Paulson