MLS

LAFC made MLS history Thursday night while the Seattle Sounders avoided it. The Sounders left a sour taste in the mouth of MLS fans on what was a monumental night in the Concacaf Champions League.

Let’s start with the good news. Carlos Vela and company became the first MLS team to defeat a Liga MX side after losing the first leg by multiple goals.

A visible clock is one of the measures being considered by Major League Soccer to solve the problem of time-wasting by players, according to former World Cup final referee Howard Webb, who is now the MLS's head official.

Webb told Reuters he was "open-minded" about the concept and that MLS could perhaps serve as a test model to trial the idea, just as it was the world's first league to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system at every match.

The MLS debut of LA Galaxy's new Mexican goal machine Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and the long-awaited arrival of the David Beckham-owned Inter Miami expansion team highlight the start of the league's 25th anniversary season this weekend. 

The campaign, which kicks off with all 26 clubs in action, will also see defending champions Seattle Sounders seeking a third title in five seasons and Los Angeles FC eager to build on a record-breaking 2019 regular season.

Video Assistant Referee has its critics in Major League Soccer, not least Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but for the most part it has avoided the widespread fan antipathy that has roiled the English Premier League, German Bundesliga and elsewhere.

MLS was the first league in the world to use VAR in every game, starting in 2017.

Thierry Henry, one of the greatest strikers of his generation, isn’t much of a proven manager. Though he played for the likes of Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, his first stint as Monaco coach was about as bad as it gets. The former World Cup and Champions League winner clearly wasn’t ready to lead one of Europe’s top clubs.

Major League Soccer, on the other hand, might be the perfect place for the 42-year-old coach.

Daytona International Speedway wants to get a little more international. The NASCAR racetrack announced plans to host a soccer festival with professional clubs from North and South America on July 3-4 in 2021. The two-day Daytona Soccer Fest will mark the first time a NASCAR racetrack hosts a pro soccer match.

FC Cincinnati fans had high hopes coming into the club's inaugural MLS season. They had every right to — the club had been riding a wave since its inception three years earlier. In 2016, Cincinnati set an Ohio state attendance record when it played host to Premier League side Crystal Palace for a July friendly. The next year, it upset intrastate rivals Columbus Crew in front of a crowd of 30,000 en route to becoming the first second-division side to appear in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals since 2011. All indications were that this was a side ready for the top division. 

The latest ad campaign from adidas comes close to greatness. It’s all centered around the release of the Predator 20 Mutator boots, which feature the striking implementation of DEMONSKIN technology. The breakthrough tech is immediately noticeable in the form of 406 spikes on the upper which work together as a textured layer to enhance grip on the ball and maximize control.

The year is 2020. A top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash between Bayern Munich and Leipzig is being dictated by a fascinating duel between a 19-year-old Canadian and a 20-year-old American. Bayern Munich doesn’t win. 

How ‘bout that for a bit of science fiction?! But that’s actually what happened on Sunday during the sort of match that proves a 0-0 scoreline can still be a damn good time.