MLS

Heading into the 2016 MLS season, all signs pointed towards another successful year for the Seattle Sounders. Legendary coach Sigi Schmid was at the helm. Seattle secured the best player in the draft, home-grown talent Jordan Morris. Clint Dempsey was still in top form and there were promising attacking additions in Andreas Ivanschitz and Nelson Valdez.

Instead, the first half of 2016 was a disaster for the Sounders. The Rave Green lost 12 of their first 20 matches and sat well outside of the playoff positions at the MLS All-Star Break. 

The accolades for 15-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps forward/winger Alphonso Davies continue to stack up. The Liberian-born Davies, who has represented Canada at the under-20 level, became the youngest player to score a goal in USL history on May 15, 2016. In July, he became the third youngest player of all-time to sign an MLS contract. He’s appeared in eight matches for Vancouver this season, including two starts.

In an interview with Marca week, Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué spoke with reporters about the growing soccer culture in the United States, and the interest its growth has begun to draw from players across the globe.

“I read that the MLS is the seventh biggest league in terms of stadium attendances, fans are increasingly hooked on soccer in the United States and it would be an attractive option in a few years," Pique said.

We are not a particular fan of the Twitter beef, but we simply couldn't resist this one. It involves promotion/relegation stan and angry Twitter person Ted Westervelt, sports media personality Scott Van Pelt and the official Twitter account of national sit-down chain restaurant Applebee's.

It started when Westervelt was mad online about promotion/relegation and threw an unprovoked shot at Applebee's, who responded in kind.

A few weeks back Landon Donovan returned to the LA Galaxy to close out the 2016 season. The media were stunned. While the reaction should have been primarily excitement and respect, many in the fan community appear as cynical as ever. 

After two season out of the game, Donovan decided to rejoin the Galaxy after they suffered a number of injuries and needed depth to close the year out. Once people realized it was not an off-calendar April Fools Day joke, the skepticism began.

The positive atmosphere surrounding Clint Dempsey’s return to light training on September 14th has been dashed following the devastating Seattle Sounders’ announcement that the 33-year-old forward will not return in 2016.

The North American Soccer League, founded in 2009 as the second tier of the American soccer league system, is in dire straits. The 12 team league is facing a significant change as it heads towards its 7th season. 

When the LA Galaxy announced Landon Donovan's return from retirement, many wondered if Donovan could even still play. Had he been out of soccer for too long to be able to make an impact on the field? Could he actually help the Galaxy or is this just a publicity stunt to sell more shirts?

Those questions are all valid. And Landon has an answer.