MLS

Major League Soccer has never won the Concacaf Champions League. D.C. United and the LA Galaxy each won the Concacaf Champions Cup, the tournament's precursor, but the league has had no luck in the current competition, which began play in 2008.

That Concacaf Champions League drought finally ended on Wednesday, kind of.

LAFC’s academy team won the U-13 Concacaf Champions League title on Wednesday, defeating Junior Tampicos of Mexico 2-0 in the final.

Champions!!!

San Jose Earthquakes central defender Guram Kashia was honored with the inaugural UEFA #EqualGame Award on Wednesday for his public stand for the LGBTQ community while with Dutch club SBV Vitesse last season.

Kashia, 31, wore a rainbow captain’s armband with Vitesse along with other captains in the Dutch top division. Unlike most of his fellow captains, Kashia faced harsh criticism, threats and abuse back home in his native Georgia. Nonetheless, he took a stand for equality, despite calls for him to step down from the national team.

Fox will make history on Sunday. An all-female cast of three announcers will lead the broadcast in a top U.S. men’s sports league for the first time ever, according to FOX Sports. 

Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Danielle Slaton (analyst) and Katie Witham (reporter/host) will join together to call the DC United vs. New England Revolution match on Sunday evening. The nationally televised game will air live on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Like a certain fellow Washington D.C. resident might put it, Wayne Rooney is YUGE right now. This past weekend against Orlando, the former Manchester United man effectively broke the greater soccer world with one play. Rooney sprinted full speed — nearly half the length of the field — to track down a player, made a clean tackle and then hit a dime — nearly half the length of the field — to Luciano Acosta on the back post, who headed the ball home to give DC United the win in the 96th minute.

It seems everyone wants to leave Ohio these days. Whether it’s LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles or Urban Meyer facing trouble at Ohio State, sports in the Buckeye State are having a rough go of it recently. So Wednesday’s vote down in Austin, Texas, just piles on the bad news for fans of the Columbus Crew.

As first reported by Bill Reese of The Water Tower, logos posted to the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office on Wednesday morning appear to reveal the name and badge for the Miami MLS team that’s spearheaded by David Beckham and set to begin play during the 2020 season.

Is there a Mark Wahlberg Columbus Crew takeover deal in the works? According to the actor, it’s a possibility.

In a saga that’s been going on for nearly a year, Crew owner Anthony Precourt is trying to move one of Major League Soccer’s original franchises to Austin, Texas. He claims the club is unsustainable in Columbus, with no potential investors having come forward. 

During a goal-packed, explosive MLS game between D.C. United and Orlando City on Sunday night, Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta combined to destroy Orlando at the death. United won 3-2 with Acosta’s hat-trick (two supplied by Rooney) surpassing the efforts of an own goal and Dom Dwyer.

In the 96th minute, a failed D.C. corner left their own net without a keeper (United's David Ousted had come forward despite the 2-2 scoreline — D.C. had to win this one) as Orlando’s Will Johnson sought to capitalize on the counter — until Rooney started rampaging.

It was only 109 days ago that Toronto FC was being hailed as the greatest side in MLS history after pushing Chivas to a penalty shootout in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League. Now, TFC’s in very real danger of missing the MLS Cup Playoffs and a chance at defending its 2017 title. 

On Sunday, Toronto was defeated 3-2 by Eastern Conference rivals New York City FC in front of nearly 28,000 at BMO Field. It was a massive match for the Reds and a crucial opportunity to cut into the seven-point gap that separates them from Montreal for the East’s sixth and final playoff spot. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not play in the MLS All-Star Game last week. As a consequence, Major League Soccer suspended its biggest star for the LA Galaxy’s 2-1 loss to the lowly Colorado Rapids on Saturday. 

Of course, Zlatan could not stay quiet about this suspension. Speaking with reporters on Thursday, the hulking Swede said “no comment” while also making quite a comment.