SOCCER MLS ARTICLES

Though Toronto FC has staked a huge claim to the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs in the early going, New York City FC isn't going away. The Sky Blues have picked up 20 points in 12 matches this year, and this should prove to be a really good test for a young Atlanta United squad still trying to get its footing at this level.... 

Minnesota United's start to its inaugural season couldn't have been much worse. The Loons easily looked like the worst team in the MLS, particularly defensively. But Adrian Heath's team has rallied and is just on the outside of the playoffs in the Western Conference and is sitting on the exact same 11 points Sunday's foes, the LA Galaxy have at this middling juncture of the season.... 

Toyota Park has been a disaster to opponents this season, and the Chicago Fire are a big part of that. This has been one of the better starts to the campaign we've seen out of the Fire in recent years, and we'll have to see if they can keep it going on Saturday night against the Seattle Sounders.Don't miss the MLS action from Toyota Park at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN2.... 

Providence Park will open its historic doors for the very first time to Atlanta United on Sunday afternoon. The Portland Timbers and the Five Stripes have both been fantastic offensively this season, and that could make this one of the true showcase games of the weekend in the MLS.This MLS duel will go down Sunday, May 14, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at Providence Park. The match will be televised live on ESPN.... 

It's going to be a long weekend for Toronto FC. The Reds had to play on Wednesday night at home against Orlando City, and after taking three points from that affair, they've got a really quick turnaround and an incredibly long road trip to Seattle to face the Sounders in front of what is notorious for being one of the most raucous crowds in the MLS.... 

After a somewhat slow start to the campaign, Atlanta United has really gotten into its stride. It could become the first of the new MLS expansion teams to crack into the playoffs and have a real chance to win the MLS Cup. This is only the team's third ever home match coming this weekend on Sunday, and that's not good for a D.C. United team that only has eight points in seven matches to date.This MLS duel will go down Sunday, April 30, 2017, at 3 p.m. ET at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.... 

Jose Mourinho has probably dreamt about this match for weeks. The team that unceremoniously dumped him in the middle stages of last season, Chelsea, is finally coming to meet him at his new home in Old Trafford. There's no doubt though, that Manchester United is incredibly overmatched in this one, and it'll be lucky to get a share of the spoils to at least slow down the blue train that is going to be coming to Manchester this weekend.... 

Not only has Orlando City won all three of its matches in its brand new stadium, but it has done so while conceding just one goal in the process. "The Wall" has proven to be one of the toughest fixtures in the MLS to try to combat, as the purple-clad fans really have gotten into this sport in a hurry in the City Beautiful. The LA Galaxy are going to learn that the hard way on Saturday afternoon in what could be a hot, sticky mess of a match in the dead of afternoon.... 

It's been a horrible start to the season for the Philadelphia Union. They've yet to win a match in five tries, and though that hasn't necessarily consigned them to life without playoff soccer in the fall, the battle is inherently becoming tougher and tougher every single fixture. Already five points back of the postseason, the match at home against New York City FC feels like a really important one in which the proverbial duck must be broken.... 

History suggests the Colorado Rapids are going to take care of Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night at Children's Mercy Park. The Rapids have won five straight in this series, including sweeping away SKC last year and allowing just one goal in the process. It's a new year though, and Sporting has its sights set on bigger and better in the Western Conference.At 7 p.m. ET, tune into FOX Sports 1 for live television coverage of this MLS match on Sunday, April 9, 2017, at Children's Mercy Park.... 

Orlando City's new home has been christened with a pair of wins in MLS action. The Lions will look to make it 3-for-3 against the New York Red Bulls, who are shaping up to be one of the better teams in the MLS once again this season.Don't miss the MLS action from Orlando City Stadium at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 9, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.... 

The Portland Timbers couldn't even crack the playoffs in their MLS Cup defense of 2016. They're no guarantee to return to the postseason this year, but they're off to a flying start with nine points in four matches. Their fifth offering will come against a team which has gotten off to a significantly rougher start, the New England Revolution.... 

Two seasons ago, both Orlando City and New York City FC began their ventures in the MLS by playing their opening match against each other in the City Beautiful. Now, NYCFC is about set to become a part of Orlando's history again, as the brand new, state of the art Orlando City Stadium will open its doors for the first time to a competitive match with the Sky Blues once again providing the competition.... 

We've seen expansion and teams moving in other sports in the United States, but teams don't seem to get anywhere near as excited for anything else as they do about the MLS nowadays. The city of Atlanta gets to shine for the MLS for the very first time on Sunday at its temporary home, Bobby Dodd Stadium against one of the true bluebloods of the MLS, the New York Red Bulls.... 

The growth of the MLS is going to be on the utmost display on the first night of the 2017 season. Minnesota United is one of the newest MLS franchises. The team nicknamed the Loons will be on the pitch for the first time in a competitive match on Friday night against the Portland Timbers.... 

The MLS Cup will be handed out on Saturday night for the very first time on Canadian soil. On top of that, either the Seattle Sounders or Toronto FC will end up getting their gloves on the trophy for the first time in their histories. It's an historic day for sure for American soccer fans, and one of these two fan bases will end up in delirium at the end of this 90 ( or more? ) minutes.... 

The next week or so is going to be a tremendous time to be a sports fan in Toronto. The Grey Cup is going to be played at BMO Field on Sunday, and because of that, the second leg of the Eastern Conference Finals will be played on Wednesday. Toronto FC looked dead in the water after allowing three goals relatively early against the Montreal Impact, but it fought back, knocked home two goals late on and now have everything left to play for on Wednesday night with a spot in the MLS Cup up for grabs.... 

The Colorado Rapids had the dream start against the Seattle Sounders in the first leg of the Western Conference Finals. They picked up a crucial away goal in the first quarter of an hour of action at CenturyLink Field, and though they were ultimately beaten 2-1 on the day, they still have a lot to look forward to about coming home in the second leg on Sunday.... 

Injuries have really marred the ends of the seasons for the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders. But one of those teams is going to be playing for the MLS Cup in a few weeks and is probably going to be favored to claim the championship as well. The 180 minutes these two teams have to play over the course of the next week though, are going to be outstanding, starting with Tuesday night's opening leg in Seattle, a match soccer fans will want to make sure they stay up late to catch.... 

For the very first time, one of the Canadian teams has advanced to the conference final stage in the MLS Cup playoffs. Now, we're guaranteed to have a Canadian team in the MLS Cup Final as well. In the Eastern Conference, it's all about the Great White North, as Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact are the two teams left standing. Which one will have the leg up on the other to get into the coveted championship game? We won't have the whole story at Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night, but we'll at least get a good idea of how this 180-minute saga will start.... 

The Colorado Rapids finished just two points short of the Supporters' Shield and the top seed in the West this year. It was truly a dream season for sure, for it might come to a crashing halt if they don't figure out how to beat the traditional powerhouses of the MLS, the LA Galaxy over the course of 90 minutes in an early match at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.... 

The New York Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield this year, but they have a heck of a mountain to climb if they're going to get into the Eastern Conference Finals. They're facing a 1-0 hole going into Sunday's Leg 2 of the Eastern Conference Semis against the Montreal Impact, a team that has never advanced from a series in their existence.... 

Toronto FC ended up just missing in terms of getting a bye in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Reds though, dismissed Philadelphia quickly in the first round to setup the seemingly inevitable matchup against New York City FC. This is the first postseason series for NYCFC, and this match is going to be a tremendous challenge for both of these clubs.... 

The Colorado Rapids are one of the tremendous surprises this year of the MLS season. This is actually their best regular season finish in their history, and though they did win the MLS Cup in 2010, they haven't gotten out of their first playoff round since that point. The hope though, is that this season is going to end up being different. On Sunday, that conquest starts in the first leg of the conference semis against the LA Galaxy at the StubHub Center.... 

The Seattle Sounders were fabulous down the stretch of the season to take a campaign that seemed lost and turn it into a tremendous playoff appearance with a home match in front of the greatest fans in the MLS. The Sounders have been impeccable at home in the postseason historically, and this match in the opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs is going to be a massive challenge for Sporting Kansas City....