Clint Dempsey, the all-time leading goal scorer in USMNT history was named Comeback Player of the Year by Major League Soccer on Wednesday, just edging out Columbus’ Federico Higuain. Dempsey missed much of the second half of the 2016 season with an irregular heartbeat but returned in 2017 to score 12 goals.
In the end, the snitches didn’t get any stitches. Jozy Altidore believed that video evidence would clear him of any wrongdoing during the tunnel bust up between Toronto FC and New York Red Bulls, resulting in red cards for both Altidore and Sacha Kljestan, but an independent panel has upheld Altidore’s one-game suspension after being unable to find enough evidence to overturn the ruling.
There’s a proverb or two that probably apply here, something about counting eggs before they hatch or putting the cart before the horse. But this is Major League Soccer, where allocation money and salary caps make fools of us all and expansion is the single greatest boon to owners’ pocketbooks since skyboxes. So really, this is business as usual.
Back before Anthony Precourt invested in the Columbus Crew in 2013, the Crew had a decidedly punk feel. Prior to going with a Bundesliga-inspired crest that’s actually quite nice, the Crew boasted the most ruffian logo in all of American sports with three dudes wearing construction hats beneath a giant stylization of the word “Crew”. It was hardcore, a tradition that’s been vociferously kept alive by the Nordecke supporters’ group and all who’ve given their voice to the #SavetheCrew movement.
Atlanta United set the MLS season attendance record in its first year in the league and fans did more than just show up — they bought plenty of jerseys. Paraguayan sensation Miguel Almiron had the top-selling MLS jersey for the 2017 season. The Atlanta United midfielder had five teammates with him in the list of the top-selling MLS jerseys released by Major League Soccer on Friday.
Below is the complete list of the 25 top-selling MLS jerseys:
Brad Friedel made a career out of doing the improbable, from countless saves with Blackburn Rovers to the USMNT’s run to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals. His latest task will be right up there with them: helping the New England Revolution win their first MLS Cup.
Will Spanish striker Fernando Torres finally join Major League Soccer? This is the rumor that has everyone’s heads spinning. It started when fans noticed “El Niño” listed as a player on the official MLS website. Last time I checked, it’s not April Fools' Day so this is either a major transfer leak or the biggest hoax in MLS transfer rumor history.
Can you imagine Torres playing for an MLS squad? Which club, in such case, would be lucky enough to capture “El Niño”?
Former Houston Dynamo and USMNT striker Brian Ching has plans to make one of the coolest soccer bars in America. The venue, called Pitch 25, is expected to open in March 2018 and will feature natural lighting, an outdoor biergarten and even an indoor soccer field.
It hasn’t even been a month since the USMNT failed to qualify for the World Cup and U.S. forward Jozy Altidore apparently already felt compelled to pay homage the miserable 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in October. During Toronto FC’s Eastern Conference semifinal second leg, Altidore made a spot-on reenactment of the Americans’ performance against the Soca Warriors.
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There’s certainly not a whole lot in this — it’s wild January transfer speculation two months before the window opens from dubious sources — except that it kinda makes sense.