MLS

Zlatan Ibrahimovic frequently plays at being a conquerer, emperor and god while discussing his career. He’s discussed how his favorite movie is Gladiator, because he feels that, like Maximus Decimus Meridius, he will have his vengeance, in this life or the next.

“That’s how I felt, or wanted to feel,” said Ibrahimovic in his book, I Am Zlatan. “I wanted to stand up to the whole world and show everybody who’d doubted me who I really was, and I couldn’t imagine anyone who’d be able to stop me.”

It's been 15 grueling, agonizingly long days since we last saw the MLS Playoffs. The international break served as a welcome rest for some teams, while it was a frustrating gap for others — especially the fans. Tonight, the Conference Finals kick off. Here is a breakdown of each match and what you need to know. 

2016 MLS Eastern Conference Finals

The wait is finally over!

It’s a @BacardiCanada matchday!

A new study from Deloitte, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms in the world by revenue, has offered up some pretty obvious conclusions with regards to implementing a system of promotion and relegation in the American soccer pyramid, but it’s also provided one of the more realistic takes on the possible benefits and risks involved.

Believe it or not, this time it doesn’t seem to be a joke: Ronaldinho might be headed to the Major League Soccer. 

Rumors have been flying around ever since the legendary midfielder became a free agent, but until now that was all they were: rumors. 

The first bit of solid news on Ronaldinho’s future came in curious fashion, as Brazilian journalist Andre Hernan tweeted that the 2005 Balon d’Or winner wouldn’t be joining Brazilian side Sao Paulo.

With "The Walking Dead" once again gracing our television screens, it felt appropriate to tie in some interesting comparisons to the weird world of football. Although the likes of Ronaldo and Messi don't exactly fight hordes of the undead on a daily basis, there are some players that you'd have to back when it comes to fighting off walkers in a post apocalyptic world.

Now, we aren't saying that any of these men even remotely come close to the likes of Rick Grimes or Daryl Dixon, but they'd certainly not be too concerned with getting blood on their hands.

Unlike previous MLS expansions, Los Angeles FC isn’t just looking to become an American success, but instead the club wants to make a global impact. The MLS expansion team will join the league at the start of the 2018 season, and already has 10 players targeted as they look to make the most of the league’s three designated player allowances. 

As international football heaves its bloated corpse over the horizon of our collective attentions, trying to find any kernel of interest becomes increasingly tough. Because of this, we have the British Isles wrestling with the political absurdity of trying to cram as many poppies as possible into one fixture, Lionel Messi hoping that colouring in his tattoos will help Argentina win in Brazil, someone called Radamel Falcao starting to scoring goals again and a certain section of North London declaring war on the sovereign state of Chile due to the possibility of one man’s muscle tear.

The difference in quality between the Premier League and Major League Soccer is there for all to see. There is an extreme gulf in the type of players associated with both divisions, but that doesn't mean there aren't some promising stars playing in America that would be able to transition over to England.

Sometimes all you need is a chance to be noticed, and the MLS is packed full of talent that all deserve the chance to show their quality in front of a larger audience. In particular, these are five of the best.

Sebastian Giovinco - Toronto FC

After 13 years as a Chelsea stalwart of the midfield, Frank Lampard has completed his playing career with a wild two year MLS run. There are definitely elements of the move that can easily be pointed out to conclude it’s failure. However, Lampard may have actually achieved exactly what the City Football Group were hoping for. 

At the end of 2013-14 season Chelsea announced that Frank would be one of the players released. For his part, and focused on the 2014 World Cup, he claimed it would be decided later that summer. 

According to ESPNFC, Tim Howard's muscle injury sustained against Mexico Friday is worse than first thought, and the Rapids' goalkeeper is in danger of missing the rest of the MLS playoffs.