The MLS expansion race is a never-ending marathon with new participants, a changing capacity and a continually moving finish line. For the past decade, MLS has fully embraced this growth cycle the league is in. A wave of successful USL teams helped push the league after the arrival of David Beckham, but this latest round for four spots has truly been a make-it-up-as-you-go affair.
Atlanta United players received their MLS Cup championship rings during a private ceremony on Thursday. It’s kind of a big deal, considering Atlanta hasn’t had a major sports championship to celebrate in more than 20 years.
In addition to players like Josef Martinez and Darlington Nagbe, plus club president Darren Eales, Five Stripes First Fan Waka Flocka was on hand and was awarded his own championship ring, because he played a big role in … I dunno, bringing awareness to the team I guess?
Things are building nicely for FC Cincinnati ahead of its home opener against the Portland Timbers on Sunday. The expansion side produced the shock of Week Two when forcing defending MLS Cup champs Atlanta United to settle for a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and FCC’s upcoming opposition is still without a win after getting thumped 4-1 by LAFC.
Back on Feb. 27, Mortensen Construction officially finished work at Allianz Field and handed the keys to the kingdom over to Minnesota United FC. The club began breaking ground at the site in St. Paul in June of 2017, but all of the work was completed on schedule with United set to open the stadium on Apr. 13 with a match against New York City FC.
After two seasons at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, hype is frantically building towards United’s 2019 home opener, especially since the team has shown immense promise on the road to begin the new season.
Major League Soccer was feeling pretty good about itself after the 2019 Concacaf Champions League Round of 16. Although Toronto FC crashed out to Panama’s Independiente, four U.S.-based MLS clubs advanced to the quarterfinals.
Then reality struck this week and last, yet another case of MLS failing to stack up to Liga MX.
Landon Donovan is, for the most part, a cherished member of U.S. soccer history. He’s the MLS all-time leading scorer, MLS all-time leading assister, USMNT all-time leading scorer (tied with Clint Dempsey) and USMNT all-time leading assister.
Aside from some fans who wish he had played longer or found more success abroad, U.S. soccer fans generally hold Donovan in high esteem for his accomplishments.
Then there’s Chris Wondolowski.
One half of the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League semifinal bracket is filled, and it’s an all Liga MX affair pitting Tigres against Santos Laguna. Tigres took care of the Houston Dynamo 3-0 on aggregate despite the absence of injured star Andre-Pierre Gignac. Santos defeated the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on aggregate, but not without receiving something of a scare at Estadio Corona on Tuesday night.
If I’m James Corden, I’m watching my back like a paranoid mafioso. This prank he pulled on David Beckham is absolutely brutal, and there’s no way Beckham’s not going to retaliate in some fashion.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of attending a second division match in the United States, you've seen some real grassroots support. The USL Championship (formerly just the USL) has been around for quite some time, and has expanded to an eye-popping 36 teams this year. Austin Bold FC is one of the newest clubs making the rounds in the USL Championship, and the new boys travelled to Las Vegas for the start of the season.
Trend meets trend: Another U.S. national team or youth prospect makes the jump to Major League Soccer as Sporting Kansas City signs a talented, young player off the radar of most clubs. That's what we got today when Sporting officially announced that Gedion Zelalem had signed from Arsenal. The 22-year-old joins Kansas City for the 2019 season, with club options for two additional years.