Major League Soccer’s Decision Day (the final match week of the regular season) came and went this past Sunday and served as the perfect precursor to the main event: we have absolutely no idea how this’ll all pan out. You’ll find our how to watch MLS Playoffs 2018 and a knockout round preview below.
Last weekend, the LA Galaxy’s 3-1 win over Minnesota United — coupled with Real Salt Lake’s 0-3 defeat to Portland — seemed to all but guarantee Zlatan’s side a place in the playoffs. The route was clear: defeat the Houston Dynamo, the West’s 10th-place side, at home, and the Galaxy would be in.
Anything less and it was all over.
27 minutes into the first half, the Galaxy took control through Ola Kamara with Romain Alessandrini providing the assist.
Alphonso Davies signed off on his Vancouver Whitecaps career with a sensational solo strike in the club’s match against the Portland Timbers on Sunday. Vancouver had already been eliminated from playoff contention and used the season finale at BC Place as a send-off to the 17-year-old, who joined the club’s residency program in 2015.
As the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid rivalry draws near, people across the country will be Googling "How To Watch El Clasico In US" on Sunday morning.
El Clásico kicks off at 11:15 a.m. Eastern on Sunday and while this will be the first edition without Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in more than 10 years, it’s still the biggest rivalry in sports, and we think it’s gonna be lit.
Wayne Rooney’s time at DC United has been, to put it bluntly, special. The club’s season has done a 180 since his debut in mid-July. Before Rooney (the “BR/AR” era should certainly be a way of measuring time from now on if you’re a DC soccer or general MLS fan), DC United was having a season to forget. Now, just last week they secured a playoff spot.
This past week has been a scary one in the United States. Multiple terrorist attacks were foiled as a number of bombs were sent in the mail targeting former presidents, politicians, actors and philanthropists. Now that the suspect is in custody, the world is learning more about Cesar Sayoc Jr., the man who authorities think carried out these attempted domestic terrorist attacks.
And he’s got some interesting quirks regarding soccer.
Anyone who has spent any amount of time around high school athletics knows the worst part is often the parents. Whether it’s putting too much pressure on the kids or yelling at the refs, they can make a fun game turn into a nightmare for all involved.
Horrible soccer parents were on full display this week during a junior varsity high school match in New Jersey. Hispanic players for Trenton Central High School were the targets of racist comments.
A fascinating tactical battle between Lucien Favre’s Bundesliga-leading Dortmund and Diego Simeone’s Atletico (currently averaging 0.55 goals conceded per game in LaLiga) was bossed by the home side at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday, BVB putting four past Europe’s misers while limiting the visitors to only two shots on frame.
Achraf Hakimi registered a hat-trick of assists while the moves were finished by Axel Witsel, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Guerreiro (x2). Marco Reus wasn’t on the scoresheet, but his deployment in the false nine role murdered Atletico’s shape.