MLS

LAFC wins MLS Cup after Gareth Bale scores 128th minute equalizer in greatest MLS game ever

The greatest game in Major League Soccer history was played on Saturday as LAFC defeated the Philadelphia Union to win MLS Cup 3-0 on penalty kicks after tying 3-3. There aren’t adjectives adequate to describe the excitement, heartbreak and drama this game had.

With the Philadelphia Union leading 3-2 in the final minutes of extra time, Gareth Bale was the hero of Los Angeles when he scored the latest goal in MLS Playoff history. A powerful header in the 128th minute saved his team which was on the brink of defeat. 

Philadelphia Union and USYNT midfielder Paxten Aaronson set to join Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga

Philadelphia Union’s homegrown talent Paxten Aaronson will have one game left with the club, the MLS Cup Final, before he heads to Europe to join Eintracht Frankfurt in January.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder will join the Bundesliga club on a deal reportedly worth around $4 million. MLSSoccer.com’s Tom Bogert was the first to break the news.

The war against Carlos Vela: LAFC's talisman faces harsh criticism after refusing to play for Mexico

Carlos Vela has been a hot topic this week. Not only because of the commanding way he led LAFC to the MLS Cup Final against Philadelphia Union this Saturday, but also because of the heavy criticism he has received in Mexico after a report emerged saying he had refused to represent the national team in the World Cup. Again.

MLS is hoping to announce San Diego or Las Vegas as a new expansion team in 2023

Major League Soccer wants to add a 30th team early next year, with San Diego and Las Vegas the top candidates.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber confirmed the expansion plans during his annual State of the League address on Thursday in Los Angeles, where LAFC and the Philadelphia Union are preparing for the MLS Cup Final on Saturday.

Garber said the league is in "active discussions" with both cities and hopes to finalize an agreement "sometime in the first half" of 2023.

LAFC’s Kellyn Acosta was perplexed after reporter asks him if Philadelphia was excited for MLS Cup

Video from a Kellyn Acosta press conference ahead of the MLS Cup clash between LAFC and the Philadelphia Union has been spreading on social media after a reporter asked a bizarre question. 

Acosta has plenty on his mind. The 27-year-old midfielder is in his 11th season playing in Major League Soccer and has the chance to win his first MLS Cup on Saturday. Acosta is a lock for the United States’ World Cup roster and could make his World Cup debut 16 days after playing in MLS Cup.

College football game takes parking and tailgating away from MLS Cup fans

There's no one really to blame here. LAFC didn't know it'd be hosting MLS Cup this Saturday until defeating Austin in the Western Conference finals last Sunday, and I will entertain no talk of the game being shifted back to a predetermined neutral location — I'm old enough to remember the Colorado Rapids taking on FC Dallas in Canada. 

But Saturday's MLS Cup final at Banc of California Stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles — kick off at 1:05 p.m. on the West Coast — has run directly into a scheduling conflict with the behemoth USC Trojans football program.

Gareth Bale has no role to play in MLS Cup — can he even be a factor against the USA?

Toward the end of September, it looked like LAFC was about to unlock the best of Gareth Bale. He hadn't scored in his last seven appearances (totaling 245 minutes) after finding the net twice in his first four (96 minutes), but more importantly, the 33-year-old Welshman had just recorded his second start.

MLS Cup predictions for Saturday's clash of the titans

For the first time in far too long, MLS Cup is a meeting between the premier teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences. If it feels like we've been waiting a while for this sort of heavyweight clash, the anticipation is only heightened by two sides that make creating a 2022 MLS Cup prediction feel like a fool's errand.

Both teams and their respective squads have been steadily building towards this moment for years, and the pain of falling agonizingly short time after time has been eased with a first-ever MLS Cup appearance for both clubs.

USMNT goalkeeper power rankings: Steffen's mistakes continue to compound

In three weeks, the USMNT begins its World Cup campaign in Qatar. Much is still to be decided for the final roster — especially at the goalkeeper position.

During the September international break (with Zack Steffen omitted as a precautionary measure as he recovered from injury), Matt Turner started against Japan and Saudi Arabia. Turner had a strong showing against Japan, and was arguably the top American performer that day, before having little to do in a dull match versus the Saudis in Spain.

MLS playoffs confirm undervalued USMNT truth: Kellyn Acosta is a big-game player

From a USMNT perspective, the MLS Cup Playoffs have only served to reinforce the poorly trending narrative around the team. 

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