MLS

While the U.S. president continues to fight for a wall between the countries, Mexico and the U.S. (plus Canada) continue to grow closer through soccer. A week after the joint 2026 World Cup bid reshuffled its leadership for a more united front between all three countries, Liga MX and MLS announced an unprecedented partnership on Tuesday, highlighted by the Campeones Cup, a new annual competition pitting the best team from each league against each other. 

With 102 appearances, 18 goals and as a veteran of two World Cups, history is on Giovani dos Santos’ side. However, his play on the field over the last year and a half makes his inclusion in Mexico’s 2018 World Cup squad, by Juan Carlos Osorio’s own stated standards, a real doubt.

When Dos Santos arrived in MLS in 2016, his initial return of 14 goals, 12 assists and a place in the MLS Best XI seemed to fully justify a Designated Player salary of $5.5 million per year. 

In a wide-ranging interview recently, Landon Donovan spoke of coming out of retirement for a second time, opting to join Liga MX, Mexico-U.S. politics and the state of U.S. Soccer. Donovan, perhaps the greatest American player ever produced, knows as well as anyone what he’s talking about when he discusses the state of U.S. Soccer, but he’s dead wrong in saying the next USMNT coach needs to be an American. 

NBA Twitter created a whole new way to watch basketball in America. Major League Soccer appears to want to do the same thing with its new MLS Twitter deal, announced Friday, which will include the broadcast of at least 24 live matches this season. 

Eighteen years. That’s how long it’s been since the L.A. Galaxy defeated Honduran side CD Olimpia 3-2 in the final of the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, becoming only the second and, to date, final MLS side to win the region’s continental championship. 

When D.C. United won the tournament in 1998 with the likes of Roy Lassiter, Jeff Agoos, Eddie Pope and Marco Etcheverry running circles around León and Toluca, there wasn’t the reward of a FIFA Club World Cup. 

Jonathan Osorio had one of the worst misses you can imagine. He atoned for it with one of the sweetest finishes imaginable to lead Toronto FC to a 2-1 comeback win over Tigres UANL on Wednesday in Toronto. The second leg of Tigres vs. Toronto in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals will be Tuesday back in Mexico.

Tigres took a lead in the 52nd minute through Eduardo Vargas but the Reds nearly responded immediately, only for Osorio to sky his wide-open shot from six yards out. It was a shocking miss and one that could haunt a player for the rest of the match.

The New York Red Bulls took a giant step towards the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals with a rare MLS victory in Mexico on Tuesday night, downing Club Tijuana at Estadio Caliente 2-0 in their quarterfinal first leg matchup.

The Metros will need to take care of business at Red Bull Arena on March 13, but they played the first leg to perfection. Bradley Wright-Phillips, the club’s all-time leading scorer, scored a brace and USMNT goalkeeper Luis Robles recorded 13 saves, and the MLS side now returns to Harrison with two vital away goals and a precious clean sheet. 

Mike DeWine, the Ohio Attorney General, along with the city of Columbus, Ohio, filed a lawsuit against Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt and Major League Soccer on Monday. The Ohio state government has officially joined the #SaveTheCrew movement, and Crew fans have the Cleveland Browns to thank for this intervention.

After signing 18-year-old Copa Libertadores star Ezequiel Barco and trading for Portland Timbers star and U.S. international Darlington Nagbe, many MLS followers expected Atlanta United to set the league on fire this season. One game is a very small sample size to draw conclusions from, but, in this case, it may be warranted.

Let's check in on Atlanta United right before the season starts:

Over in Europe today, PSG strolled to victory, Juventus again won it at the death, and Tottenham and Liverpool flexed their collective muscle against relegation candidates. While it was all too predictable in the world’s premier competitions, Major League Soccer kicked off its 23rd season with the #SaveTheCrew taking it to the reigning Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup champions, Toronto FC.