MLS

Andrew Carleton is a 16-year-old who plays for Atlanta United. In September, he became the youngest-ever player to appear for a USL team when he came on for Chaleston Battery as a 15-year-old. He also — and I do not believe myself to be exaggerating here — has a fiirst touch that has been blessed by the soccer gods.

I mean, just look at this:

We all know the legitimate questions that greet every disappointing showing from the USMNT: why does the US struggle so mightily when it comes to developing players from a young age? Why can’t we develop a star player? Why isn’t the American system doing a better job at finding Hispanic talent?

The extremely complex process of youth soccer development in America is hampered by the pay-to-play system, the daunting task of casting a net over millions of U-6 to U-18 players and the lack of qualified coaches to ensure their development.

The 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League resumed last night, and a matchup between the New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps guarantees that at least one MLS side in preseason form will advance to the semifinals of the competition. 

MLS declined to revamp the scheduling of the tournament because the alternative was to hugely disrupt MLS playoffs, and it’s pretty obvious which knockout competition is more important to the league. 

The 2015 MLS Cup champions took an unexpected turn in 2016, going from league champions to missing out on the playoffs entirely. The Timbers finished with a record of 12-14-8, just missing the playoffs in seventh-place in the Western Conference.

The Timbers will be looking to make it back into the postseason in 2017, and here are three areas that they will have to improve on to make that happen.

Improved Play Away from Home  

After falling victim to a season-ending groin injury during a game against Mexico last year, Tim Howard will look to bounce back  to start the 2017 season for the Colorado Rapids.

Last season, Howard compiled a record of 6-3-8 with the Rapids, with seven clean sheets, good for the ninth-most clean sheets in the MLS. Despite only playing half of the season, Howard was a finalist for the MLS goalkeeper of the year.

As you may know by now, there are 12 cities looking to possibly get MLS teams: Charlotte, Nashville, Indianapolis, Detroit, Phoenix, St. Louis, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio, Sacramento, Cincinnati, Tampa and San Diego.

These three destinations in particular provide the most realistic options when it comes to the MLS.

Phoenix