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In the team’s first home match of the season, the Colorado Rapids picked up all three points at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as Drew Moor’s winner at the death gave the hosts a 2-1 win over Oscar Pareja and visiting Orlando City.

After Designated Player Younes Namli opened his MLS account to give Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute, regular late-game hero Chris Mueller responded with a goal of his own to draw the Lions level at 1-1 in the 82nd minute.

Eight minutes later, Moor welcomed himself back to Colorado with a headed effort off a corner kick to push the Rapids back into the lead, securing the 2-1 win.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s home-opening victory:

Fans get Moor

The return of Colorado’s former captain and prodigal son this past offseason was one that excited some longtime fans of the Rapids. But at age 36, there were still questions on what exactly his role would be with a team in the midst of a build and a youth movement.

Moor defied odds to earn back a starting role, and while he isn’t the same player that left Colorado in 2015, he proved why it’s a role he’s earned.

“At the beginning of preseason, every spot was open,” explained Rapids head coach Robin Fraser. “Over time, Drew had shown that his leadership, his calm and his demeanor are a positive thing for the team. He’s just been solid. He’s unspectacular and he’s unremarkable, but that’s a compliment. That’s the biggest thing about being a centerback.”

Scoring headers late was a signature for Moor during his last tenure in Colorado, but it will still take some re-adjusting to, even for the man himself.

“Hopefully I’ll score again this season and act like I’ve done it before,” he joked.

What’s in a Namli?

For the first time, Rapids fans got to see the play of newly signed designated player Younes Namli up close.

Colorado’s designated players have oft been slow to integrate into a system in Colorado and adjust to MLS, but Namli proved to be the exception on Saturday, scoring a debut goal in just his second start and first at home for the club.

Namli’s 64th minute goal showed skill and technicality as he dribbled through three Orlando defenders to put in a well struck effort, skills which he was praised for by Fraser postgame.

“I say this every week and I don’t know if anyone writes it, but there aren’t a lot of players who actually play like him,” Fraser said of Namli. “Stylistically, he’s different. His goal is an example of what makes him a little bit different. His ability to dribble and scoot by people, he’s got great timing, he can unbalance people, he’s a really close dribbler, which makes him really hard to tackle and I think his goal was an example of his best qualities. His ability to be elusive and to glide and scoot through a couple of guys and then finish.”

Other notable qualities Namli showed was his ambition, drive and desire.

“I’m a player that likes to make the play and take risks sometimes,” Namli said. “I came here to compete and to help the team get into something special. Every week we’ll be here to compete and to try to win the games.”

Vines’ continued growth

After a breakout debut campaign last season, Rapids defender Sam Vines continues to show why he deserves a starting spot in Colorado and why he’s on the radar of USMNT coaches.

Vines did well to combine with attackers on the overlap as well as find connections in the center of the park, all while completing passes at a rate of over 86 percent. His lone shot on goal was an off-target effort in the first half. But the amount of time he spent in Colorado’s attacking third, in addition to the ball skills he showed under pressure from opposition, showed Vines’ quality.

“We want him to get involved in the attack,” Moor said of his fellow defender. “He’s got a great left foot. He could’ve had a goal tonight if he didn’t kick it a mile over. But no, we want him to attack.

The post What’s in a Namli? Takeaways from Colorado’s 2-1 win over Orlando City appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – In the Colorado Rapids’ home opener, Drew Moor gave himself a homecoming party.

The veteran defender, who returned to Colorado after three seasons in Toronto, scored late in Colorado’s home opener to lift his side to a 2-1 win over Orlando City. It marked the second straight win for Colorado to open the 2020 campaign and the seventh under head coach Robin Fraser.

“Over time, Drew has shown that his leadership, his calm and his demeanor are a positive thing for the team,” Fraser said. “It was really about resiliency. It was not going to be an easy game. [Orlando] is a good team, they’re well organized. We just stuck with it.”

Both sides struggled to find offensive synchronicity in the opening half, but it was Orlando City which had the most prime opportunity of the stanza. Kyle Smith’s diagonal shot in the 19th minute went towards goal, only to be punched away from Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin.

Colorado outshot the visitors 9-7 in the opening half and held a slight edge with 56 percent possession, but the two sides were even in shots on target at three apiece.

“What you saw in the first half was a lot of them having possession and then us having possession,” said Fraser. “For us, it was about us trying to take advantage of those possessions more and making them unbalanced.”

Namli put Colorado in front in the second half. Dribbling through multiple Orlando defenders, he tucked in a low shot to the right corner of the goal in the 64th minute. It marked the debut MLS goal for the attacker, who joined Colorado in the preseason. 

“The players we’ve brought in have special qualities,” said Fraser. “Younes, there’s not a lot of players that play like him. Stylistically, he’s different. His goal was an example of his best qualities — to be elusive and have a great finish.”

In the 82nd minute, Orlando (0-1-1, 1 point) answered. Substitute Chris Mueller dribbled in on goal around Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar, slotting home his shot past a sliding Clint Irwin to knot the game up at 1-1.

“We just said this is how it’s going to be,” Fraser said. “We just needed to keep moving the ball quickly. It was an exercise in patience and in execution.”

Just when it seemed both sides would leave with a point, the Rapids (2-0-0, 6 points) kept fighting. Jack Price whipped in a corner which found the head of Moor, putting the Rapids back in front in the 90th minute. Colorado would see out six minutes of extra time to preserve the win.

“It starts with [goalkeeping coach] Chris Sharpe and his preparation,” Fraser explained. “On top of that, you have Jack’s great service and a group that really believes.”

The win marked the first for Colorado in six tries against Orlando City since the Lions joined MLS in 2015.

“There’s definitely room for growth,” Fraser continued.  “We’re two games into the season. But we’ll never be satisfied with where we’re at.”

Currently tied with Sporting KC and Minnesota United at the top of the Western Conference table, Colorado travels to BC Place next Saturday to face the Vancouver Whitecaps while Orlando return to Exploria Stadium to host Chicago Fire FC.

The post Drew Moor scores late winner for Colorado Rapids vs. Orlando City appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Here are all your options to watch all Major League Soccer matches live in Week 2 on TV or streaming. You can follow along with Pro Soccer USA’s live scores and stats throughout the weekend as well.

Saturday, March 7

Matchup	Time	Broadcast/Stream
New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire FC	1:30 p.m.	NE: NBC Sports Boston; CHI: MLS LIVE on ESPN+, WGN-TV; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
Real Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls	2 p.m.	RSL: KMYU; RBNY: MSG; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
FC Dallas vs. Montreal Impact	3 p.m.	DAL: Texas 21; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: TVAS
D.C. United vs. Inter Miami CF	3:30 p.m.	USA: Univision, TUDN, Twitter; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
Toronto FC vs. New York City FC	5 p.m.	NYC: YES; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: TSN1/4
Atlanta United vs. FC Cincinnati	7 p.m.	ATL: FOX Sports South; CIN: Star64, FloFC (Cincinnati region only); Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota United FC	8 p.m.	SJ: NBC Sports Bay Area; MIN: FOX Sports North;Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
Sporting Kansas City vs. Houston Dynamo	8:30 p.m.	SKC: FOX Sports KC; HOU: KUBE 57; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
Colorado Rapids vs. Orlando City SC	9 p.m.	COL: Altitude; ORL: FOX 35 Plus; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: MLS LIVE on DAZN
LA Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC	10 p.m.	LA: Spectrum SportsNet; Out-of-market in USA: MLS LIVE on ESPN+; Canada: TSN1/4
Seattle Sounders vs. Columbus Crew SC	10 p.m. ET	USA: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN; Canada: TSN5, MLS LIVE on DAZN

Sunday, March 8

Matchup	Time	Broadcast/Stream
Portland Timbers vs. Nashville SC	7 p.m.	USA: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN; Canada: TSN5, MLS LIVE on DAZN
LAFC vs. Philadelphia Union	10:30 p.m.	USA: FS1, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports App; Canada: TSN5, MLS LIVE on DAZN

 

The post How to watch MLS on TV, live stream Week 2 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

We’re back for the second week of Pro Soccer USA’s new “Best Bets” column highlights top betting options among Major League Soccer matches. The odds are taken from MGM’s sportsbook, the official gambling partner of MLS. 

If you’re not familiar with sports gambling, the numbers may seem confusing at first. Here are some basics:

Odds are expressed around the number 100. + sign before the number means you would gain that much money if you bet $100.  – sign before the number means it takes a bet of that much money to gain $100 in return. For example, odds of -120 mean you have to bet $120 to win $100. Odds of +120 mean if you bet $100, you win $120. 

At the end of each column, we’ll have our “best bet of the week” and keep track of how our picks perform throughout the season. 

Note: Betting lines constantly change. These numbers are as of 5 p.m. ET March 5. For the latest odds on all MLS matches, visit BetMGM.

Now, onto the bets!

Colorado Rapids vs. Orlando City

The bet: Rapids -139

Colorado impressed in Week 1, getting a road win over favorites DC United. Orlando is still struggling offensively, as it opened up its season with a scoreless home draw against Real Salt Lake. Don’t expect the offense to break out this week either, as Nani will be serving the final game of his two game suspension due to an incident with a match official last season. The Rapids should keep up their momentum and get a win over the Lions.

FC Dallas vs. Montreal Impact

The bet: Dallas -189

One of the hardest things in sports betting is not overreacting from week to week results. Montreal was long seen as a bottom tier team in the East heading into the season. Yet, new manager Thierry Henry hasn’t lost a match. Two draws against Saprissa in the Concacaf Champions League was followed up by a surprise home victory against the New England Revolution. All good things must come to an end. Dallas trounced a competitive Philadelphia Union team in Week 1, and an overachieving Impact team that will be rotating players for their midweek match-up against Olimpia should prove an easier task. Opta Jack is with us on this one.

4 – FC Dallas have won all four of their home games against Montreal Impact in the MLS, scoring at least two goals in each victory – their best such 100% home record against a side in the competition history. Unblemished.

— OptaJack (@OptaJack) March 5, 2020

Atlanta United vs. FC Cincinnati

The bet: Over 3.5 goals scored +105

Anyone who watches MLS heard the major injury news of the weekend: Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez tore his ACL. Martinez is one of the most prolific goal scorers the league has ever seen, and his loss will hurt Atlanta. Just not this week. Adam Jahn will step into the striker role, but the team around him is so good the goals will continue to come. FC Cincinnati gave up the most goals in league history last season, and started off this year letting in three against a depleted New York Red Bulls side. However, Cincinnati’s offense has improved, and they put away two of their own. Atlanta may struggle to score against top teams, but Cincinnati is not yet that.

LA Galaxy vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

Best bet of the week: LA Galaxy wins by two goals or more -125

The Galaxy are a preseason favorite to win the Cup, but they are still looking for their first victory. A home opener against Vancouver is just what the doctor ordered. The Whitecaps are projected to finish last in the Western conference, and may be one of the weakest teams in the league. The Galaxy will be motivated to put on a show for their home crowd and show they have every bit as much flair as rivals LAFC. They ought to beat the Whitecaps, and do it by a pair or more.

Profit if every bet is correct this week: $310

Year-to-date record: 3-2

Year-to-date revenue/profits: $205/$5

Year-to-date best bet record: 1-0

The post MLS Best Bets Week 2: Home teams heavy favorites after a wild opening week appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

What a terrible start of the season for Atlanta United. The whole of Major League Soccer was left shocked when their biggest start and key player Josef Martinez suffered an ACL injury in the season opener. The match that Atlanta won 2-1 against league newcomers Nashville last Sunday was left in the shadow of a […]

The post Carlos Bacca targeted by MLS club appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Carlos Bacca targeted by MLS club appeared first on Soccer News.

“I love to play and I love to compete, this gives me the opportunity to do both,” Howard said.  “Since my retirement in October, my obsession for football has grown. The desire to win continues to drive me.”  Those are the words of former Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard who has confirmed that […]

The post Howard comes out of retirement appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Howard comes out of retirement appeared first on Soccer News.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The goalkeeping competition appears to be heating up in Colorado.

According multiple reports Wednesday night out of Mexico, U.S. international goalkeeper William Yarbrough will be returning stateside to sign with the Colorado Rapids, transferring from Club León of Liga MX.

While the Rapids had not confirmed the transfer as of Wednesday night, León bid an official farewell to Yarbrough on Twitter for his eight years of service with the club, specifically mentioning a move to Colorado.

William Yarbrough has announced his departure from #ClubLeón and is heading to @ColoradoRapids.

Thank you for everything, Bicampeón! @william_yarbro #LigaMXeng pic.twitter.com/3OZxMojBvC

— Club León English (@ClubLeonEN) March 4, 2020

According to TransferMarkt.com, Yarbrough holds an estimated transfer value of $1.1 million. The Denver Post reported that Yarbrough will join Colorado on a one-year loan deal.

Yarbrough, 30, won two Liga MX titles in both the Apertura and Clausura with León. He recorded 48 clean sheets in 193 matches with the Mexican side.

The 6-foot-2 native of Aguascalientes City, Mexico was raised in the country by American parents. He has three caps for the U.S. national team, but has not appeared with the national team since 2016.

Yarbrough should be expected to compete for a starting spot in Colorado with incumbent starter Clint Irwin, who is the same age.

Backup Andre Rawls and recently signed 17-year-old homegrown Abe Rodriguez — who is expected to develop with USL Championship affiliate Colorado Springs Switchbacks — round out the Rapids’ goalkeeping corps for 2020.

Irwin took over the position following Tim Howard’s retirement at the end of last season. It was a short-lived retirement as Howard, who is a minority owner at USL Championship side Memphis 901 FC, announced that he would be playing with the club on Wednesday.

The Colorado Rapids are set to host Orlando City SC this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET at Dicks Sporting Goods Park.

The post Club León announces move of U.S. keeper William Yarbrough to Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids signed midfielder Will Vint to a homegrown contract Wednesday.

Colorado acquired homegrown rights for the 18-year-old from Atlanta United in exchange for a 2022 MLS SuperDraft fourth round pick.

“Will is a promising, young talent with a high ceiling,” Rapids executive vice president and GM Pádraig Smith said in a team statement. “For him to have previously earned an opportunity with the academy of a club like Manchester United goes to show his potential and why we’re excited to have him join the Rapids.”

READ: Will Vint progressing in Atlanta after lost opportunity with Manchester United

Born in Chandler, Ariz., Vint moved to Colorado when he was three-years-old. He was a product of local youth sides Real Colorado and Pride Soccer.

A resident of Colorado Springs, Vint recently appeared for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, scoring a goal from a free kick in the USL side’s recent 4-2 win in a preseason friendly against the University of Denver.

Vint joins goalkeeper Abe Rodriguez as the second homegrown player to sign with the Rapids this season.

The post Colorado Rapids sign midfielder Will Vint to homegrown contract appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Week 1 of the MLS regular season is in the books, which means one thing — it’s time for the first Pro Soccer USA MLS Power Rankings of the 2020 season.

There’s two new teams — Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC — and some new contributors on our end. And while it’s hard to say there’s a trend after 13 games, the first power rankings of the season is top-heavy with Western Conference teams.

Defending MLS Cup champions Seattle and Supporters’ Shield-winning LAFC, perhaps not surprisingly, sit in the coveted two top spots. Minnesota United, coming off a stunning 3-1 win at Portland, comes in at No. 3 and FC Dallas is No. 4 after knocking off the Philadelphia Union 2-0 at home.

The Major League Soccer Power Rankings are created by averaging the rankings submitted by a committee of Pro Soccer USA’s editors and writers.

(N/A) Seattle Sounders FC (1-0-0, 3 points): The Sounders shook off the disappointment of a shock Concacaf Champions League ouster to rally and beat the Chicago Fire FC thanks to super sub (on the day) Jordan Morris, who struck for a second-half brace. (N/A) LAFC (1-0-0, 3 points): Tired legs, what tired legs? After an emotional and stunning comeback against Club Leon in the CCL, LAFC opened the MLS regular season with a 1-0 win over debutants Inter Miami CF thanks to a stroke of brilliance from Carlos Vela. (N/A) Minnesota United FC (1-0-0, 3 points): Kevin Molino struck for a brace and Luis Amarilla scored on his MLS debut — all on counters — to knock off hot Portland 3-1. (N/A) FC Dallas (1-0-0, 3 points): Zdenek Ondrasek and Paxton Pomykal scored second-half goals as FC Dallas defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-0 at Toyota Stadium. (N/A) Atlanta United (1-0-0, 3 points): Atlanta United won the game — on goals by Ezequiel Barco and Emerson Hyndman — but the celebration in Nashville was shortlived when it was learned Josef Martinez suffered a torn ACL. (N/A) Columbus Crew SC (1-0-0, 3 points): Lucas Zelarayan scored on his debut in a 1-0 win over an NYCFC team that played almost the entire match with 10 men. (N/A) Sporting Kansas City (1-0-0, 3 points): Newcomers Gadi Kinda and Alan Pulido (sensing a trend here?) scored in the first half and Erik Hurtado scored against his former team in a 3-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. (N/A) LA Galaxy (0-0-1, 1 point): No, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez didn’t score, but Cristian Pavon certainly did. His golazo gave the Galaxy a lead, but they settled for a 1-1 draw at Houston. (N/A) New York Red Bulls (1-0-0, 3 points): Florian Valot isn’t a new signing, but coach Chris Armas said he might as well have been after missing most of the last two years with matching ACL surgeries. He had a pair of assists in a 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati. (N/A) Colorado Rapids (1-0-0, 3 points): Jonathan Lewis came off the bench to score the stoppage-time winner for the Rapids in a 2-1 win over host D.C. United. (N/A) Toronto FC (0-0-1, 1 point): The good news for Toronto was it had a two-goal road lead on goals by Alejandro Pozuelo and Richie Laryea on either side of halftime. But they conceded twice and settled for a 2-2 draw at San Jose. (N/A) New York City FC (0-1-0, 0 points): It’s hard to punish NYCFC too severely after Maxime Chanot was sent off inside of two minutes in a 1-0 defeat at Columbus. (N/A) Montreal Impact (1-0-0, 3 points): The Thierry Henry era is off to a bright start in Montreal, which rallied to beat New England 2-1 thanks to a late chipped winner by Maxi Urruti. (N/A) San Jose Earthquakes (0-0-1, 1 point): The Quakes rallied from a two-goal second-half deficit to earn a point against Toronto FC. Debutant Oswaldo Alanis scored a stunning stoppage-time equalizer. (N/A) Real Salt Lake (0-0-1, 1 point): It was largely a drab draw, but a 0-0 draw at Orlando City SC is a road point on the East Coast for Real Salt Lake, which welcome the Red Bulls to Rio Tinto Saturday. (N/A) Houston Dynamo (0-0-1, 1 point): Mauro Manotas scored the equalizer for the Dynamo in a 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy that ushered in the Tab Ramos era. (N/A) New England Revolution (0-1-0, 0 points): A pair of mental lapses ultimately doomed the Revolution in Montreal, though they showed plenty of promise in the attack and should be closer to full strength against Chicago this weekend. (N/A) Inter Miami CF (0-1-0, 0 points): Inter Miami had the most unenviable opening game in MLS — playing LAFC at the Banc. But they had a good showing in a 1-0 defeat and were a pair of quality saves from Kenneth Vermeer from a point or three. (N/A) Philadelphia Union (0-1-0, 0 points): The Union look to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat at FC Dallas when they head to Los Angeles to take on LAFC. (N/A) Orlando City SC (0-0-1, 1 point): The suspended Nani was sorely missed in a 0-0 draw at home against RSL. (N/A) Chicago Fire FC (0-1-0, 0 points): Robert Baric scored just after halftime, but the rebranded Fire conceded twice late in a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field. (N/A) Portland Timbers (0-1-0, 0 points): The Timbers leveled on their second penalty shout as Diego Valeri beat Tyler Miller from the spot. But they conceded twice in a two-minute span in the second half to fall to the Loons. (N/A) D.C. United (0-1-0, 0 points): Russell Canouse put the hosts in front on the hour mark, but D.C. conceded a Kei Kamara equalizer seven minutes later and a Jonathan Lewis winner in stoppage time in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids. (N/A) Nashville SC (0-1-0, 0 points): Walker Zimmerman put his name in the Nashville SC record books with the expansion team’s first goal, but the first point would not come in Week 1. They look to rebound from a 2-1 defeat to Atlanta against Portland Sunday. (N/A) Vancouver Whitecaps (0-1-0, 0 points): Max Crepeau was hung out to dry as Sporting Kansas City had all sorts of time and space in front of the Vancouver ‘keeper. Lucas Cavallini was on an island by himself with no service. It could be a long year for the Whitecaps. (NA) FC Cincinnati (0-1-0, 0 points): The first half was oh so 2019 for FC Cincinnati, which was lucky to only trail by a pair of goals. Allan Cruz and Jurgen Locadia, yet another debutant to score, struck in the second half in a 3-2 loss to the Red Bulls.

Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler, Julian Cardillo, Ben Ferrree, Harjeet Johal, Robert Jonas, Emily Olsen and Phil West contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 1: Seattle Sounders open 2020 season on top appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Week 1 of Major League Soccer’s 2020 campaign was dominated by attackers. 

Thirty-four goals were scored over the weekend, with only five of the 26 clubs failing to find the back of the net. 

Due to the abundance of strong attacking performances, the top part of Pro Soccer USA’s first MLS Player Rankings of the 2020 season contains midfielders and forwards. 

A handful of defenders made the cut at the bottom of the list, which starts with 10 players this week and will be expanded to 20 after a larger sample size of performances. 

The player rankings will eventually take into account the last four games played, with the most-recent contest carrying the most weight. 

Consistency is the name of the game with the player rankings, but for now, we broke down the 10 best showings from opening weekend. 

10. Thiago Santos, D, FC Dallas

The FC Dallas defense was not threatened much in the 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Union.

Thiago Santos locked down the middle of the park with five clearances and three tackles. He also stopped the Union’s Jamiro Monteiro and Alejandro Bedoya from getting into a rhythm. 

As a whole, the FC Dallas defensive unit limited the Union to three shots on target in one of the three shutout victories of Week 1. 

9. Eddie Segura, D, LAFC

Eddie Segura and LAFC were the final club to earn a clean sheet in a victory in Week 1. 

The reigning Supporters’ Shield champion downed Inter Miami CF 1-0 at Banc of California Stadium. Segura made seven clearances, six interceptions and won five aerial duels versus the expansion side. 

8. Carlos Vela, F, LAFC 

Carlos Vela resided near, or at, the top of the Player Rankings for most of the 2019 season.

While we expect him to reach that position again at some point in 2020, he starts the campaign at No. 8 after scoring once against Inter Miami. 

The Mexican forward placed three of his five shots on net and distributed a pair of key passes as one of LAFC’s most active attackers. 

7. Oswaldo Alanis, D, San Jose Earthquakes

Oswaldo Alanis’s debut for the San Jose Earthquakes had some ups and downs. 

The Quakes conceded twice to Toronto FC, but the 30-year-old Mexican secured a point for the home side with a game-tying goal. 

Alanis and center back partner Guram Kashia held TFC’s attack to four shots on target, but his biggest impact, at least in Week 1, was in attack to avoid an early loss at home. 

6. Cristian Pavon, M, LA Galaxy

While everyone focused on the arrival of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to the LA Galaxy, Cristian Pavon’s return flew under the radar a bit. 

Pavon reminded us what he is capable of with a stunning goal in the 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo Saturday. 

The goal extended Pavon’s regular-season streak of nine games with a goal or an assist that dates back to August 25, 2019. 

5. Lucas Zelarayan, M, Columbus Crew SC

If Week 1 is an example of what Lucas Zelarayan will bring to the Columbus Crew, Caleb Porter’s side is in for a resurgence in the Eastern Conference. 

The Argentinian playmaker netted the lone goal in the Crew’s 1-0 win over New York City FC, which was marred by a third-minute red card to NYCFC defender Maxime Chanot.

Now the task for the 27-year-old is to follow up Sunday’s outing with a strong performance on the road at the Seattle Sounders. 

4. Florian Valot, M, New York Red Bulls

After missing the majority of the 2019 season with an ACL injury, Florian Valot returned with a pair of assists in the New York Red Bulls‘ season opener. 

Additionally, Valot handed out three key passes and was one of the most active players on the ball with 77 touches. 

If he makes this type of impact on a season-long basis, Valot will be a key piece alongside Daniel Royer and others in the Red Bulls attack. 

3.  Ethan Finlay, M, Minnesota United

Minnesota United delivered the most shocking result of the weekend by knocking off the Portland Timbers 3-1 at Providence Park.

Loons midfielder Ethan Finlay picked up a pair of assists, which is one less than the total he earned over 33 games in 2019. 

Since joining the club midway through the 2018 season, Finlay contributed nine goals and six assists. If he contributes at a larger level in 2020, the Loons could improve on their fourth-place finish from last season. 

2. Kevin Molino, M, Minnesota United

Kevin Molino is in a similar situation as Finlay.

The Trinidad and Tobago international had three goals and four assists over 17 appearances in 2019 and came out of the gates strong in 2020 with a two-goal performance in Portland. 

Molino has a knack for starting off strong, as he produced two goals in Minnesota’s opener against San Jose in 2018. 

1. Jordan Morris, F, Seattle Sounders

Jordan Morris followed up his 10-goal campaign in 2019 with a pair of tallies in Seattle’s win over the Chicago Fire. 

The U.S. men’s national team forward was one of the best American forwards in MLS last season, and he is looking to claim the throne of top American scorer this season. 

The two-goal performance was the fourth of his MLS career. 

The post MLS Player Rankings Week 1: Jordan Morris, Kevin Molino top chart appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

There has been a lot of talk about the future of Victor Wanyama. The Kenyan has been linked with a move to Belgium, following numerous injuries that have harmed his time at Tottenham Hotspur, but in the end, that was not the move he made. Instead, he opted for going across the pond and joining […]

The post Victor Wanyama leaves Tottenham for a move to MLS appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Victor Wanyama leaves Tottenham for a move to MLS appeared first on Soccer News.

Claudio Bravo has been offered to join New York City when his contract with Manchester City expires at the end of the season, according to The Guardian, and he’s currently mulling over it. The goalkeeper joined the Premier League champions from Barcelona following the arrival of Pep Guardiola in 2016, but the manager obviously wasn’t […]

The post Claudio Bravo considers New York City switch appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Claudio Bravo considers New York City switch appeared first on Soccer News.

Carlos Vela provided another highlight as Los Angeles FC defeated Inter Miami 1-0 in their MLS debut on an historic evening. Birthday boy Vela scored a stunning chip on the stroke of half-time to ensure reigning Supporters’ Shield champions LAFC made the perfect start to the 2020 season on Sunday. Co-owner David Beckham, his famous […]

The post MLS: Vela scores stunning chip as LAFC spoil Beckham & Inter Miami´s historic game appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS: Vela scores stunning chip as LAFC spoil Beckham & Inter Miami´s historic game appeared first on Soccer News.

Carlos Vela provided another highlight as Los Angeles FC defeated Inter Miami 1-0 in their MLS debut on an historic evening. Birthday boy Vela scored a stunning chip on the stroke of half-time to ensure reigning Supporters’ Shield champions LAFC made the perfect start to the 2020 season on Sunday. Co-owner David Beckham, his famous […]

The post MLS: Vela scores stunning chip as LAFC spoil Beckham & Inter Miami´s historic game appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS: Vela scores stunning chip as LAFC spoil Beckham & Inter Miami´s historic game appeared first on Soccer News.