Looking for Soccer News?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke an LA Galaxy goalscoring record in Sunday’s 7-2 win over Sporting Kansas City and said finding the target is easy for him.  Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s rout, taking him to 26 MLS goals for the season, surpassing Carlos Ruiz as the player with the most league goals in a single […]

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke an LA Galaxy goalscoring record in Sunday’s 7-2 win over Sporting Kansas City and said finding the target is easy for him.  Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s rout, taking him to 26 MLS goals for the season, surpassing Carlos Ruiz as the player with the most league goals in a single […]

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke an LA Galaxy goalscoring record in Sunday’s 7-2 win over Sporting Kansas City and said finding the target is easy for him.  Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s rout, taking him to 26 MLS goals for the season, surpassing Carlos Ruiz as the player with the most league goals in a single […]

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke an LA Galaxy goalscoring record in Sunday’s 7-2 win over Sporting Kansas City and said finding the target is easy for him.  Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s rout, taking him to 26 MLS goals for the season, surpassing Carlos Ruiz as the player with the most league goals in a single […]

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Ibrahimovic: Scoring goals is easy, you just have to be like Zlatan appeared first on Soccer News.

Hat-trick hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic made history for LA Galaxy, while DC United boosted their play-off chances in MLS on Sunday. Ibrahimovic set a single-season scoring record for Galaxy by moving onto 26 goals, netting a hat-trick in a 7-2 thrashing of Sporting Kansas City at Dignity Health Sports Park. Galaxy had fallen behind to a […]

The post MLS Review: Ibrahimovic breaks Galaxy record with hat-trick in rout appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Ibrahimovic breaks Galaxy record with hat-trick in rout appeared first on Soccer News.

Hat-trick hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic made history for LA Galaxy, while DC United boosted their play-off chances in MLS on Sunday. Ibrahimovic set a single-season scoring record for Galaxy by moving onto 26 goals, netting a hat-trick in a 7-2 thrashing of Sporting Kansas City at Dignity Health Sports Park. Galaxy had fallen behind to a […]

The post MLS Review: Ibrahimovic breaks Galaxy record with hat-trick in rout appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Ibrahimovic breaks Galaxy record with hat-trick in rout appeared first on Soccer News.

Jonathan Osorio broke a tie in the 70th minute and Toronto FC beat the Colorado Rapids 3-2 Sunday  at BMO Field to spoil Rapids coach Robin Fraser’s homecoming.

Fraser, a former Toronto assistant coach, had won three straight matches since taking charge of the Rapids Aug. 25.

Toronto FC (12-10-9, 45 points) extended an unbeaten run to seven matches and moved up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of D.C. United on a tiebreaker. The Rapids (10-15-6, 36 points) suffered a blow to their already slim hopes of reaching the MLS Cup playoffs. 

Returning home from a 1-1 draw against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium Wednesday, Toronto FC roared out of the gate and led 2-0 after just 13 minutes. Tsubasa Endoh opened the scoring in the 8th minute. After Richie Laryea was played into the box by Jozy Altidore, he cut the ball back to Endoh, who hammered his shot in off the crossbar. 

Five minutes later, Alejandro Pozuelo doubled the advantage from the penalty spot after Lalas Abubakar pulled back Altidore in the box. Pozuelo, who went 1-for-2 from the penalty spot in the Bronx Wednesday night, made no mistake with his panenka. 

Just when it looked like the rout was on, Keegan Rosenberry pulled the Rapids back a goal in the 31st minute, following his initial shot that was blocked by Michael Bradley to beat Quentin Westberg. After taking down Sam Nicholson inside the box, Westberg atoned for his mistake with a diving stop on Kei Kamara’s penalty just before halftime. 

Nicholson, who helped setup Rosenberry’s goal, then leveled in the 62nd minute, sliding in front to meet Rosenberry’s lofted cross. However, the final heroics came from Osorio, who came off the bench for the injured Nicolas Benezet, clipped an Erickson Gallardo pass over Clint Irwin and into the net for the winner. 

[See image gallery at appserver-927ee6c5.c.pantheon-dmz.internal]

— The Associated Press contributed to this story

The post Toronto FC beats Colorado Rapids 3-2, spoiling Robin Fraser’s homecoming appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

New York City pulled clear atop the Eastern Conference in MLS, while Josef Martinez extended his goalscoring streak on Saturday. Keaton Parks and Alexandru Mitrita scored as New York City came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Chris Wondolowski poked in a Valeri Qazaishvili cross to give the Earthquakes […]

The post MLS Review: New York City pull clear, Martinez scores again appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: New York City pull clear, Martinez scores again appeared first on Soccer News.

Los Angeles FC have won the Major League Soccer Supporters Shield and next month they will be attempting to win their first MLS Cup since setting up the franchise in 2018. But whilst the players are trying to make a big victory on the pitch, the club want to make another win, but this one […]

The post LAFC looking at Mandzukic appeared first on Soccer News.

The post LAFC looking at Mandzukic appeared first on Soccer News.

According to a recent report over in Spain, Real Madrid star Gareth Bale is the latest big name being linked with a switch to Inter Miami. David Beckham, the president of the new Major League Soccer franchise, hasn’t been shy when it comes to putting out feelers for top stars to come and test the […]

The post Bale linked with MLS switch appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Bale linked with MLS switch appeared first on Soccer News.

Zlatan Ibrahimović and the LA Galaxy came to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for a midweek clash with Colorado, looking to secure points in a tight Western Conference playoffs race. In what looked to be destined to be a 0-0 draw after a scoreless first half, the game came to life late with all six of the game’s goals coming in a six-minute span. Cole Bassett opened the scoring to give Colorado a 1-0 lead in the 79th minute, but LA responded with the leveler from Giancarlo Gonzalez four minutes later. Nicolas Mezquida scored the game winner on a controversial penalty call just moments later and the game ended with a 2-1 Rapids win, despite a wild 10 minutes of extra time that included multiple cards and VAR reviews.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 2-1 win over LA:

Rookie of the Year

Colorado Rapids rookie Andre Shinyashiki continues to impress for Colorado. Following his two-goal performance last weekend against Seattle which earned him MLS player of the week and a Team of the Week nod, Shinyashiki continued to propel Colorado’s attack on Wednesday and his play in the second half led to the penalty call (albeit controversial) and the Rapids second goal.

“I think each game you gain more and more confidence,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said of Shinyashiki. “What we saw was a really aggressive No. 9, not an impressive rookie No. 9. impressive nine period no matter what.”

Despite the controversy of the penalty call, which many LA Galaxy players disagreed with and what replays showed as little to no contact, Ibrahimovic chose to recognize the quality of Shinyashiki’s play instead of blaming refereeing.

The play was too far away from me. The only thing I saw was [Shinyashiki] dribbled [Giancarlo Gonzalez] in the box. If you allow somebody to dribble you like that, then there are consequences.”

Abubakar gets it right

With Sam Vines out due to Illness, Lala Abubakar slotted in as an emergency right back for Colorado – and it worked. It was a good display not only from Abubakar, but a saavy coaching move by Fraser.

It was Abubakar’s first time ever playing the position as a professional.

“The coach called us in the office and he asked me if I ever played right back. I told him ‘no’. He told me I’d play right back. But we are all professionals so the best thing you can do is focus and execute it. They told me to stop Pavon and I knew if I stopped that guy, we’d have a chance to win,” Abubakar explained postgame.

The defensive performance impressed Fraser, as well.

“We had a center back playing right back, we had a right back playing left back, we had two left footed center backs and the guys just did what they needed to do,” he said.

Three on the bounce

The Robin Fraser head coaching era in Colorado continues its honeymoon phase as the Rapids have now won three in a row under the former Colorado player and have scored six goals total.

To little surprise, his system has done well to keep the attacking players happy.

“What he brings is positional play,” Shinyashiki said of Fraser’s system. “It’s very similar to what my coach in college did so I’m very happy. Creating overloads and being in the right positions is what he’s brought.”

Aside from tactics, Colorado also looks to be working together in harmony.

Said Fraser, “I’m so proud — I’m so proud of the team. You look at the players that they have, obviously some very accomplished players — then you look at our group and they just play as a team — they play for each other, they fight for each other, and play cohesively offensively and defensively. Every week — it’s been three weeks, but every week I think — well, that was a good one, but what happens next week? What keeps happening is that they keep playing like a team. As a result, they keep getting good results. It’s been really a fun start for me as a coach and I feel really happy to be a part of this group.”

The post Shinyashiki on the dribble and other takeaways from Colorado’s 2-1 win over LA appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, David Beckham wants to make Luis Suarez his first big signing at Inter Miami. The Major League Soccer extension franchise are currently preparing to enter the league for the first time, and as such, they’re already thinking about the players that they want to bring into their […]

The post Beckham wants Suarez at Inter Miami appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Beckham wants Suarez at Inter Miami appeared first on Soccer News.

LA Galaxy suffered a late 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids as the MLS play-off chasing outfit’s winless streak continued. Nicolas Mezquida converted an 85th-minute penalty to condemn Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Galaxy to their fourth consecutive league match without victory. It was a wild finish in Colorado, where all three goals were scored in the final 11 […]

The post MLS Review: Galaxy´s play-off hopes take hit as skid continues appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Galaxy´s play-off hopes take hit as skid continues appeared first on Soccer News.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids earned their third-straight win under new head coach Robin Fraser, defeating Zlatan Ibrahimović and the LA Galaxy 2-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday night.

It marked the first visit to the Centennial State for the Galaxy designated player, who currently leads LA in goals. But with some defensive changes, including the shifting of centerback Lalas Abubakar to right back in replacement for Sam Vines (illness), Colorado kept the Swede off the scoreboard.

“He’s obviously a huge guy and very good year so he’s going to win his fair share,” Fraser said. “We planned for it, we want it and they were able to make the right reads at the right times and and make it difficult for him on the night.”

The opening half was scoreless but not without opportunities for both sides. LA nearly took an early lead in the 20th minute, but Favio Alvarez’s chance on the doorstep was saved by Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin.

Five minutes later, the Rapids had a set piece opportunity and Jack Price connected with Danny Wilson, but Wilson’s header landed in the arms of Bingham in the 25th minute.

In the 27th minute, Ibrahimović found himself one-on-one with Irwin, but a late defensive run by Lalas Abubakar helped save the danger. Irwin came up big again less than a minute later, making back-to-back saves on strikes from Alvarez and Cristian Pavon.

By halftime, Colorado had dominated shots (9) and held nearly 57 percent possession, but the score remained deadlocked at 0-0.

Finally, the deadlock broke when Colorado homegrown Cole Bassett struck home a header off a set piece for the game’s opening goal. It gave the Rapids a 1-0 lead in the 79th minute.

Three minutes later, the Galaxy returned the favor. LA centerback Giancarlo Gonzalez equalized off a corner, leveling the match at 1-1 in the 83rd minute.

On the ensuing run of attack by Colorado, Rapids striker Andre Shinyashiki went down in the box, prompting a penalty call from head referee Fotis Bazakos. Mezquida sank the penalty to give Colorado a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute. It was a decision many in the LA locker room disagreed with. 

“From where I was, it looked like [Shinyashiki] went down pretty easy,” Galaxy defender Daniel Steres said. “I don’t know why the referee would call it and then not check VAR.”

Nonetheless, the rookie has impressed Fraser since the coach’s arrival. 

“To be honest, his choices are really really good,” Fraser said of Shinyashiki. “For a young player, young, professional, young forward it’s all about choices.”

In extra time, LA’s other designated player, Pavon was sent off with a straight red for violent conduct. But after a VAR review, Pavon’s red was downgraded to a yellow card for a reckless challenge.

It was one of many controversial calls late in the match. Ten minutes into the extra time period, LA got a penalty call of their own, but that one was called back due to a VAR review as well.

Colorado saw out the extended extra time period to hold onto the win, while LA dropped points in their chase for a playoff spot. The Galaxy currently sit eighth with five matches to play, one point behind FC Dallas for the final playoffs spot in the Western Conference.

The Rapids will now have three days to prepare for Fraser’s former team, Toronto FC, who they’ll face on Sunday (5 p.m. ET). The Galaxy will return home to host Sporting KC later that evening (10 p.m.).

“What keeps happening is they keep playing like a team,” Fraser said of the streaking Rapids. “And as a result, they’re getting it, they’re getting results.”

The post Rapids top Galaxy to extend win streak; LA drops points in playoff race appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

With just six games remaining in the regular season, the LA Galaxy head to Colorado to face the Rapids. Both teams sit below the playoff line, but the Galaxy are just one point out of the playoff picture. Here’s what you need to know heading into the match:

The Galaxy head into the match with a three game winless streak, with their last win coming on August 14 at home against FC Dallas. LA has a 13-12-3 record overall this season and a 4-8-2 record on the road.  The Colorado Rapids, however, are on a two game winning streak and are hoping to string together enough points to make their claim on a playoff spot. They sit in 10th in the Western Conference with 33 points and are not yet disqualified from the playoff picture.  All time against the Rapids, the Galaxy are 37-27-11 and 13-19-5 in Colorado. This season, Colorado is 7-6-2 at home, making this trip a tough test for the Galaxy. Both teams will have notable absences for this match, as the Galaxy have midfielders Sebastian Lletget and Jonathan Dos Santos still away to international duty, and Diego Polenta suspended due to yellow card accumulation. For the Rapids, Diego Rubio and Kei Kamara will be serving suspensions for this match. The Galaxy will be well rested heading into the match, with their last game being their frustrating 4-3 loss on Sept. 1 away to the Seattle Sounders. Colorado played during the international break in a 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders, with two goals from Andre Shinyashiki, who earned MLS player of the week honors for his role in that match. 

The post LA Galaxy face Colorado on the road appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

With the international window taking focus, there were just five matches during a truncated Week 27 of the Major League Soccer season.

That means minimal movement in the Pro Soccer USA Power Rankings. (Expect big changes this week, though, with a grand total of 16 matches on the slate)

The big movers were the Portland Timbers, who advanced three spots to No. 8 following a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City, which fell two spots to No. 18. New York City FC also made positive movement, albeit slight, rising one spot to No. 2 after a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution, who are down one to No. 11.

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

(1) Los Angeles Football Club (19-4-6, 63 points): Shorthanded due to the international break, the Supporters’ Shield leaders will take a 2-2 draw at Orlando City SC, especially since Diego Rossi struck for the late equalizer. (3) New York City FC (15-5-8, 53 points): No Heber, no problem for NYCFC, which erased an early deficit and defeated the New England Revolution, 2-1, thanks to a second-half brace from substitute Jesus Medina. Five straight wins have catapulted the Cityzens atop the East. (2) Philadelphia Union (15-8-6, 51 points): The Union return after being idle in Week 27 with a second consecutive massive home fixture. They beat Atlanta United in the first, but now LAFC come to Talen Energy Stadium. (4) Atlanta United (15-10-3, 48 points): The Five Stripes will look to rebound from a 3-1 defeat at the Philadelphia Union when they host a desperate Columbus Crew SC side Saturday evening. (5) Minnesota United (13-9-6, 45 points): The Loons return for a pair of Week 28 tilts, playing at the Houston Dynamo Wednesday before hosting Real Salt Lake in a spicy Sunday match with major playoff implications. (7) San Jose Earthquakes (13-10-5, 44 points): Like Minnesota United, it’s a double-match week, but both matches are on the road and at two of the toughest venues to get points — Rio Tinto Stadium and Yankee Stadium. (6) Seattle Sounders FC (13-9-7, 46 points): Brian Schmetzer had to rotate almost have his starting XI and fielded just 16 players on his gameday 18-man roster, and that includes a pair of call-ups from the Tacoma Defiance. The result was a 2-0 loss at the Colorado Rapids. (11) Portland Timbers (13-11-4, 43 points): The Timbers were seven minutes from a devastating defeat before Jeremy Ebobisse leveled and Brian Fernandez came off the bench to score the dramatic 90th-minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City. (8) Real Salt Lake (13-11-4, 43 points): In fifth place in the West, RSL can rapidly rise, or fall, in the race as crowded as a New York City subway car, in a two-match week that sees them host the Earthquakes and head to Minnesota United. (9) FC Dallas (12-10-7, 43 points): Will the international break cool off an FC Dallas attack that has scored 11 goals in three consecutive matches without defeat? It likely won’t be easy with the host Fire desperate for a win. (10) New England Revolution (10-10-9, 39 points): Juan Fernando Caicedo gave the Revs a perfect start. But a pair of video reviews resulted in a 9th-minute red card to Antonio Delamea and a second-half stoppage time penalty kick decision in a 2-1 defeat at NYCFC. (14) New York Red Bulls (12-12-5, 41 points): Consecutive defeats have some in the Red Bulls’ fan base calling for Chris Armas’ head. Things don’t get any easier with road matches against the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers coming up next. (13) D.C. United (11-10-9, 42 points): D.C. United is in fourth place in the East, but their hold of the position is precarious with three points separating the Black-and-Red from a home playoff game and the playoff line. (15) Toronto FC (11-10-8, 41 points): The Reds weren’t messing around. Patrick Mullins, Nick DeLeon and Marky Delgado gave the visitors a 3-0 lead inside 28 minutes and Michael Bradley and Nicolas Benzet added second-half goals in a 5-1 rout of FC Cincinnati. (12) LA Galaxy (13-12-3, 42 points): The high-flying Galaxy enter Week 28 below the playoff line, albeit by a single point. Still, they face a challenging double-match week starting with a road contest against the resurgent Rapids. (18) Colorado Rapids (9-14-6, 33 points): Consecutive 2-0 wins have highlighted the start of the Robin Fraser-era in Colorado. The hero this time was rookie Andre Shinyashiki, who scored a goal in each half a week after Jonathan Lewis did the same in a 2-0 victory at the New York Red Bulls. (17) Montreal Impact (11-15-4, 37 points): The Impact are just two points below the playoff line in the East, but they have only four games remaining. That includes a must-win game at Stade Saputo against last-place FC Cincinnati Saturday. (16) Sporting Kansas City (10-12-7, 37 points): Sporting Kansas City’s late-season playoff push took a major hit Saturday night when they conceded twice in the final seven minutes to lose 2-1 to the Timbers. Benny Feilhaber scored the lone goal in the 65th minute. (19) Orlando City SC (9-13-8, 35 points): Nani erased the early deficit and Benji Michel gave the Lions a 2-1 lead. But the three points the Lions desperately needed were reduced to one with Rossi’s late goal. (20) Chicago Fire (8-12-10, 34 points): The Fire are still alive for the MLS Cup Playoffs, albeit barely. Anything but three points at home against FC Dallas could be Chicago’s death knell. (21) Columbus Crew SC (8-15-7, 31 points): Columbus stunned Atlanta for a 2-0 win at a rain-soaked MAPFRE Stadium early in the season. The Crew will need a similar outcome (sans the rain inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium of course) to remain in the playoff hunt in the East. (22) Houston Dynamo (9-15-4, 31 points): Davy Arnaud’s search for his first win as Dynamo interim manager continues with Houston hosting the Loons Wednesday before playing at Vancouver Saturday. (23) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6-15-9, 27 points): It’s the battle to avoid the basement in the Western Conference with the Whitecaps hosting the Dynamo Saturday night. (24) FC Cincinnati (5-21-3, 18 points): Another cosmetic Emmanuel Ledesma goal closed out another rout as FC Cincinnati fell to Toronto FC for their fourth straight loss and eighth in nine consecutive games without a win.

Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler, Julian Cardlillo, Marco Cummings, Chris Fuhrmeister, Robert Jonas and Emily Olsen contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 27: Portland Timbers, New York City FC climb appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.