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Nani opened his account for Orlando City with two goals and the last-gasp winner against Colorado Rapids, while Wayne Rooney saw red in DC United’s big MLS loss at home to Los Angeles FC. Recruited from Sporting CP, former Manchester United star Nani converted an 89th-minute penalty as Orlando prevailed 4-3 in a thriller for […]

The post MLS Review: Nani scores twice in seven-goal thriller, Rooney sent off appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Nani scores twice in seven-goal thriller, Rooney sent off appeared first on Soccer News.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic set up LA Galaxy’s opener and then scored his team’s second goal in an ultimately routine 2-0 MLS win over Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday. Vancouver could have taken the lead in the second minute at BC Place Stadium, where Lass Bangoura drew a seemingly generous penalty after going down following minimal contact with […]

The post Vancouver Whitecaps 0 LA Galaxy 2: Ibrahimovic steals the show appeared first on Soccer News.

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DENVER – The Colorado Rapids announced another homegrown signing Wednesday, unveiling Sebastian Anderson as the team’s newest member.

“We have been very impressed by Seb’s work ethic and willingness to learn,” Rapids executive vice president and general manager Pádraig Smith said in a club statement. “He took full advantage of the opportunity he was given in preseason and showed a lot of people that he’s a smart defender who likes to press up the pitch.”

The 16-year-old is the third homegrown player the Rapids have signed this year, joining Sam Raben and Matt Hundley. The addition also marks the 11th homegrown signing in club history and makes Anderson the youngest professional athlete in the Denver sports market.

As a member of the Rapids Academy, Anderson was called into the U.S. national team’s under-17 camps as a defender. Anderson spent a good portion of his development as a midfielder, but per the Rapids is expected to play as a right back.

Previously committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Anderson will forgo collegiate soccer for time spent in the pros.

Anderson was added to the Rapids supplemental roster on a five-year deal with a club option for 2024.

The post Colorado Rapids add another homegrown with Sebastian Anderson appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

MLS announced today that its Generation adidas Cup, taking place at the Toyota Soccer Center at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas from April 13-20, will feature U-15 and U-17 academy teams from 14 different nations.

The competition includes 36 U-17 squads, organized in two separate divisions pitting top MLS academy sides against 15 international clubs, as well as a U-15 tournament with a quartet of MLS teams against four Liga MX counterparts. 

The tournament has featured up-and-coming young players including Djordje Mihailović (a Chicago Fire academy player finding his way into the Fire first team lineup as well as the U.S. Men’s National Team), Paxton Pomykal (an FC Dallas academy player who just scored his first goals for the tournament hosts this past weekend, and Efrain Álvarez (an LA Galaxy academy player who premiered in style in an MLS match  earlier this month). Weston McKennie, another FC Dallas Academy player now with Bundesliga side Schalke 04, also appeared in the youth tournament. 

The U-17 Champions Division is organized into four four-team groups: 

Group A

FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, West Ham United, Club America

Group B

LA Galaxy, Toronto FC, CA Peñarol, Dinamo Zagreb

Group C

NYCFC, Real Salt Lake, Olympique Lyonnais, River Plate

Group D

Montreal Impact, Seattle Sounders FC, Flamengo, Valencia CF

The U-17 Premier Division is organized into four five-team groups: 

Group A

Atlanta United, Chicago Fire, D.C. United, San Jose Earthquakes, Club Tijuana

Group B

Houston Dynamo, Orlando City SC, Portland Timbers, FC Midtylland, Ulsan Hyundai FC

Group C

Columbus Crew SC, Sporting KC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, CF Monterrey, UMF Fjölnir

Group D

Colorado Rapids, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, Mount Pleasant FA, Toluca

The U-15 tournament pits the four MLS teams (LAFC, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, and Toronto FC) against each of four Liga MX teams (Club Leon, Cruz Azul, CD Guadalajara, and CD Monterrey). 

Complete information is available on the MLS site’s Generation adidas Cup section. 

The post MLS announces full Generation adidas Cup schedule, featuring club academies from 14 nations appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

There were only two unanimous votes in Week 5 of the Pro Soccer USA Major League Soccer Power Rankings — for the No. 1 team and the No. 24 team.

Ironically, both played each other Saturday. Los Angeles Football Club, who jumped over Seattle Sounders FC into the top spot, crushed the winless San Jose Earthquakes 5-0 at Avaya Stadium.

The biggest movers were a pair of Eastern Conference foes with the Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire each going plus-five in Week 5.

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

Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler, Julian Cardillo, Robert Jonas, Emily Olsen, Ashley Scoby and Joe Tansey contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 5: LAFC the new, unanimous No. 1 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Week 5 was the most lopsided of the Major League Soccer season by far, and it was also one of the more lopsided weekends in recent memory. 

All you have to do is look at the scoring disparity to understand how dominant a three-day span it was for the victorious sides. 

But the significant margins of victory taught us more about the have nots in MLS than the known quantities who curbstomped through Week 5. 

We know Sporting Kansas City is one of the best teams, and whatever concerns there were about its forward line have been erased. 

LAFC has looked like the class of the league since the start of the season, and we expected Toronto FC’s high-priced new acquisition to make a significant impact on the team.

Houston doesn’t get much shine in the national conversation, but if you’ve watched the team even once in the last 12 months, it was no surprise Alberth Elis took over the final third once again.

Mar 16, 2019; Vancouver Whitecaps defender Derek Cornelius (13) battles for the ball with Houston Dynamo forward Alberth Elis (17) at BBVA Compass Stadium. (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

So that leaves us with the clubs that left the field feeling all sorts of embarrassment, and unfortunately there were many of them. 

Sure, Matias Almeyda has a long-term plan in place with the San Jose Earthquakes, but what exactly has changed in a month to convince us there are positives to build on? 

The Quakes haven’t shown any defensive improvement. They’ve given up a league-high 14 goals in four games. FOURTEEN GOALS IN FOUR GAMES. That’s not just bad, that’s get-a-manager-fired-in-one-month level horrendous. Luckily for Almeyda, he appears to have a long leash and a summer transfer window to make improvements. 

The Colorado Rapids are only one rung above San Jose in the Western Conference only because they’ve earned a point at home compared to San Jose’s zero. 

At least there was clear roster improvement in Colorado during the offseason. A handful of MLS veterans like Benny Feilhaber, Kei Kamara, Diego Rubio and Keegan Rosenberry were added, but red cards and poor play have kept Anthony Hudson’s side from improving on the field. 

Mar 30, 2019; Commerce City, CO, USA; Colorado Rapids fan cheers for this team during the second half against the Houston Dynamo at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Then there’s New York City FC, which has experienced a significant drop since former coach Patrick Vieira returned to manage in Europe. 

NYCFC has two regular-season wins, both from October, since Aug. 18, and it doesn’t help that the model of consistency in the Eastern Conference lies just across the Hudson River. 

Montreal’s loss may be the least concerning of the teams on the wrong end of blowouts since it was missing Ignacio Piatti, but it does beg the question of capable the Impact are without the league’s most underappreciated star on the pitch. 

The blowouts across MLS handed us some memorable moments from the weekend, but there were also plenty of other standout moments from Week 5 in the games with tighter margins of victory. 

Goals of the Week 

Carlos Vela, F, LAFC

I’m not sure how you vote against this for Goal of the Week. 

Carlos Vela.
Left foot.
Curler.

You KNOW how this one ends. pic.twitter.com/ECjHOx8tDS

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 31, 2019

Wayne Rooney, D.C. United

This is the only reason why you should vote against Vela’s golazo for Goal of the Week.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WAYNE ROONEY?!

He scores his 4th goal of the year and puts D.C. United up by 2 against Orlando. pic.twitter.com/rV8ESb55Ga

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 31, 2019

Dueling Panenkas

Alejandro Pozuelo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic book ended the Week 5 schedule with Panenkas from the spot. 

Pozuelo with the Panenka! What a way to score a debut goal!#TORvNYC https://t.co/lQk24djLyr

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 30, 2019

Always putting on a show, that @Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/Mr092DL0l2

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) April 1, 2019

Almost Goal of the Week

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first-half attempt on Sunday night would’ve been a Goal of the Year nominee if it went in. 

UHHHHHH this is outrageous from @Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/s68In4b3gU

— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) April 1, 2019

Controversy of the Week 

Dom Dwyer and Wayne Rooney are likely both at fault for this incident Sunday night between D.C. United and Orlando City.

Dwyer was whistled for a foul due to violent conduct and Rooney took advantage of it by scoring the eventual game-winning goal.

We won’t be surprised if the debate surrounding this play rages on for weeks. 

pic.twitter.com/1CuW4Gi9d0

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) March 31, 2019

Atlanta United Panic Button Update

On a scale from 1 to 10, Atlanta United fans are at 100 with the glass in front of the break-in-case-of-emergency hammer shattered. 

It doesn’t help that the 2-0 loss to Columbus played in poor conditions (we’ll get to that in a second) came right before a bye week. 

But as hard as it to say right now, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Five Stripes, with New England and Colorado on the schedule in April.

If Atlanta leaves the month of April with less than two wins, then you’re more than welcome to smash the panic button and overreact to a rough start. 

Ohio Is For Rainstorms

Both Ohio teams hosted games in treacherous conditions Saturday, and while FC Cincinnati got through 90 minutes against Philadelphia without little issue, Columbus’ home clash with Atlanta was disrupted by way too many puddles caused by downpours. 

This looks absolutely disgusting to play in for Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United #crew96 #ATLUTD #CLBvATL pic.twitter.com/Hi3GSv0m97

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) March 31, 2019

Pro Soccer USA’s own Ben Ferree did some great work getting details on the madness that ensued on the field after a lengthy weather suspension. 

Rocky Mountain Reds

Colorado and Real Salt Lake are fighting neck-and-neck for the most red cards in MLS. 

The Rapids have had three different players sent off in their first three home games, with Tommy Smith being the latest culprit against Houston on Saturday. 

RSL upped the ante Saturday, when Damir Kreilach was handed the club’s fourth red card of 2019 against FC Dallas. 

In fact, four of RSL’s five games have featured a red card. The Claret and Cobalt earned four in the last three games, and Houston went down to 10 men in the season opener. 

Trust the Celebration

Let’s end with the best celebration of the short season. 

Noted NBA fan Marco Fabian celebrated his goal against FC Cincinnati with a dribble drive and slam dunk into the arms of Alejandro Bedoya. 

We’ll ignore the fact that Fabian traveled a few times and needs to work on his left hand in order to keep defenders guessing.

Hey @sixers, what you think about my boy @MarcoFabian_10 slam dunk celebration!?
Disregard his Mexican version of the Euro step. #MarchMadness #NBA #Philly @PhilaUnion pic.twitter.com/ASGzd4urSf

— Alejandro Bedoya (@AleBedoya17) March 31, 2019

The post MLS Week 5 Review: Blowouts, slam dunks and waterlogged fields appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Carlos Vela scored a hat-trick in Los Angeles Football Club’s 0-5 mauling of San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, and one of his goals was a spectacular long-range strike. ???? VELA WITH A STUNNER ????#LAFC x #SJvLAFC https://t.co/kebBrjn5Xh — Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 30, 2019

The post Carlos Vela Stunner Against San Jose (Video) appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Carlos Vela Stunner Against San Jose (Video) appeared first on Soccer News.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a pair of penalties to see LA Galaxy past Portland Timbers, while Wayne Rooney’s incredible free-kick guided DC United to victory. Former Manchester United striker Ibrahimovic converted two spot-kicks – including a Panenka – as the Galaxy defeated the Timbers 2-1 on Sunday. Ibrahimovic had not played since the club’s opening match […]

The post MLS Review: Ibrahimovic inspires Galaxy with brace, Rooney scores stunner appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Ibrahimovic inspires Galaxy with brace, Rooney scores stunner appeared first on Soccer News.

Wayne Rooney continued his impressive run of form with a spectacular free-kick for DC United in MLS on Sunday. Coming off a hat-trick in his previous outing, the former Manchester United and England captain produced something special against Orlando City. Rooney, 33, struck with a free-kick from near the corner flag, his inswinging effort hitting […]

The post WATCH: Rooney scores stunning free-kick in MLS appeared first on Soccer News.

The post WATCH: Rooney scores stunning free-kick in MLS appeared first on Soccer News.

Three Houston Dynamo goals in the first half, including two own goals – all propelled by Alberth Elis passing – gave the visitors an early 3-0 lead over the Colorado Rapids Saturday night. Elis bagged one of his own to open the second half and extend the lead to 4-0 before Kei Kamara pulled one back in a 4-1 loss for the Rapids at home.

Here are three takeaways from the Colorado Rapids’ 4-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo:

Left on an island

Dillon Serna had a bright start to the 2019 season, embracing and solidifying the left back role for Colorado. But following an average performance in last week’s 2-1 loss at FC Dallas, the 25-year-old seemed to regress further, unable to hand the larger, more physical Elis.

It prompted Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson to pull Serna from the match in the 57th minute, opting for Kellyn Acosta.

Time will tell whether the move will be long term for Colorado, but Hudson saw improvement with Acosta in that role Saturday.

“Kellyn did well. His first couple of defensive situations he had to deal with, I think he dealt with well,” Hudson said postgame. “It’s obviously a position he’s played in the past. He hasn’t played there for a while, but we know the qualities that he has. He’s just an athlete and he can get up and down the line, and he’s very good in wide areas, and we know at that stage in the game he would give us a threat going forward. I thought he did well. I thought he was very positive. I thought he was bright.”

Cobra Kei

Lost in an embarrassing home loss for Colorado was a big individual achievement for Colorado Rapids striker Kei Kamara. With his converted penalty kick in the 81st minute, Kamara moved into a tie with Ante Razov for fifth all-time in number of MLS goals scored (114).

Perhaps more impressive about Kamara’s number is that he’s continued to produce in stops at eight different MLS teams, with a short stint in Europe sandwiched in-between.

“It’s an unbelievable achievement,” Hudson said of Kamara’s accomplishment. “We’re incredibly pleased and proud for him. But he’s more disappointed in the performance, which tells what type of person he is. We need to keep getting him into position to score so I was pleased he got a goal tonight.”

A House Doesn’t Make a Home

The Rapids’ home form has been abysmal thus far to open the season, with just two points from three home matches. In a league where travel and away games can be brutal, it’s critical for any MLS team with playoff aspirations to win home games. The Rapids just aren’t doing that.

Colorado could try to recoup points on the road, but that’s a tall order as well given the Rapids only earned seven points from road games last season

Adding to their woes is that in each of those three home matches, Colorado has gone down a man with a red card.

The 4-1 loss was Colorado’s most embarrassing performance thus far in 2019 and Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett said it best.

“We cannot let a team come into our house and do what [Houston] did today.”

The post Kei Kamara makes history, other takeaways from the Colorado Rapids’ 4-1 loss to Houston appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Carlos Vela inspired Los Angeles FC to a big MLS win, while Krisztian Nemeth also scored a hat-trick for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. Leaders of the Western Conference, Los Angeles recorded a resounding 5-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Vela opened the scoring in the eighth minute when San Jose goalkeeper Daniel Vega […]

The post MLS Review: Vela hat-trick lifts LA, Sporting thrash Montreal appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Vela hat-trick lifts LA, Sporting thrash Montreal appeared first on Soccer News.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Seeking their first win of the season, the Colorado Rapids instead lost their second consecutive game following Saturday night’s 4-1 home loss against the Houston Dynamo.

Propelled by the standout play of midfielder Alberth Elis, the Dynamo got an early head start on the Rapids with four straight goals to start the match, including three in the first half.

“The biggest problem for us is the start of the game again,” Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson said. “We didn’t deal with their dangerous player, Elis.”

The visitors scored early with Elis sending in a key ball on the counterattack to Memo Rodríguez, who buried the effort to give Houston a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute.

Houston doubled the lead in the 15th minute as Elis sent in another dangerous ball, crossing the face of Colorado’s goal and deflecting off Rapids defender Axel Sjoberg to put the score at 2-0.

The Dynamo weren’t finished, adding a third goal in the 34th on another Elis cross, which was knocked in for another own goal, this time by Rapids defender Keegan Rosenberry. Despite being outshot 8-3 and outpossessed by Colorado, Houston took its 3-0 lead into the half.

With the Rapids leaking goals on the left side, Hudson made the decision to swap out Dillon Serna at left back for Kellyn Acosta off the bench.

“Kellyn did well,” Hudson said of the move. “His first couple of defensive situations, he played in well. He’s just an athlete and can get up and down the line. He took a bit of a knock at the end, which affected the rest of his game.”

But Elis continued to dominate the match, adding a fourth goal for Houston in the 67th minute on a through ball from Mauro Manotas and extending the lead to 4-0.

Colorado pulled a goal back when a former Rapid, Maynor Figueroa, was called for a handball in Houston’s box in the 80th minute. Kei Kamara converted the penalty for the Rapids, moving into a tie for 5th all-time for career MLS goals (114) and making the score 4-1.

“It’s an unbelievable achievement,” Hudson said of the accomplishment. “We’re incredibly pleased and proud for him. But he’s more disappointed in the performance, which tells what type of person he is. We need to keep getting him into position to score so I was pleased he got a goal tonight.”

Eight minutes later, the Rapids went down a man when Tommy Smith was issued a red card for violent conduct. It marked the third straight match in which the Rapids have gone down to 10-men.

“We definitely need to figure it out,” Hudson said of the Rapids’ disciplinary issues. “We’ve been in some situations where we’ve seen other players getting different outcomes. On our side, irrespective of what other teams get away with, we still can’t do what we’ve done.”

With the win, Houston remains undefeated on the season through four matches. Colorado has yet to secure a win in as many games.

The Dynamo will return to action April 13th at home against San Jose, while Colorado travels to Orlando April 6th .

The post Houston Dynamo’s Alberth Elis bosses Colorado Rapids’ defense in 4-1 road win appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Alejandro Pozuelo produced a masterclass of skill on his debut to inspire Toronto’s 4-0 demolition of New York City in MLS on Friday. Pozuelo scored twice – both incredible chips – in his first appearance as Toronto preserved its 100 per cent record after the opening three matches of the season. Toronto led 1-0 at […]

The post Toronto 4 New York City 0: Two-goal Pozuelo enjoys stunning debut appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Toronto 4 New York City 0: Two-goal Pozuelo enjoys stunning debut appeared first on Soccer News.

DENVER – English Premier League club Arsenal will face the Colorado Rapids on July 15 (7 p.m. MDT) in a summer friendly at Dick’s Sporting Good Park, the two clubs jointly announced Thursday afternoon.

“We are excited to be hosting one of Europe’s most iconic teams in Arsenal,” said Rapids executive vice president and general manager Pádraig Smith in a team release. “They are one of the top clubs in the world and we’re looking forward to testing ourselves against them on the field and providing sports fans in Colorado with the opportunity to be part of this outstanding matchup.”

The Gunners’ last U.S. tour took place in 2016 which included a 3-1 win over Chivas Guadalajara in Carson, Calif. and a 2-1 win over the MLS All-Stars in the MLS All-Star game. This summer’s match with Colorado kicks off a multi-city and team tour for Arsenal which will include International Champions Cup matches against Bayern Munich, AS Roma and Real Madrid, which are taking place in Los Angeles, Charlotte and Washington D.C. respectively.

“The match against Colorado Rapids in Commerce City is a great way to kick off our summer tour to the United States. We of course have very close links to the Rapids through our mutual ownership and we are looking forward to playing each other in a match which will provide both teams with a competitive challenge, in front of many American Arsenal supporters,” said Arsenal managing director Vinai Venkatesham.

For Colorado, it will mark the second consecutive season with a scheduled international friendly, having won 5-4 on penalties over South American side Boca Juniors last July.

Both the Rapids and Arsenal share ownership under American businessman and billionaire Stan Kroenke, but this summer’s match will mark the first meeting between the two clubs.

Despite no prior meetings between the two clubs, two of the Rapids’ veterans have played against the English giants – Kei Kamara played against Arsenal as a starter for Norwich City in 2013, while Rapids captain Tim Howard faced the North London club numerous times during his time in the EPL (2003-16) playing for both Manchester United and Everton.

Arsenal’s visit marks the first trip to Colorado in the club’s 133-year history.

“We are obviously overjoyed Arsenal has elected to include Denver in their summer preseason plans,” said Drew Wiltjer, president of Arsenal America Denver Chapter, the Denver Gooners. “There is a fantastic soccer community here in Denver and we relish the chance to showcase that on an international stage. To our friends and family from all over the world who will be making the trip in July, we are eager to share the character and beauty of Colorado with you.”

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