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COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – For Colorado Rapids rookie Niki Jackson, the 2018 campaign has marked a season of both growth and growing pains.

There’s been plenty of highs – like his first career Major League Soccer goal in his league debut and his first hat trick as a professional two weeks ago during a 3-2 friendly win against United Soccer League side Tulsa. There’s also been lows – like his late own goal in a 2-1 loss to D.C. United and his now infamous early sendoff in Colorado’s 6-0 rivalry thrashing at the hands of Real Salt Lake.

“Niki is someone that I value a huge amount,” Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson told Pro Soccer USA. “I believe in him and he’s got something quote special. But I’m reluctant to go too far in how much I say because he needs to keep his feet on the ground and keep working hard. What he’s shown, and what I’m pleased with is that with every little challenge he’s faced, he’s responded well.”

There’s been additional challenges for the 23-year-old lately. He’s spent the past two weeks recovering from an ankle injury originally suffered against Tulsa in Memphis. Yet for every setback he’s faced, Jackson has approached it as an opportunity to get better.

“It’s very important in your rookie season to learn as much as you can in your first year and take everything in,” said Jackson. “I can see myself growing not only on the field but off the field.”

The lesson learned from the devastating RSL loss was particularly impactful to the first-year player, who was selected 73rd overall in this past January’s MLS SuperDraft. In that game, Jackson was sent off in the 9th minute for a headbutt of RSL midfielder Albert Rusnak.

“I knew for me, the team wasn’t happy with what I did,” Jackson explained. “I put them in a bad position so I knew the best response would be a positive one.”

The following week in Memphis – the town where Jackson spent his youth– Jackson responded with the hat trick.

“It was a great bounce back for me,” he said. “I wanted to do my best to show that I’m still here and I want to compete.”

Jackson isn’t your typical American soccer player. After being recognized by Brazilian coaches through a program called TetraBrazil, Jackson moved to “the country of football” to participate in a residency program. In Brazil, he lived with a host family while learning more about the culture and customs, and even picking up Portuguese. But most importantly, he learned more about how to “Joga Bonito”.

“I met a lot of great people and the soccer was amazing. It put me a few steps ahead at such a young age,” said Jackson.

The head start put him head and shoulders above the competition at the collegiate level, where he tallied 41 goals in 69 appearances for Grand Canyon University. He’s continued his success in MLS – his two goals rank second among rookies taken in the 2018 SuperDraft, second only to Orlando’s Chris Mueller (three goals, six assists). Despite the success, he’s found out there’s still much to learn as a pro.

Explained Jackson: “At the beginning of the year, I would leave right after training. I didn’t really take in how important it is to take care of your body, because your body is what’s giving you paychecks. For me, one of the big things was taking care of my body and making sure I didn’t get hurt.”

Making sure Jackson learns the demands of a top professional has been one of the focuses of Hudson and the coaching staff, as they look to mold Jackson into the team’s striker of the future.

“If Niki continues to have a complete, disciplined mind and is completely focused on being a top professional, I think we’ve got a really good player there,” said Hudson. “I have a huge amount of belief in him.”

The opportunity has come perhaps earlier than anticipated because the Rapids shipped off goal-scoring leader Dominique Badji to FC Dallas in exchange for Kellyn Acosta back in late July. It was a bittersweet moment for Jackson, who looked up to Badji as mentor.

“We have the same background coming into MLS; both fourth-round picks,” he said. “I really did look up to him and I could see how my future can go down the same path as him. It was bittersweet, but I’m happy for him. He’s doing well in Dallas and it’s an opportunity for me as well.”

With Colorado struggling for goals at the moment (having been shutout in the previous four matches), no one in the Rapids’ camp has really taken hold of the role vacated by Badji. Nonetheless, it’s created intense competition within the team’s forwards during practices.

“We’re still looking for it,” said Jackson. “With Badji gone, myself, Jack [McBean] and Sam [Nicholson], all those guys up front are really pushing to be that guy. It’s a great motivator.”

With just six games remaining, including this weekend’s visit to Columbus, Jackson hopes to change the Rapids’ current goalless drought and bag some more before season’s end.

“As a team, we want to finish out strong. For me, I want to get at least four or five goals. In the long-term I want to be the go-to striker in 2019.”

The post Red Cards and Redemption: Colorado Rapids rookie Niki Jackson learns valuable lessons appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The top two teams remain the same as Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls appear to be in a two-horse race for the Supporters’ Shield race. But there’s some musical chairs among teams in the top 10 of the Pro Soccer USA Week Power Rankings after Week 29 of the Major League Soccer season.

The hottest team in the league, Seattle Sounders FC, move into the top three for the first time this season, while D.C. United has cracked the top 10. Of course, there’s also teams whose stock dropped, like the Philadelphia Union, who fall four spots and Orlando City SC, who are in the basement following a decisive loss at Chicago Sunday.

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

(1) Atlanta United (17-5-6, 57 points): The Five Stripes moved back atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with a convincing 3-0 win over the Colorado Rapids Saturday. Miguel Almiron scored a brace and Hector Villalba added a goal in a game that was over before halftime. (2) New York Red Bulls (17-7-5, 56 points): Bradley Wright-Phillips struck for three equalizers as the Red Bulls rallied for a 3-3 draw with longtime rival D.C. United at Audi Field Sunday. Should fans be concerned the league’s second most stout defense has conceded six goals in consecutive games? (5) Seattle Sounders FC (13-9-5, 44 points): They’ve won their last nine games and haven’t lost in 12 games and they’ve just captured the Cascadia Cup by beating the rival Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. Yes, the sun is shining in Seattle. (4) Sporting Kansas City (15-7-6, 51 points): The lead was three goals before the halftime whistle as Sporting cruised to a 5-1 win at San Jose Saturday night. Gerso Fernandes led the way with a brace and Felipe Gutierrez, Ike Opara and Krisztian Nemeth each scored a goal. (3) FC Dallas (14-6-8, 50 points): It might be a little unfair FC Dallas drops a pair of spots following a 0-0 draw against Columbus Crew SC at Toyota Stadium Saturday night. Oscar Pareja’s side has lost just once in their last five. (7) Columbus Crew SC (12-8-8, 44 points): It’s not as dramatic as the Sounders push, but it looks like the Crew is once again reeving up for the playoffs with a big second half of the season. Columbus has won five of their last seven, losing just once in that span. (6) Los Angeles Football Club (13-7-8, 47 points): LAFC stretched an unbeaten streak to five matches, but were stung again by conceding late in a 1-1 home draw with the New England Revolution Saturday night. (9) Real Salt Lake (13-10-6, 45 points): After becoming the first team in league history to score six-plus goals in back-to-back games, RSL’s high octane attack cooled off a bit in a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United. A difficult stretch begins at Atlanta Saturday. (11) New York City FC (14-8-7, 49 points): A bye week might have come at the perfect time for slumping NYCFC, which had just one point to show from dominated their last two games. They head to Stade Saputo for a big Eastern Conference showdown Saturday. (12) D.C. United (9-11-8, 35 points): The Black-and-Red need every point they can get so its a second straight weekend of a tie feeling like a loss. On the positive side, United have played Atlanta United, NYCFC and the Red Bulls in three of their last four games and didn’t lose once. (13) Montreal Impact (12-14-3, 39 points): The Impact still sit on the playoff line, but they created a bit of a cushion there following a huge 4-1 win over the host Philadelphia Union. Alejandro Silva netted a brace to lead the way for Montreal, who have lost just one of their last six.  (8) Philadelphia Union (12-12-4, 40 points): The Union squandered a chance to create some separation in the East while putting pressure on the Crew. Now they head to red-hot Seattle hoping to avoid consecutive losses for the first time in two months. (10) Portland Timbers (12-8-8, 44 points): Just when it appeared the Timbers reversed course and started looking more like the side that were unbeaten in 15 straight, they produce a clunker in a 4-1 loss at Houston. Now they return home to face Columbus in an intriguing midweek clash. (15) Toronto FC (8-14-6, 30 points): For the first time in a league game, Victor Vazquez, Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco each scored in the same game. But it was Jonathan Osorio who scored the winner in a wild 5-3 victory over the LA Galaxy. (14) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-10-7, 40 points): It was a game that lived up to its billing as the Caps and Sounders went toe-to-toe in a thrilling Cascadia.clash. However, a six-match unbeaten run was snapped and Vancouver remains four points below the playoff line in the West. (17) Houston Dynamo (8-13-7, 31 points): Will the real Houston Dynamo please stand up? Alberth Elis was unstoppable down the flank and Mauro Manotas struck for a brace in a 4-1 win over Portland. The Dynamo can start stockpiling points with matches against Orlando and San Jose upcoming. (18) New England Revolution (8-10-10, 34 points): The Revs surely could have used all three points and are still five points below the playoff line in the East, but they followed a win at NYCFC with a 1-1 draw at LAFC. Brandon Bye scored the late equalizer. (16) LA Galaxy (10-11-8, 38 points): Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a sensational goal — the 500th of his career — and the Galaxy climbed back to level after a three-goal deficit. That’s the positive. The negatives — a 5-3 loss at Toronto and the porous defense — are alarming. (19) Minnesota United FC (9-16-3, 30 points): The Loons are still struggling to put together a complete game, which was the case in a 1-1 draw at RSL. After a poor first half, they surged after halftime and were a bit unlucky not to come away with all three points. (23) Chicago Fire (7-15-6, 27 points): It’s remarkable what a trip to Munich will do to a team. The Fire won for the first time since June 30, defeating Orlando City SC, 4-0, Sunday with Nemanja Nikolic scoring twice. (21) Colorado Rapids (6-16-6, 24 points): The Rapids became the second team to be eliminated from MLS Cup playoff contention, falling to mighty Atlanta United, 3-0, at home Saturday. (22) San Jose Earthquakes (4-16-8, 20 points): The worst home loss in four years triggered another coaching change as Mikael Stahre was fired following a 5-1 defeat to Sporting Kansas City with Steve Ralston taking over on an interim basis. (20) Orlando City SC (7-18-3, 24 points): The Lions looked like lambs Sunday, losing to the Chicago Fire, 4-0. It was their seventh loss in their last nine games.

Pro Soccer USA writes Dylan Butler, Julian Cardillo and Emily Olsen contributed to this report

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 29: Seattle Sounders enter top 3, Chicago Fire climb out of basement appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The Colorado Rapids’ current winless streak was extended to four on Saturday afternoon as Atlanta United cruised to a 3-0 halftime lead with goals from Miguel Almirón  (10’, 18’) and Héctor Villalba (37’). The visitors held on to the lead in the second half, taking home the three points and jumping New York Red Bulls for the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference as well as the lead in the Supporter’s Shield race.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 3-0 loss to Atlanta:

Playoffs?

With their most recent loss, combined with Seattle’s 2-1 win over Cascadia rivals Vancouver last night, the Colorado Rapids are now mathematically eliminated from the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs with six regular season games remaining.

While mathematically eliminated, the result was more ceremonial than anything, as Colorado has been well out of the playoff race from as early as the first week of June, with their playoff odds hovering well below 5 percent (or worse) for the majority of the season.

Despite all that has gone wrong for Colorado this season, Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson remains steadfast that his team is heading in the right direction.

“In the background, we as a staff, as a club, are so clear about what we need and where we’re headed,” he said postgame. “From where we are compared to preseason, we are very, very clear on the type of positions we need to improve. Everyone’s working 24/7 to identify and make sure we make the right decisions in that area. From a playing standpoint, it’s all about delivering big performances.”

Rapids needs

When the Colorado Rapids used the summer transfer window to jettison their two top strikers in Dominique Badji (seven goals) and Joe Mason (three goals), legitimate questions were asked by both fans and the media in regards to how the team could produce anything offensively.

The response from the front office and Hudson was that the moves were a necessity (acquiring Kellyn Acosta for Badji) and that the team had faith in summer acquisition Giles Barnes as well as their crop of young strikers including Jack McBean and Niki Jackson. But Colorado’s attackers haven’t delivered, particularly during their current four-game losing streak in which they’ve been outscored 13-0.

“I think it’s clear, we need to bring in attacking players,” Hudson told reporters following the Atlanta loss.

It will surely be a priority for Colorado heading into this winter’s window.

Rapids Accosted

For all of the positive effect that Kellyn Acosta has had on the Rapids since his arrival, Saturday’s performance marked arguably his worst performance in burgundy thus far.

His turnover led to Atlanta’s second goal and with nine unsuccessful passes, it was one of the 23-year-olds sloppier performances.

“Definitely a tough match,” Acosta said of the result. “I don’t want to say unlucky because there were some costly mistakes and times where we just weren’t clean enough. There were several times we passed the ball out of bounds or to the opposing team without any pressure. With a quality team like Atlanta, they’re very clinical from the goal, they took chances. In the second half, we came and we rebounded, that opened up the ball more and created some options. It was disappointing to just let in three easy goals. It’s frustrating to have this result.”

The positive? Acosta is well aware of the team’s faults and took personal responsibility for them, a trait not often seen in players of his age in MLS; a much-desired leadership trait that Colorado desperately needs at the moment.

The post Colorado Rapids officially eliminated from playoffs and other takeaways from their 3-0 loss to Atlanta appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Here is how to watch all Major League Soccer matches live in Week 29 on TV or streaming. You can follow along with our live scores and stats throughout the weekend as well.

Saturday, Sept. 15

TIME(EST)	TEAM	TV	Live stream
3:30 p.m.	Colorado v Atlanta	USA: UniMás, Univision Deportes Network, Twitter (ENG audio)	MLS LIVE on DAZN
7:30 p.m.	Philadelphia v Montreal	PHI: PHL17; CAN: TVAS	ESPN+, Direct Kick
7:30 p.m.	Toronto v LA Galaxy	LA: Spectrum SportsNet; CAN: TSN 1/4	ESPN+, Direct Kick
8 p.m.	Dallas v Columbus	DAL: TXA-21; CLB: CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports OH, BCSN2	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
8:30 p.m.	Houston v Portland	HOU: KUBE57; POR: KPDX	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
9:30 p.m.	Real Salt Lake v Minnesota	RSL: KMYU; MIN: FOX Sports North Plus	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
10 p.m.	Vancouver v Seattle	SEA: JOEtv, YouTube TV [Seattle region only]; CAN: TSN2	ESPN+, Direct Kick
10:30 p.m.	LAFC v New England	LA: YouTube TV [LA region only], UniMás 46; NE: NBC Sports Boston	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
10:30 p.m.	San Jose v Sporting KC	SJ: NBC Sports California; SKC: FOX Sports KC, FOX Sports Midwest Plus	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN

Sunday, Sept. 16

TIME(EST)	TEAM	TV	Live stream
1 p.m.	DC United v NY Red Bulls	USA: ESPN & ESPN Deportes; CAN: TSN2	WatchESPN
5 p.m.	Chicago v Orlando City	USA: FS1 & FOX Deportes; CAN: TSN2	FOX Sports GO, MLS LIVE on DAZN

The post How to watch MLS on TV, live stream Week 29 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The difference between Atlanta United FC and the Colorado Rapids Saturday was that one side was armed with Miguel Almiron and the other side was not.

Almiron found the back of the net twice and assisted on a Hector “Tito” Villalba goal in the Five Stripes 3-0 win over the Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

The Paraguayan midfielder was also stellar on defense, notching a pair of tackles and an interception. Almiron also drew three fouls for free kicks.

For Atlanta United (17-5-6), the win puts them atop the New York Red Bulls by two points in the race for the Supporters’ Shield. New York faces D.C. United Sunday.

The scoring started quickly for Atlanta. On a counter attack in the 10th minute, Julian Gressel collected a pass from Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez and took it down the right sideline. After two touches, Gressel fired a low, hard cross from the wing into the box. A sprinting Almiron met the ball, stopped, and then kicked it over Tim Howard’s head.

Almiron then added his second goal eight minutes later. Eric Remedi recovered a loose ball in midfield and kicked it on to Josef Martinez. Almiron and Martinez sprinted into the box together, and Martinez sliced the ball between a defender’s legs, leading to an easy and open shot for Almiron. 

Almiron, who has 11 goals, struck for multiple goals for the first time since June 30, when he netted a brace in a home victory over Orlando City.

In the 37th minute, Almiron provided an assist to Villalba for the third score of the game — and Almiron’s 12th assist of the season — putting extra cushion between the Five Stripes and the Rapids. The play started when Gressel, who also has 12 assists this season, fired the ball up field to Almiron. After taking a touch, Almiron fired a low cross across his body to Villalba, who chipped the ball past Howard.

For Gressel, it was his first multi-assist game since May 28, 2017, when he dished out two dimes for Atlanta in a 3-1 win over NYCFC. The versatile German also tallied 37 successful passes and two tackles on Saturday.

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Atlanta coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino deployed a 3-5-2 formation in the victory. He started Darlington Nagbe in the midfield and left regular starters Ezequiel Barco and Franco Escobar on the bench. Barco later subbed in for Villalba.

It marked the first time Nagbe had played in a match since he suffered an injury to his abductor in June. He played 77 minutes and was perfect on his 33 passes.

Colorado (6-16-6) suffered a fourth straight loss. Kellyn Acosta played 90 minutes and took four shots, but just one on target. Acosta had a chance to tie things up in the 14th minute when he was taken down 20 yards from goal, but his free kick soared over the crossbar.

In total, Colorado fired 18 shots, but just three were on target. Atlanta’s Brad Guzan had three saves and claimed a cross.

Cole Bassett, Colorado’s 17-year-old homegrown midfielder, made his home debut in the 82nd minute when he subbed on for Bismark Boateng. In his second MLS game, Bassett was successful on seven passes.

Colorado will have to wait a week to bounce back from this loss. They travel to Columbus to face the Crew on Sept. 22. Atlanta United has a quick turnaround and will play in San Jose against the Earthquakes on Wednesday.

The post Miguel Almiron, Atlanta United cruise to victory over Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

MARIETTA, Ga. — After 13 days off, Atlanta United FC will resume Major League Soccer play Saturday and continue its quest to capture the Supporters’ Shield.

The Five Stripes are already in Colorado, set for a 3:30 p.m. clash with the Rapids. It’s the first of three games Atlanta will play during a span of eight days. Trailing the New York Red Bulls by one point in the race for the Supporters Shield, every game is a must-win.

“Going out to Colorado, you have to deal with the altitude. It’s going to be hot. It’s a day game, so there’s those factors, but it’s stuff we’ve dealt with in the past,” said Atlanta captain Michael Parkhurst. “Every game is important right now.”

The Rapids have struggled this season, totaling an overall record of 6-15-6. Still, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City is a difficult place to play for the rest of league. At 5,164 feet above sea level, that altitude can be tough for players to adjust to.

That’s still true for 34-year-old Parkhurst, who has played in Colorado many times in his eight-season MLS career.

“(The altitude) definitely takes an affect. In my past experiences, usually the first 30 minutes or so are the toughest,” Parkhurst said. “I think once you get past that, you get your second air, you get adjusted and used to it and I don’t think it’s much of a factor.”

While Colorado has been arguably awful this season, posting a goal differential of -19, the Rapids at least have been decent at home. Out of 14 games in Commerce City this year, the Rapids have won five and taken points in three more.

The altitude can affect a player’s fitness, but it can also impact how the ball moves as well. Goal kicks fly farther, shots from distance come quicker at the keeper and long passes can be unpredictable.

Veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan doesn’t seem to be worried about how the elements will impact his game.

“I’ve played there a few times, so hopefully I keep the ball inbounds more often than not,” Guzan said. “You adjust accordingly, but nothing really changes. In terms of fitness, obviously there’s going to be moments in the game where we may not be able to press the way we’d like to at certain times, but in saying that, we’re fit, we feel good, we’re ready. We know it’s going to be a tough game on the road, but regardless of altitude or heat or weather conditions, we’ll fight through it.”

Atlanta head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino didn’t seem too worried, either. When a reporter asked him Thursday about how it might impact the game, Martino pointed out several Atlanta United players have played the game in South America, in places like La Paz, Quito and Bogota, where the elevation can range from 8,000 to about 9,500 feet above sea level.

Martino seemed more concerned with how Colorado will play, rather than where they play. The Rapids are winless in their last three games and getting a result at home could give them some momentum to end the season on a high note.

“They’re a team who I think has improved. I think the addition of Kellyn Acosta has improved them,” Martino said through a translator.

Acosta, a 5-foot-10, 23-year-old midfielder, arrived to Colorado in July when the club completed a trade with FC Dallas. In his six starts with the Rapids, Acosta has two goals and two assists. The Rapids are 2-3-1 in games he’s played in.

The influx of Acosta coincided with a tactical switch for the Rapids. Head coach Anthony Hudson went from playing five in the back to a 4-4-2 diamond.

A strategy teams have employed previously against Atlanta is to bunker down in hopes of stalling the offense or drawing a players into a red card. With Acosta and a nothing-to-lose attitude, the Rapids may try something different, and that could make them a dangerous opponent.

“Even though it’s a team that maybe has a slim chance of entering the playoffs, I think that’s a challenge for them to finish the season playing well,” Martino said. “And surely they’ll be up for the challenge of facing a good team at home.”

The post Atlanta United set to take on altitude, Acosta in clash with Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – With seven games remaining in the 2018 regular season, Colorado Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson is feeling the pressure from both the media and fans.

“I sort of feel uncomfortable in these interviews because I’m probably not the most liked person in the place right now, and I understand why; it’s been a frustrating season,” Hudson told reporters earlier this week. “When I say what’s happening in the camp, I understand. If I’m a fan, I’m not really concerned about that. I want to see end product.”

Currently on a run of three-straight losses in which they’ve been outscored 10-0 by their opponents, the Rapids will host Supporters’ Shield contenders Atlanta United this Saturday. It marks Colorado’s first home match since a 6-0 thrashing by Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Real Salt Lake two weeks ago. The devastating loss has served as motivation within the Rapids’ camp.

“[Atlanta] are a top team, but we’re at home,” Hudson said. “I think [the Salt Lake loss] alone, in our memory, coming back at home now is something. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Any combination of points gained by Seattle and points dropped by Colorado totaling five will mathematically eliminate Colorado from playoff contention. In short, wins by Atlanta and Seattle this weekend will end the Rapids 2018 playoff dream.

But the focus for the Rapids in training, and for the seven regular season matches that remain, will be about continuing to build a foundation, one that Hudson believes has been solid in the team’s past half dozen matches, the Salt Lake loss excepted.

“I know it’s not always visible externally, but one thing I can say for certain is we are building the team the right way,” Hudson said. “We’re only a few players away from being a really strong team.

“One thing I do know is the way we’re setting our stall out in terms of how we want to play, in terms of the style, I know it’s going to bring us a lot of success.”

Despite playing on a short week following his appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Mexico, Rapids midfielder Kellyn Acosta is expected to make his return to Colorado’s lineup on Saturday.

“I think so,” Hudson responded when asked about Acosta’s availability for Saturday. “I think he’ll want to play. I’m sure even if I said ‘no’, he’d be banging on my door wanting to play.”

The 23-year-old has made a positive impact since his arrival in Colorado with two goals and two assists in six appearances for the Rapids. As the team’s season edges toward its conclusion, Hudson explained there will be plenty of opportunity for other young players on the squad.

“I want to see a few of the younger players, not because I’ve written anything off, but because I believe they can do a job for us,” he said. “Certainly, we’ve got to keep building what we’re building.”

While the building process continues, the Rapids gaffer believes it’s all headed in the right direction.

“I feel now we’ve got a team and a squad of players that care and are really committed to the club,” said Hudson. “Us having that, we’re only going to move forward.”

Rapids Injury Report

Questionable

Sam Nicholson – back

Niki Jackson – ankle

Jack McBean – toe

Probable

Axel Sjoberg – ankle

Jack Price – groin

Edgar Castillo – hamstring

The post ‘I’m not well-liked’: Colorado Rapids coach Anthony Hudson on difficult season and prep for Atlanta appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

It was an abbreviated Major League Soccer with just four league games during the FIFA international break. That means there’s little change from last week, unless you’re New York City FC, which dropped three spots after going 0-1-1.

As a result of the Cityzens’ struggles, other teams benefitted, with moves up the ranks despite not playing.

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

(1) Atlanta United (16-5-6, 54 points): The Five Stripes had the week off, but remain at No. 1. There’s also no reason to think they slow down with Darlington Nagbe returning to full training after missing nearly three months. (2) New York Red Bulls (17-7-4, 55 points): The Red Bulls also had the week off, but they return to action with an Atlantic Cup rivalry showdown with D.C. United at Audi Field Sunday afternoon. (3) FC Dallas (14-6-7, 49 points): The Western Conference leaders return to action Saturday at home against Columbus Crew SC in one of the most scintillating showdowns of Week 29. (4) Sporting Kansas City (14-7-6, 48 points): Felipe Gutierrez scored his first goal since March to help lift SKC to a 1-0 win over Orlando City SC on Saturday night. (5) Seattle Sounders FC (12-9-5, 41 points): The hottest team in MLS is hoping a 14-day break won’t cool them off when they head to Vancouver for a Cascadia clash against the Whitecaps. (6) Los Angeles Football Club (13-7-7, 46 points): LAFC are unbeaten in their last four and will return to action after a bye to take on a New England Revolution side that just won their second road win of the season. (8) Columbus Crew SC (12-8-7, 43 points): With NYCFC faltering, Crew SC have a legit shot at moving into third place. First step in that process will be beating FC Dallas in the first of two games they have in hand. (9) Philadelphia Union (12-11-4, 40 points): Unbeaten in their last five games, the Union have a huge showdown against the Montreal Impact coming up Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium. (10) Real Salt Lake (13-10-5, 44 points): RSL have won their last three games and scored six goals in each of their last two victories. They are 10-1-3 at Rio Tinto Stadium, which is where they will take on Minnesota United this weekend. (11) Portland Timbers (12-7-8, 44 points): Sebastian Blanco set up goals by Jeremy Ebobisse and Diego Valeri in a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. (7) New York City FC (14-8-6, 48 points): With one win in their last eight games, is it time to worry? Dome Torrent says no. In fact he said the way his team played in a 1-1 draw against D.C. United was MLS Cup-contending quality. (12) D.C. United (8-11-7, 31 points): Steve Birnbaum headed a floated Wayne Rooney free kick in to give United a 1-0 lead, but a late David Villa free kick forced them to settle for a 1-1 draw. (13) Montreal Impact (11-14-3, 36 points): After an eye-opening 3-0 win over the New York Red Bulls two weeks ago, the Impact head to Talen Energy Stadium to meet the in-form Union in the definition of a six-pointer. (14) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-9-7, 40 points): The Whitecaps take a six-game unbeaten streak into a clash with red-hot Seattle Saturday. (15) Toronto FC (7-14-6, 27 points): After losing to the newest Los Angeles team at home, Toronto FC host the LA Galaxy in a game both teams need to keep slim playoff hopes alive. (16) LA Galaxy (10-10-8, 38 points): There is upheaval in La-La-Land with Sigi Schmid stepping down as head coach on Monday, replaced on an interim basis for the final six games of the regular season by Dominic Kinnear. (17) Houston Dynamo (7-13-7, 28 points): The Dynamo haven’t won a league game in more than two months. Snapping a 10-match unbeaten streak Saturday will not be easy — they’re home for Portland. (19) New England Revolution (8-10-9, 33 points): The winless streak ended at nine games when the Revs handed NYCFC a first home loss of the season. Can that win be the spark for a late playoff push? (18) Minnesota United FC (9-15-2, 29 points): The Loons return from a break a bit healthier, but they will still have a shorthanded squad when they head to D.C. United on Wednesday. (20) Orlando City SC (7-17-3, 24 points): It’s now six losses in eight games without a win for the Lions, who dropped a 1-0 result at Sporting Kansas City. (21) Colorado Rapids (6-15-6, 24 points): It’s now three straight losses and three straight games without a goal for the Rapids following a 2-0 loss to Portland. It won’t get easier with Atlanta coming to town. (22) San Jose Earthquakes (4-15-8, 20 points): The Quakes return from a break to take on surging Sporting Kansas City. That’s followed by games against Atlanta and LAFC. Ouch. (23) Chicago Fire (6-15-6, 24 points): Back from their German adventure, the Fire will try to nine-match winless streak when they host Orlando City Saturday.

Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler and Emily Olsen contributed to this report

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 28: Portland Timbers back in top 10, NYCFC free-falling appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – At just 17-years-old, Colorado Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett is too young to rent a car, or buy a beer. But he’s already earned one thing that money can’t buy; the trust and backing of head coach Anthony Hudson.

“I’d been speaking with [Rapids GM Padraig Smith] so many times about Cole, saying we need to sign him,” Hudson told Pro Soccer USA. “I think the biggest thing I kept saying was ‘I trust him’. I trust him to play in a game. I trust him because of what he’s shown us on the training pitch every day and the type of character he is.”

That trust level led to Hudson rolling the young Homegrown player out in last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Portland Timbers. As Colorado looked to chase the result, Bassett substituted into the match in the 71st minute for defender Kortne Ford.

“It’s definitely a proud moment for me and my family because I’ve worked so hard for this for so many years,” Bassett said of his MLS debut. “I’m really proud to make my debut but I wish it could’ve ended in a better result because we deserved more.”

Like Ford, Bassett was one of the top college prospects for the University of Denver men’s soccer program before signing a Homegrown contract with Colorado last month. But unlike his teammate, Bassett chose to forgo the college experience. The decision wasn’t an easy one.

“Kortne and I talked about it a lot as well as Sam Hamilton,” Bassett said. “I spoke with [DU head coach] Jamie Franks and the staff there as well. Part of me is a little bit sad not to be able to go to DU, it’s a great program, but ultimately I had to decide to stay with the Rapids.”

At first, his parents were nervous at the idea of passing up a college scholarship, but the Rapids’ courting of Bassett, along with the chance to take classes via the MLS partnership with Southern New Hampshire University, eased the anxieties.

“For around six months they spoke with my parents and I had a lot of time to think about it,” Bassett continued. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a professional soccer player, so when I got this opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up.”

With his debut against Portland, Bassett became the youngest player in Colorado Rapids history to play first team minutes for the club. It was a surreal experience for someone who has followed his local team since childhood.

“I started coming to Rapids games when I was six-years-old,” Bassett recalls. “Nick LaBrocca was my favorite midfielder and I loved watching Conor Casey. The cool thing is [Casey] is now my coach and we stay after practice to work on finishing.”

Casey is just one of several within the Rapids facility willing to lend advice to the youngster.

“Guys like Barnesy [Giles Barnes], [Shkelzen] Gashi and Enzo [Martinez] are always out there giving me tips throughout the game and before,” Bassett said. “The biggest advice I’ve received was from Tim Howard. He told me to play simple. If you miss a pass, get right back out there and get the other one. From the coaching staff, they told me to be confident, show what you’ve done to get here.”

Taking charge in his own path and development is one of Bassett’s best attributes. To those that know him, it comes as no surprise.

“It’s always hard to step in as a young player without the development that most guys get in college but he’s come to me with questions and I don’t hesitate to help him out,” said Ford. “He has a very good idea on his shoulders that he has to be in control of his own development and he’s taken on that role.”

Hudson also offered praise for the young Homegrown. But the Rapids manager also emphasized the importance for Bassett and the team’s other young players to keep working hard and remain level headed.

Said Hudson, “What he needs to keep doing is responding by having unbelievable discipline, unbelievable attitude and at no point can he get carried away with anything.”

Having reached one milestone, Bassett is now focused on his next big goal for his career and this season;  cracking the starting XI.

“Ultimately, I want to get a start before the end of this season,” said Bassett. “It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to keep working towards it and talk to the coaching staff to see what I need to do to get to that point.”

With Colorado’s playoff odds currently at a near mathematical impossibility, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hudson play the youth as the team’s disastrous 2018 comes to a close. But as Bassett explained, the team is currently focused on several collective goals for the seven matches that remain.

“As a team, we want to start playing the best that the Rapids have ever played, football-wise,” he said. “We want to reach 600 passes a game, reach 60 percent possession at home or on the road and dominate the game. We want to work towards that and build towards next season.”

The post At 17, Colorado Rapids homegrown Cole Bassett looks to make mark on MLS appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Jeremy Ebobisse had a breakout performance in his first start at the MLS level last July, recording a goal and an assist to lead the Portland Timbers to a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. He finished his rookie season with a goal and three assists in just 317 minutes.

But despite a promising rookie season, Ebobisse saw just eight minutes off the bench in the first 26 games of the 2018 MLS season as Fanendo Adi and later Dairon Asprilla remained ahead of him on the depth chart.

After patiently waiting for his opportunity, Ebobisse finally seized his chance Saturday night.

Ebobisse scored the game-winning goal in his first MLS start of the season Saturday to lead the Timbers (12-7-8, 44 points) to a 2-0 win over the woeful Colorado Rapids (6-15-6, 24 points) in front of 21,144 fans at Providence Park.

“It feels really good,” Ebobisse said. “A lot of work has gone into this since the beginning of the season. It’s tough sometimes watching from the sidelines, but I knew the opportunity would come at some point and I’m just grateful that I was able to take it.”

After posting four-straight losses in August, the Timbers are now unbeaten in their last three games. Portland jumped to fifth place in the Western Conference standings with the win Saturday.

“I thought the team played very well today,” Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese said. “Defensively strong, offensively creating a lot of chances. We moved the ball very well and I thought it was a very good performance.”

The Timbers have lacked firepower in the attack ever since trading Adi to FC Cincinnati in July. After the Adi trade, Asprilla moved into the No. 2 forward role. But calls for Ebobisse to get an opportunity began to grow over the last month as Asprilla, who has scored just once this season on a penalty kick, struggled to find the back of the net.

Still, it was surprising to see Savarese start Ebobisse Saturday over not only Asprilla, but Samuel Armenteros, who has eight goals this season and has been the club’s starting forward since the end of May.

Savarese’s decision paid off.

“Everyone in practice has to be able to do the job to be able to have the opportunity and sometimes you have to go through steps,” Savarese said. “We felt and I felt that it was the right moment for JBo to be able to step on the field. He understood the opportunity. He didn’t disappoint. He played a very good game, excellent.”

Ebobisse appeared to score in the 11th minute when he put the ball in the back of the net off a free kick, but he was called offside on a controversial decision. The 21-year-old finally got his goal in the 45th minute when he slid in and scored off a cross from Sebastian Blanco to give the Timbers a big 1-0 lead.

Ebobisse continued to be an asset in the attack with his holdup play and distribution throughout the match. The crowd showed their appreciation for Ebobisse with loud cheers when he was subbed out of the game in the 75th minute.

“We trust him,” said Blanco about Ebobisse. “We’re happy for him because we need every player now because we only have seven more games before playoffs. We need every player ready.”

Despite a goal before halftime against a poor Colorado team, the Timbers struggled to put the game to bed early in the second half.

The Rapids were initially awarded a penalty kick in the 61st minute when Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark made contact with Colorado forward Jack McBean in the box. Referee Drew Fischer waived off the penalty kick after it was determined through video review that McBean had fouled Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell prior to the contact in the box. The overturned call may have changed the trajectory of the game.
“It’s a crucial moment,” Savarese said. “Soccer has those moments when the game can change the other way and when the referee pointed to the (spot) and then overturned it, that was huge for us. That was very important. Then our second goal came minutes after that and now, from a 1-1, we’re winning 2-0.”
Portland finally put the game out of reach in the 65th minute when Diego Valeri headed-home a cross from Blanco. Valeri now has a team-leading 10 goals and 10 assists this season.
“I’m excited about the guys,” Savarese said. “I’m excited about the effort today and even more so that we have other guys that can contribute and are continuing to battle to see who can play.”

___
(c)2018 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)
Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com
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The post Portland Timber beat Colorado Rapids 2-0, Jeremy Ebobisse scores in 1st start of season appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The Colorado Rapids extended their current losing streak to three on Saturday night, as hosts Portland tallied goals from Jeremy Ebobisse (45’) and Diego Valeri (65’), both assisted by Sebastian Blanco in a 2-0 win for the Timbers.

Here are three takeaways from the Rapids’ 2-0 loss:

Bassett makes MLS debut

A week after debuting with the first team during a 3-2 friendly win last week against United Soccer League side Tulsa, Rapids homegrown midfielder Cole Bassett earned his first MLS appearance. Bassett entered Saturday’s match as an offensive substitution in the 71st minute for defender Kortne Ford.

“I’ve spoken about Cole for a long time now, and I don’t want this to overshadow and serve as an excuse for the fact that we just lost the game, but he’s someone that we believe in and he’s done nothing yet,” Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson said. “We believe in him and I trusted him to put him out on the pitch, but you just never quite know. And I thought he was outstanding when he came on. He was under pressure at times and he did well on the ball, I was really pleased with him. He just now needs to be feet on the ground, patient, keep working hard — and it’s fantastic having him in the squad.”

At age 17, Bassett is the youngest player to get first-team minutes for the Colorado Rapids in the club’s history.

“I don’t really think about it when I’m on the field. I just try to help the team out,” Bassett said of his debut. “It’s definitely a proud moment for me and my family because I’ve worked so hard for this for so many years. I’m really proud to make my debut, but I wish it could’ve ended in a better result because we deserved more.”

In addition to Bassett’s debut, 21-year-old Rapids homegrown Caleb Calvert — recalled from his loan with the Charlotte Independence — also saw minutes. Calvert subbed in for Shkëlzen Gashi in the 55th minute.

Calvert completed 70 percent of his passes, but didn’t register a shot in just under a half of play.

Lacking in attacking

Colorado absorbed pressure for much of the game, particularly in the first half. Portland could have easily been up 2-0 in the first half hour with goals called offside from Ebobisse and Valeri in the 12th and 30th minutes, respectively.

“I think for large parts of the game, most of the first half and parts of the second half, at times I thought we were the better team,” said Hudson. “The contrast was in the final third. When they were in the final third, Tim had to make a save. And tonight, I don’t think we had enough quality in the final third and I don’t think we were a threat in the final third.

“Other than that, the overall game was very good and the players never stopped all the way to end. We were unlucky with the penalty at that moment and at the end I thought we could have potentially nicked on as well, we had a couple of chances.”

Portland outshot Colorado 18 shots to 10 in the match, but the Rapids held on to nearly 56 percent of the game’s possession, a positive statistic for MLS teams on the road. The Rapids lack of attacking threat exposed how thin Colorado is offensively at the moment, with Jack McBean and Giles Barnes getting the start atop Hudson’s 4-4-2. Attacking options Sam Nicholson (back injury), Niki Jackson (red card suspension) and Yannick Boli (hamstring) were all unavailable for this match.

Result may VAR-y

Portland found itself on the wrong end of the two offside calls, so could’ve easily been up 3-0 by the half. But calls also went against Colorado, mainly a call for a penalty which was initially awarded to the Rapids and then reversed in the 61st minute.

At that point in the game, Colorado could’ve tied the match and played for the road point, but the reversal shifted momentum in the Timbers’ favor for the remainder of the match.

“The mental part is 80 percent of the game,” said Portland midfielder Diego Valeri. “If the PK [decision] went for Colorado, maybe we’d be frustrated. I think all game we were concentrated. Sometimes, Colorado was aggressive but mentally and tactically we did a great effort. We began to play aggressive and after the second goal we matched the energy.”

 

The post Cole Bassett makes MLS debut during Colorado Rapids 2-0 loss to Portland appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Here is how to watch all Major League Soccer matches live in Week 28 on TV or streaming. You can follow along with our live scores and stats throughout the weekend as well.

Saturday, Sept. 8

TIME(EST)	TEAM	TV	Live stream
4:55 p.m.	NYCFC v DC United	USA: UniMás, Univision Deportes Network, Twitter (ENG audio)	MLS LIVE on DAZN
8:30 p.m.	Sporting KC v Orlando City	SKC: FOX Sports KC Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus; ORL: TV27, YouTube TV [Orlando region only]	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
10:30 p.m.	Portland v Colorado	POR: KPDX (PDX TV); COL: Altitude	ESPN+,Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN

The post How to watch MLS on TV, live stream Week 28 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Shortly after the Colorado Rapids land in Portland later this afternoon, all eyes will be on the United States men’s national team’s friendly against Brazil (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, UniMás and UDN).

They’ll be cheering on the team’s newest addition, Kellyn Acosta, who received his first international call-up since joining Colorado via trade in late July.

“We’re really proud of Kellyn,” Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson said this week. “We’re looking forward to seeing him play for the National Team.”

But heading into the team’s Western Conference clash with the Portland Timbers Saturday, the Rapids will be faced with the challenge of finding a suitable replacement for Acosta, who has sparked the team with two goals and two assists in six league starts for Colorado this season.

“It will be tough,” Rapids midfielder Jack Price said. “Kellyn is a good player and it will be a big job to get someone to fill his boots at the moment. He’s given us a lift. But we’re happy he’s with the National Team. It’s recognition of what he’s done for us so far.”

Despite having last week off from MLS play, Colorado used the bye week to schedule a friendly against USL side Tulsa in Memphis. Hudson used it as an opportunity to give valuable game minutes and experience to players who haven’t had consistent starts this season, as well as an evaluation point for the coaching staff.

“That’s why the friendly in Memphis was good, because we were able to give a few people some games,” Hudson explained. “Barnesy [Giles Barnes] is getting fitter, Gashi was able to get minutes and Enzo [Martinez] has settled into the squad.”

Despite losing 3-2 at home in their previous meeting with the Timbers back in May, those within the Rapids’ camp took confidence from the game, having outshot Portland 16-11 while holding just more than 50 percent of the game’s possession.

“We were the better team and played some really good stuff,” said Price. “That was a part of the season where we were playing really good football and we were unlucky to lose that game.”

Coming off back-to-back losses, in which they’ve been outscored 8-0, including an embarrassing 6-0 thrashing by Rocky Mountain Cup rivals Real Salt Lake in their last league match, the Rapids are both eager and desperate to get results back in the win column.

“We’ve been looking forward to Portland for a long time,” said Rapids defender Kortne Ford. “Ever since the last game against RSL, we’ve been looking to get that taste out of our mouths and move on.”

With or without Kellyn Acosta, Hudson believes Colorado has the pieces in place to do it.

“I trust the way we’re playing and the players we have and it’s an opportunity for someone else,” he said. “I don’t see us having a dip in team performance.”

Rapids Injury Report

Out

Axel Sjoberg – ankle

Niki Jackson – ankle (Jackson will be serving red card suspension against Portland)

Questionable

Sam Nicholson – back

Yannick Boli – hamstring

Probable

Jack McBean – foot/toe

Jack Price – groin

Danny Wilson – neck

The post Missing Kellyn Acosta, Colorado Rapids confident heading into Portland clash appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The 2018 MLS Cup will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 8. The match will be broadcast in more than 170 countries, according to a statement released Wednesday by Major League Soccer.

FOX will broadcast the final nationally, UniMas will be the Spanish-language broadcaster and in Canada, the game will air in English on TSN and in French on TVA Sports. All playoff matches will also be broadcast nationally across various networks.

The MLS regular season ends Oct. 28, and the top six teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences will advance to the postseason, which begins Oct. 31 with a single-elimination Knockout Round.
  
Following the Knockout Round, the Eastern and Western Conference two-game semifinals will be played Nov. 4 and 11. There will be four games each date of the home-and-home series, and two teams from each conference will advance.

The Conference Championships will follow a similar format, with doubleheaders Nov. 25 and 29. Conference champions will play each other for the MLS Cup at the home venue of the finalist with the best regular-season record.

Last year, Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC beat the Western Conference champ Seattle Sounders to hoist the MLS Cup trophy. The Sounders beat Toronto in the 2016 final.

Here is the full 2018 MLS playoff schedule:

Knockout Round

(Conference third seed vs. sixth seed, and fourth seed vs. fifth seed in a single-game elimination match)
 
Eastern & Western Conference Knockout Round

Wednesday, Oct. 31 — Two Games, Times TBD (UniMás, English-Language broadcast to be announced**) Thursday, Nov. 1 — Two Games, Times TBD (UniMás, English-Language broadcast to be announced **)

** UniMás will broadcast all four Knockout Round matches. ESPN2 and FS1 will each broadcast one of the four Knockout Round matches.

Conference Semifinal Series

(Two-game series, aggregate-goal, home-and-home format between conference top seed vs. lowest advancing seed from Knockout Round and conference second seed vs. highest seed from Knockout Round)
 
Eastern & Western Conference Semifinal Leg 1 (hosted by lower-seeded teams)

Sunday, Nov. 4 — Four Games, Times TBD (two games each on ESPN/ESPN Deportes and FS1/ FOX Deportes) 

Eastern & Western Conference Semifinal Leg 2 (hosted by higher-seeded teams)

Sunday, Nov. 11 — Four Games, Times TBD (two games each on ESPN/ESPN Deportes and FS1/ FOX Deportes)

Conference Championship Series

(Two-game series, aggregate-goal, home-and-home format)
 
Conference Championship Leg 1 (hosted by lower-seeded teams)

Sunday, Nov. 25 — Two Games, Times TBD (one game each on ESPN/ESPN Deportes and FS1/ FOX Deportes) 

Conference Championships Leg 2 (hosted by higher-seeded teams) 

Thursday, Nov. 29 — Two Games, Times TBD (one game each on ESPN/ESPN Deportes and FS1/ FOX Deportes) 

2018 MLS Cup

(Hosted at the home venue of finalist with best regular-season record)

Saturday, Dec. 8 — 7:30 p.m. ET (FOX, UniMás, TSN, TVA Sports)

 

The post MLS Cup playoff schedule released appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Week 27 in Major League Soccer is in the books and what a strange one it was. All three of the top teams in the Supporters’ Shield race — Atlanta United, New York Red Bulls and New York City FC — lost.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Sounders, Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps continued lengthy unbeaten streaks.

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

(1) Atlanta United (16-5-6, 54 points): A seven-match unbeaten streak went up in smoke Sunday night, courtesy of a 3-1 loss to D.C. United. It was an opportunity to jump back in front in the Shield race squandered. (2) New York Red Bulls (17-7-4, 55 points): It took the finale of a brutal stretch of five matches in 15 days to make the Red Bulls look tired. Montreal capitalized, scoring twice off set pieces en route to a 3-0 home win. On a positive, the Red Bulls became the first team to clinch a playoff berth. (5) FC Dallas (14-6-7, 49 points): FC Dallas didn’t just win El Capitán, they also moved above New York City FC in the Shield race with a 4-2 win over the Houston Dynamo. Santiago Mosquera struck for a brace. (3) Sporting Kansas City (13-7-6, 45 points): After winning four straight games without conceding a goal, SKC dropped a 3-1 decision to red-hot Seattle Saturday at CenturyLink Field. Diego Rubio scored the lone goal. (7) Seattle Sounders FC (12-9-5, 41 points): Raul Ruidiaz leveled 10 minutes after Diego Rubio’s opener and four minutes after a Graham Zusi own goal, Nicolas Lodeiro scored from the penalty spot in a 3-1 win that extended the Sounders winning streak to eight games. (6) Los Angeles Football Club (13-7-7, 46 points): Clearly, father knows best. In a game pitting Bob Bradley’s LAFC against Toronto FC, captained by his son Michael Bradley, the visiting expansion side pulled out a 4-2 win. (4) New York City FC (14-7-6, 48 points): NYCFC lost for just the second time this season after scoring first and have now just won once in their last six games following a 2-1 defeat at Columbus Saturday night. Just 4-7-3 away, NYCFC is 10-0-3 at home this season. (8) Columbus Crew SC (12-8-7, 43 points): Goals by Harrison Afful and Justin Meram two minutes apart helped lift Crew SC to a 2-1 win over NYCFC Saturday night at MAPFRE Stadium. (9) Philadelphia Union (12-11-4, 40 points): The Union are now five matches without a loss, but a Scott Sutter stoppage time equalizer stung. Cory Burke and Fafa Picault scored for Philadelphia in a 2-2 draw with Orlando City. (11) Real Salt Lake (13-10-5, 44 points): RSL are absolutely rolling, extending a winning streak to three games and outscoring the opposition, 14-3, during that span. The latest result, a 6-2 home victory over LA Galaxy, was powered by a Damir Kreilach hat trick and an Albert Rusnak brace. (10) Portland Timbers (11-7-8, 41 points): Lawrence Olum leveled 12 minutes after Scott Caldwell put the Revolution in front as the Timbers rallied to earn a 1-1 draw at Gillette Stadium Saturday night. (12) D.C. United (8-11-6, 30 points): Luciano Acosta scored a brace and Wayne Rooney converted from the penalty spot as D.C. United defeated Atlanta United, 3-1, Sunday night for their most impressive win of the season (14) Montreal Impact (11-14-3, 36 points): Speaking of impressive victories, the Impact’s 3-0 defeat of the New York Red Bulls created a six-point gap above the playoff line for Montreal. Rod Fanni and Bacary Sagna scored their first MLS goals in an eight-minute span late in the first half. (15) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (11-9-7, 40 points): The ‘Caps are now unbeaten in six straight games following a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Alphonso Davies and Nicolas Mezquida scored in each half (13) Toronto FC (7-14-6, 27 points): It’s now back-to-back losses for the defending champions following a 4-2 defeat to LAFC which may have just buried their chances of booking a playoff berth. (16) LA Galaxy (10-10-8, 38 points): The good news for the Galaxy was a goal by Jonathan dos Santos straight after kickoff gave them a 1-0 lead on the road. The bad news was the six goals conceded in a 6-2 defeat at Real Salt Lake, extending a winless streak to six games. (17) Houston Dynamo (7-13-7, 28 points): The Dynamo are now 10 games without a win and have lost seven of their last eight following a 4-2 defeat to FC Dallas in the third and final Texas Derby of the season. (18) Minnesota United (9-15-2, 29 points): The Loons had a bye on the weekend and will take a five-match winless streak, with four losses in those five games, to Audi Field to take on D.C. United on Sept. 12. (19) New England Revolution (7-10-9, 30 points): Another lead lost, another goal conceded off a set piece, another game without a win. That was the case for the Revs Saturday, a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers making it nine games since their last win. (21) Orlando City SC (7-16-3, 24 points): It’s pretty clear at this point the Lions will not play in the postseason, but there’s no quit in the squad, rallying to draw the Philadelphia Union at home Saturday. Scott Sutter leveled in stoppage time after Dom Dwyer put the hosts in front inside of 10 minutes. (20) Colorado Rapids (6-14-6, 24 points): The Rapids also had a bye in Week 27 and will return to action Saturday at Portland, trying to snap a three-match winless streak. (22) San Jose Earthquakes (4-15-8, 20 points): The Quakes have the dubious achievement of becoming the first team in MLS eliminated from playoff contention following a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday. (23) Chicago Fire (6-15-6, 24 points): How do you reward a team that hasn’t win since June 30? Why, you send them to Germany of course. The Fire were in Munich for Bastian Schweinsteiger’s testimonial match.

Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler and Emily Olsen contributed to this report

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 27: FC Dallas move into top 3; NYCFC drop four spots appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Here is how to watch all Major League Soccer matches live in Week 27 on TV or streaming. You can follow along with our live scores and stats throughout the weekend as well.

Saturday, Sept. 1

TIME(EST)	TEAM	TV	Live stream
4 p.m.	Seattle v Sporting KC	USA: UniMás, Univision Deportes Network, Twitter (ENG audio)	MLS LIVE on DAZN
7:30 p.m.	Montreal v NY Red Bulls	RBNY: MSG; CAN: TVAS	ESPN+, Direct Kick
7:30 p.m.	New England v Portland	NE: NBC Sports Boston; POR: KPTV (FOX 12)	ESPN+,Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
7:30 p.m.	Orlando City v Philadelphia	ORL: YouTube TV [Orlando region only], TV27; PHI: PHL17	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
8 p.m.	Columbus v NYCFC	CLB: CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports OH, BCSN2; NYC: YES	MLS LIVE on DAZN
8 p.m.	FC Dallas v Houston	DAL: TXA-21; HOU: KUBE57	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
8 p.m.	Toronto v LAFC	LAFC: UniMás 46, YouTube TV [LA region only]; CAN: TSN 1/4	ESPN+, Direct Kick
10 p.m.	Real Salt Lake v LA Galaxy	RSL: KMYU; LA: Spectrum SportsNet	ESPN+, Direct Kick, MLS LIVE on DAZN
10 p.m.	Vancouver v San Jose	SJ: NBC Sports Bay Area; CAN: TSN 1/4	ESPN+, Direct Kick

Sunday, Sept. 2

TIME(EST)	TEAM	TV	Live stream
7:30 p.m.	DC United v Atlanta United	USA: FS1, FOX Deportes; CAN: TSN2	FOX Sports GO, MLS LIVE on DAZN

The post How to watch MLS on TV, streaming in Week 27 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for being “in violation of the league’s policy regarding hands to the face, head or neck of an opponent,” according to a statement released by the league Wednesday.

The amount of the fine was not disclosed. 

In the 18th minute of Friday’s El Trafico 1-1 draw against LAFC, Ibrahimovic touched the face of midfielder Lee Nguyen during a confrontation on the field. He was not issued a card for the infraction. 

Nguyen took to social media following the match to condemn Ibrahimovic’s actions:

Not too sure about the rules @MLS but I guess slapping other players is ok these days #mls #LAvLAFC https://t.co/exIzahgKBV

— Lee Nguyen (@LeeNguyen24) August 25, 2018

The disciplinary committee also issued an undisclosed fine to Real Salt Lake midfielder Damir Kreilach for the same violation. He touched the neck of a Colorado Rapids player during the their match Saturday. 

The final, and most intriguing, disciplinary decision Wednesday was an undisclosed fine for Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Cristian Techera, who was “found guilty of defacing the field of play” during his a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

Techera used his cleats to ruffle the grass around the penalty spot, just before Earthquakes midfielder Magnus Eriksson was about to take a penalty kick. 

 

The post Zlatan Ibrahimovic fined by MLS Disciplinary Committee appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Josef Martinez is new MLS king of goals and Atlanta United remain the king of the Pro Soccer USA Power Rankings following Week 26 of the Major League Soccer regular season.

Rivalry Week saw plenty of drama with teams already trending up, like the Philadelphia Union, Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders picking up wins, while the struggling sides, like the Colorado Rapids, New England Revolution and Orlando City SC continue their rapid decline.

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

(1) Atlanta United (16-4-6, 54 points): Josef Martinez broke the MLS single-season scoring record with his 28th goal, which proved to be the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC. (2) New York Red Bulls (16-6-4, 52 points): Kaku scored the lone goal and the league’s stingiest defense produced yet another clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over D.C. United Sunday. (3) Sporting Kansas City (13-6-6, 45 points): Another team traditionally known for its stout defense, Sporting produced a fourth straight shutout win and Yohan Croizet and Diego Rubio struck for second-half goals in a 2-0 win over Minnesota. (4) New York City FC (14-6-6, 48 points): Despite being down two men in the second half, NYCFC were the better team in the final 45 minutes and David Villa scored a deserved equalizer in a 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls. (5) FC Dallas (13-5-7, 46 points): Michael Barrios gave FC Dallas a late lead, but Ronaldo Pena got the later equalizer in a 1-1 draw with the rival Houston Dynamo. (7) Los Angeles Football Club (12-7-7, 43 points): LAFC will have to wait another year — or for the postseason — for their first El Trafico win, but Carlos Vela ensured the visitors would earn a second point in a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy. (8) Seattle Sounders FC (11-9-5, 38 points): The streak is seven straight wins and 10 games without defeat after beating Cascadia rival Portland, 1-0, at Providence Park. (9) Columbus Crew SC (11-8-7, 40 points): Staring a second consecutive defeat in the face, Niko Hansen’s first goal of the season three minutes from full time earned the sluggish Crew a 1-1 draw with Chicago. (10) Philadelphia Union (11-11-3, 36 points): The lesson learned from the Union’s third straight win and fourth in the last five games is play to the whistle. That’s why Cory Burke did to score the lone goal in a 1-0 win over New England. (8) Portland Timbers (10-7-7, 37 points): The Timbers were the better team on the night, but they were victimized by a Julio Cascante own goal and fell to Seattle, 1-0, for their fourth defeat in a row. (11) Real Salt Lake (12-10-5, 41 points): The award for most lopsided Rivalry Week victory goes to Real Salt Lake by a mile. A 6-0 drubbing at Colorado not only secured yet another Rocky Mountain Cup, but it was their second consecutive road win. (14) D.C. United (7-10-6, 27 points): It might seem weird that D.C. United actually move up two spots following a loss, but it was a 1-0 defeat at the New York Red Bulls, a defeat that snapped a streak of five straight games without defeat. (16) Toronto FC (7-12-6, 27 points): Is this the point when Toronto FC finally shift into the next gear and have the late-season run we’re all expecting? Time will tell, but a 3-1 win over Montreal at home Saturday might just have saved their season. (12) Montreal Impact (10-14-3, 33 points): The Impact conceded three goals inside of 29 minutes before Alejandro Silva stopped the bleeding and pulled the visitors back a goal. But it was the only goal the Impact would get in a 3-1 loss at Toronto FC. (15) Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10-9-7, 37 points): Trailing by two at halftime, the Caps had a furious second-half rally as Yordy Reyna, Cristian Techera and Kei Kamara scored in a nine-minute span in a 3-2 win at San Jose. (13) LA Galaxy (10-9-8, 38 points): Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored and Ashley Cole was a beast, but the Galaxy conceded a Carlos Vela equalizer in a 1-1 draw against LAFC that stretched a winless streak to five games. (17) Houston Dynamo (7-11-7, 28 points): They desperately needed three points, but Wilmer Cabrera will take the 90-minute effort, and the late leveler from Ronaldo Pena, in a Texas Derby draw against FC Dallas. (18) Minnesota United FC (9-15-2, 29 points): The Loons battled, but their shorthanded offense was suffocated by Sporting Kansas City in a 2-0 loss, their fourth defeat in five games without a win. (20) New England Revolution (7-10-8): A 1-0 loss at Philadelphia was the Revs sixth in the last seven games and extended a winless streak to eight games. (19) Colorado Rapids (6-14-6, 24 points): It started with a red card, and then another and then an avalanche of goals from visiting Real Salt Lake, which rolled to a 6-0 Rocky Mountain Cup victory. (21) Orlando City SC (7-16-2): Scott Sutter canceled out Leandro Gonzalez Pirez’s first-half goal, but any hopes the Lions had of taking a point from the Supporters’ Shield leaders went up in smoke when Josef Martinez made history in the 74th minute. (22) San Jose Earthquakes (3-14-8, 17 points): If only games were 45 minutes long. If that was the case, goals by Jahmir Hyka and Magnus Eriksson would have given the Quakes their first home win since early March, rather than suffering yet another defeat to the Whitecaps. (23) Chicago Fire (6-15-6, 24 points): They were almost out of the power rankings basement thanks to a Nemanja Nikolic 67th-minute goal. But Niko Hansen slammed that door shut three minutes from full time. The losing streak ends at eight, but the winless run is now nine.

Pro Soccer USA writers Dylan Butler, Julian Cardillo and Emily Olsen contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 26: Toronto FC climbs up, Portland Timbers slip down appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

[See image gallery at appserver-ba4e1838.c.pantheon-dmz.internal]

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – When Edgar Castillo joined the Colorado Rapids on a season-long loan back in January, then newly-hired head coach Anthony Hudson presented the 31-year-old with a challenge.

“The first day I got here, he said, ‘You have to be the best left back in the league’,” Castillo told Pro Soccer USA. “He’s a strict coach, but other than that, it’s all on us. We play on the field and he’s the one that gives us what we need to execute out on the field.”

With three goals and five assists in 24 appearances for Colorado this season, a pretty strong argument can be made that Castillo has fulfilled the manager’s wish.

“I think he’s shown a lot of character in stepping up at key moments in games and really having an effect on the outcome of games,” Hudson said. “He’s an important player to us and he’s great to have in the locker room. We want him to keep improving and keep doing what he’s doing.”

Soft-spoken and humble off the pitch, Castillo shows a different personality in games. He’s been a menace in attack while also relentless in breaking up plays defensively. On the ball, he’s also been arguably the Rapids’ best dribbler; a trait rarely seen in defenders.

“He’s shown he can go on these dribbling mazes,” Rapids captain Tim Howard grinned. “They look good, but there’s a lot of end product there, whether it be crossing or the goals he’s had this year. That’s an added bonus.”

As team general manager Padraig Smith explained to fans in a Q&A session earlier this month, Howard played a vital role in recruiting Castillo to Colorado.

“With Edgar, this was in the building stages,” Howard said of the recruitment process. “It was about letting him know that we have a top manager, but we needed time to build a solid foundation and we needed Edgar to be one of those pieces.”

In the Rapids’ locker room, Castillo has been the yin to Howard’s yang.

“We’ve got two different personalities,” Howard explained. “I’m more loud and brash and he’s the more quiet, sneaky one. It just seems to work.”

Their friendship dates back to their shared time with the United States men’s national team. Howard and Castillo played numerous important games together, including the USMNT’s historic 1-0 win over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca back in 2012.

As one of only two players [along with Martin Vasquez] to represent both the United States and Mexico at the senior level, Castillo’s outlook on the rivalry is unique. The son of Mexican immigrants, Castillo began his international career with the Mexican under-23 squad, helping the team qualify for the 2008 Olympics. Less than a year later, opportunity presented itself when he received a call from then-U.S. manager Bob Bradley, prompting Castillo to make his one-time permanent switch to represent the country of his birth.

“It was a hard decision for me to change,” he recalled. “I think I made the right decision because I felt good with the U.S.”

More than two years have passed since his last international appearance in March 2016. But with U.S. Soccer amid an ongoing change in direction, Castillo is hopeful for a return to the international stage.

“It’s changed as they look more for young players from the U.S., not necessarily Mexican-American guys. I hope it all changes and they bring other players in,” Castillo said. “It’s been [two] years and I was hurt. I’m here now trying to do my best and keep playing. We’ll see if I get a call up soon.”

His path to becoming a professional was likewise unconventional. Known as the “Mayfield Magician,” Castillo led Las Cruces High School to its first ever New Mexico state championship in boys soccer. Several months later, he and his brother decided to travel to Mexico to participate in an open tryout for Liga MX side Santos Laguna. He impressed, landing his first professional contract.

Castillo bounced around Mexico for more than a decade, playing for eight different Liga MX teams and winning three league titles along the way. Having now adjusted to Major League Soccer, he acknowledged the increasing quality of teams north of the border.

“Liga MX is a very good league with very good players. MLS is getting there,” Castillo said. “MLS teams have fought through CONCACAF, so it’s getting better and better. Mexicans know that, too. MLS is growing.”

The 2018 Colorado Rapids season has been about rebuilding, and more recently, about building upon positive performances. Despite their 2-0 loss to LAFC two weeks ago, the Rapids have put together favorable results, including a 2-2 draw Aug.14 at StubHub Center, where Castillo scored a highlight-reel goal against the L.A. Galaxy.

He gives all credit to those around him.

“The season’s not done and I have to keep going,” said Castillo. “I never would have thought I’d have three goals and a couple assists. But it’s not all me on the field. If not for my teammates, I wouldn’t have the goals and the assists that I have now.”

With 24 points in the Western Conference table and eight games left, playoffs remain a tall order for Colorado, which currently sits 14 points back of the red line. Regardless, Castillo wants to see through the ongoing project in Commerce City.

“Every club you go to, you want to win something, and the first day I said that,” he said. “I’m happy to be here and I want to win something for this club.”

Colorado is currently in advanced talks with Liga MX side Monterrey to turn his current loan deal into a permanent buy.

Castillo told Pro Soccer USA last week week that all sides have yet to reach an agreement and for now his loan is still set to expire at the end of the season. But he’s still hopeful to remain in Colorado – a place he’s embraced as a new home for himself, his wife and their three children.

“Since Day 1 when I got here, I’ve felt at home,” Castillo said. “I’m very happy to be here and I want to stay here.”

The post Rapids defender Edgar Castillo looks for permanent home in Colorado appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

In the 2018 finale of the Rocky Mountain Cup competition contested between the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, RSL dominated from the start. After the visitors took initial 1-0 lead following a goal from Damir Kreilach (6’), Colorado’s woes were compounded with two red cards issued to Niki Jackson and Bismarck “Nana” Boateng. Against a nine-man Rapids side, Real Salt Lake cruised with five more goals including a brace from Jefferson Savarino to take home a 6-0 win and the Rocky Mountain Cup.

Here are a few takeaways from Colorado’s 6-0 loss to RSL.

On the Record

Colorado was on a decent run of form entering the match, despite the latest result being a 2-0 loss to LAFC. But Saturday’s performance in a blowout by their fiercest rivals were a stark reminder that the Anthony Hudson era in Colorado has been rife with disappointment and club record marks for futility.

Colorado’s 6-0 loss at home set additional records on Hudson’s watch, marking the worst margin of loss by Colorado in the history of the Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry and Colorado’s worst margin in a loss at home.

The Rapids head coach rightfully started his postgame press conference with an apology to fans saying,

“First of all, I have to apologize to the fans. They’ve been fantastic all season, especially at home. This was such a big game, such an important game. We went into this game prepared, off the back of a really good run, performing well, really confident. We knew how important this was to the fans. Coming away after the result, it’s not what they deserve. We apologize, we can win this come next season. Not a good night for us.”

Undisciplined Effort

Needing a 4-0 win to secure the Rocky Mountain Cup, the Rapids quickly saw their hopes for the rivalry trophy evaporate with Damir Kreilach’s early goal.

Things went from bad to worse as Rapids striker Niki Jackson, making his first professional start on his 23rd birthday, was sent off for violent conduct. Jackson was shown attempting to headbutt RSL forward Albert Rusnák during set piece opportunity and was given a straight red for violent conduct.

Niki Jackson red card vs. Real Salt Lake. #Rapids96 #COLvRSL pic.twitter.com/8iJWJL3tu3

— Rapids Republic (@RapidsRepublic) August 26, 2018

Although a far cry from Zinedine Zidane’s famed headbutt of Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup Final, referee Ted Unkel’s call was correct to the laws of the game and was a clear lapse in judgement from Jackson.

Just before the half and after Colorado conceded a second goal, Nana Boeteng was also sent off for a reckless studs-up challenge on Brooks Lennon at knee level.

This call was also correct, and not only a lack in judgement from Boateng, but a clear dangerous play from the Rapids midfielder.

“It’s not the result that we wanted,” said Rapids midfielder Kellyn Acosta post-game. “Credit to Salt Lake, they came in and took care of business. We went down a goal early, went down a man early, and it’s hard to backtrack and try to find the game. The second red card defeated us in the sense that we were chasing bodies and shadows around the field. It’s a game to learn from and we have to move forward.”

Danny Boy

Scottish centerback Danny Wilson continues to be a disappointing signing for Colorado, especially considering his marketed pedigree of experience from the Scottish Premiership and English Premier League.

Rapids fans have borne witness to different instances of poor positioning, judgement, and ball watching from the 26-year-old Scotsman all season.

Live shot of Danny Wilson? pic.twitter.com/Vhdf58pwoK

— xoxo, uzworm (@uzworm) August 20, 2018

But this time around, National pundits took note.

Wilson was culpable on the opening goal while the game was still and 11v11 affair, but continued to show lack of effort in the game as Colorado eventually went down to nine men and RSL scored five more goals.

The poor play from Wilson this season, combined with the current injury to centerback Axel Sjoberg, brings into question Colorado’s current depth at central defense, along with the decisions this season to jettison viable depth options in Jared Watts and Eric Miller, who were traded to Houston and Minnesota, respectively.

 

 

The post Rocky Mountain Rout: Three takeaways from the Colorado Rapids’ 6-0 rivalry loss to Real Salt Lake appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.