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LOS ANGELES — The Galaxy will be without forward and leading goal scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic when they head to Colorado for a Saturday matchup against the Rapids. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.  Here are a few things you should know before the match:

Catch up on all the latest LA Galaxy news right here. 

The post Zlatan-less LA Galaxy travel to face Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

The MLS All-Star Game is in the rear-view window and the focus is on Week 23 of the regular season. But before we look ahead, we take one glance back on Week 22 with the Pro Soccer USA Power Rankings.

If you’re a fan of the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew SC, you will be happy this week with their steady rise.

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 and Emily Olsen contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 22: Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew SC moving on up appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – What do Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović and the Colorado Rapids all have in common? None of them will be present at tonight’s MLS All-Star game, which kicks off at 7 PM (EDT) tonight at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“It’s not my job to pick that team,” Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson said as a tongue-in-cheek response to the fact that none of his players were selected by the fan vote, coach and commissioner selections. “I’ve got a challenging job to pick the team for Saturday. We’ve got several players here who don’t get the recognition because of the place we’re at in the table. I can understand that.”

Hudson cited the Rapids ongoing rebuilding phase as another factor, and remained optimistic that the team’s future will trend towards more recognition and the accolades that go with it.

“It’s probably an indication of where other teams are in terms of start players playing in this game,” he continued. “We’re at a stage where we’re building the team and we’re probably not there just yet. But we’re in a good place. We’ll get there.”

It’s not the first time Colorado has gone without an All-Star selection. From 2012-14, no Colorado player featured in the game. Nonetheless, there are a few within the Rapids camp that feel that there are Colorado players deserving of the nod.

“It’s a tough one when results haven’t gone our way,” explained Rapids midfielder Sam Nicholson. “You’ve got people that have stood out for us – Tommy [Smith], Danny [Wilson], [Jack] Price. There’s many people that have been good enough, but it’s up to MLS.”

In lieu of rooting for his current teammates, Nicholson will instead settle to root for his former Minnesota United colleagues Darwin Quintero and Francisco Calvo.

“Quintero has got some unbelievable technical ability and Calvo is a technical, gifted player,” Nicholson said. “They both deserve to be there.”

While disappointed, the Rapids are instead focused on their upcoming league match against L.A. Galaxy.

“It’s never fun if we don’t have a selection,” added Rapids centerback Axel Sjoberg, who narrowly missed out on a selection in 2016, a season where he was also runner-up for MLS Defender of the Year. “But at the same time, it’s not surprising given how we started. We’re just trying to get on with business as usual.”

After back-to-back days off earlier in the week, a mostly healthy Rapids side returned for a spirited training on Wednesday. Having avoided the genuine All-Star game conundrums of fitness and potential injuries, Hudson expressed his enthusiasm in having everyone present.

“We haven’t been able to train with a full squad because we’ve been nursing a lot of players,” he said. “It’s good to have everyone involved.”

The Rapids may not have a vested interest in tonight’s All-Star game, but make no mistake, there will be plenty of eyes glued to the match in Colorado.

“As it stands, it’s two great teams and it’s always an exciting game,” said Hudson. “I haven’t seen Juventus this past season, so it will be exciting to see them.”

The post Colorado Rapids not crying over spilled milk surrounding MLS All-Star Game appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Kellyn Acosta made his league debut for Colorado following his trade to the Rapids earlier in the week. Acosta nearly put Colorado in front early with his penalty take in the 26th minute which was saved by David Ousted, but instead Wayne Rooney’s 33rd minute nutmeg of Tim Howard gave the hosts a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Acosta drew the game even with his debut Rapids goal in the 82nd minute, but an extra time own goal by substitute Niki Jackson gifted D.C. United all three points in the 2-1 win.

Here are three takeaways from the Rapids’ 2-1 loss to D.C. United.

In Formation

Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson may not have hot sauce in his bag, but he does have a few tools at his disposal, including pivoting to the 4-4-2 that Colorado displayed on Saturday.

The switch was generally positive for Colorado, which split possession and the shots were nearly even with D.C. putting up four shots to Colorado’s three.

The second half was more favorable to D.C., which put up more shots, but the Rapids were able to end the match nearly even on possession – something the team has struggled to do in matches throughout 2018.

It was a refreshing change to the bunkered 5-4-1 that the Rapids have rolled out in various road fixtures this season.

Stars and Stripes

The stars aligned at Audi Field on Saturday as former Premier League marquee players Wayne Rooney and Tim Howard met once again, this time representing D.C. United and Colorado, respectively.

Rooney had the upper hand in this matchup, slotting home the opening goal in the 33rd minute between the legs of Howard. It was an iconic moment for both D.C. United and MLS as Rooney got on the scoresheet for the first time since joining the club a month ago.

For Rapids fans, the moment was a microcosm of frustrations with the Rapids’ expensive signing. Despite being the most expensive goalkeeper signing in MLS history, the production has been middling for Howard who ranks 8th in saves and who’s goals against average (1.55) and save percentage (68.3) don’t rank within the top ten of MLS.

Howard will always be an American icon, but on goals like Rooney’s, or Damir Kreilach’s last week for RSL, Howard has looked more Statue of Liberty than Secretary of Defense of late.

Welcome Back Acosta

Not many had the opportunity to see midfielder Kellyn Acosta’s Colorado Rapids debut on Tuesday in a friendly against Boca Juniors, so Saturday’s match was a second debut of sorts. His first appearance for Colorado in league play presented a bigger opportunity to present himself again to coaches, fans, opponents and onlookers throughout MLS (and potentially abroad).

The box-to-box midfielder proved to be the most active Colorado player on both sides of the pitch, producing seven of the Rapids’ eight shots on goal including the team’s lone goal in the 82nd minute that at the time appeared to steal a road point for the struggling side.

Acosta missed a penalty opportunity earlier in the match that would have put the Rapids in front early in the match, but the fact that the generally cautious Hudson gave the new addition the opportunity is an indicator to the faith Colorado has in their new signing.

Michael Barrios’ hat trick for Western Conference leaders FC Dallas showed why Acosta became an expendable asset, but Acosta has instantly shown an impact in just his first week with his new club. Early returns show that the Acosta-Badji trade is still a win-win situation for both teams.

The post The Colorado Rapids’ 4-4-2 and other takeaways from the 2-1 win by D.C. United appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

WASHINGTON — In his third game at Audi Field, captain Wayne Rooney added yet another goal to his illustrious career total Saturday in D.C. United’s 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids.

“It was great to see Wayne score,” coach Ben Olsen said. “One of the reasons we brought him here was to score goals.”

The goal comes as a small relief to the England’s all-time leading scorer. His first MLS goal came from a combination play through midfielders Zotlan Stieber and Luciano Acosta. 

“For him it relieves a little pressure off his shoulders and now he can just focus on playing,” midfielder Russel Canouse said. “Even when he doesn’t score he is a great asset to this team.”

Wayne Rooney opens his MLS account! #DCvCOL https://t.co/XuKvh1sVea

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 29, 2018

Colorado had the first opportunity to score in the 26th minute, when referee Ramy Touchan awarded the Rapids a controversial penalty kick. The newest member of Colorado, Kellyn Acosta, stepped up to take the kick and missed off the woodwork. 

“It was his second MLS game, the referee, and you saw that,” Olsen said. “He was pretty inconsistent all night.”

United maintained high pressure through the second half, specifically causing chaos for Howard and the Rapids’ defense around minute 56 with three close chances: the first off the crossbar, the next blocked and the final — a quick one-two-three passing sequence from Yamil Asad to Acosta to Rooney — stopped by Howard.

“[Rooney] played very well,” Olsen said. “His link-up play with Lucho, Asad and Stieber is fun to watch.”

Colorado found a late opening in the counterattack. in the 82 minute, the Rapids’ Acosta got up and behind United’s backline for the late equalizer. United found themselves in a very familiar situation. 

“It’s up to the players,” Olsen said. “You have seen us at times lose leads this year. What I am most please about on the night, obviously the three points, but also the way we got [them].”

United dominated the midfield thanks to the attacking effort from Asad, Stieber, Acosta and the outside backs pushing forward. Defensive help from Moreno and Canouse contributed as well.

“Russell was great,” Olsen said. “His duel-winning is as good as we have on the team, and you saw that tonight.”

Canouse made several important tackles on both sides of the field and played more than 80 minutes before subbing off. Forward Darren Mattocks replaced him.

With Mattocks on the field, Rooney pushed back into the center of United’s midfield.  

United made one final attempt to secure the win by pushing all but defender Oniel Fisher and substitute Chris Durkin into the attack. The pressure paid off when a shot from Ulises Segura ricocheted off Rapids defender Niki Jackson and into the net. 

“It is never luck,” Segura said. “Whenever you get in the box like that you try to hit it as hard as you can so if it hits one of your teammates, or it hits a defender, you get something out of it.”

During stoppage time, United continued on the attack despite Rooney leaving the pitch with a bloodied face. After the match, the team doctor treated Rooney with five stitches for a cut above his left eye and a broken nose. 

“I don’t think it is the first time he has bled. I think he is a pretty tough guy,” Olsen said. “He is in the box, putting his face on the line understanding that that is a big moment … He is selfless in that way.”

With the win, United collect six points in a week packed with three matches.

“Every game is important,” Canouse said. “Anytime you win, you want to start a run and continue to build on it. That is our goal going forward.”

The post D.C. United beats Colorado Rapids 2-1, Rooney scores first MLS goal appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

WASHINGTON–D.C. United needs to win games.

United hosts the Colorado Rapids Saturday just three days after a loss to rival New York Red Bulls.

United looked to the opening of Audi Field as a late season boost after a string of far-and-wide road games. The Black-and-Red secured a convincing win against an average Vancouver Whitecaps with the help of Wayne Rooney but dropped two consecutive games since the win.

United (3-9-5) consecutively faced two top performing teams in the East in Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls. 

“We’ve played [New York] and Atlanta in the last two games, two pretty good teams,” Olsen said. “There’s some urgency here, but also sometimes you have to tip your hat a little bit to the other team.”

Although Colorado (4-11-5) has played three more games than United this season, the Rapids find themselves among the worst teams in the league. Both clubs are coming off matches affected by rain delays against rivals.

The Rapids were down 2-0 in the first 20 minutes of last week’s installment of the Rocky Mountain Cup against Real Salt Lake. Colorado used the 45-minute delay in the first half to regroup and ended the match in a 2-2 draw.

How to watch

What: D.C. United vs Colorado Rapids

Where: Audi Field – Washington, DC

When: Saturday, July 28 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN+

Predicted Starting XI: Steve Clark; Joseph Mora, Frédéric Brillant, Steven Birnbaum, Oniel Fisher; Russell Canouse, Yamil Asad, Luciano Acosta, Ian Harkes, Zoltan Stieber; Wayne Rooney

Oh Captain, My Captain

Olsen officially handed Rooney the title of captain Thursday, a D.C. United team representative told Pro Soccer USA Friday. The honor is not something Olsen assigned to any player this season until this week.

This season, defender Steve Birnbaum, who was United’s active captain last season, bore the title in the capacity required by MLS. 

Before the season started, Olsen refused to name a captain.

“It’s a little overblown, this captain thing,” Olsen said, adding in jest, “I’m the captain!”

Rooney has the right resumé and respect from the other players to don the captain’s armband, Olsen told Steven Goff of the Washington Post.

Rotations ruled by minutes

United is slowly returning to full strength after several players fell under the injury bug. Defender Russell Canouse and midfielder Ulises Segura are finally available for selection.

Canouse played minutes in United’s last three matches, while Segura made his way back to the pitch in the mach against the Red Bulls. Canouse played 23 minutes Wednesday, the most minutes he has seen all season.

“Certainly there will be some fresh bodies on the field. It was good to see [Canouse] in there,” Olsen said after Canouse’s minutes against the Red Bulls. “He won more tackles in that second half than our whole team combined in the first half. That’s a little bit of what we need right now.” 

Because the club plays three games in the span of a week, United will make minor changes to the lineup this weekend, including a potential first start of the season for Canouse. 

United will also be without midfielder Paul Arriola due to yellow card accumulation. 

“For the first time, I think, this season, we are going to have to start to rely on depth,” Olsen said. “Not through injury, but through minutes and managing that.”

The post D.C. United looks to bounce back against Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Welcome to the MLS Trade Value Rankings, the mid-summer update. With the MLS Player Union releasing the 2018 salaries and half of the season finished, it’s time to count down the top 100 trade assets in the league.

If you haven’t read part one, click here to see where I made mistakes in the preseason rankings, what I got right, who dropped out and how we’re evaluating MLS prospects with minimal minutes.

The theory in this ranking is simple: The higher you are in the rankings, the less likely you are to be traded to another MLS team for someone lower in the rankings.

Seven rules that run this list:

Got it? Good. Let’s get started with the fun!

(Note: All salaries listed are players’ 2018 guaranteed compensation based on the latest report released by the MLS Players Union. All advanced statistics such as expected goals and assists based on American Soccer Analysis.)

LOTTERY TICKETS – BRONZE TIER

100. Matthew Real, Philadelphia Union – 19 years old; LB; $54,500 salary (HGP)
99. Ben Mines, New York Red Bulls – 18; MF; $60,518 (HGP)
98. Gianluca Busio, Sporting Kansas City – 16; W; $82,504 (HGP)

You might be thinking, “How do these teenagers with minimal to no minutes in MLS have more trade value than proven MLS players like Joao Plata or Daniel Royer? Does their potential outweigh more established players that can help now?”

The answer to this is more in the roster status of each of those players. A player like Royer, with his $668,750 total salary, is very good but requires Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). In the international market, the ability to for a team to find a “Royer”-level player with TAM could be easier than trading for him within the league.

Homegrown players with the ability (or potential) to start in the league are much harder to find and much more lucrative for clubs. They’re likely to be on the supplemental roster and not count against the cap, and they don’t require any other resources like international slots or allocation money. Finally, as the league starts transitioning towards a selling league, a sale of a Homegrown goes 100 percent to the club.

All of this points to: If Craig Waibel picked up the phone and called Peter Vermes to offer Plata for Busio, Vermes would say no.

May 27, 2018; Kansas City, KS; Sporting Kansas City forward Gianluca Busio (13) warms up before a game against Columbus at Children’s Mercy Park. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

The three players above have shown flashes of their quality at the professional level, thanks in large part to all of their clubs having second-tier United Soccer League teams.

Real has the most MLS minutes of the three and is a central part of the United States under-20s. Ben Mines already scored his first MLS goal and has more than 700 professional minutes for Red Bulls II. Busio may not have MLS minutes yet, but at 16 years old he’s already played well enough to make a USL team of the week. 

They may not pan out. Predicting which prospects will break through is notoriously difficult. But if they do, the return for an MLS club is huge, which is why they have their place on the list.

FRINGE U.S. MNT PLAYERS STRUGGLING TO GET ON FIELD

97. Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders – 23; ST; $234,500 (HGP)
96. Kelyn Rowe, New England Revolution — 26; CAM; $258,000

Jordan Morris used to be the future of the U.S. men’s team and the Seattle Sounders. A year and a half ago, he carried the Sounders through the playoffs after having flu-like symptoms.

IS THIS JORDAN MORRIS'S FLU GAME? DO ALL JORDANS GET ONE?

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) November 27, 2016

Today, Morris finds himself at the fringe of this list.

I originally had him even lower , but the wise words from Harrison Crow of American Soccer Analysis reminded me of Morris’s value: “Jordan Morris, despite his injury, still has more project surplus value as a forward than Matthew Real as a left back. (His) star power, scoring goals, positional value as a striker and his home grown status are still there.”

If Morris can find his form again, he’ll soar up this list. But Morris’s elite attribute was his speed, and after tearing his ACL, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever get that back. It’s the harsh reality of being a professional athlete.

Kelyn Rowe was expected to take over much of the playmaking responsibilities for the New England Revolution after the benching and eventual departure of Lee Nguyen. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Rowe is finding it harder to get minutes.

But Rowe’s xG+xA/96 (how many expected goals and assists per game) remains steady despite fewer minutes. In 2017, the year he started to get national team caps, his xG+xA/96 was 0.36. This year its 0.38 despite being played all over the field. Rowe could be a target for crafty GMs betting on a turnaround in the future.

CHEAP NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT

95. Brandt Bronico, Chicago Fire – 23; M; $67,500
94. Jacori Hayes, FC Dallas – 23; M; $75,750
93. Florian Valot, New York Red Bulls – 25; M; $71,136

In today’s MLS, the top signings are now designated players or TAM-level players. But in a league with a cap, having productive players on cheap salaries is critical for roster building. The majority of these players come from smart picks in the SuperDraft or, more recently, from USL teams.

Bronico was a fine find from the SuperDraft, picked 47th overall. Since given the chance, Bronico has excelled for the Chicago Fire. His xG Chain (the sum of expected goals, where a player had any action) per 96 minutes is 0.66. This is higher than any other Fire mainstay, including more expensive players like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Aleksandar Katai, and shows how important he’s become.

Jun 13, 2018; Commerce City, CO; Chicago Fire midfielder Brandt Bronico (13) controls the ball in the second half of a match against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Hayes stepped in admirably in the beginning of FC Dallas’ season when Kellyn Acosta was injured.

The 2017 draftee is now coming off the bench behind Gruezo, Ulloa. But the faith in Hayes’s play allowed FCD leadership to move Acosta to Colorado for assets and Dominic Badji, and Hayes arguably is the future in the center of the pitch for FC Dallas.

Valot was nothing short of a revelation for the Red Bulls before he tore his ACL this year. He scored three goals and five assists and played incredibly well in the team’s Concacaf Champions League run. Signing Valot is one of the many fruits from RBNY’s commitment to its USL team.

IN LIMBO

92. Sebastian Lletget, Los Angeles Galaxy – 25; CM; $252,667
91. Carlos Gruezo, FC Dallas – 23; CDM; $730,750 (Young DP)
90. Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC – 26; CM; $209,825 (HGP)

All three of these players are in limbo in some sense of the word. In 2016, Sebastian Lletget was one of the brightest up-and-comers for the U.S. Injuries cut his 2017 season short, and while 2018 was supposed to be the return of “Da Kid,” it hasn’t really panned out that way. His advanced metrics suggest he’s a similar level player, but he is by no means a lock-down starter for the LA Galaxy.

Part of that reason is Lletget’s high usage rate of 13 percent. To be effective, Lletget needs to see a lot of the ball. With so many other feet to feed on the Galaxy line up, Lletget might not fit well anymore. For a clever GM, he may be a trade target.

Carlos Gruezo has been one of the top young players in the league for a long time. You aren’t a member of Ecuador’s 2014 World Cup side at the age of 19 without having immense talent. Since coming into the league in 2016, he’s been very good. This year, though, has been relatively quiet and suddenly finds himself challenged for minutes in a crowded and talented midfielder — one where Acosta was moved because his form wasn’t up to par.

Per Transfermarkt, his contract is up at the end of 2018 and FC Dallas has a decision to make. Let Gruezo walk, and its another case of an MLS team letting a decent talent walk away for free. Sign him, and they will likely have to use TAM since he will lose his Young DP status when he turns 24 in April.

Jonathan Osorio is having easily his best year as a professional. He won the Golden Boot in Champions League and has been one of the only bright spots — with six goals and two assists — in Toronto’s dismal MLS campaign. His play has taken him from utility man to gathering interest from Europe and South America.

So why isn’t he higher on the list?

Like Gruezo, Osorio’s contract runs out at the end of the year. While Toronto has resigned players like goalkeeper Alex Bono and midfielder Victor Vazquez, Osorio hasn’t been resigned. Instead of handing Osorio a hefty raise, Toronto invested in players like Ager Aketxe. Now, the club finds itself in a scenario where it may have to sell Osorio on the cheap or even let him walk away for free – a nightmare scenario for a valuable home grown player.

PRODUCTIVE 30+ AMERICANS IN THE MIDDLE

89. Benny Feilhaber, Los Angeles FC – 33; CM; $625,000 (TAM-eligible)
88. Lee Nguyen, Los Angeles FC – 31; CM; $500,000 (TAM-eligible)
87. Dax McCarty, Chicago Fire – 30; CDM; $712,500 (TAM-eligible)

When LAFC traded for Lee Nguyen for nearly $700,000 in allocation money, it raised some eyebrows. Not that Nguyen isn’t a great MLS player, but because he’d be joining Benny Feilhaber in the midfield. Could these two midfielders on the wrong side of 30 play together, forcing Feilhaber to play deeper? The answer, surprisingly, has been yes.

Both Nguyen and Feilhaber have played deeper than they’re accustomed to. Nguyen’s xG+xA/96 dropped from 0.58 in 2017 to 0.26. Feilhaber’s drop has been even greater, from 0.52 to 0.19. But their roles are different on this team.

This can be seen in Benny’s xBuildup (expected goals coming from anything but shots or assists), which is has gone from 0.19 in 2017 to 0.45. Feilhaber is leaving the offensive duties to players like Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela. We can’t be sure how much longer it will last, but so far LAFC’s investment has been worth it.

Dax McCarty has had a relatively quiet year for an average to poor Chicago team. Still, his value in the league is evident by how quickly the Fire turned down Minnesota’s inquiries to get his services.

TRUST THE PROCESS – MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES EDITION

86. Brooks Lennon, Real Salt Lake – 20; RB; $237,583 (HGP)
85. Danilo Acosta, Real Salt Lake — 20; LB; $100,000 (HGP)

Potential is a hell of a drug. The prospects of what could be can be intoxicating and more romantic than what is. In basketball, the Philadelphia 76ers coined the term “trust the process,” meaning short-term pains are nothing compared to the promise of the future.

If the 76ers are representative of the positive, the Minnesota Timberwolves represent the flip side to this argument where potential is never realized. After many years of top draft picks, and collecting the league’s top young talent, they find themselves with still a mediocre if not bad team.

The question for Real Salt Lake is not about their potential — I have their academy as the second best in the league in producing professionals that get minutes — the question is if their process will be like the Timberwolves or like the 76ers.

Case in point, Danilo Acosta was seen as the left back of the future and after playing rather well, lost his spot inexplicably to 34-year old journeyman Demar Phillips. This was very Timberwolves-esque. Now, with Acosta back and Homegrowns getting minutes, the fate of Real Salt Lake will depend on if any of them can transcend into All-Star level.

Lennon has been good in his transformation into a right back, which has been noticed by the RSL faithful.

Pitch for Brooks Lennon to be included. He has turned into a solid RB, but also has the work rate, pace, delivery and finishing skills to be a threat in the attack. A bit under-the-radar of late, but his versatility is a huge value.

— Robert Buhler (@buhler08) July 20, 2018

Consistency of these players, as well as Real Salt Lake as a whole, is the key. RSL is above the playoff line as of July 22nd, but the club’s goal differential is more similar to a team that would be at the bottom of a table. If not careful, all that potential will never be realized.

LOTTERY TICKETS – SILVER TIER

84. Chris Goslin, Atlanta United – 18; CM; $84,000 (HGP)
83. Paxton Pomykal, FC Dallas – 18; CAM; $90,000 (HGP)
82. Wan Kuzain, Sporting Kansas City – 19; M; $67,500 (HGP)
81. Jaylin Lindsey, Sporting Kansas City – 18; WB; $67,504 (HGP)

The homegrown prospects in this second group have already started to break through to get minutes this year or have extremely high ceilings.

Chris Goslin, as Adam Beiz of Scuffed Podcast said in part one, is capable of dominating the center of the pitch, has more than 700 USL minutes and cracked through the first team lineup during the U.S. Open Cup.

Paxton Pomykal is supposedly the heir apparent to Mauro Diaz, but he hasn’t statistically impressed when given MLS minutes. In limited minutes, Pomykal has 0.24 expected assists compared to Diaz’s 0.42 xA. It’s not a fair comparison, but still shows the gap of production on the field — and could be one of the reasons why FC Dallas spent $1.25 million on Pablo Aránguiz, a 21 year old Chilean central midfielder. Two years ago, Pomykal was a slam dunk prospect, but that doesn’t seem so certain now.

Wan Kuzain and Jaylin Lindsey give SKC coach Peter Vermes spot-minute duty at the MLS level already. Kuzain is an excellent passer in the midfield. It’s a small sample size, but he has a 96 percent pass completion rate in the attacking third. That’s absurd and Darlington Nagbe-esque.

Jaylin Lindsey has versatility as a wingback, able to play on the left or right, and speed to boot. You could argue the height of his ceiling, but he’s proving to already be competent at the MLS level.

EXPENSIVE DPs

80. Jozy Altidore, Toronto FC – 28; ST; $5 million (DP)
79. Fanendo Adi, Portland Timbers – 27; ST; $1.933 million (DP)
78. Jonathan Dos Santos, Los Angeles Galaxy – 28; CDM; $2 million (DP)
77. Nemanja Nikolić, Chicago Fire – 30; ST; $1.906 million (DP)

The best players in this league are designated players. This much is obvious. But for a DP to also be a player with trade value, they have to compensate for their salary, cap hit and for taking up one of the 69 spots available in the league. There are 28 designated players on this trade value list, and there are many productive DPs who didn’t make the cut. This is because the global market is seemingly endless of DP-level players, so to be a trade asset, you have to showcase being at least All-Star level in the league. These four have done that, but certain context keeps them at the bottom end of the list.

Perhaps one of the few players who’s escaped looking poorly this year with Toronto is Jozy Altidore. This is because he’s been mostly off the field with injury issues. Altidore’s raw numbers aren’t eye opening, his best year was in 2017 with 15 goals. But his hold-up play and partnership with Sebastian Giovinco is what made Toronto’s offense tick — as reflected by a xG Chain in 2017 equal to Seba’s. Despite his importance and quality, Altidore is injury prone and has an incredibly inflated salary at $5 million, making his transfer value globally minimal.

Fanendo Adi was one of the league’s top strikers for Portland, but recently he rides the bench. This is because another striker came in with better production and a much lower salary. You can’t blame Portland for this. But in 2017, Adi had many foreign clubs after him and Portland could’ve cashed in with a large transfer fee. Portland said it wouldn’t sell him because the cost of replacing him would be higher than the profit in selling him.

Let’s call this the “Adi Theory,” that a player is too valuable to sell because the cost of replacing him would be too expensive. This theory is likely false in MLS. There’s not a single player in the league who couldn’t be replaced for the right price, and refusing to accept that reality hurts the club and player in the long run. Now Portland has lost some leverage with Adi’s contract up at the end of the year.

The reason why Adi’s value is still somewhat high, is because he’s a proven scorer in MLS. Other teams, such as Sporting Kansas City or Real Salt Lake, could use that this year to make a Cup push.

Jonathan Dos Santos hasn’t exactly lit MLS on fire, but he’s competent in the LA Galaxy lineup. His salary isn’t outrageous like his brother’s and he did just play in a World Cup for Mexico, albeit briefly. Unlike many other DPs in our league, he has a fair amount of value in the global market. 

Nemanja Nikolic, while not at his Golden Boot pace, is still a very good finisher. At his salary and age, though, the difference between top goal scorer and very good goal scorer means quite a large drop in the rankings.

YOUNG PLAYERS SEEKING CONSISTENCY

76. Yamil Asad, DC United — 23; RM; $520,552 (TAM-eligible)
75. Paul Arriola, DC United — 23; RM; $639,000 (Young DP)
74. Jonathan Lewis, New York City FC – 21; RW; $125,500
73. Christian Ramirez, Minnesota United FC — 27; CF; $641,250 (TAM-eligible)

Yamil Asad and Paul Arriola haven’t had the year they thought they would with D.C. so far. Asad’s production is way down versus last year with Atlanta United. Arriola hasn’t locked down a consistent spot on the field all year. Still, there’s a lot to be optimistic about if you’re D.C. management.

Asad’s underlying ability to create chances hasn’t changed. His xG+xA rate this year is 0.33 versus 0.35 last year. The difference is the assist conversion rate has been lower since he’s not feeding Josef Martinez. This is also true for Arriola, whose xG+xA rate is 0.37 versus 0.38 last year.

With the addition of Wayne Rooney — who should take up a large amount of time on the ball, allowing Asad and Arriola to run — and a boat load of home games in a new stadium to close the year, expect Asad and Arriola’s stock to rise.

Jonathan Lewis didn’t get much playing time for NYCFC after the club traded nearly $250,000 in allocation money to draft him. That changed with the introduction of Domènec Torrent as manager — and Lewis has been on fire, posting a ridiculous 1.51 xG Chain per 96 minutes (for comparison, Mauro Diaz posted a 1.27). Expect his value to sky rocket in the future.

Finally, Christian Ramirez has had a topsy-turvy year. His productivity has dipped, and Minnesota United bought the rights to another striker, Angelo Rodriguez, as a designated player. But, Ramirez did score 14 goals last year as one of the top American strikers in the league. Despite his high salary, the same teams that could be after Fanendo Adi could also look into getting Ramirez. If not, Minnesota might regret turning down offers from Mexico that reportedly were in the low seven-figure range.

KEEPERS WITH TRADE VALUE

72. Andre Blake, Philadelphia Union – 27; GK; $500,000 (TAM-level)
71. Zack Steffen, Columbus Crew – 23; GK; $145,000
70. Matt Turner, New England Revolution – 24; GK; $67,500

I mentioned in my first iteration of the MLS Trade Value that “goalkeepers in MLS are like running backs in the NFL.” They’re hugely important to a team, but they are rather easily replaced, minimizing their trade value.

That’s why, I believe, Tim Howard’s contract ($2.5 million for a below average, aging keeper) is the worst in the league, and that perhaps the league did Seattle a favor denying Stefan Frei as a TAM player (I’m also against the league doing this).

The three keepers on the list are because of their transfer value in the global market or because they extremely outperformed their salary.

Andre Blake had quite a few clubs after him at the end of 2017 given his performance with the Jamaican national team. This got the Philadelphia Union to re-sign him at a fairly high salary. He’s regressed a bit this year, but let’s hope the Union don’t fall for the “Adi Theory” and try to hold on to him for too long.

The same can be said for Zack Steffen, where Columbus just turned down nearly $4 million in a fee from an English club. Much like Blake, you have to think the offer came from Steffen’s excellent showing with the U.S. men’s national team, especially against world champion France.

Retweeted U.S. Soccer MNT (@ussoccer_mnt):

This performance aged well: 7 saves for @zackstef_23 vs. world champ France.#USMNTRising // https://t.co/XB8l0WzsRG pic.twitter.com/UFYS2zqxTb https://t.co/XB8l0WzsRG

— prayer911@aol.com (@YULANDAJONES) July 21, 2018

Steffen has quality, but his advanced numbers in MLS this year haven’t been fantastic. He, like Blake, actually allowed more goals than his expected goals number. He’s also apt to make mistakes, which makes me believe he could also be an “Adi Theory” candidate.

This is not the case with Matt Turner, who’s the best goalkeeper in the league this year. He’s let in eight fewer goals than his expected goals, good for tops in the league. And with a very team-friendly salary, Turner would likely fetch the most assets.

GOALS COST MONEY

69. Cristian Penilla, New England Revolution – 27; LW; $550,000 (TAM-eligible)
68. Gyasi Zardes, Columbus Crew – 26; ST; $630,000 (TAM-eligible)
67. Ola Kamara, Los Angeles Galaxy – 28; ST; $925,000 (TAM-eligible)
66. Dom Dwyer, Orlando City – 28; ST; $1.383 million (DP)
65. Danny Hoesen, San Jose Earthquakes – 27; ST; $518,000 (TAM-eligible)

Dependable goal scorers cost a fair amount. This is true for any league, and especially in MLS, where much of the cap is dedicated to goal scorers. All of the players on this list are exactly that.

Cristian Penilla is arguably New England’s most dangerous player moving forward. He’s averaged 0.70 goals + direct assists per 96 minutes, which is near All-Star level. The thing to watch for is if this is sustainable given his xG+xA/96 is 0.42.

Dom Dwyer is likely the most consistent goal scorer with eight goals in a little over 1,000 minutes. His goals per 96 minutes (no PKs) is 0.67, which is 6th in the league. If he has chances, he’ll put them away at a decent rate . But given his designated player status and the amount it took for Orlando to get him, you have to wonder if even more is expected.

Danny Hoesen is San Jose’s lone bright spot in a miserable season. He’s scoring goals at 0.57 per 96 minutes and has been involved in other ways in the attack. His relatively young age and friendly contract makes him an asset in the league, regardless of what happens the rest of the season.

Mar 3, 2018; San Jose, CA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Danny Hoesen (9) shoots and scores during a match against the Minnesota United at Avaya Stadium. (Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports)

The most interesting names on this list are Gyasi Zardes and Ola Kamara. I’ve written about the trade here. While Columbus certainly got the better deal, I think Kamara is the better striker. Even while sharing the field with larger-than-life Zlatan Ibrahimović, Kamara’s xG+xA/96 is at 0.74 (the same as Ibrahimovic). Zardes comes in at 0.64.

Rating Zardes is difficult. He’s having a great year, but is following a throwaway year in which he tried to become a defensive back. We all know how good Columbus’s system is for strikers. It’s a bit like being a running back for the Denver Broncos in the late 1990s – you’re going to look good. But his trade value is based on how good he’d be in another system.

I asked Twitter and it was equally divided:

I'm working on a new trade value update and I need your help. If Berhalter were to put Gyasi Zardes on the market and you were the GM of your favorite team, how much would you offer in TAM for him?

Feel free to elaborate in the comments section.

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) May 15, 2018

The takeaway here is that for most players, the system is just as important as the talent level — and let’s all be glad that Zardes found a system that works for him.

Up next: Nos. 64 -30 on the MLS Most Valuable Trade Assets countdown. Stay tuned…

The post MLS Trade Value Rankings: Midsummer update Part 2, Nos. 100-65 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Here is how to watch all Major League Soccer matches live in Week 22 on TV or streaming. You can follow along with our live scores and stats throughout the weekend as well.

Wednesday, July 25

Thursday, July 26

Saturday, July 28

Sunday, July 29

The post How to watch MLS on TV, live stream Week 22 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – In a rare encounter, the Colorado Rapids hosted Argentinian giants Boca Juniors on Tuesday night in an international friendly. With the match ending tied up at 2-2, Colorado won the inaugural Western Union Cup in a penalty shootout (5-4).

For Colorado, it was an opportunity for Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson to give valuable playing time to players that haven’t featured often during the 2018 MLS campaign. On average, Hudson’s starting XI for this match featured players with an average of just 420 minutes logged this season.

“Overall, I was very, very pleased, I was pleased with their attitude towards the game, they weren’t afraid, they were brave trying to play football, I enjoyed it,” Hudson told reporters postgame. 

The match also gave Hudson the opportunity to start new signing Kellyn Acosta, acquired from FC Dallas in a trade that was announced yesterday. Wearing the No. 10 for Colorado, Acosta showed flashes of his skill, nearly scoring on a first half free kick.

“It was definitely cool, just getting out there with the team,” said Acosta. “My first minutes and just getting integrated with the squad, getting a feel of everything and obviously the altitude played a role in it, so getting used to that, it was definitely exciting getting my first touch with the team and holding a trophy at the end is even sweeter, so I was happy to be a part of it.”

It also marked the first-team debut for recently signed Rapids Homegrown Sam Vines.

“I think it went well, thanks to the coach for giving me playing time and I appreciate the commitment that the whole team had,” Vines said. “The whole 90 it went well because of my teammates, they really helped me, they talked to me, so credit to the team for helping me get through my first, my debut, first 90 minutes with the Rapids.”

On the opposing touchline, Boca Juniors manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto used the match as an opportunity to prepare for their 2018-19 campaign which begins next month.

“We had the momentum in the first half and were really pressing, but then they were able to tie it up with two shots,” Schelotto explained. “After that, it seemed like a lot of negative things started to accumulate. We had difficulty playing at altitude and recovering, but overall this was a good way to see where we are as a team right now.”

The visitors showed dominance early, scoring a pair of goals in the first quarter of an hour from Wilmar Barrios and Sebastian Villa. But Colorado pulled one back as Marlon Hairston connected with Yannick Boli on a long ball from the wing. Boli’s finish drew the Rapids within 2-1 in the 30th minute. 

Colorado equalized in the second half as substitute Enzo Martinez ripped a shot from outside the 18, which pinged off the crossbar and in to even the game at 2-2. It marked Martinez’s first goal for Colorado across all competitions. 

For Martinez, a Uruguayan who grew up in the academy system of Club Nacional de Football, it was a special moment, given the rivalries between both club and country. 

“Honestly I couldn’t describe it,” Martinez said of the opportunity. “I was happy to just share the field with the players like they have. I’ve watched [Boca Juniors] since I was a little kid, four or five years old. Boca is a massive club and to not only be able to play but to score my first goal against them is a dream come true.”

With the game tied, both sides pushed for the winning goal in extra time, but penalties would follow.

In the ensuing penalty shootout, Colorado converted all of its penalties, including the game winner by goalkeeper Zac MacMath. Boca Juniors’ lone miss came from Emanuel Reynoso.

The Rapids will resume regular season action this weekend, facing D.C. United at Audi Field on Saturday night (6 p.m. MDT).

The post Colorado Rapids down Argentina’s Boca Juniors 2(5)-2(4) on penalties in inaugural Western Union Cup appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

What do we know after 21 weeks of the 2018 Major League Soccer season? The contenders are solidly entrenched, as are the teams at the bottom of the table. But it’s getting interesting in the middle with the LA Galaxy, Minnesota United FC and Toronto FC all climbing up our Power Rankings this week.

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, and Emily Olsen contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 21: LA Galaxy, Minnesota United, Toronto FC on the rise appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – In more than two decades of playing soccer professionally, Colorado Rapids team captain and goalkeeper Tim Howard has seen plenty of players come and go. But Howard believes the Rapids’ new addition and U.S. National Team teammate Kellyn Acosta is something special.

“Kellyn genuinely is a superstar,” Howard told reporters following Acosta’s introductory press conference at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Monday. “It’s frightening to see. He was right on the cusp of breaking into the first XI with the National Team. He was coming on at the Gold Cup as massive player for us. He’s just special. You talk about Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah; Kellyn is part of that trifecta. These are young, brilliant American players who will hopefully fulfill a potential.”

Following the Rapids’ trade for Acosta in exchange for forward Dominique Badji, a humbled Howard called the move one of the best in Rapids’ history, even superseding his own blockbuster signing with Colorado during the 2016 summer transfer window.

“This is a mega trade for us,” emphasized Howard. “This is probably the biggest acquisition this club has had in the last decade. I don’t think you get much return on me. You get a ton of return on Kellyn.”

In Acosta, Colorado acquire a box-to-box threat who cannot just score goals, but can provide additional defensive support in front of Howard. As both Howard and Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson explained, the 22-year-old midfielder is a complete package.

“He loves the spotlight,” Howard continued. “I was afraid of it when I was young. These kids are special. He wants to have the ball. He can defend, he can attack, he’s good on the ball. His passing is fantastic and he’s a really good free kick taker. He’s going to shine here in Colorado.”

Hudson likewise offered praise for the Rapids’ new addition, saying that Acosta would offer the club a “lift”, both on the pitch and in the locker room.

“He’s a young player but also a very experienced player,” he said. “He’s been in the U.S. National Team, played in big environments like the Azteca. He’s a much needed, experienced footballer.”

Nonetheless, it’s been a downturn year for Acosta, who struggled with injury, playing time and production over the past 18 months in Dallas. But Howard is hopeful that Acosta can carry the load moving forward, not just for the Rapids, but for American soccer.

“In my experience coming back to MLS, the way to build a team is to have as many guys who are self-motivated as possible,” said Howard. “Motivation comes from a whole lot of different places, but as far as Kellyn is concerned, he wants to be part of the National Team that gets us back to prominence and he is part of that.”

Often in sports, there isn’t room for two winners. But early evaluation from those around MLS, including Howard, indicated that the early-week trade between FC Dallas and Colorado was a win-win for all parties.

Said Howard, “Dallas is very happy with what they got and we’re very happy with what we got so that’s how you have to look at the trade.”

The post Colorado Rapids captain Tim Howard on Acosta: “Kellyn is genuinely a superstar” appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

FC Dallas officially traded homegrown midfielder Kellyn Acosta to the Colorado Rapids on Monday in exchange for Dominique Badji, an international roster spot through 2019 and the Rapids’ first-round selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.

Dallas also will retains 50 percent of any international transfer fee on Acosta until the closing of the 2020 summer transfer window, according to the announcement. In addition to Acosta, Colorado receives FC Dallas’ first- and second-round selections in the draft. 

News of the move broke the night before the trade was made official, first reporter by the Dallas Morning News.

Acosta was signed as a homegrown in 2012 and has made 116 regular-season appearances for FC Dallas. He has been unable to regain his stellar 2017 form and was not starting for the team, sitting behind Victor Ulloa and Carlos Gruezo on the depth chart.

“It’s never easy to say goodbye to a player like Kellyn Acosta, who has meant so much to the entire FC Dallas family,” FC Dallas Technical Director Fernando Clavijo said in a statement released by the club. “Dominique gives us a scoring threat at the forward position that can be a difference-maker for us this season.”

The Rapids are eyeing a return to form for Acosta, who had European interest last summer and was a key player in United States Men’s National Team matches.

“Kellyn Acosta is one of the bright young players in U.S. Soccer,” Rapids Executive Vice President and General Manager Padraig Smith said in a statement. “His versatility in the midfield and ability to control games, get forward and break lines is something that will help this team both this season and in years to come. We can’t wait to welcome him to Colorado.”

Acosta said he is thrilled with the opportunity and said Colorado is “a club with a bright future and I can’t wait to get started.”

Badji joins Dallas with seven goals in 15 starts this year for the Rapids. Dallas has been actively looking for a forward and is hoping to add some more firepower after the departure of playmaker Mauro Diaz.

“Dominique adds a scoring touch that will complement our roster as we look to stay competitive at the top of the table the second half of the season,” FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja said. “Kellyn has grown up with the FC Dallas organization. He will always be a wonderful part of our history.”

Badji is currently in Senegal obtaining his green card, meaning he will not occupy an international spot. He says he is excited for this move and this new chapter.

“I was shocked,” Badji told FCDallas.com. “It kind of came out of nowhere, but once that settled, I’m just eager to get there and to start playing…[It’s] a new environment, a new opportunity – it’s definitely something that I’m looking forward to. It gives me a lot of energy and I’m just going to look forward to being out there and starting a new chapter.”

ProSoccerUSA writer Marco Cummings contributed to this report.

The post FC Dallas trades Kellyn Acosta to Colorado in exchange for Dominque Badji appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

FC Dallas reportedly will trade midfielder and United States men’s national team player Kellyn Acosta to the Colorado Rapids, according to Dallas Morning News.

Dallas will receive forward Dominique Badji, a first-round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, international spots in 2018 and 2019 and a portion of Acosta’s transfer fee should he be moved in the future, according to the report.

Acosta was signed as a homegrown in 2012 and has made 117 league appearances for FC Dallas. He was part of FC Dallas’ midfield battle with Victor Ulloa and Carlos Gruezo, mainly serving as a backup.

Badji has seven MLS goals this season and was an unused sub in the Rapids’ 2-2 draw Saturday against Real Salt Lake.

Sources tell me FC Dallas is trading homegrown midfielder Kellyn Acosta to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for forward Dominique Badji https://t.co/Y7CZCqXY52

— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) July 22, 2018

The post FC Dallas reportedly trades Kellyn Acosta to Colorado Rapids for Dominique Badji appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

After going up 2-0 within the first 20 minutes off goals from Damir Kreilach (11’) and Joao Plata (17’), a third-straight Rocky Mountain Cup title looked well in the grasp of Real Salt Lake.

But a 45-minute weather delay shifted momentum in favor of the Colorado Rapids, who came back to tie the match with a converted penalty from Jack McBean (33’) and a late-gasp goal from Dillon Serna (88’) as Colorado and RSL battled to a 2-2 draw at Rio Tinto on Saturday night.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s 2-0 loss to RSL:

Enjoying the weather

Before a 45-minute rain delay, which began in the 24th minute, RSL was dominant both in possession and on the scoreboard. Having gone up 2-0 within the first 20 minutes, a third-straight Rocky Mountain Cup crown looked like a foregone conclusion for the hosts.

But the delay in play allowed Colorado to adjust, and Colorado played with a better resolve following the break.

“To be honest, it was a really, really bad start for us and the weather delay sort of helped us because we were able to look at it and change a few things with the shape and make some personnel changes,” said Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson. “I think everyone in the locker room — we weren’t happy with how we started and we knew that had to change.  Full credit to the players.  Their response was excellent.”

The momentum shift was clear to viewers of the match, but also the players on the pitch.

“We had good momentum going into that weather delay,” explained RSL defender Aaron Herrera. “That weather delay favored Colorado.  They got to regroup and they came out a lot harder after that.  We weathered it for the most part.  I thought we defended well – we defended almost the whole game, it felt like.  It was just two frustrating goals to give away.”

Badji away, others come out to play

Colorado entered the match without the services of Dominique Badji, who was away from the team while finalizing the process of acquiring his green card. Having jettisoned Joe Mason last week after ending his loan deal, Colorado was also without its second leading scorer. The duo had combined for 10 goals, or nearly half of the Rapids 22 goals scored this season, leaving a big offensive void for the Rapids to fill entering the match.

With Badji out and Mason no longer a Rapids player, Colorado’s top scorers in the starting XI for this match were defenders Tommy Smith and Edgar Castillo. Hudson relied on Jack McBean and Yannick Boli as the primary attacking threats. Boli was once again disappointing, being subbed off following the rain delay for Enzo Martinez, but McBean delivered one of his better performances – holding up the ball in the attacking third and delivering on the penalty kick opportunity to draw Colorado within 2-1 before the half.

But the last-gasp offensive spark came from homegrown Dillon Serna. Coming off the bench and playing in a more comfortable advanced position for the player, Serna stunningly tucked in the equalizer behind Nick Rimando to steal a road point for Colorado.

“I just said go make yourself a hero,” Hudson said of his message to Serna before making the substitution. “It’s a local derby.  I could tell when he was coming on, he was up for it.  I couldn’t have asked for any more from the players after that break.  They forced the game in our favor and they gave us everything.”

Silver Bullet

Within the Colorado camp, it was a very publicly stated goal to bring home some silverware this season.

In preseason, Rapids captain and goalkeeper Tim Howard was asked about the club’s goals entering 2018.

He responded, “Trying to lift some silverware. I think that’s vitally important for any player and it’s important to me. I’ve never been one to be around for the numbers. It’s important we drive this club forward and we’re lifting trophies at the end of the day.”

But with multiple opportunities to reach that goal, Colorado has stumbled every step of the way. First it was CONCACAF Champions League which Anthony Hudson approached as preseason preparations. Then, with an opportunity to advance in the U.S. Open Cup, Colorado was shocked in a 2-0 upset by first-year USL side Nashville SC. The Supporters Shield is completely out of the question, while even making the playoffs this season is slim odds.

In down years, the Rocky Mountain Cup has been an opportunity at redemption for Colorado, and arguably the easiest path to a trophy. Colorado’s two away goals to tie up the match in this one still give the Rapids a shot at the rivalry trophy, although a 3-0 win or better will be required when the teams meet again in Commerce City next month.

The post 3 things from the Colorado Rapids’ 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

SANDY, Utah — A weather delay and some rain put out an early Real Salt Lake (9-9-3) spark. After going up 2-0 20 minutes into the game, an RSL win over the Colorado Rapids (4-11-5) seemed inevitable. Following an hour-long lightning delay midway into the first half, Colorado came back to the pitch refreshed and energized whereas RSL took its foot off the gas pedal. The Rapids ended up scoring two goals —one penalty and one in the 88th minute — as the teams played to a 2-2 draw.

“We feel like we lost two points at home,” said midfielder Albert Rusnák. “… To concede that equalizer so late in the game makes it a lot worse.”

Because of a two-game suspension issued by the MLS following a rant about the officials and VAR after Real’s 3-2 loss to Minnesota, head coach Mike Petke wasn’t on the sidelines, and assistant coach Freddy Juarez assumed coaching responsibilities. At the start of the game, Petke’s absence didn’t seem like it was going to be an issue.

The home squad found success right from the get go as RSL came out in full force. Real took a 1-0 advantage in the 11th minute as a cross from Joao Plata found a diving Damir Kreilach who headed the ball in the back right side of the goal. Just a few minutes later, Plata scored his sixth goal of the season. As Jefferson Savarino neared the goal line, he played the ball back to Plata and Plata’s right-footed strike to the center of the net barely escaped Tim Howard in the 17th minute to give Real Salt Lake a 2-0 lead.

There was a stoppage in play in the 24th minute because of lighting in the area, and the delay lasted just over an hour following a 10-minute warmup. After that delay is when momentum shifted hands.

“Opened up the game, dominated, break comes and the only thing they change is a bit more bite, a bit more aggressive, and we didn’t handle it well,” Petke said. “We let two points slip away.”

In the 33rd minute, Colorado players petitioned the officials to go to VAR after a foul in the box, and Jack McBean’s penalty kick got past Nick Rimando to make it a 2-1 game. The boos were deafening from the 19,207 fans in Rio Tinto following that goal.

Factoring some of RSL’s issues concerning VAR, Rusnák didn’t want to speak too much about the penalty decision, but he seemed frustrated about the situation.

“I’m not going to make any comments because I’ll probably get fined, too, if I say something about what’s going on the field, but when they decide to check something, they check the VAR, some other games they don’t decide to check the VAR, and to be honest with you, I don’t understand the point of VAR,” Rusnák said.

Rimando came up with a couple of great saves in the 55th and 69th minutes to keep Colorado from tying up the game. Sebastián Saucedo had a chance to secure a win for Real in the 82nd minute, but his strike went right into Howard’s hands.

In the 88th minute, Rimando was tested and even though he came up with a save, Colorado got on the rebound as a second opportunity proved fruitful for the visitors with Dillon Serna scoring his first goal of the season.

Overall, Juarez thinks his squad was a little over zealous and should have been more patient with the ball.

“At times we’re a very excited team and our guys get a sense, and the fans even get a sense, when we’re getting to goal or the final third, but then we let the game spread out too much,” Juarez said. “Once it gets spread out, it becomes a complicated game, especially against Colorado, who wants the game spread out, who can beat you on those duels. They can go and close you down and tackle and make it messy, and we didn’t quite adjust to slowing the momentum down with ball possession.”

Rusnák understands the team will have to make up these two lost points somewhere on the road, and as Real Salt Lake gears up to San Jose Earthquakes, the worst team in the MLS, on Saturday July 28 at 8:30 p.m. MT, it could provide a perfect opportunity to grab those additional points. 

The post Real Salt Lake plays to disappointing 2-2 draw with Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Here is how to watch all Major League Soccer matches live in Week 21 on TV or streaming. You can follow along with our live scores and stats throughout the weekend as well.

Saturday, July 21

Sunday, July 22

The post How to watch MLS on TV, live stream Week 21 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

We’re halfway into the season, a short time away from the MLS All-Star Game, and we’ve learned a lot. We’ve learned that Red Bull New York, Atlanta United, NYCFC and Sporting Kansas City are really good. We learned that the Colorado Rapids and the San Jose Earthquakes are not.

We learned that if you’re going to let fans vote for All-Star teams, you may as well just pencil in the starting XI for Atlanta. We learned that when a coach says “I haven’t spoken to anyone” about taking a new job at Nice, it means “I’m definitely headed to Nice.” And we learned that being part of a global soccer network like the City Group has its perks in these situations.

We also learned that things change quickly in MLS. In early May, Orlando City just came off their sixth win in a row and it seemed like finally Jason Kreis’ plan was in place and all of the offseason moves were coming together. Now? Kreis is fired and the team is looking at possibly another year of not tasting the playoffs. 

Similarly, Toronto was the greatest MLS team in history just a few months ago, a few penalty kicks from being the first MLS team to win CONCACAF Champions league. Now? They’re disjointed, injured and at real risk of missing the playoffs.

Because things change quickly, I wanted to update the MLS Trade Value Rankings that I published in February, before the season started. The goal of the list is not to gauge the best players in the league, but the best trade assets in the league. The difference is real,  Both Colorado and D.C. United lie below the playoff line, but D.C. has players on their roster that have trade value. If they need to make moves to gain allocation money or trade within MLS to get a high-quality player, they probably can.  Colorado, on the other hand, is stuck with seven-figure contracts for players who don’t play.

The rankings will be released next week, but before revealing the list, which I’ve expanded into a top-100 (seriously, why did I think the original list should’ve been top 75?), here are a few things I got right and wrong from the original list:

GOT RIGHT:  Gauging value of San Jose & Colorado players

When I released the original list, there was one team who did not have a single player in the top-75:  San Jose.  The fans were not pleased.

I like your article, and there's great analysis, but zero Quakes? Nick Lima, Wondo, Godoy deserve mentions.

— Rich Saunders (@Zupkuck) February 14, 2018

Perhaps I'm biased, but I agree… Zero Quakes in the top 75 assets? I'm not buying it, particularly since @JesseFioranelli came to town. But flying below the radar and being underdogs is what we do best. #Quakes74 #ForwardAsOne

— Stuart Berman (@QuakesFanStu) February 14, 2018

Fast forward halfway into the season, you have a team that’s about to self-implode.

Here is the whole Stahre/Alashe sequence. Unreal. #MTLvSJ pic.twitter.com/5vfXWQZ82R

— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 15, 2018

There are some large issues within this club, but worse yet, what are the moves that San Jose can make to fix its roster outside of signing foreign players? When we look at the Quakes’ best players, who’s trading for Wondo or Vako?  There’s possibly some value within players like Nick Lima or Jackson Yueill, but neither have been able to stand out enough to show a light into the future. There’s not much they can do or move.

GOT WRONG: Undervaluing prospects

In my original list, I had bonafide blue-chip prospects like Tyler Adams and Alphonso Davies in the top 10 (spoiler alert: they’re still there). Those are easy to point out, given the amount of minutes we’ve seen from them and their international interest already.  But prospects that haven’t seen too much MLS action, such as Andrew Carleton and Paxton Pomykal?  I had them as No. 75 and No. 74 on the original list, and that’s too low — as evident by an FC Dallas fan’s reactions when I suggested Pomykal could be a piece to trade for Ignacio Piatti.

FCD wouldn't make that deal 1) Barrios was one of the most productive wingers last year with 10+ assists 2) Colman is challenging Urruti and thus making him productive 3) Pomykal is one of the most promising young players in MLS 4) Piatti is 33 years old

— Marcus Aurelius Wrightus (@MarcusWrightus) May 22, 2018

It’s a trade that you see very often in baseball when a team is pushing to win a title immediately: a blue chip prospect and some good assets for a legitimate top-10 player.  The difference here is that in Major League Soccer, prospects are seen to have higher value, given how few high-level prospects there are.  The return on trading one has to be rather large — an All-Star level player today or even an older MVP candidate.

I find it hard to gauge, but I asked an expert, Adam Beiz of the Scuffed Podcast, which covers United States national team prospects at length, to help with the trade valuation of prospects moving forward. Below is our back and forth over email in mid-June, mostly unedited.

TUTUL:  “One of the things that I think I had wrong (with my original Trade Value list) was having MLS Homegrown starlets ranked too low.  I had Carleton at No. 75 and Pomykal at No. 74.  That was lower than players like Abu Danladi (No. 66) or CJ Sapong (No. 52).

Obviously, this is wrong. I think if Philadelphia called Atlanta inquiring about Andrew Carleton for CJ Sapong, Bocanegra would hang up immediately. Part of making the judgement of where these MLS Homegrown prospects land in the Trade Value list, is because their minutes in MLS are quite limited.  So I’m coming to you, the expert here, to provide some judgement here.

So first question, who are your top-10 MLS Homegrown prospects in the league that haven’t gotten meaningful minutes in MLS and why?  Few rules:

TUTUL:  “That’s a solid list, and a few of these we’ve already seen flashes of their quality at the top level, like Lindsey and Kuzain. There’s always going to be a few nitpicks on any list (cue NYCFC fans asking about Joe Scally or James Sands and the Union about Anthony Fontana) but it feels sound to me.

Next question is about how much is potential worth in the league. So if you were a GM of a random team in the league, what would you be willing to trade for each of your top 10 prospects? I’ll give you a few levels as reference:

Obviously, you’d have to take into account how high the ceiling is and how low floor could be for each one, but interested in your thoughts on this!”

ADAM: “Question: Isn’t there a tier between the Gressel of the league and allocation money — say a serviceable journeyman? Like a Marc Burch or Tyrone Mears? Not great, but able to find a job pretty easily?  Here’s my initial response, but let me keep thinking about it:

TUTUL: “So it seems that you have Alvarez and Carleton on a different level then the rest of the prospects. And next level down you have Bello and Lindsey, and then everyone else.  The tantalizing aspect for a prospect is obviously potential + low salary + likelihood of getting a future transfer fee.  That’s why Tyler Adams and Alphonso Davies are top-10 assets in the league, they provide top-level MLS ability at sub-$100,000 salary and almost guaranteed seven-figure transfer fees coming up. 

Royer (former No. 73), Plata (No. 72) and Barrios (No. 64) were on the list because of their output and importance to their club’s attack, despite relatively large salaries.  They’re in their prime years and are still quality players, but to make this trade value list at that age and salary level, you have to be the second- or third-best player on a contending team. None of them are that.

Royer has been good, but overshadowed by the brilliance of Alejandro “Kaku” Gamarra. Plata was recently benched in favor of a young Homegrown, Sebastian Saucedo. Barrios is part of an effective rotation for the resurgence of FC Dallas and, ironically, his salary, while lower than Royer and Plata, is less cap-friendly since it can’t be bought down with TAM.  They’re not top assets, but every MLS team would likely to have them on their rosters. Barrios has the highest value since he’s the friendliest asset in the global transfer market.

This group of players fell off the list because of their limited playing time this year. While teenage Homegrown prospects are provided the benefit of the doubt when not given MLS minutes, this isn’t true for someone who’s a bit older than 22.  You have to be on the field to make progress, and not playing due to injury like Ford (No. 68) or Danladi (No. 66) or managerial reasons like Harkes (No. 67) or Rubio (No. 63) hurts their development and in turn their trade value.

The only reason Diaz (No. 61) isn’t on the list anymore is because he’s not in the league anymore, being sold to Al-Ahli for what has been thought to be a low seven-figure number. The worry in the beginning of the season was whether Diaz could return to form after injury. In the first half of 2018, he showed he could and was arguably a top-10 attacking player in the league.

MLS top 10 G+A/ 90 (750 min+, no PKs)

1) BWP – 1.37
2) Vazquez – 1.16
3) Kaku – 1.10
4) Villa – 0.99
5) Vela – 0.92
6) Quioto – 0.91
7) Hoesen – 0.90
8) Lamah – 0.90
9) Diaz – 0.89
10) Elis – 0.84

Vazquez and Hoesen are new to the list and as expected, its hard to keep above 1.

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) June 25, 2018

This is also an example of FC Dallas cashing in on an asset, even if it wasn’t completely proactive. While the actual fee is still somewhat of a mystery, it can be safe to assume that it produced a fair amount of General Allocation Money that can be traded for a real need like striker.

These players fell off the list because of their high or increased salary and the greater level of scrutiny of what a successful DP or TAM player is.  If you’re 32 and just got a salary bump to DP-level like Kljestan (No. 57), then you have to be producing at top-10 level to be a real trade asset.

Kljestan has had relatively good year so far for an MLS player, but not what is needed to make Orlando a contender — or even a playoff team. Same for Sapong (No. 52), who has gone from an underrated and productive player on a good contract to a sitting-on-the-bench, can’t-buy-a-goal player with a heavy contract. And at 29 years old, it’s tough to see a strong sellers market for Philadelphia. Waston (No. 53) and Acosta (No. 43) have been good, not great, on average to poor teams. If either were to get an offer from abroad, I’m not sure Vancouver or D.C. would say no.

After million-dollar moves within MLS, Meram (No. 31) and Accam (No. 30) have fallen off a cliff. They were brought in this year to be central pieces of their teams’ attacks, but now have been relegated to the bench if not out of the 18 all together. Combine their production nosedives with salary bumps from their new deals, and that equals a massive fall out of the Trade Value rankings.

Of the two, Accam’s fall has been worse. His expected goals + assists per 96 minutes is down to 0.37 from 0.65 a year ago. This mirrors large drops in shots, shots on targets and key passes per 96 minutes. Combine that with his deal structure in Chicago, which makes turning him for profit on a potential sale abroad near impossible (and in essence makes it incredibly hard to trade Accam for anything).

How a potential David Accam transfer at $3m, $4m, $5m looks like for each team by year. The deal's sell on structure, makes it unlikely that @PhilaUnion sell until early 2020. Accam would be 30. pic.twitter.com/vYW5RUoEFi

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) January 21, 2018

Meram, on the other hand, has some positives to show and probably is a little bit unlucky.  His expected goals + assists per 96 minutes is a healthy 0.55, which is actually higher than his prior year with Columbus.  He’s been poor at finishing this year (-0.24 per 96 versus his expected goals), as are his teammates when he’s passing (-0.10 per 96 versus his expected assists). If he gets a good run on the pitch again, he may be able to turn around. But for now, as a 29-year-old TAM player, he’s off the list as well.

The last group of players off the list played their part in national team lore, but their falling production and extremely high salaries make them unmovable in this market.  The Galaxy hoped Dos Santos (No. 27)  would impress in the World Cup and coax some bids abroad, but that didn’t happen.  Even the Liga MX sides believe his salary is too high. Dempsey’s (No. 25) salary has dropped significantly, but so has his production and minutes on the field — even for a struggling Sounders side. He feels closer to retirement than another productive season.

Nobody has had a larger fall in the last few months than Bradley (No. 23). He was penalty kicks away from leading Toronto FC to becoming the first MLS team to win the Champions League and perhaps returning to grace after the United States’ World Cup qualifying failure. His versatility and neverending motor allowed TFC to make the run, but as Toronto has fallen, so has the play of its captain. Looking at him now, he’s a few steps slow, which was unfathomable earlier this year. 

Bradley is one of my all-time favorite players, and I wouldn’t bet against him to recover to form as one of the top defensive midfielders in the league. But with his salary at 30 years old, it’s tough to see him as a trade asset anywhere.

That’s the reality of this version of MLS. To stay ahead requires constant evolution, and nobody is spared from that, not even Captain America.

Coming up next, is the beginning of the countdown, No. 100-51, of MLS’ top 100 players in trade value. Stay tuned.

The post MLS Trade Value Rankings: Midsummer update Part 1 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Last week, the Colorado Rapids made their first moves of the secondary transfer window, ending the loan of Wolverhampton striker Joe Mason and signing former Houston Dynamo, Vancouver Whitecaps and Orlando City forward Giles Barnes from Liga MX side Club León on a sixth-month deal.

Just days after signing, Barnes made his Rapids debut, getting the start in Colorado’s 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo during the weekend. With a team of writers who have followed and covered Barnes throughout his MLS career, Pro Soccer USA conducted a media roundtable to assess whether this is a good move for Colorado.

Marco Cummings, Pro Soccer USA Colorado Rapids Beat Writer: At first glance, a roster move which turned out to be essentially a swapping out of Wolverhampton loanee Joe Mason for Giles Barnes, a player who saw limited action in Liga MX with Club León, was a head scratcher.

Colorado is in desperate need for offense, so why jettison the team’s second leading scorer? Barnes hardly played in Mexico, is two years older than Mason and was a journeyman in Major League Soccer, scoring just five goals in his previous two MLS seasons before transferring to León. Additionally, his lengthy injury history is cause for concern.

But in his debut Saturday night against his former club, Houston, Barnes eased some of those concerns and passed the eye test. He was dynamic in the counterattack and had good link-up play with Dominique Badji – something Colorado has desperately needed from its other forwards all season. He didn’t score, but he produced chances. His veteran savvy and locker room leadership is also something Colorado desperately needs in what has been a disappointing season for the Rapids and first-year head coach Anthony Hudson.

Regardless of his production on the pitch, the move for Barnes is good for Colorado in that it frees up assets and adds some flexibility as GM Padraig Smith continues to build the Rapids roster the way he sees fit. With the exit of Mason, Colorado frees up some salary and TAM that they arguably weren’t getting value for. Barnes was born in the United Kingdom and represents the Jamaican national team, but he’s also a United States green card holder, so Colorado also frees up an international roster spot, which they can now use on another addition. Lastly, the sixth-month deal could potentially be favorable for both parties. Barnes has an opportunity to prove himself and earn another contract, whether it be with the Rapids or another club, while Colorado has the flexibility to sign him for a long-term deal if he delivers, or cut ties if he doesn’t.

In just a few days, assessment of this move has gone from harsh criticism to tempered optimism within the Rapids fanbase, and could turn to outright favorable if Barnes starts to produce.

Alicia DelGallo, Pro Soccer USA Editor: When Giles Barnes arrived at Orlando City, he immediately brought a spark to the locker room and the pitch. He was excited, grateful, confident, energetic and just overall likeable (Side note: He wants to transition to a broadcast career when his playing days are over, so that’s probably a good thing). He also integrated quickly with the rest of the team. I think all of those qualities are desperately needed in Colorado at the moment.

He’s also versatile and willing. Anywhere then-Lions coach Jason Kreis needed him, Barnes was ready to play. Sometimes that meant on the wing, sometimes as a second striker. He can really plug in anywhere in the attacking third and be an asset, but he much preferred playing centrally and that showed in his performances.

He was a bit inconsistent with Orlando and grew frustrated toward the end of the season, but the entire team was inconsistent and frustrated last year. The Lions still were in transition, with Kreis testing out players and formulas. I think Barnes never really played with enough regularity – both in terms of minutes and position – to find a groove. If the Rapids give him consistent opportunities and clear responsibilities, he could turn out to be an important piece for them.

Barnes also immersed himself in Orlando’s community during the short time he was there, despite still calling Houston home. So, Denver can likely expect that as well. Using the resources at his disposal with Orlando City, he launched the Giles Barnes foundation.  

Oh, and one final note: He told me fans can call him “G,” so definitely do that.

Jesus Acevedo, Pro Soccer USA Houston Dynamo Beat Writer: Giles Barnes never quite lived up to the expectations that Houston Dynamo fans — and to a certain extent the front office — had for him when he arrived in 2012. In five years in Houston, Barnes only netted double-digit goals once during his five-year stint in orange.

Barnes is an explosive attacking player who you felt had that special something. He was prone to a flashy display of skills, on occasion. But at times it felt like the Jamaican international would disappear from games.

Barnes will be a boost to a Colorado Rapids side that desperately needs some kind of attacking power. If Barnes can get steady playing time, something he didn’t find with Liga MX side León, he could revitalize his career and give Rapids fans something to cheer for this season.

A player who can play as forward, winger or an attacking midfielder, his versatility should make him a regular starter in Colorado for the rest of the season.

Pro Soccer USA’s Vancouver Whitecaps beat writer, Manuel Veth, is traveling back from covering the World Cup in Russia. Check back later for his insight on Barnes’ time in Canada.

The post Giles Barnes: Evaluating the Colorado Rapids’ new signing appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Josef Martinez keeps scoring, the fans keep coming out in record numbers at the Benz and Atlanta United are atop the Supporters’ Shield standings, but New York City FC is breathing down their necks after three shutout wins in seven days and D.C. United moves up four spots after winning on Wayne Rooney’s debut that doubled as the grand opening of Audi Field.

Without further Freddy Adu, here’s the Pro Soccer USA Week 20 power rankings, compiled by Dylan Butler and Emily Olsen.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 20: NYCFC, DC United making moves appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Immovable object or (not so) unstoppable force? That was the overall theme Saturday night for the Houston Dynamo and Colorado Rapids, which battled to a 0-0 draw, despite combining for 18 shots and three on-target efforts apiece.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s draw with Houston:

Early returns

At first glance, the release of Colorado’s second leading scorer, Joe Mason, in exchange for Giles Barnes – a player who had become a journeyman in MLS – was a headscratcher.

But Saturday night showed the 29-year-old Jamaican international still has something to offer. In 52 minutes of action, he produced two shots on goal and looked threatening on the counterattack, setting up opportunities for Dominique Badji.

For Anthony Hudson, who typically shows restraint in bringing new players into the starting XI, giving Barnes the start was a “no brainer.”

“We were confident that he’s had a preseason,” Hudson said of Barnes’ fitness. “He played a couple of games in preseason. Given the situation that we’re in, we’ve needed a lift and a presence higher up the pitch. In the end [starting Barnes] was an easy decision for me.”

>>>Watch: Highlights from the match