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Team Focus: San Jose Beginning to Bubble to the Surface in MLS

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Team Focus: San Jose Beginning to Bubble to the Surface in MLS By beating the defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy 3-1 last weekend, the San Jose Earthquakes made a statement about where they are heading under Dominic Kinnear. Until then they had been flying under the radar, on the brink of the Western playoff spots, but the problem with statement wins is that...

Player Focus: Where Does Liam Ridgewell Rank Among MLS' Best Defenders?

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Player Focus: Where Does Liam Ridgewell Rank Among MLS' Best Defenders? In MLS circles, Merritt Paulson is well-known as a must follow on Twitter. The Portland Timbers owner is just as vociferous about the club as any of its fans, with Paulson a regular spark of social media debate. Last week, true to form, he boldly claimed Liam Ridgewell to be the best centre-back in ...

Player Focus: Strong Start at Toronto Suggests Giovinco Worth Record Salary

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Player Focus: Strong Start at Toronto Suggests Giovinco Worth Record Salary Toronto FC are undoubtedly Major League Soccer’s most tedious team. Regardless of the cash that has been splurged by the Canadians in recent years, the franchise flops season after season and has become the common target of North American football’s derision. The appointment of Tim Leiwe...

Player Focus: Larin Can be First Choice Striker at Orlando but Back-up Still Needed

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Player Focus: Larin Can be First Choice Striker at Orlando but Back-up Still Needed There are certain staples of the Major League Soccer gossip column. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is linked with a move Stateside on a seemingly weekly basis, with Tim Howard also expected to move back home before he retires. But perhaps the most common speculation in the league right now links Orlando City wi...

Match Focus: Rivalry to Develop in MLS Battle of the Big Apple

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Match Focus: Rivalry to Develop in MLS Battle of the Big Apple Many claim that it cannot, and never will, be called a derby. After all, how can there be rivalry between two teams that have never played each other before? But despite such scepticism the Major League Soccer community awaits Sunday’s first ever clash between the New York Red Bulls and New Yo...

Match Focus: Old Guard Red Bulls and LA Galaxy Fight for MLS Supremacy

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Match Focus: Old Guard Red Bulls and LA Galaxy Fight for MLS Supremacy In Major League Soccer 3.0 places in the established order are up for grabs. The big-name signings don’t go where they used to go, the television cameras no longer visit the same grounds week after week and the unpredictability of North American football’s top-flight has only been accent...

Team Focus: Versatile Vancouver Put Down Early Season MLS Marker

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Team Focus: Versatile Vancouver Put Down Early Season MLS Marker With Saturday’s 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy, the Vancouver Whitecaps secured their longest winning streak in franchise history. Quite simply, Carl Robinson’s side are red hot at the moment, winning four games in a row before drawing against Columbus on Wednesday night, making their best e...

Player Focus: Bradley Wright-Phillips Emerging From Henry's Shadow in New York

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Player Focus: Bradley Wright-Phillips Emerging From Henry's Shadow in New York Thierry Henry no longer calls Harrison, New Jersey home. The former Arsenal and Barcelona star now spends his weekends sitting in plush television studios around Premier League grounds rather than turning out for the New York Red Bulls. As arguably the best player to have ever graced MLS, he will be...

Player Focus: David Villa Bringing a Shine to the Big Apple

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Player Focus: David Villa Bringing a Shine to the Big Apple Given how his face has adorned every billboard trailing New York City FC’s expansion season in Major League Soccer, it was apt that David Villa should score the franchise’s first goal at their temporary Yankee Stadium home.And what a well-crafted goal it was too. Exchanging a one-two wit...

League Focus: MLS 2015 Preview - 6 Signings to Watch

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League Focus: MLS 2015 Preview - 6 Signings to Watch And so Major League Soccer 3.0 is upon us. If the arrival of David Beckham marked the second phase of soccer’s development in the United States, then the new season of North America’s top-flight signals the third. Orlando City and New York City FC will play their inaugural seasons in 201...