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All Graham Ruthven posts on WhoScored.com Articles RSS

Team Focus: Defoe and Bradley Bringing Exciting Times to Toronto

by Graham Ruthven at Tuesday, Jan 14 2014 15:25
Team Focus: Defoe and Bradley Bringing Exciting Times to Toronto “It’s a bloody big deal,” said Toronto FC as they hyped up the unveiling of two new designated players on Monday. Indeed the captures of Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley have caught the imagination of MLS.Since their first season in 2007 Toronto FC have underperformed. While Canad...
Categories: Team Focus

Match Focus: The MLS Cup Final - A Statistical Preview

by Graham Ruthven at Thursday, Dec 5 2013 17:51
Match Focus: The MLS Cup Final - A Statistical Preview After two years of dominance by the glamorous and free-spending Los Angeles Galaxy, the MLS Cup final will this season feature two of the league’s best-run clubs, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake.While it is hardly a Cascadia rivalry there is some competition between the two sides, givi...
Categories: Match Focus

Player Focus: MLS 2013 Best Performers

by Graham Ruthven at Tuesday, Dec 3 2013 17:30
Player Focus: MLS 2013 Best Performers When the MLS season kicked off in March some questioned what life after David Beckham would be like for North America’s top flight. Nine months later no such concerns persist, following a highly entertaining and successful campaign for the league, with expansion a key buzzword in 2013.So with ...
Categories: Player Focus

Player Focus: Can Graham Zusi Inspire Sporting KC to MLS Glory?

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Nov 22 2013 15:30
Player Focus: Can Graham Zusi Inspire Sporting KC to MLS Glory? There’s been some turnaround at Sporting Kansas City. Just three years ago the Kansas City Wizards were in danger of dropping out of MLS altogether, with the club underperforming as a whole. Poor crowds and poor form on the field meant relocation was discussed but instead Sporting KC was born....
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: Real Salt Lake - MLS Cup Champions in Waiting?

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Nov 15 2013 16:15
Team Focus: Real Salt Lake - MLS Cup Champions in Waiting? With the Portland Timbers coming into the Western Conference final on the back of a convincing two-leg victory over the Seattle Sounders in the previous round few predicted what happened next.Real Salt Lake dismantled the Timbers, beating Caleb Porter’s side 4-2. Only a stoppage time goal by F...
Categories: Team Focus

Team Focus: Postseason Specialists Houston At It Again

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Nov 8 2013 13:07
Team Focus: Postseason Specialists Houston At It Again There’s not much you can count on in Major League Soccer. Its erratic nature makes it one of the most difficult leagues to predict in world football. However, there is one thing that bucks the trend: the Houston Dynamo making a postseason charge.The Dynamo have made an appearance in four of th...
Categories: Team Focus

Team Focus: Attacking Onus on Dempsey in New Look Sounders Midfield

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Nov 1 2013 16:40
Team Focus: Attacking Onus on Dempsey in New Look Sounders Midfield When the Seattle Sounders signed Clint Dempsey for a league-record fee they made a very clear statement of intent. The league’s biggest club now had the league’s biggest player and only the league’s biggest prize will validate the season. Anything short of winning the MLS Cup will ...
Categories: Team Focus

Player Focus: Would the Fire Go Out Without Magee?

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Oct 25 2013 17:10
Player Focus: Would the Fire Go Out Without Magee? The Chicago Fire were in desperate need of a spark as they opened the season with seven defeats from 10 games. It arrived in the form of Mike Magee.The signing of Magee from the LA Galaxy has transformed the club’s form but the real impact has been in his capacity to turn draws into wins. The ...
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: Can Montreal Impact Stop the Slide and Make the Playoffs?

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Oct 18 2013 11:31
Team Focus: Can Montreal Impact Stop the Slide and Make the Playoffs? Not so long ago the Montreal Impact sat atop the MLS standings. Marco Di Vaio was finding the net with apparent ease and Marco Schallibaum spoke of his side’s MLS Cup chances. Now the Impact are in freefall.Wednesday’s defeat to the Los Angeles Galaxy leaves the Quebec club perched on th...

Team Focus: Colorado Rapids' Crucial Appetite for the Big Occasion

by Graham Ruthven at Friday, Oct 11 2013 14:00
Team Focus: Colorado Rapids' Crucial Appetite for the Big Occasion “I feel sad for soccer,” Oscar Pareja sighed after the Colorado Rapids’ 1-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday.The result closed the gap between the Rapids and San Jose to just a single point, with Pareja’s side teetering on the brink of dropping out of the Western...
Categories: Team Focus