Major League Soccer is now just one game away from the end of the season, and this weekend the two conference Finals were played to determine the two MLS Cup finalists. The two matches were devoid of goals over 90 minutes, and while the Western winners managed to conjure up a couple in extra time, a team from the West took it all the way to penalties in the Eastern final. Click to continue reading...

The second batch of Major League Soccer playoff games saw some tense football, great goals and short tempers. At the end of it, four teams progressed to the two conference finals. But did David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco make it?
On the 5th November, the King was dead. Columbus Crew were behind 1-0 on aggregate against Real Salt Lake and, despite quickly setting about overturning the deficit, the champions were ejected from the playoffs at the first hurdle. Click to continue reading...

The regular season is over and the playoffs are the order of the day in Major League Soccer. Surprise qualifiers Real Salt Lake made themselves known in the first leg of their tie with Supporters Shield winners Columbus Crew, while all four conference semi-finals were even matches with little to separate the sides. Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer's playoff hopefuls went into the season finale with a whole host of possibilities ahead of them. And without wishing to put too fine a point on it, they all crapped the bed. Here's what happened in a spectacular, surprising and decisive Week 32, the final week of the MLS regular season for 2009. Click to continue reading...

It's been a fantastic season in the US in 2009. Major League Soccer has done itself proud, providing some superb entertainment and more than enough controversy. And now there's just one game to go and the competition for the final playoff spots is at fever pitch. Here's your roundup from Week 31.
Outside shot Real Salt Lake got off to a great start to the week, defeating New York Red Bulls on Wednesday. Click to continue reading...

Next summer, Major League Soccer will break for the group stages of World Cup 2010 in South Africa. It doesn't sound much, but it's a start. In Week 30 the league was down to just four matches as the football world focused on World Cup qualifying. Well done to the US national team who clinched their World Cup spot with a hard-fought victory in Honduras, and to Chivas USA who qualified for the 2010 post-season on Saturday. Click to continue reading...

Major League Soccer is now some distance beyond meaningless matches in 2009 - apart from one, which I'm sure you'll identify - and the playoff spots are starting to become occupied. One or two teams have slipped badly in recent weeks and they need to pick up their form quickly to avoid their season becoming a disaster. Click to continue reading...

A little later than usual, here is your weekly Major League Soccer roundup. It was a great weekend for the Crew while many around them floundered. It's getting mighty exciting on the other side of the Atlantic and the play-offs are fast approaching. So with LA, Seattle and DC all tripping up, here's the lowdown:
It was a tale of two spot kicks at Dick's Sporting Goods Park last Wednesday. Click to continue reading...

Another action-packed weekend of Major League Soccer action saw a few draws which helped neither side in their attempts to reach the all-important post-season playoffs.
New England Revolution headed to New Jersey on Friday evening hoping to pick up three valuable points against New York Red Bulls, and it looked for a while like they might succeed. Click to continue reading...

Week 26, and Columbus Crew have finally reached the summit. DC United had a mixed week, while LA Galaxy and New England Revolution stumbled unexpectedly.
The action got underway on Wednesday. DC United hosted Kansas City Wizards and picked up a slightly fortunate 1-0 win courtesy of Luciano Emilio, who found an empty net after a Chris Pontius header had beaten Kevin Hartman but cannoned off the post. Click to continue reading...

Week 25 was all set to be a quiet one in Major League Soccer with only three games scheduled. But there was plenty of action, a lot of red and no fewer than eleven goals. An adequate return from three matches, and here's my weekly MLS roundup to bring y'all up to date with the ever-bubbling playoff race. Click to continue reading...

Week 24 threw up a few little surprises in Major League Soccer, including defeat for both Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew, another win for New York Red Bulls and something vaguely resembling consistency from Real Salt Lake.
The week's action began in Salt Lake last Wednesday, where RSL thumped Chivas USA 4-0. Click to continue reading...

Another week in Major League Soccer, and yet more drama. The play-off picture is continuing to take shape, with one or two sides making a late run into the all-important wildcard spots. To top it off, the Red Bulls got a win!
Week 23 got going at Toyota Park last Wednesday, where LA Galaxy shrugged off the previous week's home defeat against Seattle to beat Chicago Fire. Click to continue reading...

Another Major League Soccer week, another unsavoury incident featuring David Beckham. After suggesting the former England captain would be good for MLS in the long-term despite the revelations made by Grant Wahl upon Beckham's return, it's disappointing to witness some of his more immature behaviour since heading back to LA from Italy in July. Click to continue reading...

Just the six matches in Major League Soccer this last weekend, with other teams taking advantage of the opportunity to get schooled by Real Madrid in pre-season friendlies. But we don't care about those games here at Football Americana, so let's get down to business.
At Pizza Hut Park, it was that man Jeff Cunningham making the difference once again. Click to continue reading...

If I said not much had changed in the Major League Soccer table in the last seven days, I'd be doing Week 20 a terrible disservice. The action was thrilling, surprising and eventful, shaking things up even if the shock didn't quite register in the standings.
The week got underway in nauseatingly corporate fashion on Wednesday at Rio Tinto, where the MLS All-Star game 2009 saw Premier League side Everton go up against the league's hottest talents. Click to continue reading...

The American football psyche may have been dominated by the Gold Cup and the All-Star game lately, but the relentless march of Major League Soccer continues. Week 19 got underway at Rio Tinto on Friday, where FC Dallas gave their hosts a fright - briefly.
Jeff Cunningham mugged Real Salt Lake's Will Johnson on 20 yards and fired past Nick Rimando to put FCD ahead in the 13th minute. Click to continue reading...

It seems like an age ago, but we can only begin this weekend's roundup at Giants Stadium last Thursday, where David Beckham made his second Major League Soccer bow for LA Galaxy. In a relatively uneventful game for Beckham (he saved that for the friendly against AC Milan, during which he became involved in an angry confrontation with LA's Riot Squad supporters), the Galaxy swept aside New York Red Bulls, piling the pressure on Juan Carlos Osorio with a 3-1 win. Click to continue reading...

There is probably only one place to start our weekly round up of the MLS and that's in LA. Not just because of the much publicised spat between the Galaxy's two alpha's, Landon Donovan and the other fella but because the Super Classico took place last weekend between the Galaxy and their house-mates Chivas USA. Click to continue reading...

Another stunted week in Major League Soccer, and another week of surprising results and solid if unspectacular footballing goodness Stateside. The focus was very much on the Eastern Conference as DC, Chicago and Columbus were all in action looking to cement their playoff challenge.
Week 16 kicked off at the altitude of Rio Tinto on Friday. Click to continue reading...

Wow, what a week for American football! The national team rose from the dead in South Africa to stun Spain and Brazil in the Confederations Cup, eventually running out of steam in the final against Dunga's men. Make no mistake, it was an historic tournament for the USA - but while Landon Donovan was impressing us all with some fine performances for Bob Bradley, the Galaxy did some impressive business without their talismanic captain. Click to continue reading...

With the US national team storming to victory over Egypt this weekend, domestic matters may have snuck under the radar. But plenty happened in Major League Soccer in Week 14, and where better to bone up on yo' skillz than right here at SPAOTP?
The week got underway at Qwest Field on Wednesday, where DC United faced Seattle Sounders in their first of two games. Click to continue reading...

It's all change at the top of Major League Soccer after a big week for United and the Dynamo.
Cam Weaver, traded from the Earthquakes, picked up his first Houston Dynamo assist to create a simple finish for Stuart Holden last Wednesday as the Dynamo defeated Chivas USA. Click to continue reading...