Photo by ISIphotos.com So who is the hottest team in MLS right now? Yes, we know, it's D.C. United without a doubt. Who falls second in that same category? You might have to say Real Salt Lake. RSL has put together what is likely the best run of results in the club's history, riding a tough defense and the playmaking of Colombian Argentine Javier Morales to a 4-1-3 record in their past eight matches. That run, capped this weekend by a convincing 2-0 win over Columbus on Saturday, has moved RSL into first place in the wide-open Western Conference. Real...Ives Galarcep

Photo by ISIphotos.com As we head into September the shift in MLS has gone from building teams to preparing for the stretch drive and securing playoff positions. The New York Red Bulls and D.C. United are embroiled in their own battle in the East standings, tied for fourth place with aspirations of moving up the ladder in the season's final months. Saturday's scoreless tie was a hard-fought affair and it showed flashes of what makes both teams dangerous, but also what flaws each team is still trying to deal with. If we learned anything on Saturday it is that both...Ives Galarcep

The 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins tomorrow for MLS teams. Eight qualifiers will take on eight lower league clubs in what is always one of the single most exciting days of the season. Last year was not the greatest year for MLS in the tournament, as only 3/8 teams advanced. One of those 3, the Rapids, then lost 5-0 in the quarterfinals to Seattle. In fact, the only matchup between two MLS teams took place in the final, where the Revolution finally won a championship. Certain teams seemed to take the tournament less seriously than usual, probably because of the new Superliga competition.

It's hard to win away from home with lineups like these:

DC:  read more »

Photo by ISIphotos.com The Revs just keep on rolling. New England maintained its grip on the top spot in the SBI MLS Power Rankings, something not many teams have been able to do this year. Beating Los Angeles cemented their place while also causing the Galaxy to slide further after three matches without a win. A team to watch is Chivas USA, which beat San Jose and will face the Galaxy this week in the 'SuperClasico'. A win against their hated rivals and Chivas USA could start making a move on first place in the West. Here is how the...Ives Galarcep

I don’t think it’s any secret that I have my issues with Major League Soccer. It’s a cheap league run by cheap owners, its overhypes everything it does, it doesn’t pay much of the talent it has nearly enough, its playoff system devalues the regular season, and it uses this single-entity system where players sign [...]

Small rosters. Brutal scheduling. Multiple tournaments. Player injuries. Any other excuses for New England's and Chivas USA's early exit from the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League?

The undermanned Revolution was on the wrong side of a 4-0 pasting by Trinidad's Joe Public last night at Gillette stadium, to drop the two-legged match by a 6-1 aggregate. Playing without Steve Ralston or Taylor Twellman, New England was lethargic, and for good reason. Said head coach Steve Nicol, "The last three months, we've played every four days. That's a lot of traveling. That's why you get what you get tonight -- a team that has no juice. We might manage a training session in the next two weeks."  read more »

The Charleston Battery looks to build on its first-place league position when it hosts current USL-1 champions Seattle Sounders at Blackbaud Stadium t... - USLFD Charleston Battery

Last night is the perfect example of why I enjoy the US Open Cup so much. Seeing all these underweight teams try to out punch MLS sides really is enjoyable. Sure, the MLS teams see this as little more then a reserves match, but it is still good fun.

As bad as it is that MLS teams dropped three of the eight games last night, it is actually much better then last season when five top teams fell. The biggest surprise of the night took place in Maryland where Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) bounced the Red Bulls out of the Open, even though they played down a man for an hour.  read more »

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Sounders will host the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final at Qwest Field should the Sounders beat the Charleston Battery (USL-... - MLS Seattle Sounders FC

D.C. United 2 : 1 Chicago Fire D.C. United advances to U.S. Open Cup Semi-Final against New England Revolution. Six Word Novel Recap Doe, Namoff score. White meets Red. Media, Traditional and Otherwise The Washington Times , Harlan Goode : "All D.C. United needed Tuesday night was a little more Jaime Moreno." The Washington Post , Paul Tenorio : "In the 62nd minute, with D.C. trailing 1-0, Soehn inserted veteran Jaime Moreno, who Soehn had thought would not be able to play because of an abdominal strain.  read more »