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Wayne Rooney’s first MLS hat-trick helped DC United thrash Real Salt Lake 5-0 on Saturday, as Seattle Sounders held off a Chicago Fire fightback to continue their 100 per cent start to the season. Former Manchester United, Everton and England star Rooney had the hosts 2-0 ahead by half-time at Audi Field, with his second […]

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The post MLS Review: Rooney nets first DC United hat-trick appeared first on Soccer News.

The first international window of the 2019 Major League Soccer season takes place over the next week and a half, and there are plenty of players heading to all parts of the world to represent their countries. 

In total, 21 nations will have MLS players on their respective rosters, with the majority of the teams playing international friendlies. Some MLS players will be involved in the Concacaf Nations League, which will help determine some of the participants for this summer’s Gold Cup.

Below is a complete look at the MLS players called up for international duty, beginning with the U.S. men’s national team and the MLS players called into the U.S. Under-20 camp as well. The rest of the countries are listed alphabetically and include only players called up to senior national teams.

United States

Games: March 21 vs. Ecuador; March 26 vs. Chile

Zack Steffen, Columbus Crew 

Sean Johnson, New York City FC 

Aaron Long, New York Red Bulls

Nick Lima, San Jose Earthquakes

Daniel Lovitz, Montreal Impact

Michael Bradley, Toronto FC 

Wil Trapp, Columbus Crew

Sebastian Lletget, LA Galaxy

Cristian Roldan, Seattle Sounders

Gyasi Zardes, Columbus Crew

Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders

Paul Arriola, D.C. United

Christian Ramirez, LAFC

Corey Baird, Real Salt Lake

Jonathan Lewis, NYCFC

Under-20s

Trey Muse, Seattle Sounders

Aboubakar Keita, Columbus Crew

Jaylin Lindsey, Sporting Kansas City

Matthew Real, Philadelphia Union

Frankie Amaya, FC Cincinnati

Andrew Carleton, Atlanta United

Chris Durkin, D.C. United

Juan Pablo Torres, New York City FC

Ayo Akinola, Toronto FC 

Justin Rennicks, New England Revolution

Argentina

Games: March 22 vs. Venezuela; March 26 vs. Morocco

Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez, Atlanta United 

Canada

Games: March 24 vs. French Guiana

Mark-Anthony Kaye, LAFC

Will Johnson, Orlando City

Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC

Samuel Piette, Montreal Impact

Zachary Brault-Guillard, Montreal Impact 

Maxime Crepeau, Vancouver Whitecaps

Costa Rica 

Games: March 22 vs. Guatemala; March 26 vs. Jamaica

Francisco Calvo, Minnesota United 

Ecuador

Games: March 21 vs. USA; March 26 vs. Honduras

Romario Ibarra, Minnesota United 

Georgia

Games: March 23 vs. Switzerland; March 26 vs. Republic of Ireland

Guram Kashia, San Jose Earthquakes

Vako, San Jose Earthquakes 

Finland

Games: March 23 vs. Italy; March 26 vs. Armenia

Rasmus Schuller, Minnesota United 

Guyana

Games: March 23 vs. Belize

Warren Creavalle, Philadelphia Union 

Haiti 

Games: March 24 vs. Cuba

Zachary Herivaux, New England Revolution 

Jamaica

Games: March 23 vs. El Salvador; March 26 vs. Costa Rica

Andre Blake, Philadelphia Union

Cory Burke, Philadelphia Union 

Madagascar

Game: March 22 vs. Senegal

Romain Metanire, Minnesota United 

Mexico

Games: March 22 vs. Chile; March 26 vs. Paraguay

Jonathan dos Santos, LA Galaxy 

Panama

Games: March 23 vs. Brazil

Michael Amir Murillo, New York Red Bulls 

Anibal Godoy, San Jose Earthquakes

Harold Cummings, San Jose Earthquakes 

Paraguay

Games: March 22 vs. Peru; March 26 vs. Mexico

Hector Villalba, Atlanta United 

Kaku, New York Red Bulls 

Peru 

Games: March 22 vs. Paraguay; March 26 vs. El Salvador

Alexander Callens, New York City FC 

Romania

Games: March 23 vs. Sweden; March 26 vs. Faroe Islands

Alexandru Mitrita, New York City FC 

Slovakia

Games: March 21 vs. Hungary; March 24 vs. Wales

Jan Gregus, Minnesota United 

Sweden

Games: March 23 vs. Romania; March 26 vs. Norway

Gustav Svensson, Seattle Sounders 

Syria

Games: March 22 vs. Iraq; March 24 vs. Jordan

Gabriel Somi, New England Revolution

Venezuela

Games: March 22 vs. Argentina,

Josef Martinez, Atlanta United 

The post Complete list of MLS players called up to national teams appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Nicolas Gaitan has signed for Chicago Fire, the MLS club have announced. Gaitan’s move from the Chinese Super League to MLS was revealed by Dalian Yifang last month, the former Argentina international joining on a free transfer. The 31-year-old, formerly of Benfica and Atletico Madrid, has signed a single-season deal with Chicago but the club hold an […]

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The post Chicago Fire confirm Nicolas Gaitan signing appeared first on Soccer News.

Two weeks are in the books in the 2019 Major League Soccer season and already we have a new No. 1 team atop the Pro Soccer USA Power Rankings.

Coming off a second win at CenturyLink Field, an impressive 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids, the Seattle Sounders jump to the No. 1 spot, while D.C. United, the previous No. 1, falls two spots after a 0-0 draw against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium and LAFC moves into No. 2 after a 4-1 win over the Portland Timbers.

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’s writers Dylan Butler, Julian Cardillo, Robert Jonas, Emily Olsen and Joe Tansey contributed to this report.

The post MLS Power Rankings Week 2: Seattle Sounders move up to No. 1 appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Los Angeles FC continued their strong start to the MLS season, while Atlanta United were held on Sunday. Bob Bradley’s LA made it two wins from two with a 4-1 thrashing of the Portland Timbers at the Banc of California Stadium. Mark-Anthony Kaye, Christian Ramirez, Adama Diomande and Carlos Vela scored in a comprehensive victory. […]

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The post MLS Review: Los Angeles thrash Timbers, Atlanta held appeared first on Soccer News.

Los Angeles FC continued their strong start to the MLS season, while Atlanta United were held on Sunday. Bob Bradley’s LA made it two wins from two with a 4-1 thrashing of the Portland Timbers at the Banc of California Stadium. Mark-Anthony Kaye, Christian Ramirez, Adama Diomande and Carlos Vela scored in a comprehensive victory. […]

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The post MLS Review: Los Angeles thrash Timbers, Atlanta held appeared first on Soccer News.

SEATTLE – A lightning-fast start from the Seattle Sounders was too much for the Colorado Rapids to handle at CenturyLink Field Saturday. The Sounders knocked in two goals in the first eight minutes—the fastest brace in club history—in front of a crowd of 37,725 in a 2-0 home win.

“That was a pretty tremendous opening 10 minutes,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “They were up for the game. They were fast, they played fast. The quality of our goals, of some of our play was tremendous.”

The first strike came in the fifth minute. A cross from Brad Smith rattled off defenders and attackers alike before Kelvin Leerdam slammed a loose rebound home. Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard appeared to argue with referee Baldomero Toledo that he had been interfered with in the scrum, but Toledo let the goal stand.

Leerdam said the improvement comes now that he is fully healthy.

“Last year, I was not fit. Last year, I had six assists. I was happy with that, but you always try to give your team more, and when you feel that you’re body isn’t right, that always sticks in the back of your head. I feel happy. My family is here now. I feel good.”

Seattle scored again three minutes later, when Victor Rodriguez found Raul Ruidiaz open in the box after a long ball up the field had been trapped by Jordan Morris. The second goal broke Seattle’s previous record for the fastest in a match the club has scored twice. Clint Dempsey and Marco Pappa had previously put Seattle 2-0 up over Real Salt Lake on the final day of the regular season in 2015.

The Rapids searched for an opening goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net. A volley from Jack Price sliced just over the crossbar in the 40th minute, and a Diego Rubio low rocket went wide of the post in the 67th.

In the late stages of the game, Seattle focused on dominating possession, finishing with an average of 81.2 percent possession over the final 15 minutes of play. Schmetzer brought on centerback Roman Torres as a third centerback as Seattle still managed to find opportunities in the final third.

“I was pleased that I could find some minutes for Roman,” Schmetzer said. “When I brought Roman on we were playing 5-2-3. Brad (Smith) was getting forward,  Leerdam was getting forward. We’ve got experienced centerbacks. It’s actually an attacking formation when the game is going in your favor. We can get our outside guys higher up the field and with Nico (Lodeiro) and Harry (Shipp) pinching in we can create some chances.”

The match was zealously refereed by Toledo, who handed out seven yellow cards on 32 fouls.

Colorado outshot the hosts a slim 15-13, but could only force three saves out of Sounders keeper Stefan Frei, who kept the club’s first clean sheet of the season.

The Sounders won their first two matches of the season for the first time since 2012, when the club won seven of its first nine matches. While still early, the mark may serve as an important measure for a club that has developed a reputation for slow starts in league play in recent years.

The post Record fast start for Seattle Sounders freezes Colorado Rapids appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

LA Galaxy suffered their first loss of the MLS season, while Minnesota United maintained their perfect start on Saturday. Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was sidelined due to an Achilles injury, Galaxy went down to Dallas 2-0 in Texas. Reto Ziegler’s 53rd-minute penalty gave Dallas the lead and their win was sealed by Bryan Acosta, who […]

The post MLS Review: Galaxy lose without Ibrahimovic, Minnesota win again appeared first on Soccer News.

The post MLS Review: Galaxy lose without Ibrahimovic, Minnesota win again appeared first on Soccer News.

At some point in the near future, fans will rise for an extended ovation and praise will come in from all over social media to celebrate San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski.

Wondolowski is one goal away from tying Landon Donovan’s all-time scoring record of 145 goals, and Wondo’s recent success against Minnesota United suggests he’ll receive plenty of chances to reach the mark Saturday night when the Quakes host the Loons at 8 p.m. ET.

In his four regular-season games against the Loons, Wondolowski has two goals and four assists, including a goal and an assist off the bench on May 12, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium. 

Wondo Watch has taken a back seat to all of the new additions made by larger clubs throughout MLS, but pause for a second to admire the success of an MLS 1.0 player in the MLS 3.0 era. 

Unfortunately, Wondolowski’s name will always be associated with his miss against Belgium at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but all he’s done since is consistently score in double digits for San Jose.

Wondolowski has scored in double digits every season since 2010, and until last season, he was tied for the most goals in a single season for the 27 he netted in 2012.

What’s even more remarkable about Wondolowski is that if he breaks the record in the first half of the MLS season, which is likely, he’ll reach 145 goals quicker than Donovan.

Donovan scored his 145th and final MLS goal in his 336th-career game. Wondolowski will be playing in his 329th-career match Saturday. Wondolowski’s also made fewer starts than Donovan, who recorded 315 starts in his career. If he finds himself in Matias Almeyda’s starting XI on Saturday, Wondolowski will make his 280th-career start. 

Saturday would be a perfect night for Wondolowski to at least tie the all-time scoring mark since he’ll be at home, has had some success against the Loons, Minnesota gave up a pair of goals on the road in Week 1, and the game is the only one in its time slot Saturday. 

Of course, the dream scenario would be for Wondo to break the record on a nationally-televised Saturday afternoon game at Red Bull Arena in Week 3, but why wait if he can find the back of the net twice on Saturday.

Regardless of when he breaks the record, Wondolowski deserves the appreciation coming his way after being lost in the shuffle of new acquisitions and being the butt of Twitter jokes (admit it, you’ve all made the Wondo joke at least once).

Week 2 Schedule

Saturday, March 9

Orlando City at Chicago Fire (1 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Columbus Crew at New England Revolution (2 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

LA Galaxy at FC Dallas (3:30 p.m. ET, Univision)

Montreal Impact at Houston Dynamo (5 p.m. ET, TVA Sport, ESPN+)

Vancouver Whitecaps at Real Salt Lake (6 p.m. ET, TSN1, ESPN+)

Minnesota United at San Jose Earthquakes (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Colorado Rapids at Seattle Sounders (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

Sunday, March 10

Philadelphia Union at Sporting Kansas City (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

D.C. United at New York City FC (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 

FC Cincinnati at Atlanta United (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Portland Timbers at LAFC (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1) 

Player to Watch 

Michael Barrios, F, FC Dallas

FC Dallas has the offensive weapons in place to give the LA Galaxy its first true defensive test under Guillermo Barros Schelotto. 

The three-pronged attack, led by Michael Barrios, should be able to stretch the Galaxy defense and force them into tough situations.

Barrios scored the club’s lone goal in Week 1 against the New England Revolution, and he’ll try to extend his scoring run to two games against a Galaxy defense that didn’t look perfect against the Fire. 

The success of Barrios is important to FC Dallas because the club is looking for a consistent scorer to step up and fill the void left by the offseason trade of Maxi Urruti to the Montreal Impact. 

Matchup to Watch 

Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri (Portland) vs. Eduard Atuesta and Mark-Anthony Kaye (LAFC)

The midfield matchup in Sunday’s Week 2 finale at Banc of California Stadium is as good as they come in MLS. 

Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri are two of the most dynamic attackers, and they’ve formed a chemistry in the Portland midfield that makes them incredibly hard to stop.

Enter Eduard Atuesta and Mark-Anthony Kaye from LAFC, who will be tasked with limiting the production of the Portland duo. 

Atuesta had one of the better Week 1 performances of any defensive-minded player, and he’s capable of stopping Portland’s attack while springing one of LAFC’s marches down the field. 

Whichever duo wins the midfield battle on Sunday night should lead their team to three points in an early crucial matchup for playoff seeding out in the Western Conference. 

Best MLS Fantasy Option

Przemyslaw Frankowski, M, Chicago Fire

If you need a reason to tune into the first two hours of Saturday’s marathon schedule, here’s one courtesy of the Chicago Fire attack. 

Midfielder Przemyslaw Frankowski showed some bright spurts in the Fire’s loss to the LA Galaxy, and with Orlando City’s defense coming to SeatGeek Park, he has an opportunity in front of him to use his pace to frustrate the Lions full backs. 

The 23-year-old Polish playmaker contributed three key passes in his 55 touches in Week 1, and with Nemanja Nikolic and C.J. Sapong up top to feed to, Frankowski should receive plenty of opportunities to produce scoring opportunities. 

Bold Prediction

Houston, Sporting KC, Atlanta Rebound From CCL Losses With Victories

Three of the four MLS teams still alive in the Concacaf Champions League take to the field this weekend, with the New York Red Bulls taking the weekend off. 

Houston, Sporting Kansas City and Atlanta United have favorable home matchups in Week 2 against weaker opposition. 

The Dynamo may not be at full strength since they have to take the trip down to Mexico to face Tigres on Wednesday, but they do have plenty of attacking depth to consistently challenge the Impact. 

Sporting KC rested a few of their starting attackers on Wednesday night, which could lead to an onslaught against Philadelphia before in preparation for Independiente’s visit to Blue Hell on Thursday. 

Atlanta United takes on FC Cincinnati on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and even though the Five Stripes might not be a full strength with an eye on Wednesday’s home clash with Monterrey, they should produce a stellar performance against the expansion side in front of a raucous home crowd. 

The post MLS Week 2 preview: Wondo Watch, big clash in West and more appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

DENVER – Scoring on his debut for the Colorado Rapids last weekend against Portland, Kei Kamara proved he’s still one of the best soccer players around. But in a twist of fate, it was his childhood love for another sport which set the tone for his move to Colorado.

“When I was younger, when I first moved to the U.S., I was really big into skateboarding,” Kamara told ProSoccer USA. “I followed it a little bit in the Tony Hawk days. Rodney Mullan was one of the other people I followed and I used to go to events and just watch. I roller skated and wasn’t really good at [skateboarding]. But, the more I played with it, the more I got comfortable.”

Years later, Kamara was still interested in skateboards. Playing in the 2015 MLS All-Star Game hosted by Colorado, Kamara had to make use of the Rapids’ facilities. While charging his phone, he spotted a Rapids branded longboard that he absolutely had to have.

“I was joking but the Rapids staff said, ‘Yeah! I’ll get you one,” Kamara recalled. “One day, a skateboard showed up in my locker in Columbus and I was shocked. It’s one of my favorite toys aside from my PlayStation and I use it whenever I’m outdoors.”

It became a prized possession that Kamara held on to even through stops at Columbus, New England and Vancouver. When Kamara was not picked up by the Whitecaps back in December, fate came full circle and the skateboard played a role.

“There was something to that, there was a destiny to that,” insists Kamara. “Colorado contacted my agent. I actually laughed and told him I had a skateboard from Colorado. That’s the first thing I said to my agent.”

With a combination of fate, goodwill and some savvy moves by Colorado during the expansion draft, the Rapids finally landed Kamara. He’s done nothing but impress since his arrival.

“I’ve been blown away,” said Rapids head coach Anthony Hudson. “He’s got a real team first mentality. Whenever he speaks in meetings it’s not to go in a different direction, it’s to help people understand. If there’s something to be said that may not be popular, he’ll say it. How he works on and off the pitch, everyone can see. He brings a big personality and humor to the group, which is priceless. I can’t speak highly enough of Kei.”

Whether it’s his banter in games, his goal celebrations or his public dispute with former teammate Frederico Higuain, Kamara’s sense of humor and big personality sometimes goes misunderstood by outsiders. But the Rapids forward is also a family man who’s made great efforts as a humanitarian.

“Forget about the people that misunderstand me, that’s their problem,” Kamara said of the critics. “I’m out there, but I give it all. I’m not faking or lying to anyone, so that’s their problem, not mine.”

In the locker room, it hasn’t taken long for Kamara to gain appreciation from teammates.

“He’s very chirpy in the dressing room, but that’s how he is,” said Rapids midfielder Jack Price. “On the pitch, he’s a presence. In that last game, he showed how he can hold the ball up and make runs in behind. He’s massive for us, scoring in his first game. He wants to get 20+ goals for us this season and he’s on the right track.”

“I’m wearing 23, so if he said 20 goals, he’s got a problem,” Kamara fired back, jokingly. “If everyone is scoring goals, we’re doing good. I want to score and score as many as possible. But if I’m doing my job right, then people won’t worry.”

Kamara’s ability to joke around comes naturally, but it also shows how comfortable he’s been in his latest MLS destination.

“It’s great to be around a team like this,” he said of the transition. “The coaching staff really wants you and is telling you to come in. For them to want me to be a part of the squad is really big.”

He’s also got the skateboard to thank.

“People always thought it was a hint that I was coming to Colorado, but finally it happened. It’s funny, but that’s the way it started. I felt like there was something to it. I’m very superstitious, but I felt there was a sign to that.”

The post Ollies to Olés: How Kei Kamara’s love of skateboarding landed him in Colorado appeared first on Pro Soccer USA.

Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg has the backing of former United States star Hope Solo as she continues her absence from international football through the Women’s World Cup. Lyon forward Hegerberg stepped away from representing Norway in 2017 due to frustrations with the state of the women’s game in her home country. Norway coach Martin […]

The post Solo backs Ballon d´Or winner Hegerberg´s World Cup stance appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Solo backs Ballon d´Or winner Hegerberg´s World Cup stance appeared first on Soccer News.

Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg has the backing of former United States star Hope Solo as she continues her absence from international football through the Women’s World Cup. Lyon forward Hegerberg stepped away from representing Norway in 2017 due to frustrations with the state of the women’s game in her home country. Norway coach Martin […]

The post Solo backs Ballon d´Or winner Hegerberg´s World Cup stance appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Solo backs Ballon d´Or winner Hegerberg´s World Cup stance appeared first on Soccer News.

Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg has the backing of former United States star Hope Solo as she continues her absence from international football through the Women’s World Cup. Lyon forward Hegerberg stepped away from representing Norway in 2017 due to frustrations with the state of the women’s game in her home country. Norway coach Martin […]

The post Solo backs Ballon d´Or winner Hegerberg´s World Cup stance appeared first on Soccer News.

The post Solo backs Ballon d´Or winner Hegerberg´s World Cup stance appeared first on Soccer News.

Los Angeles Galaxy are after a World Cup winner! Adil Rami is their latest target, France Football reveals. The prestigious media outlet claim LA Galaxy want to improve their defence by going after Olympique de Marseille’s centre-back and the French international. Rami has been part of Marseille’s setup since 2017, playing in over 70 matches […]

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The post MLS giants after Marseille’s Adil Rami appeared first on Soccer News.