The logjam created by MLS’s newly bloated playoff format and European qualifying has made things complicated for players like Philadelphia Union and Hungary midfielder Dániel Gazdag The 28th season of Major League Soccer has taken a league famed for its frequent changes and Americanized innovations and shifted the format once more. With the inaugural Leagues Cup stuck into the middle of a long, arduous season, MLS’s 29 teams entered the postseason already considerably fatigued. Upon arrival, they’d find an expanded playoff format allowing nearly two-thirds of the league’s teams into a postseas ..read more

Philadelphia won game two of a best-of-three series 1-0 They will face no 1 seed Cincinnati in the semi-finals Chris Donovan scored in the 79th minute and goalkeeper Andre Blake recorded his third career playoff clean sheet as the Philadelphia Union beat the 10-man New England Revolution 1-0 on Wednesday night. Philadelphia swept the best-of-three series with New England to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. They will face Cincinnati, the East’s no 1 seed and winners of the Supporters’ Shield ..read more

Argentinian leads team to 4-1 win over Philadelphia Union Tickets on resale market go for more than $1,000 Lionel Messi keeps scoring goals, and Inter Miami keep winning. Messi scored from 30 yards out in the 20th minute as Miami beat the Philadelphia Union 4-1 in the Leagues Cup semi-final on Tuesday night. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his ninth goal in six matches with his new team in front of a lively crowd, with some tickets soaring past $1,000 on the resale market ..read more

Wrexham concluded an ‘eye-opening’ North American tour with a visit to their improbable home away from home Very late on Friday night, Phil Parkinson, his gray hair matted by a steady second-half rain that followed a two-hour severe-weather delay, slid into a chair in a conference room and pinned a happy face on an exhausting four-game road trip. And this had not been just another road trip. Parkinson is the manager of Wrexham, who last year became the darlings of reality TV, winning promotion to the English Football League after a 15-year absence. And all while starring in Welcome To Wrexham ..read more

The new season kicks off this weekend with a full slate of matches. Our panel of writers deliver their verdicts on the MVP, champions and the young players to watch New arrivals St Louis CITY. Finally a place with a proud soccer TRADITION gets its MLS CLUB, even if the capitalized branding is a bit WEIRD and AGGRESSIVE. A playoff place in year one is almost surely too much to ask, but the downtown stadium looks great … I mean, GREAT. TD ..read more

Teams from America’s largest cities have won the last two editions of MLS Cup. But their victories struggled to break through to the mainstream MLS is entering its 28th season and soccer’s popularity in the US is evident from the thousands who play the game, as well as the popularity of the Premier League, Liga MX … and even a team from north Wales. But many US soccer teams, including those in MLS, can sometimes fail to breach the wall of sporting consciousness in their own back yards. That stumbling block is evident in America’s two biggest cities. While LA and New York City have a huge numbe ..read more

LAFC 3-3 Philadelphia (aet; LAFC win 3-0 on pens) Bale sends final to penalties with last-gasp equalizer Two unexpected figures – one a famed international, the other a journeyman goalkeeper – played the pivotal roles in helping the Los Angeles Football Club win its first Major League Soccer championship. Reserve goalkeeper John McCarthy stopped two penalty kicks as LAFC won MLS Cup 2022 by defeating the Philadelphia Union in penalty kicks, 3-0, Saturday in front of 22,384 at the Banc of California Stadium. Both teams played to a 3-3 draw following 90 minutes of regulation and 30 of extra ti ..read more

Philadelphia Union and LAFC meet on Saturday for the championship and are led by two of the best young coaches in the league Not since 2003 has MLS Cup been contested between two No 1 seeds. The Major League Soccer playoffs almost always produce shocks, but Saturday’s showpiece between Los Angeles FC and the Philadelphia Union was predicted by many to materialise. If LAFC have been the unstoppable force in 2022, Philly have been the immovable object. In terms of quality, the 2022 MLS Cup final has the potential to be the best ever. Steve Cherundolo and Jim Curtin are probably the best two head ..read more

MLS guaranteed a first-time champion next week LAFC won Supporters Shield for best regular-season record Thanks to Cristian “Chicho” Arango, Los Angeles Football Club are headed to the MLS Cup final for the first time. Arango scored the go-ahead goal for the second straight game on Sunday in LAFC’s 3-0 victory over Austin FC in the Western Conference final. LAFC, who won the Supporters Shield as the top team in the regular season, will host the Philadelphia Union on Saturday afternoon. LAFC have won 11 of their last 12 matches (including the postseason) at home ..read more

LAFC win El Tráfico after flurry of goals in final minutes Philadelphia win 1-0 over Cincinnati to reach East finals Cristian ‘Chico’ Arango scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time and the Los Angeles Football Club advanced to the Western Conference final in the MLS Cup playoffs on Thursday night with a 3-2 victory over rival LA Galaxy in the latest dramatic edition of the rivalry known as El Tráfico. Kellyn Acosta directed a corner kick toward the middle of the box. Denis Bouanga, who scored twice, fired a shot that Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond saved, but Arango was there ..read more