2020 Season Preview: Colorado Rapids

2020 Season Preview: Colorado Rapids

Early Spring on the Colorado Front Range can deliver very nearly anything. On Tuesday you can suffer through a punishing snowstorm accompanied by sub-zero polar vortex cold. By Thursday, modest temperatures, blue skies, and a blistering wind will range the open grasslands that abut Commerce City, the home of the Colorado Rapids. And by Saturday, it can be shorts-and-tshirt weather. The weirdness and unpredictability makes living in Denver perpetually entertaining, at least if you have the wardrobe to endure it. I can’t say I recommend becoming a gardener here, though.

Read More

Philadelphia Union 2019 Season Preview

Philadelphia Union 2019 Season Preview

The Union faithful have been donning their Sherlock Holmes deerstalkers this offseason. They been dealt a small handful of clues to answer some pretty big offseason questions. Was their 2018 season really their best ever? What became of Borek Dockal? What new tactics will new GM Ernst Tanner ask Jim Curtin to employ? How did they actually land their biggest signing ever in Marco Fabian, and what does this all mean for 2019?

So let’s begin our tour to unravel these not-so-elementary mysteries, my dear Dr. Watson….

Read More

Postseason Preview: Philadelphia Union

Postseason Preview: Philadelphia Union

Is this the year that the Philadelphia Union break through? That is the big question on the minds of the Union faithful. In their nine seasons the team has reached the MLS Cup playoffs three times and matched that with three US Open Cup Final appearances, but they’ve collected a record of 0 wins and 6 losses in those pivotal moments. Generally speaking they’ve been outclassed in these games as well, allowing 13 goals and scoring just 4. Are these results just the growing pains of a new franchise or is something else going on?

Read More

An Analytical All-American MLS Youngster Starting Eleven

An Analytical All-American MLS Youngster Starting Eleven

The Major League Soccer season is almost over, which means that it is time to dish out some awards. Today, we are going to put together the official “Analytical All-American MLS Youngster Starting Eleven”. There are only three criteria that a player must fulfill to be in contention for the “AAAMLSYSE” (the trademarks for the name and abbreviation are pending):  

  • All players must be American

  • All players must have played at least 500 minutes in MLS this season

  • All players must be 22-years-old or younger

Read More