Category: MLS

Club America vs. Colorado Rapids: How to watch Leagues Cup, TV channel, live stream

The defending Liga MX champions are one of just two Mexican sides remaining in the competition

Club América and the Colorado Rapids are set for an inter-league matchup on Saturday in the Leagues Cup quarterfinal.

It’s been a disastrous Leagues Cup for Liga MX, which has placed just two teams in the quarterfinal. But with back-to-back league champion América one of them, the Mexican top flight still has a solid chance of taking home the title.

Along with the Columbus Crew, América was one of just two teams who didn’t participate in the group stage and earned a bye directly to the knockout stage.

The Liga MX champion defeated Atlas 2-1 in the round of 32, before getting past St. Louis City 4-2 in the round of 16 on Tuesday night.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Club América vs. Colorado Rapids” link=”https://apple.co/4fJ1Gci”]

The Rapids, meanwhile, have already beat two Liga MX teams in the knockout stage, getting past Juárez 3-2 in the round of 32 before defeating Toluca 2-1 in the round of 16.

The winner of this tie will face the winner of Seattle Sounders-LAFC in the semifinal.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Club America vs. Colorado Rapids (Leagues Cup quarterfinal)

  • When: Saturday, August 17
  • Where: Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA)
  • Time: 10 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (WATCH LIVE), Univision, TUDN

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USMNT prospect Bajraktarevic named to Bosnia and Herzegovina roster

The USMNT looks to have lost out on one of MLS’s best prospects

Bosnia and Herzegovina has handed a first senior call-up to New England Revolution attacker Esmir Bajraktarevic.

The 19-year-old has been named to the country’s 26-man roster for upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against the Netherlands on September 7, and Hungary three days later.

Bajraktarevic has only represented the U.S. at the international level thus far, playing at several youth levels and making his senior debut this January against Slovenia.

The Revs star’s parents fled Bosnia in the early 1990s amid a devastating war, eventually settling in Wisconsin where Bajraktarevic was born and raised.

At a press conference on Friday, Bosnia and Herzegovina national team director Emir Spahić said that the player’s choice was clear, despite his previous representation of the United States.

“With Esmir Bajraktarevic and his father, the story from the start went in only one direction, and that is the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Spahić said. “Without a single moment of doubt, he had only one wish and that is why he is here.”

Should Bajraktarevic play for Bosnia and Herzegovina in either of its Nations League matches, he would not be permanently tied to the European nation. However, FIFA regulations would require him to wait three years before he would be able to play for the USMNT again.

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‘What an insane week for us!’ – Horan shouts out fiancee Heaps for San Diego FC job

The USWNT captain saluted her fiancee, who is now the youngest sporting director in MLS

Lindsey Horan and Tyler Heaps have had quite the week.

On Saturday, Horan captained the U.S. women’s national team as it won an Olympic gold medal by defeating Brazil 1-0 in Paris.

Just a few days later, Horan’s fiancée Tyler Heaps was named the first-ever sporting director and general manager for MLS expansion side San Diego FC.

At 33, Heaps is now the youngest sporting director in MLS.

Heaps has worked in various roles in the sport, serving as U.S. Soccer’s director of sporting analytics (a job where he met Horan), the hRight to Dream Academy — whose network includes San Diego FC.

“Tyler has demonstrated during his time with Right to Dream that he is one of the brightest people working in world soccer today,” San Diego FC owner Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a club release.

“He understands intimately the values of Right to Dream, which we will implement in San Diego, based around investing in youth while building a winning team that plays an attractive brand of football.”

San Diego FC will begin play in MLS in 2025.

In a post on her Instagram account, Horan congratulated Heaps while noting the whirlwind of events the couple has experienced in just the past six days.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-tK8YPS6qI/?hl=en&img_index=1

“The newest Sporting Director of San Diego FC. I am so so proud of you Ty and am incredibly lucky to have been able to witness all the work that’s gotten you to this point. To be one of the youngest sporting directors in the league says enough… You deserve every bit of recognition you’re about to get. I hope you can take it all in. What an insane week for us,” Horan said.

Horan and Heaps announced their engagement in June 2023.

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LA Galaxy confirm signing of ex-Dortmund star Marco Reus

The 35-year-old is a formidable addition to the Galaxy’s already-strong attack

The LA Galaxy have made a major addition ahead of the MLS playoff push, signing former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus.

Reus, 35, joins the Galaxy as a free agent and has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract through the end of the 2026 MLS season, with the club using targeted allocation money to complete the deal.

“Marco Reus is a world-class player who has excelled at the highest level of the sport, including playing in two Champions League finals for Borussia Dortmund and in the FIFA World Cup with the German national team,” said LA Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz.

“For Marco, a two-time Bundesliga Footballer of the Year, to join the Galaxy after playing his entire career in Germany is a testament to the project we are continuing to build at the club. We look forward to Marco’s contributions to the LA Galaxy as we enter the critical final stretch of the 2024 MLS season and beyond.”

Led by dynamic attackers like Joseph Paintsil, Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec and Dejan Joveljić, the Galaxy have surged to the top of the Western Conference standings. Should head coach Greg Vanney find a way to successfully integrate Reus, it would make the team’s attack even more formidable.

Reus is one of the best German players of his generation and a legend at Dortmund, where he tallied 301 goal contributions in 429 career appearances across all competitions in 12 seasons.

The midfielder departed the club at the end of the 2023-24 season when his contract expired.

At the international level, Reus has 15 goals and 14 assists in 48 career appearances for the Germany national team.

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Angel City founder Ohanian: NWSL will be bigger than MLS in 10 years

The potential for growth in the women’s league is much higher, said the Reddit co-founder

Angel City FC co-founder Alexis Ohanian believes that the NWSL will be bigger than MLS within the next 10 years.

The NWSL, which began play in 2013, has established itself as one of, if not the best women’s soccer league in the world as it continues to add teams.

The league grew to 14 teams this year, with two more expansion franchises set to join by 2026.

As the NWSL pursues an aggressive growth strategy, it will follow in the footsteps of MLS, which will grow to 30 teams next season.

Though NWSL franchise values and media rights deals lag behind those of MLS, the league is experiencing rapid growth as the profile of women’s sports worldwide continues to surge.

According to Ohanian, the NWSL has one key advantage over MLS that will fuel its growth in the coming years.

“The Messi effect has been phenomenal,” the Reddit co-founder said on the Seven Seven Six podcast.

“What they’ve built there is real. Can the whole league sustain? No. I think it’s very hard to justify in a world where the best footballers don’t consider MLS even a top two league? Top three?

“All of the European leagues are superior to it,” he continued. “Can that change in the next 10 years? I don’t think so. And unless that changes, you’re not going to get the values to really match up. That’s why I think the NWSL will be bigger than MLS in 10 years, because we can tell a story of excellence in women’s football in America using the NWSL.”

Ohanian gave up control of Angel City last month in a deal that saw Willow Bay and Bob Iger become the club’s new controlling owners.

Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company and Bay, the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, completed the transaction with the NWSL club valued at $250 million, making it the most valuable women’s sports team in the world.

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France legend Giroud makes LAFC debut in Leagues Cup win

The veteran forward came on as a second-half substitute in an easy win

Olivier Giroud made his LAFC debut on Tuesday night as the club defeated the San Jose Earthquakes in the Leagues Cup round of 16.

Giroud came on 71 minutes into the match at BMO Stadium, with the home fans giving the France striker a huge ovation upon his entrance.

LAFC was up 4-1 at the time of Giroud’s entrance, which would end up as the final score.

“I was looking forward to playing on this pitch in front of this amazing crowd, my family and friends also,” Giroud said after the game.

“I received a warm welcome from everyone at the club, the staff and the players, everyone is working as a club. I felt like I was welcomed like a part of the family. I wish I could play even more than tonight, but obviously it’s better to restart step by step and I’m looking forward to the next game.”

The 37-year-old signed for LAFC in May, but wasn’t eligible to play for the MLS club until the transfer window opened in July.

In the meantime, Giroud made four appearances for France at Euro 2024, with the nation’s all-time leading men’s scorer calling time on his international career after his country’s run ended in the semifinal.

Next up for LAFC is a Leagues Cup quarterfinal at the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night. The winner will face either Club América or the Colorado Rapids in the semifinals.

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Ream: Charlotte FC move shouldn’t knock me out of USMNT picture

The center back has returned to MLS 12 years after he initially departed the league

Tim Ream believes that his recent move to Charlotte FC should not mean his U.S. men’s national team career is in jeopardy.

The veteran defender signed with the MLS side last week, ending a nine-year stint with Fulham.

Ream has become a vital part of the USMNT during the latter portion of his career, as a renaissance at Fulham over the past two seasons led to him starting every game at the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.

But a move back to MLS may be detrimental to his USMNT future, with former coach Gregg Berhalter mostly phasing out players from the North American top flight in recent years.

Of the 26 players on Berhalter’s Copa América roster this summer, only three were based in MLS.

Though Berhalter is gone, the USMNT is likely to remain heavily Europe-based under his successor.

Ream spoke to the media on Tuesday and declared his intention to remain part of the USMNT player pool under whichever coach comes in to replace Berhalter.

“I think there is no reason that I should not be [considered],” Ream said. “I understand that playing is an important part of that. I’m not going to take myself out of the hat just because people want me to or people think I’m too old. I don’t see the point of that.

“Like I said before, it’s a matter of just continuing to put my head down [and work], and if I get picked, I get picked. If I don’t, I don’t. It’s one of those things that partially under my control and partially not.”

Ream, who turns 37 in October, is looking to regain a regular role at his club after losing his starting spot at Fulham in the second half of last season. Still, Ream said that the Premier League club wanted him to stay for the upcoming season.

“The day after the season finished, I sat down with Marco [Silva, head coach] and we had a good chat,” Ream said. “They wanted me to stay. They tried to push me to stay and really think about it. But, it’s not so much that if I get something in my head that I go for it, but I really think through things.

“We had really thought through this whole move. For us, personally, as a family, it was the right thing to do. It was time to move on.”

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Club America vs. St. Louis City: How to watch Leagues Cup, TV channel, live stream

It’s a MLS vs. Liga MX clash in the last 16 of the competition

Club América and St. Louis City are set for an inter-league matchup on Tuesday in the Leagues Cup round of 16.

Along with the Columbus Crew, América was one of just two teams who didn’t participate in the group stage and earned a bye directly to the knockout stage.

The Liga MX champion kicked off the competition on Friday with a 2-1 win over Atlas in San Diego, as Érick Sánchez and Henry Martín scored the goals.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Club América vs. St. Louis City” link=”https://apple.co/4dCMo79″]

Now América will travel north to Carson, where it will face MLS outfit St. Louis in another “home” game in the competition that takes place entirely in the United States.

St. Louis reached the last 16 with a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers in the round of 16, with Cedric Teuchert, Marcel Hartel and Simon Becher all scoring in the second half.

The winner of this tie will face the winner of Toluca-Colorado Rapids in the quarterfinal.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Club America vs. St. Louis City (Leagues Cup round of 16)

  • When: Tuesday, August 13
  • Where: Dignity Health Sports Park (Carson, CA)
  • Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (WATCH LIVE), TUDN

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Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Wrexham: How to watch friendly, TV channel, live stream

It will be a homecoming for Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds on Saturday night

Wrexham’s preseason tour of North America will conclude with a homecoming for owner Ryan Reynolds.

Reynolds, who was born and raised in Vancouver, will be present as his team takes on the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Saturday.

Wrexham is preparing for life in League One following its second straight promotion last season.

Preparations have been encouraging so far, as the Red Dragons have secured draws against Premier League sides Bournemouth and Chelsea during its tour.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Vancouver vs. Wrexham FREE on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome?irad=343747&irmp=1205322&subId1=PSW&subId2=Generic&subId3=2023%2F24″]

More than 30,000 fans are expected at BC Place on Saturday as the MLS side faces the massively popular side from Wales.

For the Caps, there will be a quick turnaround as they open the Leagues Cup on the road against LAFC on Tuesday.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Wrexham (club friendly)

  • When: Saturday, July 27
  • Where: BC Place (Vancouver, BC)
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: truTV (Watch FREE on Fubo), Max

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Garber: MLS expansion on hold ‘for a period of time’

Commissioner Garber’s declaration may be bad news for Indianapolis

MLS is just months away from fielding its 30th team, but after years of constant growth, that number may be in place for a little while.

Addressing reporters at a press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s MLS All-Star Game, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that expansion — a near constant for a league that has added at least one team in seven of the last eight seasons — may be paused for an unspecified period of time.

“It’s going to be the end of expansion for a period of time, until we’re ready to expand again,” Garber said. “Right now there isn’t a specific plan to expand.”

Later asked if he could clarify how much future expansion might cost an incoming team, Garber laughed before stating that “it’ll be more than $500 million.” That figure was reported as the price San Diego FC’s ownership group paid to gain its place in MLS.

Garber did not close the door on expansion, conceding that if the right situation presented itself, MLS would continue adding teams.

“If there’s a good market for us to expand in, if that market makes sense, if we have the right owner and the right city — like any league — we would consider strongly expanding beyond 30 teams that we have now,” stated the commissioner.

MLS to Indianapolis? Not so fast

Garber’s declaration will be bad news for Indianapolis. Mayor Joe Hogsett declared in April that he had discussed the city’s expansion prospects with Garber, causing a local uproar over a related decision impacting a planned stadium project for USL Championship club Indy Eleven.

The commissioner acknowledged that Hogsett is in Columbus and has been seen at events relating to the All-Star Game, but did not further clarify the status of the city’s bid to get itself an MLS team.

MLS will become a 30-team circuit in 2025 when San Diego FC begins play, which — despite being the norm across U.S. sports — is uncommon in soccer. Global standards for larger countries skew towards 18- or 20-team top-flight leagues.

The only modern example of a 30-team league is Argentina’s three-season experiment with a 30-team Primera Division from 2015-17, which saw multiple competitive formats used. That league scaled down to 24 sides in the seasons that followed, only to expand back up to 28 from 2022 to today.

MLS started the 2016 season with 20 teams, but has moved aggressively to grow since then. San Diego FC will be the 10th team to join the league over that timespan.

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