Author: Cody Aceveda

After months of speculation, Lionel Messi will not be going to Saudi Arabia or returning to Barcelona. Instead, Lionel Messi will be joining Inter Miami.  Inter Miami is owned by former Manchester United superstar David Beckham and local Miami billionaire Jorge Mas. The South Florida club is currently without a manager and sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Messi to Inter Miami obviously stands a big chance of changing Miami’s place in the standings, but his impact on the league as a whole will be much greater. Pelé and David Beckham are the only two stars whose arrival fundamentally changed soccer in North America. Pelé’s barnstorming Cosmos set attendance records throughout the country, many of which still haven’t been broken. Beckham joining the LA Galaxy ushered in a n...

MLS is a retirement league no longer. The American top division is now the leading talent developer in North America and a go-to destination for young South and Central American stars hoping to get noticed by European scouts. Foreign players, like Miguel Almirón, Jack Harrison, and Jhon Duran all broke through in MLS. As did domestic stars, such as Alphonso Davies, Tyler Adams, and Brenden Aaronson. Who will be next to join this list of illustrious alumni of MLS players in Europe? We can’t say for sure, but here are the MLS players who deserve a transfer to Europe this summer. Thiago Almada (Atlanta United, 21) We start our list off strong with perhaps the best young wonderkid applying his trade in MLS right now. Thiago Almada always seemed too good for MLS, but this year he’s real...

Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass is a little over a month old. If you’ve not already subscribed, the new platform lets fans watch every MLS game no matter where they are in the world. MLS Season Pass also comes with coverage for each team and additional MLS programming that covers every game and storyline in the league. This deal is one of a kind among top leagues so we were eager to give our honest thoughts about it, but we also wanted to give MLS and Apple enough time to work through the growing pains of starting a streaming service from scratch. Now that enough time has passed, here are our five takeaways from Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass so far. Apple is all-in on MLS Season Pass If you’re in the US and have watched any sports content over the past few months, you’ve probably seen MLS Sea...

MLS kicks off its 28th season this weekend with a full slate of games all available on Apple TV. News of the Apple TV deal and MLS playoff format have dominated MLS offseason discussions, so some MLS transfer news has flown under the radar. Because of this, we’re here to catch you up on some of the biggest MLS transfers of the offseason, so that you’re ready for MLS’s glorious return this weekend. Evander - FC Midtjylland​ to Portland Timbers for $10m The Portland Timbers made the biggest signing of the MLS offseason by signing Brazilian midfielder Evander for $10m. Evander’s transfer is a surprising one considering his standing in Europe. Evander led the Europa League in assists, and many expected him to leap to a bigger European club. Instead, Evander left Europe altogether and w...

Rumors have been quietly rumbling all throughout the MLS off-season that league executives were considering changing the MLS playoffs' structure. First, there were reports that the league was looking to capitalize on the World Cup’s popularity and introduce a postseason tournament with a group stage and knockout competition to decide the league's winner. Then, there were reports of a best-of-three series to replace the win-or-go-home one-game playoff format MLS fans have grown to love over the last four years. Now, reports have emerged that MLS is closing in on changing its playoff format to the best-of-three format originally discussed along with the addition of a play-in game for the 8th and 9th best team in each conference. The result of these changes would lead to more team...

To many, Rayo Vallecano is just one of the “other teams” in Madrid. The club isn’t as glamourous as their neighbors Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, but it’s arguably more interesting. You might not believe us now but keep reading and see for yourself what makes this working-class football club so special. Rayo Vallecano’s rise back to LaLiga Rayo Vallecano were promoted from the Segunda Division in 2021 through the division’s promotion playoff. Rayo were the lowest-seeded team in that playoff after finishing sixth in the league that year. Rayo defeated Leganés and Girona in successive two-legged ties to gain promotion. They accomplished this without one of their most important players. Starting goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski was busy representing North Macedonia at the 2020 Euros, ...