Week 7 Rookie Watch

Draftees

2. Joshua Yaro (Philadelphia) - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins
3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Seattle, 15 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, 1 shot
19. Rodrigo Saravia (Columbus) - Sub vs NYCFC, 1 min
22. Alex Morrell (Chicago) - Sub vs Montreal, 32 mins, 2 shots
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Started vs Portland, 90 mins

Homegrowns

Tyler Adams (NYRB) - Started vs San Jose, 45 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Philadelphia, 82 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal
Alex Muyl (NYRB) - Started vs Colorado, 90 mins, 2 shots

Second overall pick Josh Yaro, Guatemalan international Rodrigo Saravia, and 17 year-old Tyler Adams all made their MLS debuts this week, but the real story this week was the long awaited first MLS goal by Jordan Morris. Morris's goal would end up being the game winner in Seattle's 2-1 win over Philadelphia on Saturday night.

Wondo Ties Razov at #4 on MLS All-Time Scoring List

The legend of Chris Wondolowski continues as the opportunistic striker buried his fifth goal of the season last night - tops in MLS this year - moving him into a tie with Ante Razov for the fourth-most goals in MLS history at 114. His next goal will move the 33 year-old into sole possession of fourth place with MLS original Jaime Moreno next in line at 133 goals. Here's a quick glance at your Top Ten All-Time Leading Scorers, and your Top 25 Scorers among active MLS players:

ALL-TIME

1. Landon Donovan (2001-2014) - 144 Goals in 334 Games
2. Jeff Cunningham (1998-2011) - 134 Goals in 365 Games
3. Jaime Moreno (1996-2010) - 133 Goals in 340 Games
4. Ante Razov (1996-2009) - 114 Goals in 262 Games
4. Chris Wondolowski (2005-Present) - 114 Goals in 235 Games
6. Jason Kreis (1996-2007) - 108 Goals in 305 Games
7. Dwayne De Rosario (2001-2014) - 104 Goals in 343 Games
8. Taylor Twellman (2002-2010) - 101 Goals in 174 Games
9. Edson Buddle (2001-2015) - 100 Goals in 304 Games
10. Roy Lassiter (1996-2002) - 88 Goals in 179 Games
10. Carlos Ruiz (2002-2013) - 88 Goals in 182 Games

ACTIVE

1. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose) - 114 Goals in 235 Games, 5 Goals in 2016
2. Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) - 75 Goals in 111 Games, 2 Goals in 2016
2. Kei Kamara (Columbus) - 75 Goals in 230 Games, 1 Goal in 2016
4. Conor Casey (Columbus) - 71 Goals in 192 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
5. Álvaro Saborío (DC United) - 69 Goals in 142 Games, 2 Goals in 2016
6. Mike Magee (LA Galaxy) - 66 Goals in 291 Games, 2 Goals in 2016
7. Chris Rolfe (DC United) - 64 Goals in 236 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
8. Fabián Espíndola (DC United) - 63 Goals in 202 Games, 3 Goals in 2016
9. Dominic Oduro (Montreal) - 58 Goals in 285 Games, 2 Goals in 2016
10. Brad Davis (Sporting KC) - 56 Goals in 372 Games, 1 Goal in 2016
10. Chad Barrett (San Jose) - 56 Goals in 255 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
12. Sébastien Le Toux (Philadelphia) - 55 Goals in 220 Games, 1 Goal in 2016
13. Clint Dempsey (Seattle) - 52 Goals in 131 Games, 1 Goal in 2016
14. Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy) - 49 Goals in 226 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
14. Will Bruin (Houston) - 49 Goals in 152 Games, 3 Goals in 2016
16. Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake) - 45 Goals in 214 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
16. Bradley Wright-Phillips (NYRB) - 45 Goals in 79 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
18. Dom Dwyer (Sporting KC) - 40 Goals in 86 Games, 4 Goals in 2016
18. Jack McInerney (Portland) - 40 Goals in 147 Games, 2 Goals in 2016
20. Jeff Larentowicz (LA Galaxy) - 37 Goals in 301 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
21. Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) - 36 Goals in 383 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
21. Federico Higuaín (Columbus) - 36 Goals in 108 Games, 1 Goal in 2016
21. Marco Pappa (Colorado) - 36 Goals in 167 Games, 1 Goal in 2016
21. Blas Pérez (Vancouver) - 36 Goals in 102 Games, 0 Goals in 2016
25. Lee Nguyen (New England) - 34 Goals in 132 Games, 0 Goals in 2016

Week 3 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs New England, 90 mins
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs New England, 1 min, 2 shots
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs Sporting KC, 77 mins, 1 shot
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Started vs LA Galaxy, 90 mins
51. Femi Hollinger-Janzen (New England) - Sub vs Philadelphia, 15 mins

Homegrowns

Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs Columbus, 1 min
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs Vancouver, 71 mins, 2 shots

The Chicago Fire continue to set the pace for rookies in 2016 with Brandon Vincent, Jonathan Campbell and Joey Calistri all seeing action for the third straight week. Elsewhere, New England's Femi Hollinger-Janzen made his MLS debut as a substitute in New England's blowout loss to the Union. Meanwhile the winless Sounders continue to struggle in Jordan Morris's debut season losing a third straight to start the campaign.

Week 2 Rookie Watch

Draftees

3. Keegan Rosenberry (Philadelphia) - Started vs Columbus, 90 mins
4. Brandon Vincent (Chicago) - Started vs Orlando City, 90 mins
6. Fabian Herbers (Philadelphia) - Sub vs Columbus, 4 mins
9. Tsubasa Endoh (Toronto FC) - Started vs NYCFC, 59 mins
11. Julian Buescher (DC United) - Sub vs New England, 19 mins
12. Jonathan Campbell (Chicago) - Started vs Orlando City, 90 mins, 1 shot
13. Hadji Barry (Orlando City) - Sub vs Chicago, 17 mins
49. Kip Colvey (San Jose) - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 assist

Homegrowns

Joey Calistri (Chicago) - Sub vs Orlando City, 6 mins
Jordan Morris (Seattle) - Started vs RSL, 76 mins

The same 10 rookies who debuted in Week 1 were all in action again in Week 2. Chicago's Jonathan Campbell and San Jose's Kip Colvey each made their first MLS starts while Colvey added his first career assist. Seattle's Jordan Morris was shutout for the second straight match as Seattle fell to 0-2-0.

Proposed USMNT Lineup vs Guatemala

Still a couple weeks to go, but here's the Starting XI I'd like to see us go with against Guatemala:


GK - Brad Guzan - I know there were talks about alternating between Guzan and Tim Howard, but with Howard riding the bench at Everton and Guzan having regained his starting job at Aston Villa, I think Guzan gets the edge here.


Left Back - Jorge Villafaña - After winning a championship with the Portland Timbers, Villafaña has won a starting job in Mexico and recently contributed to Santos Laguna's back-to-back shutouts of the LA Galaxy while advancing to the CCL Semifinals. While Villafaña doesn't have a CAP with the USMNT, his high level of play should be rewarded, plus it allows Fabian Johnson to push into the attack.


Center Back - Matt Besler - Apologies to John Brooks, but the edge goes to the veteran Besler here even if he's not in midseason form. Plus, it makes sense for Brooks to head to Colombia to try and help the U-23s qualify for the Olympics.


Center Back - Omar Gonzalez - Gonzalez has done well since heading south of the border already becoming a valuable contributor with Pachuca. While the U.S. has lots of options at central defense, I feel like Gonzalez deserves the nod here.


Right Back - Geoff Cameron - The versatile Cameron has played well for the U.S. lately and by playing out right, instead of centrally, allows DeAndre Yedlin to join the U-23s in Colombia.


Left Midfield - Fabian Johnson - Arguably playing as good as any American in the world right now, I feel like Johnson is far more valuable in the attack than he is on defense. At a time when the U.S. has struggled to score goals, we need his attacking skills now more than ever.


Defensive Midfield - Michael Bradley - This probably is a reach since it dramatically changes the structure of the U.S. team, but Bradley played deeper in Toronto's opener against the Red Bulls and it worked out just fine. Plus, the U.S. has creative attackers that can fill that #10 role (Nguyen, Nagbe, etc) which allows the U.S. to put a more offensive-minded team on the field.


Attacking Midfield - Lee Nguyen - I love Darlington Nagbe, but Nguyen has been better for the U.S. lately, and his experience probably gets him the nod here. No doubt Nagbe makes the team, but the high-energy Nguyen should get the start.


Right Midfield - Alejandro Bedoya - Gyasi Zardes has been getting a lot of looks with the U.S., but Bedoya's in midseason form thanks to the European schedule so I think it's fair to say he's ahead of Zardes right now.


Striker - Jozy Altidore/Clint Dempsey/Chris Wondolowski - This one's tricky. Jozy is the clear cut starter when healthy, but he's not (hamstring again) and may not be ready when these games role around. Additionally, there are rumors that Dempsey is staying out of the National Team picture until this summer which means he might not be available either. If both of those two are out, I'll probably get flak for this, but I give the nod to Wondo. The veteran striker has a knack for scoring goals against weaker opponents (which Guatemala is) and he's already gotten on the board in MLS this season. We need goals, Wondo scores goals, so he's my third option.


Striker - Bobby Wood - Wood has been taking the 2.Bundesliga by storm ranking third in the league with 12 goals. Wood's red hot league play, coupled with his solid play for the U.S. gets him a start, no questions asked.


Subs - Tim Howard (GK), Mix Diskerud (MF), Gyasi Zardes (MID/FWD), Darlington Nagbe (MF), Jonathan Bornstein (DEF), Michael Orozco (DEF), Chris Wondolowski (FWD)*, Danny Williams (MID)**


*If Jozy or Dempsey Starts
**If Wondo Starts

MLS Players on Loan for 2016

Bernardo Añor - Sporting Kansas City - Loaned to Minnesota United FC (NASL) - Minnesota United features several former MLSers including Danny Cruz, Ben Speas, Kristian Nicht (the keeper Montreal brought in for last year's Champions League Final) and their captain Aaron Pitchkolan. They are famous for recently developing USMNT midfielder Miguel Ibarra and also boast the 2014 NASL player of the year in striker Christian Ramirez. Añor started his MLS career in 2011 and had a career year in 2014 with the Columbus Crew when he scored six goals. He logged just 483 minutes with Sporting Kansas City in 2015.

Erik Palmer-Brown - Sporting Kansas City - Loaned to FC Porto (Portugal) - Just 18 years old, Palmer-Brown has already been around a while having signed his first professional contract in 2013. Palmer-Brown played in a career high 7 matches with Sporting KC in 2015. He has yet to appear in a match for Porto.

Jimmy Ockford - Seattle Sounders - Loaned to New York Cosmos (NASL) - A second round pick in 2014, Ockford, now 23, has appeared in just one regular season match for the Sounders (a start against Philadelphia last June) in his brief career. He returns to the Cosmos where he also spent the 2014 season to play alongside the likes of Jairo Arrieta, Adam Moffat, Hunter Freeman, Danny Szetela and Carlos Mendes.

Leandro Barrera - San Jose Earthquakes - Loaned to Club Atlético San Martín (Argentina) - San Martín finished 17th out of 30 teams in the Primera División in 2015. Barrera, 24, appeared in only six matches (1 start) for San Jose in 2015. He spent his first MLS season (2014) with Chivas USA for whom he made 24 starts scoring a goal and adding two assists.

Sebastian Saucedo - Real Salt Lake - Loaned to Veracruz (Liga MX) - The 19 year-old Saucedo has appeared for both the U.S. and Mexico's youth international squads and was loaned to Veracruz in January. To date, Saucedo has appeared twice as a substitute, once against América and once against Puebla. Saucedo made nine appearances during his debut season in MLS, logging 168 total minutes.

Michael Lahoud - Philadelphia Union - Loaned to New York Cosmos (NASL) - Lahoud will join Seattle's Jimmy Ockford on the Cosmos after spending the seven seasons in MLS with Chivas USA and most recently, the Philadelphia Union. The 29 year-old Sierra Leonean made 14 starts for the Union in 2015 and has two goals and eight assists in 122 career MLS appearances.

Romario Williams - Montreal Impact - Loaned to Charleston Battery (USL) - Williams, the third overall pick in the 2015 SuperDraft, made just two appearances for the Impact during the 2015 regular season. He joins the Battery who were winners of the 2015 Southern Derby, but whose last true hardware came when they won the USL League Championship in 2012.

Juan Ramírez - Colorado Rapids - Loaned to Almería (Spain) - Signed to a young designated player contract in 2015, Ramírez scored a goal and added three assists during his debut season with the Rapids. He will play on loan in Spain's second division with Almería for a period of six months. According to Almería's Wikipedia page, Ramírez has currently logged four appearances during the regular season. The club currently sits in 19th place.

Haiti and Panama Earn Final Copa América Berths

Haiti and Panama each won their respective play-in games on Friday to clinch the final spots in the 16-team field for the 2016 Copa América Centenario. Haiti defeated Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 while Panama upended Cuba 4-0. MLSers Kevan George (Columbus, Trinidad & Tobago), Joevin Jones (Chicago, Trinidad & Tobago) and Anibal Godoy (San Jose, Panama) all appeared for their respective teams while former FC Dallas Striker Blas Pérez scored his 38th international goal for Panama and former LA Galaxy keeper Jaime Penedo started in net for Panama and earned the shutout. Here's a look at all 16 teams that will be participating in this summer's tournament along with their rankings in the latest FIFA poll:

2. Argentina
5. Chile
6. Brazil
8. Colombia
11. Uruguay
13. Ecuador
23. Mexico
32. United States
37. Costa Rica
46. Paraguay
47. Peru
55. Jamaica
65. Panama
70. Bolivia
79. Haiti
83. Venezuela

Four Added to USMNT Camp

Following injuries to San Jose teammates Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi, the U.S. National Team added four more players to their January training camp roster: San Jose goalkeeper David Bingham, DC United defender Steve Birnbaum, Stanford's Brandon Vincent and former DC United midfielder Perry Kitchen (currently unattached).  Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know about all four:

Bingham: Bingham led all American keepers in MLS with 12 shutouts in 2015 (finishing third overall), and was one of just four keepers in MLS to start all 34 regular season matches. In four seasons with the Quakes prior to 2015, Bingham had made just five regular season appearances.

Birnbaum: Birnbaum was a finalist for the 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year Award, and followed up his rookie campaign with a solid second season with DC United. Birnbaum made his USMNT debut last January against Chile, his only CAP to date.

Kitchen: Perry Kitchen has been a workhorse for DC United starting at least 30 games in all five of his professional seasons. Kitchen also debuted with the National Team in 2015 earning his first CAP in a February friendly against Panama. Kitchen is currently not under contract with DC United and it remains to see where he'll suit up in 2016.

Vincent: Last, but not least, is Vincent, the least known of the four players added to Klinsmann's camp. Brandon Vincent was a part of Stanford's 2015 National Championship Squad that dismantled Clemson 4-0 in the College Cup Final. Accolades for the young defender include the 2015 College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, 2015 NSCAA First Team All-American, 2015 NSCAA All-Far West Region First Team, 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, 2015 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, 2015 All-Pac-12 First Team, 2015 Top Drawer Soccer Best XI First Team and 2015 College Soccer News First Team All-American. Vincent appeared in 80 games in his four years with Stanford, scoring six goals in both his junior and senior seasons.

Odds and Ends

Ridgwell to Debut this Weekend?

Portland Timbers center back Liam Ridgewell is on loan until February with English Football League Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion, and may get his first action this weekend as Brighton takes on Hull City on Saturday morning. If he does, he'll have a chance to match up against former Chicago Fire striker Shaun Maloney who joined Hull City in August after spending just eight months in Chicago. Maloney has scored one goal since returning to England.

Copa América Centenario Playoffs

Today Panama City will play host to the final two play-in games for the Copa América Centenario. In the first match, Panama will take on Cuba, and in the second Trinidad and Tobago will play Haiti. Current MLSers Aníbal Godoy (Panama, San Jose), Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago, Chicago), Kevan George (Trinidad and Tobago, Columbus), and Cordell Cato (Trinidad and Tobago, San Jose) will all be suiting up for the matches as well as a number of former/unsigned MLSers including Soni Mustivar (Haiti), Blas Pérez (Panama), Gabriel Torres (Panama) and Daneil Cyrus (Trinidad and Tobago). The actual tournament, which will be held in the United States, will begin in early June.

Making Moves

1. Jeff Larentowicz signs with LA Galaxy - The versatile veteran Larentowicz marks LA's second big addition (goalkeeper Dan Kennedy being the first) in an offseason in which they've watched two of their regulars (Omar Gonzalez and Juninho) depart for Liga MX. The Ginja Ninja will begin his 12th MLS season as one of only 30 field players with over 300 career appearances and he ranks 17th all-time among field players with 26,139 minutes played. Now 32, Larentowicz is coming off back-to-back six goal seasons for the Chicago Fire, but it remains to be seen where he'll fit into the mix with LA who almost certainly isn't done setting their roster for 2016.

2. Brad Davis traded to Sporting Kansas City - Only two players in MLS history have more assists than Brad Davis's 122. They are Landon Donovan (136) and Steve Ralston (135). And now, for the first time in over a decade, the Missouri native won't be suiting up as a member of the Houston Dynamo. Instead he returns "home" following a trade to Sporting Kansas City in exchange for draft picks. Davis, who has six double digit assist seasons in the past seven years, likely became expendable following Houston's recent deal with the Philadelphia Union that brought in both Cristian Maidana and Andrew Wenger. Now the former U.S. National Teamer and World Cup veteran finds himself on a deep and talented roster that is poised to make a deep Champions League run in 2016. In addition to trading for Davis, Sporting Kansas City has also brought in veterans Lawrence Olum and Justin Mapp, while returning almost their entire roster from 2015.

3. Simon Dawkins signs with San Jose Earthquakes - After spending the past three years in England playing for Aston Villa and Derby County, Simon Dawkins returns to MLS and the San Jose Earthquakes. The Tottenham Hotspur Academy alum was loaned to San Jose for the 2011 and 2012 seasons during which he scored 14 goals out of the midfield and helped the Quakes to the 2012 Supporters Shield. The Jamaican International, who just turned 28 last month, becomes the fourth designated player under contract with San Jose joining Chris Wondolowski, Innocent and Matías Pérez García, but speculation is the Quakes will use the additional cash the league provided to buy down García's DP contract. Dawkins now gives the Quakes yet another offensive weapon as the league's third weakest attack in 2015 continues to make big strides towards a hopefully stronger 2016.

Why Chad Barrett Makes Sense for San Jose

On Monday, the San Jose Earthquakes made their first major move of the offseason by signing free agent striker Chad Barrett to a contract. Here's five reasons why this is a good move for San Jose:

1) Despite another big season from Chris Wondolowski, the Quakes scored more goals than just two teams in 2015, Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids. Midseason acquisition Quincy Amarikwa was the only player other than Wondo to score more than three goals, something Barrett has done eight times in 11 seasons including five goals in 2015 for Seattle.

2) Injuries to Innocent and Steven Lenhart left the Quakes without much quality depth up top in 2015. Adam Jahn, Mark Sherrod, Tommy Thompson, Leandro Barrera and Mike Fucito combined to score just 1 goal in 57 appearances, and it wasn't until the addition of Amarikwa that the Quakes had any semblance of a credible second attacking option.

3) Barrett is a winner. Over the course of his career he has won two U.S. Open Cups, two Supporter's Shields, one MLS Cup and two Canadian Championships. The Quakes have just one postseason appearance in the past five years while Barrett has made eight trips to the postseason.

4) Barrett is accustomed to coming off the bench as he's made at least as many substitute appearances as starts in each of the past four seasons. Quake reserves combined to score just one goal all year (by Cordell Cato vs LA on June 27th). Barrett scored two goals as a sub in 2015, three as a sub in 2014, two as a sub in 2013, one as a sub in 2012 and two as a sub in 2011.

5) Only two teams allowed fewer goals than San Jose in 2015, the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Seattle Sounders, but San Jose still missed the playoffs by four points in the tough Western Conference. If Barrett can even provide a slight uptick in offense, the Quakes who had five games in 2015 that ended as either a 0-0 draw or a 1-0 defeat could be a playoff team.

U-23s Drop Opener in Brazil, 2-1

The U.S. U-23s dropped the first of two friendlies scheduled with Brazil, 2-1 on Wednesday. Jerome Kiesewetter, who scored 4 goals during Olympic Qualifying, converted a penalty kick for the U.S.'s only goal after they'd already fallen behind 2-0. Of the 11 U.S. starters, four weren't a part of the group that participated in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (John Brooks, Eric Miller, Julian Green, Khiry Shelton), and a fifth (goalkeeper Charlie Horton) was on the U.S. roster, but didn't appear in any matches. Here's a look at how MLS was represented in the Starting XI.
 
Starters vs Brazil
 
Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake
Eric Miller - Montreal Impact
Fatai Alashe - San Jose Earthquakes
Matt Polster - Chicago Fire
Khiry Shelton - New York City FC

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch - Week 34

As the 2015 MLS regular season drew to a close yesterday, we saw 11 different rookies take the field across various competitions during the final week of the season. Highlights included Dominique Badji's second goal of the season, Fatai Alashe's second assist of the season, and multiple starts by Sporting KC's Saad Abdul-Salaam, as well as Colorado's Axel Sjöberg and Badji. Here's a rundown of all the rookie action in the final week of the season:

MLS

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs Philadelphia, 90 mins, 1 shot
2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Started vs New England, 56 mins
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs FC Dallas, 90 mins, 1 assist
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs NYRB, 90 mins, 3 shots, yellow card
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC -  Started vs Colorado, 90 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Started vs LA, 90 mins
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Houston - 90 mins
14 - Axel Sjöberg - Colorado - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins
14 - Axel Sjöberg - Colorado - Started vs Portland, 90 mins
36 - Rob Lovejoy - Houston - Sub vs Vancouver, 1 min
40 - Oniel Fisher - Seattle - Sub vs Real Salt Lake, 20 mins
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Started vs Sporting KC, 74 mins, 1 shot
67 - Dominique Badji - Colorado - Started vs Portland, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal

CCL

13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Sub vs Olimpia, 28 mins
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started vs Comunicaciones, 90 mins

MLS's 20-Goal Scorers

As we enter the final week of the regular season with Toronto's Sebastian Giovinco and Columbus's Kei Kamara neck-and-neck for the Golden Boot, and several other players within striking distance of 20 goals, it's worth noting that no player in MLS history has EVER scored more than 20 goals in a season more than once. Here's a rundown of all the 20-goal scorers in MLS history and a look at how they fared in the aftermath of eclipsing the 20-goal plateau:

Roy Lassiter - 1996, 27 - Lassiter is still tied for the most goals scored in a single season after scoring 27 in the league's inaugural campaign. Lassiter did score 18 goals with DC United in both 1998 and 1999, but failed to reach double digits in his final three season in the league. Career Goals: 88

Raúl Díaz Arce - 1996, 23 - El Salvador's official all-time leading scorer with 39 goals in 68 appearances, Díaz Arce helped DC United win back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997. He scored 15 goals during the 1997 campaign in just 22 matches, and then scored 18 in 1998 with New England, but split the 1999, 2000 and 2001 campaigns between multiple clubs averaging less than nine goals a season his final three years in the league. Career Goals: 82

Eduardo Hurtado - 1996, 21 - Hurtado tallied 21 goals for the Galaxy in 1996, but reached double digits only one more time (11 goals in 1998) before washing out of MLS in 2000. Career Goals: 47

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch - Week 33

Cyle Larin continued his sensational rookie campaign with two more goals against New York City FC as Orlando City won a fifth straight match. Larin now has 17 goals this season which is substantially more than all other members of the 2015 SuperDraft Class combined. Otherwise things were pretty quiet as we get ready for the final week of the 2015 regular season. Here's a rundown of all the action from last week:

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs NYCFC, 81 mins, 7 shots, 2 goals
2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Sub vs OCSC, 24 mins, 1 shot
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins, 3 shots
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Sub vs DC United, 22 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Sub vs San Jose, 26 mins
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs FC Dallas, 90 mins 
36 - Rob Lovejoy - Houston - Sub vs Seattle, 1 min

U.S. U-23s Complete Sweep of Group A

The U.S. scored four times in the second half as they completed group play of Olympic Qualifying with a perfect 3-0 record following a 4-0 defeat of Panama. Second half substitutes Jerome Kiesewetter and Jordan Morris both scored goals while captain Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake) converted a penalty kick for the U.S. who outscored their opponents 13-2 during their three opening matches. The U.S. will be joined in the semifinals by Canada after their 2-2 draw with Cuba. Canada's Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers) has scored in all three of Canada's matches thus far and is tied with Kiesewetter and Morris for the tournament-lead in goal scoring with three. Mexico and Honduras will face off tonight in Colorado to determine who plays who in the semifinals on Saturday.

US U-23s Rout Cuba in Olympic Qualifying, Clinch Semifinal Berth

Ths U.S. U-23s have clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Semifinals after a convincing 6-1 win over Cuba. The U.S. scored three goals on each side of halftime conceding only deep into stoppage time in a match whose result was never really in doubt. Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart) scored a pair of goals while the U.S.'s MLS contingent contributed a goal and four assists. Jordan Morris, who scored twice in the U.S.'s opener, also added an assist in the rout. The U.S. will wrap up group play tomorrow against Panama. Panama fell 3-1 to Canada on Saturday leaving them on the outside looking in as they trail Canada by two points in the standings. Canada will take on winless Cuba in their final match of group play with a chance to clinch a semifinal berth of their own. Over in Group B, Mexico and Honduras have both already clinched semifinal berths after Mexico defeated Haiti 1-0 and Honduras upended Costa Rica 2-0. Mexico will play Honduras on Wednesday to determine the Group winner.

Here's a rundown of the MLSers who featured for Andi Herzog's U-23s on Saturday:

Starters:

Matt Polster - Chicago Fire - 1 assist
Matt Miazga - New York Red Bulls - 1 goal
Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - 2 assists
Wil Trapp - Columbus Crew (Captain)
Marc Pelosi - San Jose Earthquakes - 1 assist

Subs:

Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids - Did Not Play
Fatai Alashe - San Jose Earthquakes - Did Not Play

Jordan Morris Paces U-23s to Win in Olympic Qualifying Opener

Jordan Morris is back and has the United States off to a solid start as they try to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Opening the tournament against Canada, who beat the U.S. during Olympic Qualifying in 2012, Morris and the U.S. wasted little time scoring in the opening minute en route to a 3-1 win. Morris would add a second goal before Real Salt Lake's Luis Gil added a stoppage time penalty to secure the victory. The U.S. will wrap up group play with matches against Cuba on Saturday and then Panama on Sunday. Panama and Cuba drew 1-1 in their Opener. Group B will be in action today with Mexico taking on Costa Rica and Honduras facing off against Haiti.

Here's a rundown of the MLSers who featured for Andi Herzog's U-23s.

Starters:

Matt Polster - Chicago Fire
Matt Miazga - New York Red Bulls
Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids
Fatai Alashe - San Jose Earthquakes
Wil Trapp - Columbus Crew (Captain)

Subs:

Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake
Marc Pelosi - San Jose Earthquakes
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake

Trapp assisted on Morris's second goal.

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch, Week 30

Cyle Larin stole the show as he has for much of the season shattering the rookie scoring record in style with a hat trick against the New York Red Bulls. With 14 goals, Larin is tied for sixth in the league in scoring. In other action, LA's Ignacio Maganto notched a Champions League assist, and Sporting's Amadou Dia picked up an assist in league play. Finally, third overall pick Romario Williams made his first appearance March logging some garbage time for Montreal against DC United on Saturday night. Here's a rundown of all the action:

CCL

13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Started vs Montego Bay, 90 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
21 - Ignacio Maganto - LA Galaxy - Started vs Central FC, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 assist

MLS

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs NYRB, 76 mins, 3 shots, 3 goals
2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Appeared as sub vs Vancouver, 15 mins 
3 - Romario Williams - Montreal - Sub vs DC United, 1 min
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Real Salt Lake, 90 mins
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins, Yellow Card
7 - Matt Polster - Chicago - Started vs Toronto, 67 mins
10 - Connor Hallisey - Sporting KC - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins, 1 shot
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Sub vs Seattle, 24 mins
13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins
20 - Amadou Dia - Sporting KC - Started vs Seattle, 90 mins, 1 assist
40 - Oniel Fisher - Seattle - Started vs Sporting KC, 90 mins

MLS SuperDraft Rookie Watch - Week 29

Khiry Shelton returned to action this week and Seattle's Cristian Roldan tallied his first career MLS assist in what was another relatively quiet week for this year's SuperDraft class. Shelton hadn't appeared in a match for City since May. In other action, Chicago regular Matt Polster missed this week due to yellow card accumulation and San Jose's Fatai Alashe started a pair of matches on the back line. Here's a rundown of all the action:

CCL

13 - Tim Parker - Vancouver - Sub vs Olimpia, 5 mins
17 - Miguel Aguilar - DC United - Sub vs Árabe Unido, 20 mins

MLS

1 - Cyle Larin - Orlando City - Started vs Chicago, 71 mins, 2 shots
2 - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC - Sub vs Toronto FC, 17 mins
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs Montreal, 90 mins
4 - Fatai Alashe - San Jose - Started vs NYCFC, 90 mins
12 - Saad Abdul-Salaam - Sporting KC - Sub vs FC Dallas, 20 mins
16 - Cristian Roldan - Seattle - Sub vs Vancouver, 16 mins, 1 assist
40 - Oniel Fisher - Seattle - Started vs Vancouver, 90 mins