MLS Review: 5 prominent story lines from the 2015 season
There were plenty of talking points this season in Major League Soccer as some of the biggest and brightest stars in the world of football made headlines in North America. Here are five prominent story lines from the 2015 MLS season:
Frank Lampard signs with New York City FC ... kind of
When New York City FC announced it signed Frank Lampard and sent him on loan to Manchester City for the offseason, the club's new supporters were skeptical; with the Premier League season inevitably overlapping with the MLS regular season, when exactly would Lampard join their team?
That question was answered when the English club admitted Lampard hadn't actually signed a contract with MLS and that the announcement on the NYCFC website was made in error. This news, coupled with Lampard's impressive form last season with Manchester City, led to fears that a move wouldn't materialize at all, but Lampard eventually suited up for New York in August.
Primed for collapse, Red Bulls survive and thrive instead
New York Red Bulls fans had reason to feel a mix of worry, discontent, and fear at the start of the 2015 season. The team's entire makeup was rocked from top to bottom, with Thierry Henry announcing his retirement, Tim Cahill leaving the club, and Mike Petke, the head coach at the time, being fired inexplicably despite winning the Supporters' Shield in 2013.
What happened next wasn't only completely unexpected but also wildly impressive: the Red Bulls, led by a new coach in Jesse Marsch, stormed to the top of the Eastern Conference, playing a quick, high-pressure brand of football that was developed in Austria with Red Bulls Salzburg.
As it stands, the Red Bulls can clinch the MLS Supporters' Shield with a win over the Chicago Fire, surviving and thriving in a season many believed would end in tears.
Orlando City owner targets Cristiano Ronaldo
Chalk one up for the rumor mill: Orlando City owner Flavio Augusto da Silva, fresh off signing Brazilian icon Kaka, set his sights on an even bigger target: Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
That was the word from the man himself, who sought to reunite Kaka with his Real Madrid teammate:
"Truthfully, we like Cristiano Ronaldo a lot," da Silva said. "We'd sign him without thinking about it. Physically, he's more complete than (Lionel) Messi, and he'd make more of an impact on a marketing level in MLS than the Argentine. Hopefully, we can sign him for this upcoming season. We've always heard that he'd like to come to the United States to play."
Giovinco scores to send Toronto FC to the playoffs at last
It was the headline supporters in Toronto waited nine years to read: Toronto FC secured a spot in the MLS postseason.
It was the "Atomic Ant," Sebastian Giovinco, who scored the game-winning goal to clinch the club's first-ever playoff berth. Giovinco took on and beat four Red Bulls players on the warpath to goal and scored with a superb masterstroke to give Toronto a 2-1 win over the Red Bulls.
It was a magnificent strike, both in quality and in what it represented for a city full of passionate soccer fans, and it also most likely earned Giovinco the MLS Golden Boot.
Andrea Pirlo joins MLS right after Champions League final
It takes a special kind of player to do what Andrea Pirlo did this summer, joining the club in the same month as the UEFA Champions League final.
One day, Pirlo was decked out in the famous white and black stripes of Italian champions Juventus. The next, he was sporting the sky blue of New York City FC.
While it took him some time to adjust to the speed and physicality of MLS, Pirlo soon found his footing and began stringing through his signature looping, swerving, dipping - but always accurate - passes to his teammates. He'll be one to watch next season after getting some well-deserved rest.