On Jan. 19th, Major League Soccer held the 2018 Superdraft in Philadelphia.

James Wichert/ Contributed photo

Many eyebrow raising picks and trades were made, but MLS newcomer Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) made some big moves to further clarify that the club means business in their inaugural season.

LAFC started off by securing the first and third draft picks overall. With the first draft pick in the club’s history, LAFC selected Joao Moutinho, a defender from the University of Akron.

Moutinho started out at the Sporting Lisbon Academy in Portugal, then left Europe to play for the University of Akron.

As a freshman, Moutinho started all 24 games and went on to be named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the year and first team all-MAC honors.

Moutinho led the defence, giving Akron 12 shutouts during 2017 season.

He primarily played at center back, but has a knack for scoring goals as he scored 3 goals and assisted 5 more in the 2017 season.

After his inaugural season, he became the 12th player from the University of Akron to sign a Generation Adidas contract. (lafc.com)

After trading $100,000 in General Allocation money with D.C. United in exchange for the third draft pick, LAFC selected defender Tristan Blackmon from the University of the Pacific.

Blackmon, who plays as a versatile right back, helped his team make a NCAA tournament appearance in his senior season along with being named West Coast defender of the year.

Blackmon scored 18 goals in 4 seasons at the University of the Pacific and assisted 13 more.

He is the first player in the university’s history to be taken in the MLS Draft. (lafc.com) Despite the Joao Moutinho requiring an international roster spot, LAFC head coach Bob Bradley does not seem phased. Both players offer so much versatility to the team that they will definitely look to prove themselves in the 2018 MLS Season.

LAFC are looking to make an exciting and eclectic squad to take on other teams this upcoming season. Along with the other promising young talent the club drafted, they boast the likes Mexican international Carlos Vela, Uruguayan striker Diego Rossi, former Montreal Impact captain Laurent Ciman, U.S. international Benny Feilhaber and so on.

With the club’s stadium being built in the heart of Los Angeles, the club is already boasting quite the fan base with several supporters groups already formed, including the 3252, District 9 Ultras, Expo Originals, and many more.

The club really looks to make a huge impact to the MLS in 2018, and as a fan, I’m excited to see what the club is capable of achieving.

With a fresh and exciting roster and new stadium, LAFC is looking to reinvent Los Angeles as the leading footballing city in the United States.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

On Nov. 29, Toronto FC beat Columbus Crew SC 1-0 to become Eastern Conference champions and cement the team’s place in the MLS Cup final for the second year in a row. Toronto will now face the Seattle Sounders in a rematch of MLS Cup 2016.

But how did Toronto FC go from being a team that struggled constantly to make the playoffs a few years ago to becoming one of the best teams in the MLS?

Head coach Greg Vanney is large part of the reason why Toronto FC have been so successful in the past 3 years.

Greg Vanney was named as head coach of Toronto FC on Aug. 21, 2014 and is the ninth coach in the clubs history. (torontofc.ca)

Vanney is an MLS veteran, starting his career at the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he helped lead the team to three MLS Cup finals, a Supporter’s Shield, a US Open Cup championship and a CONCACAF Champions Cup title. He also played for FC Dallas, Colorado Rapids and D.C. United. (torontofc.ca)

Vanney was hired at a pivotal moment in the club’s history. The fans were not happy with the state of the club. Toronto FC was underperforming and constantly letting the fans down.

The team needed new players and a new leader. That’s where Greg Vanney comes in. As a player, he was a natural born leader, and as a coach, he implemented the same mentality into the squad.

One of the first major additions was bringing in Italian attacking mid-fielder Sebastian Giovinco to the team in 2015. He fit in perfectly with the team and immediately took the league by storm, outclassing defenders, creating chances and scoring goals left and right.

After a difficult finish to the 2014 season, Giovinco’s presence helped Vanney win 49 games in his first three seasons as head coach.

One of Vanney’s attributes is his calmness and quietness. He never draws too much attention to himself or seeks out the spotlight. He is very soft spoken and often avoids media attention. This is how he was as a player too. Sportsnet reported: “Vanney was that type of player, too.

As an MLS defender of some repute during his playing career, he quietly went about his business on the pitch, anxious to not draw attention to himself. Once one game was over, he was already thinking about the next one.” (sportsnet.ca)

We saw this behavior in full action as he was seen off to the sidelines politely applauding Toronto FC’s win against the Columbus Crew when the players were madly celebrating. It seemed that his mind was already on the MLS Cup final.

In my opinion, I think this is what makes Greg Vanney such a great coach. He has a set plan, and he goes about his business in a quiet and uninterrupted manner. I think the fact that we as fans don’t know everything about him and his methods is what makes him so great.

Toronto face off against Seattle in the MLS Cup final on Saturday December 9, and I hope Vanney can redeem himself from last year and bring an MLS Cup to Toronto for the first time in the club’s history.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstegiou@kscequinox.com

Studying away is an incredible experience, but spending a semester abroad in a different country is a whole different ballgame. Spending a few weeks studying abroad in Australia was magical, but now things get a little more complicated as I will spend the 2018 spring semester studying in Sevilla, Spain. I’m thankful that I could study away beforehand because now I now know what to expect and have some travel knowledge beforehand.

Photo contributed by Luke Stergiou / senior photographer

The main difference between studying away in the summer versus studying away for a semester is mainly travel costs. Obviously spending three to four months is going to be more expensive than spending three to four weeks in the summer. Expenses while there then become a bigger priority. Spending a semester abroad requires you to budget yourself and be aware of how much you spend on things such as food, transportation, flights to other countries, etc. In Australia, I did not have too much time to travel and explore on my own, as we were on a relatively busy schedule.

Since I’m spending the upcoming semester in Spain, the language barrier will be a major factor to my experience. In Australia it was never a problem, but there’s not many English speaking people in Spain, so this will force me to improve my Spanish speaking skills and become fluent, or close to fluent in Spanish. One thing that I think will help me not only improve my Spanish skills but also help me get more out of this experience is my love for soccer. Since the spaniards are mad for soccer, I’m sure I’ll fit right in.

Being in Europe for about three and a half months, I will definitely want to explore and travel to different countries to visit friends and experience more of Europe. This will definitely require me to make sure that I manage my time and expenses very carefully. I will not have a job in Spain, so I can’t afford to spend all my money right away. In Australia, I didn’t have to budget my money as much as I’ll have to in Spain.

I also will be living with a host family in Sevilla, instead of living with a bunch of other american college students in a hostel. I believe this will help me get more out of my experience as I’ll be able to spend plenty of time with true spaniards and they can help me get the best out of Spain.

So the expenses and planning can be nerve wracking, but studying away before has really helped relieve some tensions. As long as I plan accordingly, I know I’ll be fine. Either way, I’m excited and very thankful that I get this opportunity to study away for a second time. I’m excited to experience a new culture and improve my spanish speaking skills.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

Are you studying away? Send a photo and a description of your time in another country to be featured in The Equinox.

The Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup playoffs 2017 are heating up, as two teams are one game away from advancing to the MLS Cup finals.

The first leg of both the Eastern and Western Conference Championship were played out on Nov. 21, with the Seattle Sounders beating the Houston Dynamo 2-0 in Houston and the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC battling it out to a 0-0 draw in Columbus.

Now, the Columbus Crew will travel to Toronto and the  Houston Dynamo will travel to Seattle for the second leg. But as it’s looking right now, we could see a rematch of MLS Cup 2016.

Despite the 0-0 scoreline, Toronto FC mostly dominated leg one of the Eastern Conference Finals at the MAPFRE stadium. Without Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto failed to get a shot on target.

The team looked less threatening without their threatening attacking duo of Giovinco and Altidore. The Crew were keen to score, but the team could not find the back of the net. But heading into the second league at BMO field in Toronto, each team will have everything to play for. The Crew are looking to pull an upset in Toronto and gain redemption for their 2015 MLS Cup loss, whereas Toronto FC are looking to gain redemption after losing out on last year’s MLS Cup.

Seattle dominated on the road in Houston, beating the Dynamo convincingly with a 2-0 win at the BBVA Compass stadium. Gustav Svensson put Seattle up early in the game, heading a corner kick by Nicolas Lodeiro in the 11 minute.

Only 16 minutes later, it got worse for Houston as defender Jalil Anibaba was given a red card for pulling down Joevin Jones in the box, resulting in a penalty. Even though Dynamo keeper Joe Willis saved Nicolas Lodeiro’s penalty, the Dynamo were forced to play the rest of the game with ten men. Houston’s woes continued as former player Will Bruin scored a header in the 42nd minute to bring the scoreline to 2-0 against his former club. Now Houston travel to Seattle to play the second leg at Century Link Stadium, and with Seattle ahead with two away goals and the team’s incredible support, it’s going to be very difficult for Houston to bounce back from this.

Three of the four teams are going into the second leg with players facing suspensions.

For Columbus, the team will be without vital midfielder Artur and he looks to be replaced by young midfielder Mohammed Abu in the second Leg. Houston go into the second leg without defender Jalil Anibaba and key striker Alberth Elis. Without Elis, the Dynamo will have to rely on someone else to score the goals they need as Elis is currently on ten goals and four assists. Seattle go into the second leg without key Panamanian defender Roman Torres, but look to already have a backup in Tony Alfaro to help Chad Marshall lead Seattle’s back line.

Both of the second legs of the Eastern and Western Conference finals will be played on Thursday, Nov. 30, and as of right now, it looks as if we might have a repeat of last year’s MLS Cup.

Seattle and Toronto look to be favorites to advance to the final, and If that’s the case, it will be the first time since 2014 that the same teams will play in back to back MLS Cups.

If Seattle win, the team will be the third team in MLS history to win the MLS Cup back to back. If Toronto wins, it will be the first time in the club’s history to win the MLS Cup.

No matter the result, I’m very excited for these two matches.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

The Italian National Team are facing elimination from next year’s World Cup after losing 1-0 to Sweden in a World Cup qualifying play-off match on Nov. 10.

Sweden overpowered and dominated against the Italians, as Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen only made two saves during the game. Now Italy is in a very tricky spot now if they don’t defeat Sweden in the second leg, the team will miss out on a first World Cup since 1958. If Italy doesn’t qualify, goalkeeper and Italian team legend Gianluigi Buffon will miss out on his record sixth World Cup appearance.

Sweden won the first leg of the match at the Friends Arena, with the only goal coming from defensive midfielder Jakob Johannson, who drilled a shot past Italy keeper Buffon after it deflected off of Italy defender Daniele De Rossi.

Sweden was the better team in the first-half, even though Italy improved a little bit in the second half, they couldn’t break through Sweden’s defense. The Swedish played with a high energy and tempo, making the attacks aggressive. Swedish striker Marcus Berg was booked within 50 seconds of the game starting, showing the team’s animosity.

The animosity was heightened when Swedish defender Ola Toivonen appeared to elbow Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci in the face, fracturing his nose. Italy go into the second leg without central midfielder Marco Verratti after he picked up a second yellow card after a challenge on Marcus Berg, leaving him suspended.

This match was very significant for keeper Gianluigi Buffon, as he is set to retire at the end of the 2017-2018 season. So if Italy fail to beat Sweden at the San Siro stadium in the second leg, it could be the italian legend’s last match in between the posts for the Azzurri after 20 years. If the Azzurri defeat Sweden in the second leg, Buffon will appear at his sixth World Cup, a personal record. Buffon was reported saying: “It’s happened so many times in my career that I’ve been in front of important crossroads. It doesn’t change anything concerning my future, what would change is that a win, more than meaning I would continue in the national shirt, would mean so much for all of us and for the footballing movement.” (nbcsports.com)

Sweden look to ruin the Italian’s dreams though as the team looks to avenge the loss to Italy in Euro 2016 and qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2006.

Buffon remains as the only player from Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning squad and looks to make his legacy for Italian football something that should never be forgotten.

For football fans, a World Cup without Italy and Buffon would be disgraceful. Italy fans and non Italy fans alike can all appreciate the spectacular moments that Buffon has graced the beautiful game with. As a fan of football and Buffon, I’m hoping that Italy can bounce back at home to defeat Sweden and qualify for next year’s World Cup, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to see the Italian legend between the sticks on the international stage just one last time.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@ksceqinox.com

On Nov. 5, Toronto Football Club (FC) beat New York Red Bulls on away goals after a emotional and tense match that ended 2-2 on aggregate to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Toronto FC are looking for redemption after last year’s failure to win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup despite reaching the finals.

On the other hand, New York crashed out of the playoffs, proving once again that the team still has a long way to go if the MLS Cup wants to be lifted in New York.

Despite the New York Red Bulls being down 2-1 on aggregate after the first leg, from kickoff the team looked very strong.

The team put pressure on Toronto very early on, and it looked like they wanted to win this game.

Red Bulls manager Jesse Marsch even put in 18-year-old Tyler Adams into the starting lineup to bring a little spark into the midfield.

Jamaican Defender Kemar Lawrence had a great game, making several vital tackles, keeping pressure on Toronto and helping the Red Bulls obtain a clean sheet on the road.

But unfortunately, that was not enough for the Red Bulls.

This match had high stakes and even higher emotions.

Tackles and yellow cards were abundant, as both teams had a lot to fight for.

The Red Bulls did not want to crash out of the playoffs, and Toronto wants to redeem their 2016 MLS Cup final loss.

During the first half, Red Bull’s mid-fielder and captain Sacha Kljestan pushed Toronto FC striker Jozy Altidore, which increased the tension between both teams even more and a brawl between both teams ensued.

This tension carried on through the rest of the match.

Even after half-time began, a brawl ensued again in the tunnels which included managers and players from both teams.

After the second-half began, news was broken that both Kljestan and Altidore had received red cards, meaning both teams were playing with ten men.

The Red Bulls scored an awkward goal in the 53rd minute, deflecting off a Toronto defender, making the score 1-0 and 2-2 on aggregate, giving the Red Bulls a little break and confidence.

Even though the Red Bulls kept the pressure up, and newcomer  Adams dominated the mid-field, it wasn’t enough.

The game ended 1-0 after 90 minutes but 2-2 on aggregate, meaning Toronto FC advanced to the Eastern Conference Final on away goals.

The Red Bulls once again crashed out of the playoffs.

Toronto FC play Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the team is still looking to redeem themselves from last year.

Despite not having star player Sebastian Giovinco, as he is suspended due to a yellow card, Toronto FC are in good form to bring the MLS Cup to Toronto for the first time in club history.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

On Oct. 26, Atlanta United suffered a shock defeat in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup Playoffs to Columbus Crew, losing 3-1 on penalties. Crew goalkeeper, Zack Steffen made eight saves during the 120 minutes played, then showed up with two big saves to keep Columbus in the playoff race (mlssoccer.com).

The Columbus Crew will now advance to play New York City FC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite Atlanta’s disappointing loss to end a fantastic season, Atlanta showed the MLS exactly what they needed.

Atlanta United, along with Minnesota United, were the two new expansion teams added to the MLS in the 2017 season. Every time an expansion team is added, it is always uncertain how well the team will do.

But, Atlanta took United by storm, even before their first game was played. Atlanta United had shown everyone that they were not going to be any normal expansion team.

Before the season began, they announced that they hired former Argentina and Barcelona manager  Gerardo Daniel “Tata” Martino as their head coach. The team consisted of a selection of South American talents and homegrown American players, proving that Atlanta was planning on doing big things this season. Atlanta even hired United States National Team legend Carlos Bocanegra as their technical manager.

Atlanta United made headlines for breaking attendance records three times in one season. Yes, three times. It all started when they played at Bobby Dodd Stadium, where the team’s inaugural match recorded about 55,000 people. The average attendance for the rest of the time was 48,200 people a game, the best for any MLS team ever.

Then the Mercedes-Benz stadium was built. When Atlanta hosted Orlando City at home, 70,425 people attended the match, breaking the record for the most people to watch a regular season MLS game.

Shortly after that, the record was broken again when Atlanta hosted Eastern Conference leaders Toronto FC, where 71,874 fans attended the game. But after Atlanta United became the first expansion team to make the playoffs since 2009, the team broke the record for the single largest attendance for a MLS playoff game: 67,221. Atlanta United as a club sold 886,625 tickets in total this season, which is the highest total attendance number for any team in MLS history (atlutd.com).

What Atlanta United showed us is that soccer is and will be a popular sport in the United States. It may not be as popular as football or baseball, but it’s getting there. Atlanta also showed us that MLS shouldn’t be looked at as a retirement league or an easy league that anyone can play in. It’s a league that is getting better year by year, and is bringing in more fans and spectators.

Even American soccer fans who have criticized MLS in the past should reconsider after this season. With Los Angeles FC joining the league next year, I’m sure it’ll bring even more attention to the MLS. So in conclusion, MLS is not the easy, dumb, retirement league that the majority of soccer fans think it is, because it is way more than that.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

On Tuesday Oct. 17, Anthony Precourt, owner of Columbus Crew Soccer Club, announced his intentions of moving the club from Columbus, Ohio to Austin, Texas. The reasoning behind this is that if the Columbus Crew can’t finalize a deal for a new downtown stadium in 2019, he will plan to relocate the club. Needless to say, this had many Crew fans very unhappy, letting their voices be heard on social media.

Columbus Crew are one of the ten original teams that was formed with the creation of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996. The club has played at MAPFRE Stadium since 1999 and it was the first soccer specific stadium in MLS. Currently, the Columbus Crew averages a little over 15,000 spectators a game, which is the third lowest attendance in the league.  Despite this, the Columbus Crew have made 2 MLS Cup finals appearances: once in 2008, beating New York Red Bulls 3-1; and once again in 2015, losing 2-1 to the Portland Timbers.

In the statement put out by the Columbus Crew, it says: “Despite our investments and efforts, the current course is not sustainable…….Soccer is the world’s game, and with Austin’s growing presence as an international city, combined with its strong multicultural foundation, MLS in Austin could be an ideal fit,” (Columbus Crew SC). But fans are claiming that moving the club to Austin was in the contract that Precourt signed back in 2013 when he took over as investor-owner. They believe that his intention was to never build a new stadium and he wanted move the club to Austin at some point. In financial terms, this move would be a massive success as it would help Precourt avoid a $150-$200 million MLS expansion fee. (the18.com)

Even though the battle has just begun for Crew fans, the outpour of support for the club has been incredible, as both supporter groups and different MLS clubs have shown solidarity for Columbus. After the hashtag #SaveTheCrew started trending on twitter, supporter groups not only in America but around the world showed their support. Supporters groups such as Die Innenstadt of Cincinnati FC, Timbers Army of Portland Timbers FC and even Atlanta United have shown support for Columbus by changing their logo colors to black and gold and tweeting out messages of support for one of the original franchises in Major League Soccer.

Despite this battle, this is what makes the beautiful game so beautiful: bringing together fans from all over America to support a cause even if it’s for a team they don’t support.  Fans of Columbus Crew should not have to worry about relocation, as they have poured their hearts and souls into this club. When soccer starts to be treated more like a business rather than a game, that’s when things get messy. Because at the end of the day, Football/Soccer without fans is nothing. Fans are what make this game so special, and threatening to relocate the club is a disgrace to the people of Columbus.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

After a 4-0 win against Panama on Oct. 6, the United States men’s national team is now only one game away from qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

This was a crucial game for the United States, as before this, it looked very unlikely that the team would qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

The media and fans alike thought the United States would not get the win and risk not qualifying.

But after watching this game, we saw the United States was not ready to lose, and Christian Pulisic is the young player the national team has been looking for.

From the very beginning, the United States looked very confident, with the first chance coming in the first five minutes after Bobby Wood’s shot just nearly went wide of the right goalpost.

Then, only three minutes later, Pulisic received a simple pass from Jozy Altidore, ran through Panama’s defense, rounded keeper Jaime Penedo and drew first blood.

The United States doubled their lead in the 19th minute, when Altidore powered the ball past Penedo after being assisted by Pulisic.

Just before halftime, Bobby Wood won the United States a penalty after being taken down in the box, with Altidore calmly slotting into the back of the net to gain a 3-0 lead.

Wood would eventually have his efforts rewarded as he scored the fourth and final goal of the match in the 63rd minute, making the scoreline 4-0, United States.

This win means that the United States leapfrogged Panama to third place in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)World Cup qualifying table.

The United States will head into an even more crucial match on Tuesday, where a win against Trinidad and Tobago secures qualification to next year’s World Cup in Russia.

And after a convincing win on Friday, the U.S. looks set to qualify, especially with Christian Pulisic on their side.

Pulisic impressed tremendously in this game, recording a goal and an assist.

He dominated the midfield, therefore making the Panamanian defenders’ jobs very difficult.

He stretched out the game, creating several chances and making space whenever he could.

Whenever he had the ball, he looked calm and composed.

What’s incredible is that Pulisic just turned 19-years-old recently.

At this young of an age, he is already looking like the future captain of the United States men’s national team.

And in my opinion, I think he will.

Pulisic will help lead the United States to World Cup qualification in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, and with his leadership and talent, I think they will qualify with no problem.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

The New England Revolution played a hard fought game against Atlanta United on Sept. 30 with the result being a 0-0 draw.

The Revolution were looking to make up for the last time they played Atlanta, which ended up being a 7-0 defeat for New England.

Even though Atlanta United has already clinched a playoff spot, the Revolution is still hoping to secure a playoff before the regular season ends.

Securing a point from this match means that New England is gaining on the New York Red Bulls and lies four points behind the sixth and final playoff spot for the Eastern Conference, with two games left in the season.

So that means if New England wins their next two games and takes away all six points, they could qualify for the playoffs, despite their lackluster season.

With this being said, New England can’t afford to drop any more points the next two games if they want to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs this year.

Interim coach Tom Stoehn made some changes to the starting lineup, but most notably starting second choice goalkeeper Brad Knighton over first choice Cody Cropper.

Even though this change was met with some criticism, Knighton performed exceptionally well, making two key saves and making sure Atlanta’s offense was not going to score, despite Josef Martinez’s many efforts to score.

Knighton’s performance also helped the Revolution extend their unbeaten streak at home to seven straight matches.

During this unbeaten run at Gillette Stadium, the Revolution outscored opponents 15-4 and claimed a 6-0-1 record. (Revolutionsoccer.net)

Atlanta were without their key player, Miguel Almirón, and it was made obvious that he is an integral part of the Atlanta squad.

Without him, New England dominated the game, out-possessing Atlanta by 21.8 percent (Revolutionsoccer.net). Atlanta United’s midfield seemed tired and not as cohesive without Almirón, making it a little easier for New England to control possession.

Despite Almirón not playing, the Revolution’s offense could not get any goals past United States National Team legend and Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who only allowed five shots on target, saving all of them.

The New England Revolution hope to get one step closer to clinching playoff qualifications when the play New York City FC on Sunday, Oct. 15 in their final home game of the season.

And under Tom Stoehn’s management, I think the Revolution just might be able to do it.

Luke Stergiou can be conatcted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com