MLS

Hey Fergie, you're off the hook ...

Pop star Rachel Platten -- the chick who sang "Fight Song" -- botched the National Anthem in a SPECTACULAR way at an NWSL soccer game over the weekend ... and it's hard to watch.

Platten has performed the song on big stages before -- even singing it at the World Series!

But when she grabbed the mic in Salt Lake City on Saturday before the Chicago Red Stars took on the Utah Royals ... it was amateur hour.

It started bad ... "Oh say can you see, by the STARS early light."

It got worse ... she had to restart twice and even asked for someone to give her the lyrics. The crowd tried to join in and help her along, but the lyric blowing must have been contagious, because they were messing up too!

Usain Bolt says he ain't ruling out the MLS for his budding pro soccer career -- IF their squads show him the money!!

FYI, Bolt's been seriously pursuing footy since he retired from the track last year. Most recently, he was out tearin' up the pitch with Bundesliga's Borussia Dortmund ... and Manchester United is his dream team.

But when we got the World's Fastest Man at LAX, we had to ask if MLS teams like the L.A. Galaxy even had a shot.

Bolt's response -- "Bring the big contracts!"

Guessing MLS can't offer Premier League money ... but there are other perks that come with playing in L.A. (right, Zlatan Ibrahimovic?).

Regrets? Bruce Arena doesn't have a few ... even though Team USA didn't qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Now that it's been a couple of months since the heartbreaking and shocking failure ... we asked the former Team USA head coach if he had any regrets for the way things went down during the qualifiers.

"I don't have any regrets," Arena told us ... "I'm disappointed, but I don't have any regrets."

'I and my staff and the players ... we gave everything we had and we fell short."

The good news -- Arena is VERY stoked about one of the young Team USA stars and says we've got a real shot to make a run in 2022.

So, who will Arena be rooting for in the 2018 World Cup now that we're not competing?

Fists were flying, beer was thrown and a dude got KICKED DOWN THE STANDS during a brawl at the NY Red Bulls game on Tuesday ... and TMZ Sports has the crazy video.

Sources in the stands tell us ... Red Bulls fans had been getting into it with Chivas Guadalajara supporters during the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal at Red Bulls Arena in NJ all game long.

But, things finally came to a head after time expired when the smack talk turned physical.

You can see beer flying from everywhere -- including people from the upper level showering the fighters below them.

The craziest moment ... one of the combatants kicked another dude right in the chest -- sending him flying backwards down several rows of seats.

Stadium security eventually showed up and broke up the violence -- but you can see several people had already suffered injuries by the time help arrived.

We've reached out to the Red Bulls and stadium security -- so far, no comment from anyone.

Tim Howard's a goalie ... so, unlike everyone else, he's allowed to use his hands -- even at the strip club!

The Team USA soccer legend was living it up at the legendary V Live over the weekend -- where we're told the dancers and the staff FREAKED OUT (in a good way) when they saw him walk in!

Side note -- apparently, soccer is huge in the Texas stripper community.

He bumped, he grinded ... he threw out thousands of dollars in cash -- everyone had a great time!

Howard and the Colorado Rapids were in Texas to face FC Dallas on Saturday ... and even though the game ended in a draw, Howard was clearly in the mood to celebrate.

Legend respect legend -- with Zlatan Ibrahimovic telling TMZ Sports ... Cristiano Ronaldo's insane bicycle kick is the best goal of all time.

Ronaldo's incredible goal against Juventes during a Champions League quarter final match on Wednesday has already gone viral. Ronaldo himself suggested it was the greatest shot of his career.

So, when we saw Zlatan leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills Wednesday night, we had to ask where he would rank the goal among the greatest of all time.

"It was fantastic ... best ever!"

He's not the only soccer legend who feels that way -- Zinedine Zidane described the shot as "one of the most beautiful in history."

But, was it better than Zlatan's own amazing 40-yard bomb he hit against the LAFC over the weekend during his MLS debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy?

We asked ... and got a rare moment of humility from the guy who previously said he was "born a legend."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn't think he became a legend overnight in Los Angeles after his stellar MLS debut -- telling TMZ Sports, "I was BORN a legend."

And he meant it!

Zlatan is an international superstar who just signed with the L.A. Galaxy and scored 2 insane goals in his debut this past Saturday ... including a rocket from 40 yards out.

The Swedish-born striker was leaving Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills with his family where he told us he's enjoying his time in L.A. and hopes to lead his team to an MLS title -- explaining, "Train hard, work hard and hopefully!"

No pressure ...

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to the L.A. Galaxy is gonna have a MAJOR impact on soccer in the U.S. ... so says ex-Galaxy star Kyle Martino, who tells TMZ Sports Ibra's presence alone is gonna be a game changer.

Martino -- who was on the Galaxy when they signed some dude named David Beckham -- says despite being 36, Ibra's gonna be a "top-quality talent" for the MLS.

K.M. says even if fans don't like his "charming narcissism," they're gonna end up tuning in to watch him 'cause he's THAT good of a player.

Jermaine Jones, one of Team USA soccer's biggest stars, says he's done ballin' in America (unless it's with the USMNT) ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to finish his career in Europe!

Backstory -- JJ grew up in the U.S. and Germany ... but played his best ball in Bundesliga, one of Europe's top leagues.

His MLS stint with the L.A. Galaxy didn't go nearly as well ... so Jermaine says he wants to pull a reverse David Beckham and go back to where the "best soccer" is at.

Before the 36-year-old tries to turn back the clock, Jones says he's got some other business to attend to -- including getting certified to coach!!

As for where JJ wants to hold the clipboard once he retires ... sounds like he's keeping his options open.

U.S. soccer legend Alexi Lalas loves the idea of Zlatan Ibrahimović coming to play stateside ... but he's warning the league -- DON'T GET SCREWED ON THE PRICE!

Remember, Lalas was the GM of the L.A. Galaxy when the team (and the league) signed a 31-year-old David Beckham to a deal in 2007 that ultimately paid him $255 million!!!

Now, with rumors 36-year-old Zlatan is thinking of making a similar move -- we had to ask Lalas how he would handle the situation.

"If Zlatan wants to come, if he doesn't cost too much money ... then I think it's something the Galaxy and MLS have to do. I think it would be wonderful on and off the field. He's worth the price of admission."

"He's a character on and off the field," Lalas added.

It's true -- Zlatan's got his own cologne, underwear line ... and once performed on a song that hit the Swedish music charts.

Enjoy ...

Cristiano Ronaldo is a certified G -- so says Alexi Lalas ... who's slamming the soccer superstar's "pretty boy" rep after witnessing his badassery this past weekend.

"Anytime there's an athlete that bleeds and plays through it ... they get a little street cred," Alexi told TMZ Sports.

You remember the carnage -- Ronaldo dove in for the header in Real Madrid's match against Deportivo ... scoring a goal, but taking a cleat to the dome in the process.

The collision left Cristiano a bloody mess ... and scrambling for a mirror to check on his moneymaker.

A lot of fans were poking fun at Ronaldo for the mirror-check, but Lalas says CR7 completing the header says way more about him than anything else.

Is Demi Lovato in the "friend zone" with Neymar?

The singer and the soccer superstar went for a dinner date in London on Tuesday -- after Neymar played for Team Brazil in an international friendly against England.

Oh, there was a 3rd person at the dinner as well ... smokin' hot TV host Layla Anna-Lee.

But despite the fact Neymar and Demi look GREAT together, the soccer stud is preemptively striking against dating rumors ... posting Instagram photos with the caption, "My friends girls."

BOOOOO!!!!

A heated altercation between Jozy Altidore and his ex-USMNT teammate Sacha Kljestan escalated into a full-blown war during halftime of an MLS game this weekend -- with yelling and cussing and police ... and it was all caught on video.

It all went down at halftime during Sunday's match between Jozy's Toronto FC and Sacha's NY Red Bulls, where things were already chippy in the 1st half.

Jozy claims Sacha tried to "pull up on me while my back was turned" -- and TFC coach Greg Vanney says he was "ambushed" by 5 or 6 New York Red Bulls players in total.

Sacha's got a different take -- claiming Jozy's the one who started the fight by shoving him into a wall.

Either way, the video is crazy -- you can see players like Michael Bradley trying to keep the peace as cops and stadium security rush in to maintain order.

Both Jozy and Sacha were ejected from the game. The Red Bulls ultimately won the game 1-0.

Alex Morgan was "highly impaired" and yelling at Disney staffers in front of guests when she was thrown out of Epcot Center on Sunday ... this according to the incident report obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story, Morgan, along with several MLS soccer players, was booted from the park after an incident at one of the bars on the premises.

Now, it seems Morgan's entire group was HAMMERED -- with Morgan allegedly bragging that she knows the Orlando SWAT team in an effort to pressure officers to let her go.

The report, filed by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, says they were initially called to the U.K. pub around 8:20 PM after MLS player Giles Barnes cut in front of another patron in line and got into a verbal argument.

The report notes Morgan's entire group was "impaired and verbally aggressive."'

Giles was escorted out of the pub and told not to come back.

As deputies were escorting Barnes out of the park, officers were called about the other members of the group making a scene.

"As we passed Space Ship Earth, I observed several people were being escorted to the front. They were all being very loud and belligerent towards staff around guests."

The deputy noted that Morgan was especially out of control -- "yelling, screaming and taking video and possibly pictures."

"She appeared to be highly impaired. Deputy Johnson heard Ms. Morgan make a loud verbal statement that she knows the Orlando SWAT team."

Team USA soccer star Alex Morgan was told by police to leave Disney World in Florida on Sunday after an incident at a bar in Epcot Center, TMZ Sports has learned.

Morgan was part of a group that included several MLS stars including Giles Barnes and Donny Toia, who were also 86'd from the park.

We're working on details from the cops -- but witnesses tell us the group had been partying at a pub in the U.K. section of Epcot Center when things got rowdy inside.

Our witnesses say Morgan and her group were arguing with another group -- and ultimately the Orange County Sheriff's Dept. got involved and told everyone to leave.

In total, 4 people were booted -- including Donny's wife, Courtney.

The OCSD tells TMZ Sports, "These are the individuals that were trespassed from Disney on Oct. 1st."

The group had posted a photo outside a Disney World restaurant earlier that day.

Kneeling for the national anthem ain't exactly an epidemic ... but those protests got no place on Team USA -- so says American soccer legend Alexi Lalas.

We got Lalas at LAX ... and the former USMNT star told TMZ Sports where he stood on the whole athletes-taking-a-knee debate.

"When you're representing your country for the national team ... you should be required to stand."

But to be clear -- "There's a difference between representing your country in the international game and representing your club."

Basically, Alexi doesn't have Donald Trump-level disgust with the NFL movement ... but he's takin' a stand when it comes to reppin' the red, white and blue.

Team USA's Jermaine Jones feels the same ... and doesn't think it's gonna happen in the MLS either.