LAFC's stoppage-time winner against Sporting Kansas City and Colorado's thrilling 3-3 draw in the snow against Portland should have stolen most of the headlines this weekend as Major League Soccer kicked off its 24th season.
Instead, the new campaign began with a dark cloud hanging over New York City, home to the league's headquarters and one of its highest-profile teams.
Specifically, a dark cloud of violent ideological extremism that has been allowed to metastasize within certain elements of the supporter culture around New York City FC, as reported in stories recently published in The Athletic and The Huffington Post.