The soccer news starts with Toronto announcing that club captain Michael Bradley will stay with the team. Bradley was out of contract at the end of the 2019 season, but there was little speculation of him ending up anywhere else. "I feel so attached to the city of Toronto, the club, the team. I love it here and I am really proud of what we’ve been able to do over the past six years," Bradley . . .
Chelsea 2nd and Ajax 3rd in Group H
The soccer news starts with the finale of Champions League Group H. Christian Pulisic did his part in Chelsea's 2-1 home win over last-place Lille, but a surprise in Amsterdam meant Chelsea finished second to Valencia. Starting the day in 1st-place, Tammy Abraham put Chelsea up in the 19th minute with Cesar Azpilicueta doubling the lead in the 35th. Loic Remy scored for Lille in the 78th. Pulisic . . .
Shame will not stop a super league
By J Hutcherson (Dec 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - Last week, the New York Times' Tariq Panja reported that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is pushing for a European super league. The start of that league would coincide with the end of the current Champions League broadcast rights deal in 2022. UEFA has been hard at work trying to recraft the Champions League post-2022, recognizing that the . . .
LAFC and the luck of the Concacaf Champions League draw
Concacaf announced the pairings for the 2020 Champions League for the round of 16 that opens the tournament for Liga MX and MLS teams. The first legs are set for February 18-20 with the second-legs on February 25-27. Concacaf seeds the round of 16 with only North American zone clubs in pot 1. For the five MLS teams, the goal was avoiding the lone Liga MX club in pot 2. Step up LAFC, who drew that . . .
Charlotte’s quick arrival as an MLS expansion target
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 9, 2019) US Soccer Players – The expansion sweepstakes to bring the 30th team to MLS has intensified over the past few weeks. As the ever-growing league looks to add yet another franchise, Charlotte has emerged as the frontrunner against Las Vegas and Phoenix. Last week, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the league was working with Charlotte to award it a . . .
Manchester City already talking about next season
The soccer news starts with Manchester City losing in the Premier League. All of a sudden, there's a six-point gap between 2nd and 3rd-place with Manchester City behind Leicester City. Liverpool is eight points ahead of Leicester City at the top of the table. Without what now looks like an unlikely turnaround in December, it's tough to take Manchester City seriously as a title contender. . . .
Shutout for Cameron’s QPR in the Championship
The roundup of USMNT players in Europe starts in the Championship with Geoff Cameron's QPR shutting out PNE 2-0 at home. Eberechi Eze scored in the 17th and converted a 67th minute penalty. QPR goalkeeper Joe Lumley made made three saves to keep the clean sheet. QPR is 14th in the Championship table. "We spoke before the game about how you respond to criticism, to doubts, to negativity," QPR . . .
Trying again at Orlando City
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - Orlando City Soccer Club is no one's idea of a marquee Major League Soccer franchise. The Lions have a passionate fan base and an international flavor that comes from Brazilian ownership. Still, they can't or won't compete with the nouveau riche of the league dollar-for-dollar in the chase for MLS championships. Winning is harder . . .
Another shot at a super league
The soccer news starts with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez disrupting the song and dance between UEFA and the major clubs by potentially moving forward with… you guessed it, a super league. The New York Times' Tariq Panja reports that Perez is trying to gain support from some of those other major European clubs to go their own way, setting aside their domestic leagues and the Champions . . .
MLS Power Rankings: 2019 Season Ender
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 5, 2019) US Soccer Players - The 2019 Major League Soccer season has been over for a bit now, with Seattle beating Toronto FC to lift the MLS Cup early last month. With the offseason already in full swing and two new clubs on the horizon, the focus has begun to shift to the start of a new decade and a continuation of the league's unofficial expansion era. Before . . .
