By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - In Major League Soccer, a single-entity league with copycat tendencies, Montreal is different. Quebec's little slice of Europe on the St Lawrence River is like no place else in North America. That's also reflected in their soccer club. The Montreal Impact's rowdy supporters groups chant, sing and curse in French. Their home . . .
US talent aiming for spotlight in Bundesliga
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 16, 2019) US Soccer Players - It's no secret that US soccer viewers love the English Premier League. It's packed with superstars. There's no language barrier. NBC's coverage is widely accessible. Style of play and lively crowds makes it approachable for a broad range of viewers. The lavish hype around the opening of the 2019-20 Premier League season last . . .
US Soccer adds another issue with Development Academy split
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 9, 2019) US Soccer Players - From their equal-pay dispute with the USWNT to various litigation concerning the NASL, the US Soccer Foundation, and even their own commercial partners Kwik Goal, the United States Soccer Federation has come to be associated with plenty of contentious conflicts in recent years. You can now add the Fed's own boys Development . . .
Taking stock of MLS All-Star week
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 2, 2019) US Soccer Players - More money, new problems. That's one succinct way to encapsulate Major League Soccer's situation as it celebrated the 2019 All-Star Game in central Florida this week. With more teams, stars, revenue, and investment coming on board than ever before, MLS finally has some compelling things to celebrate and stories to tell. The . . .
Charting the USMNT’s autumn
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 26, 2019) US Soccer Players - The home stretch of the USMNT’s year took further shape this week. US Soccer officially announced a friendly against Uruguay at Busch Stadium in St Louis on September 10. With that announcement, we now have a clear outline for the rest of 2019. That includes four competitive matches thanks to the Concacaf Nations League. The two . . .
Bruce Arena revamps the Revs
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 18, 2019) US Soccer Players - In 1975, Saturday Night Live poked fun at the hysteria around the movie "Jaws" with a skit called "Land Shark." The title character, dubbed "the cleverest of all sharks," able to "strike at any place, any time," preyed on apartment dwellers foolish enough to open the door when the creature knocked under false pretenses. At which . . .
Concacaf throws a curve with new World Cup qualifying format
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 12, 2019) US Soccer Players - As the home to a few huge, powerful nations and a litany of far smaller and less wealthy ones, Concacaf has always faced a large and fairly unique challenge. The confederation's trickiest task is to help its giants grow and prosper in their pursuit of the world's elite while still respecting and elevating the many minnows in . . .
What to watch for at the 2019 Gold Cup final
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 5, 2019) US Soccer Players - When the USMNT play Mexico, it’s not just a game, it’s an event. The biggest soccer event in North America, in fact. This is the occasion that players and fans on both sides of the border, not to mention advertisers and television executives, crave. Thanks to El Tri’s narrow semifinal win over Haiti and the USMNT’s . . .
Three angles from USA-Panama as the USMNT pivots to knockout mode
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 27, 2019) US Soccer Players - On Tuesday, one day before the USMNT wrapped up Gold Cup group play with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Kansas City, The Athletic published a Gregg Berhalter feature based off a one-on-one conversation with writer Paul Tenorio. In it, Berhalter spoke frankly about the pressure and scrutiny around his job even in the early stages of . . .
USMNT aims to shift gears vs T&T
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 21, 2019) US Soccer Players - The USMNT began their Gold Cup run as expected, with a 4-0 win over Guyana in Minnesota on Tuesday. The result was a welcome feeling in the wake of this month's two losses in warmup friendlies. In the circumstances, though, even a blowout scoreline could only mean so much. Postgame reactions reflected that. "It's a game that we . . .
