By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 30, 2023) US Soccer Players - March is almost over, and with it, the group stage of the second edition of the Concacaf Nations League. Thanks to wins over Grenada and El Salvador in League A group D, the USMNT will continue its defense of the CNL trophy in June, when League A's four group winners gather in Las Vegas for the semifinals. Here are a few things . . .
The USMNT returns to the Caribbean
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 23, 2023) US Soccer Players - On Thursday the USMNT jetted south from Orlando to St George’s, Grenada, for just its third competitive match in the Caribbean in the last five and a half years. It’s both an important Concacaf Nations League game that needs a positive result and a reminder of the regional journeys set to become rare in a 2026 World Cup cycle . . .
Five topics to watch for heading into the USMNT March 2023 window
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 16, 2023) US Soccer Players - The USMNT seeks to take the next steps towards defending its Concacaf Nations League title next week as it returns to full competitive action for the first time since the World Cup. The roster announced by interim coach Anthony Hudson on Wednesday will begin gathering on Sunday in Orlando. The group will train in central Florida . . .
The state of USL in 2023
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 9, 2023) US Soccer Players - The USL Championship kicks off its 2023 season, its 13th in its current iteration, this weekend. Eleven matches across the country will raise the curtain, with 24 member teams in all pursuing the league title currently in possession of San Antonio FC. Next week the 12 teams of its third-tier sibling USL League One get their . . .
The MLS seasons keep intensifying
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 2, 2023) US Soccer Players - Most of MLS kicked off the new season last weekend. Yet for the league’s busiest teams, the grind really begins in earnest this coming week. That’s because the onset of Concacaf Champions League play means a three-game week for the five clubs participating in that tournament, necessitating some significant international . . .
FC Cincinnati assistant Dominic Kinnear on “formation, freedom, ability, and then opportunity”
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 23, 2023) US Soccer Players - In a one-on-one conversation with USSoccerPlayers.com at FC Cincinnati's preseason training base in Florida last week, assistant coach Dominic Kinnear had a simple explanation for joining the club in January 2022. "Well, I wasn't working," deadpanned Kinnear, "so I needed a job." Kinnear had spent a year away from the . . .
Daryl Dike: Back on the grind and looking forward
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 16, 2023) US Soccer Players - 2021 was an incredible year for Daryl Dike. After a solid rookie season in MLS, he shot into a bigger spotlight with an excellent winter/spring loan spell at English Championship side Barnsley, powering an unexpected run into the promotion playoffs and heavy interest from other English clubs. USMNT call-ups followed, including a . . .
USMNT players and the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, Europa League knockouts
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 9, 2023) US Soccer Players - The final sprint for European soccer's top club prizes begins next week as the knockout phases of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League kick off. Several USMNT players could be right in the thick of it. Here's a rundown of who's involved and what's at stake. Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea This meeting of two of the . . .
Leeds United and other notable US enclaves abroad
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 3, 2022) US Soccer Players - When Weston McKennie completed his move from Juventus to Leeds United on Monday, he became the third USMNT player on their roster, joining Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson. A fourth prominent Yank is on hand in the form of manager Jesse Marsch. McKennie's arrival strengthens the "Leeds United States" plotline as LUFC climbs the . . .
Defense, identity, and urgency from the USMNT vs Serbia
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 26, 2023) US Soccer Players - Familiar roles featured new faces as the USMNT opened both a new year and a new World Cup cycle with a 2-1 friendly loss to Serbia in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Here are a few observations as the Yanks shift focus towards Saturday’s match vs Colombia at Dignity Health Sports Park, this January camp’s final act. Youth in the . . .
