By Charles Boehm – AL-RAYYAN, QATAR (Dec 1, 2022) US Soccer Players - It takes a certain underrated level of courage to say out loud that your goal is to win the World Cup. Especially when you're not from one of the sport's traditional powerhouses. Many overseas journalists have asked the USMNT how their experience at Qatar 2022 will help them when the tournament arrives in North America in four . . .
Preview: England vs USMNT stresses familiarity
By Charles Boehm – AL-RAYYAN, QATAR (Nov 24, 2022) US Soccer Players - One of the mantras of Gregg Berhalter's time in charge of the USMNT has been desire to change the way the world looks at American soccer. One of the best opportunities of his tenure to do so arrives with Friday's Group B encounter with mighty England at Al Bayt Stadium north of Doha (2pm ET - FOX). It's a meeting with one of . . .
The 8, 9, and 10 roles in the USMNT’s attack
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 17, 2022) US Soccer Players - One of the central topics around the USMNT during the 2022 cycle is its markedly youthful nature. It's the second-youngest among the 32 teams at the 2022 World Cup. Perhaps nowhere on the pitch is that generational shift more evident than in the forward corps selected by coach Gregg Berhalter. Talent abounds in this group, . . .
Wales World Cup roster breakdown
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 10, 2022) US Soccer Players - A few hours before Gregg Berhalter’s World Cup roster unveiling in Brooklyn, the USMNT’s opening opponents in group B released theirs in a very different setting. Wales manager Rob Page returned to his hometown to announce his squad at the Tylorstown Welfare Hall, one of the surviving examples of the community centers that served . . .
MLS potentially rethinks the playoffs, again
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 27, 2022) US Soccer Players - The playoffs are one of Major League Soccer's enduring traditions. The postseason reliably serves up some of its highest drama and most memorable moments. We've seen as much over the first two rounds of this season's edition. They've been an ever-present from MLS's inception, an essential North American sporting element despite a . . .
2022 becomes something for Inter Miami to build on
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 21, 2022) US Soccer Players - The scene was blue, both literally and figuratively, as Inter Miami CF's season ended at New York City FC on Monday night. As the visitors trudged off the converted baseball field, they were suddenly shrouded in thick clouds of artificial fog, apparently churned out as part of NYCFC's celebrations. Miami's first three years of . . .
An important winter beckons for Atlanta United
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 13, 2022) US Soccer Players - "On the pitch as in life, you either win or you learn. And this season was full of lessons." With those 19 opening words in the club's season-ending message of thanks to its fans, Brad Guzan efficiently summed up Atlanta United's 2022. Year six brought a different kind of frustration to one of the bigger, bolder projects in . . .
Charlotte FC gives MLS plenty to think about in year one
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 7, 2022) US Soccer Players - The idea of one prominent game being a microcosm of a club's entire season tends to get overused. Still, it's hard not to apply it to Charlotte FC's 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night. After starting the game on July 30, severe storms forced the suspension of the match in the 16th minute. A crowded calendar . . .
USMNT World Cup countdowns past and present
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 29, 2022) US Soccer Players - The USMNT’s final pre-World Cup camp is in the books. The results against Japan and Saudi Arabia answered some questions and left a few more hanging. Players now return to their clubs for several more weeks of action until the final roster convenes in the Middle East just before the main event in Qatar. For those fretting about . . .
USMNT takes timely new test with Japan friendly
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 22, 2022) US Soccer Players - Thanks mainly to COVID-19, the USMNT has faced just seven non-Concacaf opponents in the past three years. A long pandemic shutdown followed by an intensely compacted World Cup qualifying process imposed those limitations. Now, with Qatar 2022 fast approaching, the challenges and lessons of a new adversary are one of the most . . .
