By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 23, 2017) US Soccer Players - They arrived by the hundreds, some hours early even on a weeknight. Their vehicles backed up for miles down the small country roads and residential streets like the crowds flocking to the baseball diamond in “Field of Dreams.” The bucolic little stadium simply wasn’t ready for their numbers. The entry lines stretched easily a . . .
Jurgen and Bruce: The American soccer rift that’s here to stay
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 16, 2017) US Soccer Players - Sunday’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with Mexico at Estadio Azteca is a great result by any measure, regardless of the circumstances or personnel involved. While there’s ample work still ahead, the USMNT can now consider itself to be back on course for Russia 2018 after last fall’s queasy wobbles. Some concerns die off more . . .
Preview: USMNT heads to Mexico City with points, confidence, rhythm
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 9, 2017) US Soccer Players - The USMNT continue to shift through the gears under Bruce Arena. Thursday night’s 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago set the team up well for Sunday’s much anticipated grudge match against Mexico at Estadio Azteca. Bruce Arena will be happy to have bagged three points while building momentum for the weekend’s clash. It's a . . .
Preview: USMNT vs Venezuela at senior and U-20 level
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 2, 2017) US Soccer Players - A solid spring for the US youth national team system got even better on Thursday morning, The USMNT Under-20s spanked New Zealand 6-0 in their first knockout round match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea. The victory sets up an intriguing weekend doubleheader of sorts. On Saturday night the USMNT open their summer slate with a . . .
New stars rising as USMNT U-20s find their feet at the World Cup
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 25, 2017) US Soccer Players - They’ve got a diverse, battle-tested squad. They’ve got a hotshot striker surging towards stardom. They’ve got four points from their first two group-stage games, and increasingly euphoric fans waking up early or staying up late to watch them. They’ve even got Brad Friedel in tow. Almost exactly 15 years after the USMNT stunned . . .
Arena’s decisions for the next round of World Cup qualifying
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 18, 2017) US Soccer Players - Two weeks from Saturday, the USMNT will return to match play with a friendly vs Venezuela at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. It's a warm-up before pivotal World Cup qualifiers vs. Trinidad & Tobago on June 8 and at Mexico on the 11. Injuries complicated USMNT coach Bruce Arena's last roster for the March qualifiers. The . . .
“This is who we are” – The USMNT U-20s aim for identity
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 11, 2017) US Soccer Players - The USMNT U-20s have gathered in Japan for their final preparations for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The tournament kicks off for the Yanks on May 22 with a tricky-looking matchup against Ecuador (4am ET - FS1). As usual, the tournament shapes up as a useful bellwether for the state of young American players and the systems . . .
US Soccer’s $100 million problem
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 4, 2017) US Soccer Players - This week Grant Wahl delivered major news that should reverberate across the American soccer scene for months, likely years, to come. The Sports Illustrated and FOX correspondent revealed on Tuesday that the US Soccer Federation is sitting on a whopping $100 million in surplus cash. If Wahl’s numbers are correct – and Federation . . .
Why does the MLS Players Union release salary information? A Q&A with Bob Foose
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 27, 2017) US Soccer Players - It’s become something of a biannual holiday among hardcore fans and other MLS observers, and it arrived this week: The MLS Players Union’s public release of its members’ salary information. “The salary drop,” as it’s informally dubbed, spawns a litany of chatter and media content. We see pieces containing various combinations of . . .
Dispatch from Dallas: What talented young American players need
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 20, 2017) US Soccer Players - Last weekend I returned to the city of my birth to take in the final few days of the Dallas Cup and Generation Adidas Cup. Both are among the most prominent and talent-laden tournaments on the American youth soccer calendar. In the process I got a snapshot of both the progress made and the lingering shortcomings in the efforts to . . .
