By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 12, 2019) US Soccer Players - Michael Holstein noticed something about the soccer scene he played in while growing up in the DC suburbs: By and large, it simply didn't reflect the region's dazzling diversity of cultures, nationalities, and ethnicities. "It's bigger here than most places, but it was always like this fringe sport and that always seemed weird . . .
Is American big money finally warming up to soccer?
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - Not so long ago, soccer was an extremely tough sell among the investor class in the United States. That's putting it mildly. Even as the 1994 World Cup charmed American audiences by the millions, former US Soccer president Alan Rothenberg had such a hard time lining up Major League Soccer's ownership group that the league's launch . . .
What I’m grateful for in soccer this Thanksgiving
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 27, 2019) US Soccer Players - The holiday season looms, and another eventful year of American soccer nears its conclusion. It's a good time to take stock and seek a wider, deeper perspective. By and large, 2019 was a time of transition for the USMNT. After more than a year of treading water without a permanent head coach, the program pushed forward under . . .
Lessons from November as USMNT re-learn the CONCACAF ropes
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 21, 2019) US Soccer Players - After the USMNT's one-sided 7-0 Concacaf Nations League win over Cuba at Audi Field last month, Michael Bradley was asked for his opinion on the confederation's new tournament. The veteran midfielder was honest in his assessment. "Not a huge fan, at all," he admitted. "You want to play on as many days as possible against the . . .
Zlatan, Rooney, and MLS’s pesky relevance quandary
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 14, 2019) US Soccer Players - Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his departure from the LA Galaxy this week after two seasons packed with scoring exploits on the pitch and headline-grabbing quotations off it. David Villa, an MLS icon of similar proportions with NYCFC before spending the past year in Japan with Vissel Kobe, revealed his impending retirement as well. . . .
Mark Lowry on El Paso Locomotive’s unexpected year one success in USL
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 7, 2019) US Soccer Players - The USL Championship postseason is down to its final four as the Conference Finals play out this weekend ahead of the league’s cup final on November 17. Back-to-back defending league champions Louisville City are in the mix, as are familiar names like 2017 regular-season winners Real Monarchs SLC and Indy Eleven. Then there's the . . .
Feilhaber, Zizzo talk breakout success of “BS The Podcast”
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - American soccer fans generally know where to look for breaking news. A relatively small corps of reporters and outlets tend to deliver most of the scoops and tidbits. This year, though, a few of the most interesting news items around MLS have come from an unexpected source. Benny Feilhaber, Sal Zizzo, and Ike Opara were once . . .
End of an era in Charleston
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 17, 2019) US Soccer Players - A piece of American soccer history will take its final bow on Saturday before heading into oblivion this winter. The USL Championship's Charleston Battery close out their 2019 regular-season slate vs Bethlehem Steel at MUSC Health Stadium, the last game in the stadium's 20-year history. Debuting as Blackbaud Stadium in 1999, the . . .
USMNT ready to “do the business” in Concacaf Nations League
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - Focus, grind, progress, get the job done. That's the short version of the USMNT's outlook as they prepare to kick off the first edition of the Concacaf Nations League. The United States is training in quiet isolation at George Mason University in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC this week ahead of their Nations . . .
The Portland Timbers’ Diego Valeri dilemma
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 4, 2019) US Soccer Players - Last week, Real Salt Lake marked the 10-year anniversary of their underdog 2009 MLS Cup win. The club honored the members of that squad during their game against the LA Galaxy. One face was a particularly welcome sight for the home fans. Javier Morales, the Argentinean playmaker whose creativity and class powered the . . .
