By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 19, 2022) US Soccer Players - He was one of modern American soccer's first superstars, a thrilling attacker who reached the sport's biggest stages and crossed over into the country's mainstream consciousness like few ever have. The basic facts and stats of Clint Dempsey's professional career are historic in and of themselves: MLS champion, four-time All-Star, . . .
ESPN tries something new with the good old US Open Cup
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 12, 2022) US Soccer Players - Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar had to face a few unfamiliar questions as they got to work planning and hosting the new “GoalCast” whiparound show ESPN+ staged during Wednesday night’s packed slate of 10 US Open Cup matches. Running some seven hours from start to finish, it was a marathon broadcast with nine live interview . . .
US Soccer leaders return to the access question
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - If USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and his colleagues at US Soccer ever had any doubts about that power to inspire, a recent informal poll of the current USMNT swept them away. "When I talk to our team, that diverse group of players that we have about their most memorable experience with the World Cup, the first thing that comes to . . .
Daytona turns into a soccer town with July 4th weekend extravaganza
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 28, 2022) US Soccer Players - One of auto racing's spiritual homes is the site for what the marketing materials humbly proclaim as "the greatest soccer event of all time." That would be the Daytona Soccer Fest, set for July 4th weekend at Daytona International Speedway. There's no surprise that it's the racing venue's first soccer-centric occasion, packed . . .
The 2022 US Open Cup moves on to the round of 32
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 21, 2022) US Soccer Players - It's been a fascinating midweek of action in American soccer. The US Open Cup's third round, the stage at which MLS teams begin to enter the tournament, offered up a packed slate of 24 matches across Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Those paying attention could immerse themselves in what makes domestic cups interesting all over . . .
“Culture,” “ethos” carries Seattle Sounders to the CCL final, and the doorstep of history
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 14, 2022) US Soccer Players - In the end, Seattle's margin of victory was a safe one, 4-2 on aggregate. New York City FC nonetheless made them earn every inch of their place in the Concacaf Champions League final. Wednesday's second leg at Red Bull Arena was just a few seconds old when the first melee broke out. A bruising late aerial challenge from . . .
Finally: USMNT navigate Octagonal path back to World Cup
By Charles Boehm – SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA (Mar 31, 2022) US Soccer Players - The Costa Rica supporters came from miles around. Many arrived long before kickoff, grooving to the music created by drummers and brass players as carnival-style dancers performed. Others hurried under their national stadium's swooping arched roof at the last minute after a long day at work. However they managed to make it, . . .
Beginnings, endings, and perseverance for USMNT at Azteca
By Charles Boehm – MEXICO CITY (Mar 24, 2022) US Soccer Players - For decades, Estadio Azteca has been the immovable object for generation after generation of US soccer players and teams. Coaches come and go, names on the backs of the jerseys change. The two nations on either side of North America's biggest rivalry evolve and, in many ways, grow more alike. But the results at this hulking, . . .
Octagonal endgame: The USMNT’s massive March window
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 17, 2022) US Soccer Players - Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been a compressed, intense sprint more than the winding marathon we’d grown accustomed to over the previous quarter-century. The stakes are just as high as ever, though, as Concacaf’s 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle concludes over the next two weeks. The final window of the Octagonal phase is upon . . .
Jake Edwards on USL’s future
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 10, 2022) US Soccer Players - It feels like a new era for the United Soccer League as its top level, the USL Championship, kicks off the 2022 season this weekend with an opening-day slate of 11 matches on Saturday. Or at least the beginning of the end of a previous one. This marks the final year in which MLS second teams will compete in the league. Atlanta . . .
