By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 15, 2018) US Soccer Players - There's one obvious problem North American soccer faces when it comes to identifying and developing players. It's the sheer size and scope of the United States and Canada. These are the second- and third-largest countries on earth, with a combined population of more than 360 million. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 million of . . .
Final third the focus as Sarachan shuffles USMNT roster for October
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 5, 2018) US Soccer Players - The USMNT’s evolution process resumes on Sunday when the squad gathers in Tampa, Florida to prepare for this month’s friendlies against Colombia and Peru. Much of the reaction to the roster announced by head coach Dave Sarachan on Monday centered around the return of veterans Michael Bradley and Brad Guzan after a year’s worth of . . .
The problems playing for the US Open Cup
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 28, 2018) US Soccer Players - With Wednesday’s win over the Philadelphia Union, the Houston Dynamo are the 2018 US Open Cup champions. Their victory caps the latest version of the oldest and perhaps most widely loved annual event in American soccer. It’s also a useful time to take stock as the tournament turns the page on its 105th birthday. USMNT legend . . .
Campeones Cup, cross-border rivalries, and the MLS-Liga MX partnership
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 21, 2018) US Soccer Players - North American club soccer’s newest event made its debut Wednesday night, as Tigres UANL defeated Toronto FC 3-1 in the first edition of the Campeones Cup. It’s the first edition of an annual match pitting the reigning MLS Cup champions against their Mexican counterparts, the “Campeon de Campeones” of Liga MX. The jury will be . . .
Notes and lessons from the USMNT’s September friendlies
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 13, 2018) US Soccer Players - The cross initially looked unthreatening, maybe even under hit. It stayed low as it left the foot of Antonee Robinson, who was just a couple of yards from the USMNT’s left touchline. Mexico had five defenders goal side, and only one US player in their penalty box to track. The ball slipped into an empty and thus dangerous . . .
Young USMNT wade into deeper water against Brazil and Mexico
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - The USMNT won’t play a full competitive match until next summer. The US Soccer Federation’s coaching search drags on at a glacial pace. The current setup is not utilizing the full expanse of the player pool. The USMNT’s youth movement continues this week just the same. It's another fresh-faced roster facing two steep challenges . . .
Deuce calls time: A Dempsey appreciation
. . .
The MLS developmental model and the appeal of European soccer
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 24, 2018) US Soccer Players - Weston McKennie. Shaq Moore. Rubio Rubin. Josh Sargent. Erik Palmer-Brown. Zyen Jones. As of this month, Sebastian Soto and Max Rugova. And if reports are correct, Giovanni Reyna and Taylor Booth will soon follow. Those are just a few of the talented young US prospects who’ve recently passed on MLS offers to move abroad, or . . .
As Crew edge closer to Austin, has MLS crossed a new threshold?
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 17, 2018) US Soccer Players - With a 7-4 vote to approve a proposed soccer stadium plan for Precourt Sports Ventures, owners of the Columbus Crew, the Austin City Council may have opened an unsettling new chapter in the history of Major League Soccer on Wednesday. You’ve heard a lot about new eras in MLS over the past 10 years or so, most of it positive. The . . .
Raising the roof without lifting the lid
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 10, 2018) US Soccer Players - MLS brought its summer transfer window to a close late Wednesday night, at midnight Central Time, to be precise. The cutoff time was due to the US Soccer Federation’s headquarters’ location in Chicago. A mild flurry of transfers and trades flew across the transom over the course of the window’s final days and hours. By my count, . . .
