By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 13, 2020) US Soccer Players - The USMNT opened a new chapter on Thursday with their first match since February, showing plenty to like in their 0-0 draw with Wales in Swansea. Gregg Berhalter's new-look side were short on clear scoring chances, but their dominance in midfield and comfortable management of their defensive third kept them in clear control for . . .
MLS makes things even more interesting with points per game
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 5, 2020) US Soccer Players - If MLS has kept faith in any one guiding principle since its founding a quarter-century ago, it's the devotion to parity, an inclusive postseason format and the drama of stretch-run playoff races. Now the home stretch of this strange 2020 season has delivered yet another injection of uncertainty. The league announced a late shift . . .
Barcelona, Bartomeu, and the membership model in America
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 30, 2020) US Soccer Players - A stormy year at FC Barcelona got even more eventful this week. The Spanish giant's unpopular president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned Tuesday evening along with the club's board of directors amid a string of on-field setbacks and skyrocketing debts. Despite their team winning four La Liga championships, four Copa del Rey . . .
The National Soccer Hall of Fame tries something new
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 23, 2020) US Soccer Players - In theory, a Hall of Fame shouldn't be controversial. When the process and the selectors who participate in it gobble up more attention than the honorees themselves, it's a safe bet that something is not functioning as it should. That's the quandary the National Soccer Hall of Fame has found itself facing. With the flow of new . . .
Landon Donovan on an eventful conclusion to his first season at San Diego Loyal
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 15, 2020) US Soccer Players - Landon Donovan has had a memorable opening chapter to his management career, to say the least. The USMNT legend recently completed an eventful first season with USL Championship expansion side San Diego Loyal, where he serves as head coach, co-founder, and vice president of soccer operations. As if the COVID-19 pandemic and its . . .
The MLS skeptics who’ve crossed over to NISA and the “independent clubs” movement
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 9, 2020) US Soccer Players - When Peter Wilt returned to the National Independent Soccer Association fold earlier this year after a stint with the rival United Soccer League, he got a noteworthy greeting from the chair and co-founder of Chattanooga FC, one of the leading clubs in the upstart group. "Tim Kelly actually said, 'welcome back from the dark . . .
A crowded USMNT road map for 2021
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 1, 2020) US Soccer Players - The USMNT is off again this month, forced by the continuing COVID-19 crisis to scratch any plans of a camp or friendly matches during the October international window. Even without a team gathering, however, this period might turn out to be a significant pivot point for the program. Over the past few weeks, Weston McKennie has . . .
Flying by: Soccer wars leave D3 clubs racking up miles, and costs
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 25, 2020) US Soccer Players - In 2017 the United Soccer League announced the creation of their second division. The league would occupy the third tier of the US pyramid, eventually taking the name USL League One. It seemed like a promising development for the system as a whole. With what we now know as the USL Championship in the second tier mushrooming to . . .
Frank de Boer helps MLS nudge a bit closer to the global soccer mainstream
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 17, 2020) US Soccer Players - Sometimes we learn more from the relationships that don't end well than the ones that do. So it may prove for Frank de Boer and MLS. In July, de Boer became the league's second coaching casualty of the year, parting company with Atlanta United after going winless in a three-and-out campaign at the MLS is Back Tournament. Despite . . .
Training compensation and solidarity payments once again at issue
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 10, 2020) US Soccer Players - The knotty topic of training compensation and solidarity payments in American soccer reared its head again this week. Almost a year and a half on from MLS announcing its intention to pursue such claims for products of its academy system, a new report from ESPN's Jeff Carlisle delves into the state of flux around this issue. . . .
