By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 12, 2021) US Soccer Players - Atlanta United's just-announced new head coach arrives in Georgia with quite a resume. He holds a UEFA A coaching license, and he's bilingual. He joins the Five Stripes from the coaching staff of a highly successful club that has reached its league's championship final three times in his four years of service there, winning one . . .
Berhalter shows some personality, and so does the USMNT
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 6, 2021) US Soccer Players - Due to safety precautions, direct interaction between teams and the media members covering them has dwindled in the pandemic era. Instead, like so much right now, Zoom calls became the new normal. That was the situation throughout the Gold Cup, the best opportunity to learn about more subtle elements around a team like mood and . . .
Preview: 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup final
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 30, 2021) US Soccer Players - The Gold Cup semifinals reached their most commonly expected outcome on Thursday night. They just took a stranger and more winding path than usual to get there. The USMNT found another gear to down a lively Qatar 1-0 via a late Gyasi Zardes goal in sultry Austin, Texas. Then a couple of hours to the southeast in Houston, Mexico . . .
Preview: USMNT vs Jamaica 2021 Gold Cup quarterfinals
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 23, 2021) US Soccer Players - The USMNT begin their journey through the Gold Cup's knockout bracket on Sunday with a quarterfinal matchup against Jamaica at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (9:30pm ET - FS1). It's a familiar opponent in a familiar circumstance. The Yanks have extended their streak of 16 straight qualifications for the knockout phase of . . .
Four takeaways from the opening phases of the 2021 Gold Cup
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 16, 2021) US Soccer Players - With Thursday's second match night of group B in the books, we're now halfway through the 2021 Gold Cup round-robin stage. The outlines of the knockout bracket are taking enough shape for some general observations can be made about the latest edition of Concacaf's top tournament. Here's four. Issues for Cinderella teams It's a . . .
EURO 2020, the Copa America, and the concept of major tournaments
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 8, 2021) US Soccer Players - For many soccer watchers, the word 'tournament' conveys a certain thrill and sense of wonder. Major ones like the World Cup and the various continental championships provide signposts that mark our lives across the decades. They can inspire, immortalize, and remind us of certain periods, places, players, and moments. Host . . .
Five questions about the USMNT’s 2021 Gold Cup campaign
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 2, 2021) US Soccer Players - The USMNT still doesn't know who they'll be playing in their opening match on July 11. But the program's hunt for a seventh Gold Cup championship is about to begin in earnest. Gregg Berhalter released his final 23-player roster and explained his choices on Thursday. In a few days, squad and staff will convene in Kansas City, . . .
MLS in the lower divisions
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 24, 2021) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer announced on Monday that it will kick off a new competition. In its words, the new lower division league is "designed to complete the player pathway" from academies to first teams, "while also bringing the excitement and passion of professional soccer to cities that currently do not have a professional soccer . . .
The Concacaf Octagonal adds two interesting teams
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 18, 2021) US Soccer Players - Much about the final round of Concacaf 2022 World Cup qualifying will look and feel familiar to the USMNT and their supporters. Costa Rica and Mexico are perennial adversaries in this phase, which this time grows from the fabled Hexagonal to the COVID-adjusted "Octagonal" format. Visits to the Distrito Federal and San Jose have . . .
Taking stock of the USMNT’s tactical identity after Concacaf Nations League
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 11, 2021) US Soccer Players - Before Sunday's Concacaf Nations League final, the last time the USMNT played Mexico was in September of 2019. That was a high-profile friendly at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Back then, coach Gregg Berhalter insisted on building play out of the back despite El Tri's fierce high press. The result was a 3-0 Mexico win keyed by . . .
