By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (June 10, 2019) US Soccer Players – MLS teams have been here before. It happens every year in late spring/early summer whenever a major international tournament is on the schedule. MLS takes a break, but even then there are player absences that can cost teams in the short and long term. Missing players due to international duty means MLS coaches will need to . . .
Longevity in MLS
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (June 3, 2019) US Soccer Players – Longevity is something every soccer player hopes for but few find. Italy's Dino Zoff was 40 when he led his country to the 1982 World Cup title. He would retire a year later. Others have not. Dutch striker and 1992 World Player of the Year Marco van Basten retired at 28 following a recurring ankle injury. Some of MLS's oldest . . .
The Midwest’s Gold Cup opportunity
By Clemente Lisi – CHICAGO, IL (May 27, 2019) US Soccer Players – There are many geographic regions across the United States that can lay claim to being soccer’s home. The New York metropolitan area, with its immigrants and years of past success with the Cosmos, is one. California and Texas have a similar tradition. The Pacific Northwest and the Seattle-Portland rivalry, is another. The South, . . .
Will the Champions League avoid negative tactics?
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 20, 2019) US Soccer Players – This is the time of year for crowning champions. In Europe, domestic cup tournaments typically close out the long club season. The continent’s biggest trophies, the UEFA Champions League and Europa League provide an appropriate end to the season. For the first time in history, both finals will feature only English clubs. The . . .
Big seasons for USMNT players in the Bundesliga, Scotland, and Belgium
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 13, 2019) US Soccer Players – If August brings with it the promise of what could be, May is the time to assess results. That’s what teams, coaches, and players who earn a living across Europe do at the end of every season. Over the past nine months, we’ve witnessed many successes and plenty of failures. For Americans playing in Europe, it has once again been a . . .
Preview: The 2019 US Open Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 6, 2019) US Soccer Players – The 2019 US Open Cup starts this month. It's the country’s oldest soccer tournament, a single-elimination knockout competition that dates back to 1914. The first round, which kicks off May 7, will feature 32 teams made up of eight amateur clubs in addition to the National Premier Soccer League and USL League One and Two. While last . . .
MLS trends in 2019
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 29, 2019) US Soccer Players – MLS is once again off to an intriguing start. This is the point in the schedule when some of those preseason predictions are starting to look silly. It’s also a great time for teams up and down the conference tables to take stock before heading into the busy summer stretch. Unlike Europe’s often-predictable title races, MLS is . . .
Canada’s new league
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 22, 2019) US Soccer Players – The Canadian MLS clubs are soon going to have some company playing in an entirely different league. Canada is finally getting a national pro league, which starts at the end of this month, with the aim of popularizing the game to a national audience as well as help develop players. It sounds a lot like when MLS launched back in . . .
The MLS rivalries in the I-95 corridor
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 15, 2019) US Soccer Players – For the major East Coast cities linked by Interstate-95 in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the country, every game between them is a rivalry game. That's regardless of the sport. all of them have a rich sports tradition and distinct rivalries. Over the past two decades, rivalries built by those other sports have . . .
The other Gold Cup seeds
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 8, 2019) US Soccer Players – The USMNT has gotten 2019 off to a strong start. The Gregg Berhalter era has brought with it wins, optimism, and depth at various positions. The aim this year will be winning the Gold Cup. While the US enters the tournament as one of the favorites, what about the region’s other contenders? With the Gold Cup draw set for Wednesday, . . .
