By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 10, 2018) US Soccer Players – Wonderful teams and colorful characters filled the original North American Soccer League era. While the focus of those years mostly revolves around the New York Cosmos and names like Pele and Giorgio Chinaglia, other teams and players were also vital in helping to grow the game. One of those teams was the Dallas Tornado. The team, . . .
Q&A with Paul Arriola: “These games give us experience right now”
By Clemente Lisi – E RUTHERFORD, NJ (Sep 10, 2018) US Soccer Players – Paul Arriola is one of the many young faces that makes up the current US National Team set up. While European-based players like Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah have garnered a lot of the attention, the DC United midfielder is one of those who makes a strong case that MLS remains a major contributor to the USMNT roster. With . . .
Playing Brazil in the USA
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 3, 2018) US Soccer Players – Pele, Socrates, Ronaldo, Kaka, Neymar. These are a mere sampling of the one-name soccer wonders Brazil has produced over the past six decades. Even your average American sports fans, who often hesitates when trying to name international athletes, can identify many of them. The name that stands out on that list is Pele. Not only is . . .
Soccer History: Atlanta Chiefs
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 20, 2018) US Soccer Players – Soccer experienced a boom in popularity in North America starting in the late 1960s. Following widespread interest as a spectator sport in the 1920s, the collapse of the original ASL saw the game take on a minor, even regional role, for much of the 20th century. The creation of the National Professional Soccer League in 1967, and . . .
Q&A with Ike Opara: “Really you just need to be clicking on all cylinders”
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 13, 2018) US Soccer Players – MLS is often overlooked, even mocked, for its defending. In a league where backlines are often maligned and strikers soak up all the attention, it isn’t easy not to notice that some of the league’s best players can be defenders. Among this elite group is Sporting Kansas City center back Ike Opara. The 29-year-old defender is one . . .
5 American players to watch in Europe
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 6, 2018) US Soccer Players – The summer touring season is coming to an end for European clubs with league games that count on the horizon. One of the bright spots from the summer friendlies was how well American players did, a possible precursor for things to come this season. Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah are just two of the many young Americans expected to . . .
Soccer History: Bethlehem Steel
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jul 30, 2018) US Soccer Players – Large metropolitan areas have typically housed some of this country’s biggest soccer clubs. The New York Cosmos of the 1970s and '80s instantly comes to mind. Since the founding of MLS in 1996, DC United and the LA Galaxy have had dynasty eras. But some of this country's best teams came from small towns. One of those teams, the . . .
Liverpool and the summer soccer tour
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jul 23, 2018) US Soccer Players – Soccer is a sport where there are no longer any substantial breaks. One tournament ends, league play begins. It's a transition that both players and fans understand, but it also separates soccer from the other professional sports in North America. The offseason isn't much of one, as we're watching with the summer club tours already . . .
5 World Cup players for MLS
By Clemente Lisi – MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Jul 16, 2018) US Soccer Players – Your World Cup hangover officially starts now. The days after crowning a World Cup champion is when those withdrawal symptoms start to kick in. It's only natural after watching such an obscene amount of games in such a short time span. While most of the planet tries to return to normal this week after France lifted the trophy on . . .
Q&A with Sean Johnson: “We live to play games”
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jul 9, 2018) US Soccer Players – Look closely at how much New York City FC’s defense has improved in recent years and you’ll discover that one of the reasons involves goalkeeper Sean Johnson. In just his second season with NYCFC, Johnson has helped push the team to new heights. The 29-year-old shot-stopper had spent his entire career for the Chicago Fire, the team . . .
