By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 16, 2022) US Soccer Players – The European domestic seasons are drawing to a close. The remaining weeks of May will determine league champions, which teams will play in European competition next season, and promotion and relegation. Once again, several Americans are involved in these key matches. American players plying their trade outside the United States . . .
Seattle’s MLS situation
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 9, 2022) US Soccer Players – Seattle Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer is so successful in part because he truly worries about the little things. Whether it's scribbling notes on a pad during games or watching hours of videotape in between matches, Schmetzer is always concerned about what comes next. The Sounders made history last Wednesday night by defeating . . .
MLS goalkeeping continues to impress in 2022
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 2, 2022) US Soccer Players – MLS has no shortage of great goalkeepers. It never has. This country has turned developing goalkeepers into almost a cliche. Add to that recruiting from overseas, and there's an expectation in Major League Soccer. A competitive team needs a standout goalkeeper. That's already holding in 2022. For an MLS side to be successful, the . . .
Mixed results so far in 2022 for Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto
By Clemente Lisi – MONTREAL, CA (Apr 25, 2022) US Soccer Players – Scores of fans streamed out of Stade Saputo on a chilly April evening in Montreal. They'd just watched the hometown CF Montreal defeat Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps in what was a riveting 2-1 game. The encounter was the first all-Canadian match-up of the 2022 season. The state of the game in Canada is very good, especially . . .
Seattle with a chance in the Concacaf Champions League
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 18, 2022) US Soccer Players – MLS has hit many milestones in recent years. The league celebrated a quarter-century in business, embarking on its 28th this past February. They've mushroomed to 28 clubs, and the biggest market finally produced a champion just last season. Fans are back in the stadiums after the worst of the pandemic, and TV ratings have seen some . . .
MLS tactics early in 2022
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 11, 2022) US Soccer Players – MLS coaches have gotten more tactically savvy in recent years. With better players come better tactics, and MLS teams have experimented with a wide variety of formations. Whether it's playing with three in the back or relying increasingly on intricate passing, MLS coaches aren't afraid to push the tactical envelope this . . .
The United States and Canada at the 2022 World Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 4, 2022) US Soccer Players – It’s an event that will help fuel speculation for the next seven months. It will trigger predictions, many of them ending up being wrong, about who will or won’t win the planet’s biggest sporting event. The World Cup draw, which was conducted this past Friday, brought into focus the tournament’s eight opening-round groups and . . .
Three trends to watch early in the 2022 MLS season
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 28, 2022) US Soccer Players – It's just a month into the MLS season, and narratives are already beginning to emerge. In a league known for not exactly being predictable week-to-week, the expectation is that it takes time for the season to come into focus. The initial weeks are normally about teams trying to make some obvious points, but plenty fade as the . . .
The USMNT visits Estadio Azteca tied on points with Mexico
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 21, 2022) US Soccer Players – It's one of the biggest National Team rivalries on the planet. It's a game played in adverse conditions on both sides of the border. It's also one that the United States has dominated most recently, which should add even more pressure to its rivalry with Mexico. The legendary Estadio Azteca will host another meeting of the . . .
5 USMNT players to watch in Europe as the 2021-22 season winds down
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 14, 2022) US Soccer Players – As the English like to say, the various domestic leagues across Europe are reaching the business end of the competition. As the long winter gives way to spring, there are plenty of trophies to win, table positions to climb, and relegation to avoid. The spring is the time when titles races heat up and clubs, even ones who can't win . . .
