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 . . .
The importance of training facilities in MLS
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Q&A with Kellyn Acosta: “We have to take it game by game”
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 25, 2018) US Soccer Players – Kellyn Acosta is a fighter. The FC Dallas and USMNT player doesn’t let anything stop him from playing at the highest level. After recently undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia, Acosta was back in the Dallas lineup in May. As usual, he was there to link the defense to the offense, a player who has been the team’s midfield . . .
Soccer History: Maccabi Los Angeles
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 18, 2018) US Soccer Players – The history of American club soccer is full of stories that include immigrants showing their ethnic pride through the world’s game. It’s what kept the game alive in this country throughout most of the 20th century before the NASL took off in the 1970s. While Italians, Germans, Hungarians, and Ukrainians get a lot of credit for . . .
The USMNT works toward the 2019 Gold Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 11, 2018) US Soccer Players – With the United States missing out on the World Cup, the focus shifts to a new coach, the Fall friendlies, and games that count in 2019. The next stop on the road to rebuilding is next summer’s Gold Cup. This is a tournament that has traditionally allowed the USMNT to assert itself as a regional power, test players, and create a . . .
Soccer History: The 1993 US Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 4, 2018) US Soccer Players – There was a time when the United States needed to rely on friendlies. It was the early 1990s. MLS didn’t yet exist. American players struggled to get minutes with club teams. Some had signed contracts in Europe, but for most that wasn’t an option. With the USMNT working towards the 1994 World Cup, there wasn't a qualifying schedule . . .
Soccer History: New York Greek Americans
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 28, 2018) US Soccer Players – Before the game went mainstream in the 1970s and a national pro league became a reality, soccer was still thought of as an “ethnic sport” played by immigrants. While that was mostly true, what emerged were a series of clubs located in major cities that featured some of the world’s best players. If the ancient Greeks invented the . . .
MLS attendance is still complicated
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 21, 2018) US Soccer Players – MLS attendance has always been about looking at the bright side, especially in the league’s first decade. Seeing the glass half full has served the league well over the years. Boosters point to the fact that MLS now has a league-wide average that tops both the NBA and NHL. Despite that glowing talking point, there’s more to any . . .
US soccer players in the Championship
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 14, 2018) US Soccer Players – England’s Championship may very well be one of the most-competitive second division leagues in the world. That's certainly backed up by attendance figures. England's second-tier normally averages over 20k a game, the kind of support normally associated with topflight leagues. It's also home to USMNT players taking part in a league . . .
