By Clemente Lisi – WASHINGTON DC (Oct 23, 2017) US Soccer Players – From DC United's last game at RFK stadium to NYCFC playing another home game away from home, MLS's Decision Day had its moments. The end of the regular season also means that the postseason is upon us and the games will become even more meaningful in the coming weeks. That’s where VAR comes in. The point of using instant replay . . .
Learning from the NASL’s expansion problems
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 16, 2017) US Soccer Players – We’re nearing the end of the latest round of MLS expansion. Though commissioner Don Garber recently suggested that the next round might face a delay, the league was quick to confirm that they’re set to announce two more teams in mid-December. That’s how the league works right now, adding clubs on a regular schedule. Cities . . .
What the 1989 USMNT can teach the 2017 version
By Clemente Lisi – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 9, 2017) US Soccer Players – Halloween may be just a few weeks away, but signs of the holiday are all around us. Pumpkins and skeletons adorn the outside of homes and stores have stocked the shelves with candy and costumes. Given this bewitching time of year, it seems fitting then that the USMNT has given a fright to everyone from soccer officials right on . . .
5 MLS games to watch in October
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 2, 2017) US Soccer Players – The start of October is when MLS teams go into overdrive. After spending the summer laying the groundwork for a playoff push, the Fall is when some teams either surge and clinch a postseason berth or totally collapse and start rebuilding for next season. For teams that surge, the hope is that the momentum will carry them to a title. . . .
Why does an American pick a Premier League team?
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 25, 2017) US Soccer Players – It wasn't easy growing up a soccer fan in this country during the 1980s. It was a time when the sport appeared to go into hibernation. I caught the soccer bug during my summers in Italy, the country of my parents’ birth, and fell in love with the game during the 1982 World Cup when I was only five. That was the summer of great . . .
Melia on the US Open Cup: “It’s everything for us”
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 18, 2017) US Soccer Players – Sporting Kansas City’s Tim Melia is having the best season of his career. He's in the conversation for the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year award. Melia ranks among the league’s best in a series of major categories, including goals-against-average, shutouts, penalty saves, and overall save percentage. He’s one of the reasons why . . .
Soccer players and the other football
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 11, 2017) US Soccer Players – Millions of Americans spent this past Sunday watching football. Seven months after the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in dramatic, come-from-behind style, the NFL returned for a new season. While the games featured lots of passing and running, there was also a fair bit of kicking. Football is a sport where all the . . .
Remembering Soccer Bowl ’77
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 4, 2017) US Soccer Players – While the history of American soccer stretches back more than a century, it was 40 years ago that the game experienced unprecedented growth and the pinnacle of its mainstream popularity. It was 1977 and the North American Soccer League, which was entering its 10th year of existence, dazzled crowds nationwide with franchises . . .
The USMNT at Red Bull Arena
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 28, 2017) US Soccer Players – The list of cities that have hosted US World Cup qualifiers is a long one. It famously features Columbus, Ohio, site of several epic 2-0 wins versus Mexico. There's the obvious places like Washington, DC and the less so like Tampa. The list even has Rome. Yes, the one in Italy. That was the site of the USMNT’s first-ever qualifier . . .
The move from player to pundit in US soccer
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 21, 2017) US Soccer Players – There’s an increasing number of former US players doing color commentary on TV these days. The move into punditry seems like a natural next step as more players seek to stay in the game they love, while lending their expertise to the growing number of coverage hours across all media outlets. Be it Landon Donovan and Stuart Holden . . .
