By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 29, 2021) US Soccer Players – What one thinks of MLS depends largely on the kind of soccer watched each week. That's especially the case when talking about the reputation of Major League Soccer outside of North America. Why that matters has a lot to do with the kind of foreign players MLS teams are able to sign and the ability by the league to nurture talent . . .
MLS takes a risk with Thanksgiving Day playoff soccer
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 22, 2021) US Soccer Players – There have always been certain sporting events we associate with a particular holiday. New Year's Day has traditionally been about college football because of the Rose Bowl. In recent years, the NHL has joined in with their Winter Classic outdoor game. St Patrick's Day, and most of March, is all about college basketball brackets. . . .
The development of the Canadian Premier League
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 15, 2021) US Soccer Players – The Vancouver Whitecaps are the only MLS team from Canada that made the playoffs. Toronto FC and CF Montreal, teams with large fan bases, missed out this fall, meaning most of Canada will be rooting for the Whitecaps. Meanwhile, Canadian soccer fans have other things to cheer about. After the Canadian Women's Team won gold at . . .
Preview: 2021 MLS Playoffs
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 8, 2021) US Soccer Players – It's playoff time in Major League Soccer. Well, it would be except for the international break and MLS not yet announcing the schedule. That slight pause in the action aside, Decision Day delivered in 2021. It put a cap on an interesting regular season where only one club ended up separating itself from the rest. Sunday's final day . . .
Greg Vanney, Caleb Porter, and 100 wins in MLS
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 1, 2021) US Soccer Players – Coaches don't play the game, but in the best cases, they're its architect. They're hired, fired, feted, and maligned depending on the fortunes of their teams. In MLS, parity makes quick turnarounds possible. It also puts additional pressure on coaches to deliver over short time frames in a league with significant financial controls. . . .
USMNT players in Ligue 1
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 25, 2021) US Soccer Players – Europe’s top five domestic leagues are constantly jockeying for attention outside their national borders. The Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, and Ligue 1 are those top five in talent, reputation, and brand awareness. While which one of these five is the best in any given season normally depends on which club wins the . . .
What we’ve learned so far from the Octagonal
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 18, 2021) US Soccer Players – World Cup Qualifying rolls on as the road to Qatar 2022 starts to take shape. Aside from the host nation, Germany and Denmark were the first two teams to qualify for the World Cup finals. The pandemic forced a condensed schedule of qualifying games, adding to the emotion and drama that usually comes with these games. Concacaf . . .
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from a tactical perspective
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 11, 2021) US Soccer Players – The biggest transfer moves of the summer involved the world's two best players. Lionel Messi's departure for Paris Saint-Germain in August, followed a few weeks later by Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United, marked a transfer season like no other. The race is now on, once again, for which of the two will have the better . . .
MLS bubble teams
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 4, 2021) US Soccer Players – The start of fall brings with it cooler temperatures in most parts of the country. For MLS, things are just starting to heat up. It's the time of year when teams ramp up to the playoffs, jockeying for points on the quest for the Supporters' Shield or a higher place in the table. For teams just outside the top seven in each . . .
The evolution of soccer goalposts centers on one game
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 27, 2021) US Soccer Players – Soccer is a game where the attention of fans normally focuses on very few things. Goals are an obvious one. So are saves and fouls. It's not a coincidence that both relate to the scoring of goals. What about the goal itself? They only matter to most of us when a ball hits one. They only become important when they make a . . .
