By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 2, 2023) US Soccer Players - LAFC is still in it. That, and perhaps only that, was the positive takeaway from LAFC's 2-1 first-leg defeat to Club Leon on Wednesday night in Mexico in the Concacaf Champions League final. Denis Bouanga's stoppage time goal was the crucial moment in a match that otherwise saw the defending MLS Cup and Supporter Shield champions . . .
Previewing the 2022-23 season finales for USMNT players in La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 31, 2023) US Soccer Players - This weekend brings the finales of the 2022-23 seasons for Europe's other three major domestic leagues, Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1, and Italy's Serie A. In Spain and France, the season culminates with games that will decide spots in next year's European competitions and which clubs will be headed to the second . . .
What the Premier League finale means for USMNT players at Fulham, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Leeds United
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 26, 2023) US Soccer Players - The final day of the 2022-23 Premier League season won't have a say in which club wins the title. Manchester City already lifted that piece of silverware with a game left on the schedule. Nor is there any intrigue over the clubs that will follow City into the Champions League next season. Arsenal will finish second, with Manchester . . .
Gio Reyna’s quality for Borussia Dortmund with a two-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 24, 2023) US Soccer Players - The Bundesliga's final round of matches is an annual exercise in intrigue. Each year massive stakes are on the line when the competition's 18 teams finish a 34-match schedule with nine games played simultaneously. Near the top, clubs battle for places in the UEFA Champions League, with at least one or two of four spots available . . .
A dozen games in, FC Cincinnati shows how to compete in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 19, 2023) US Soccer Players - They don't hand out trophies for topping the MLS standings in May. That won't stop FC Cincinnati and its fans from feeling pretty good about being in 1st-place nearly 40 percent through the 2023 MLS regular season schedule. A 3-0 win over Montreal on Wednesday night, an emphatic, dominant performance that featured goals from two . . .
Slonina, Wiley, Gomez, and Cowell with the USMNT U-20s
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 17, 2023) US Soccer Players - The U-20 World Cup returns for the first time since 2019 when the 2023 edition begins in Argentina on Saturday. Although FIFA doesn't require clubs to release players for the event once known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, the tournament occupies an important place in the development and promotion process for young players. . . .
CF Montreal, Inter Miami, and not panicking in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 12, 2023) US Soccer Players - One of Major League Soccer's recurring lessons, taught every season to clubs that seem to forget it as soon as they learn it, is "Things are rarely as bad as they seem." A more direct way to state the same lesson as an imperative is "Don't panic." Both CF Montreal and Inter Miami enter Matchday 12 carrying winning streaks. Those . . .
Steffen’s Middlesbrough, Gooch’s Sunderland, and Horvath’s Luton Town in the 2022-23 Championship playoffs
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 10, 2023) US Soccer Players - The field for the 2022-23 version of the Championship promotion playoffs wasn't set until the final day of play in England's second division. Monday's concluding round of games began with both automatic promotion places claimed (Burnley in first, Sheffield United in second) and with Middlesbrough and Luton Town assured of their . . .
The Red Bulls defense still points to a potential turnaround
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 7, 2023) US Soccer Players - When the Seattle Sounders missed the MLS playoffs in 2022, it gave the New York Red Bulls both the longest active playoff streak and a chance to set an MLS record. A look at the Eastern Conference standings ten games into the 2023 season shows the difficulty of maintaining that level of success. After a 1-0 loss to the . . .
DC United’s win streak is about the right mix of players
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2023) US Soccer Players - With four wins in a row and three straight wins in the league, April proved fruitful for Wayne Rooney and DC United. A mix of the old and new is starting to click under Rooney ten games into the schedule. United has added some European names to a team with a core group of American talent. Striker Christian Benteke arrived late . . .
