By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 16, 2017) US Soccer Players - It was a unique moment in the modern history of American soccer. Rarely has a team below the MLS level had the chance to play an established MLS name in a match with something significant on the line. Never before has that lower division team benefited from a sold out crowd bigger than all but a few first division clubs could . . .
Deadline Day in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 11, 2017) US Soccer Players - The close of the Major League Soccer transfer window brought a flurry of activity. Perhaps for the first time ever, deadline day in America’s top division was rife with enough intrigue to keep fans engaged all the way up to the midnight eastern cutoff. Among the bigger deals to go down were the transfer of USMNT player Paul Arriola . . .
The 2017 MLS transfer season nears its end
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 9, 2017) US Soccer Players - The 2017 MLS secondary transfer window closes on Wednesday. Like any good deadline, this one has prompted a flurry of activity with mere hours to go as clubs looks to strengthen their sides or cash in on the market, whichever the case may be. Naturally, it’s the clubs at the bottom end of the table who are looking to turn some . . .
MLS moves to instant replay
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 4, 2017) US Soccer Players - The MLS All-Star Game isn’t exactly a “midpoint of the season” affair. For a host of practical reasons, the league chooses to hold its exhibition extravaganza a bit further along in the calendar than halfway. Normally, that fact is nothing more than a small quirk for an operation rife with larger ones. No one batted an eye in . . .
Is the MLS All-Star Game for the fans or the league?
By Jason Davis – CHICAGO, IL (Aug 2, 2017) US Soccer Players - The MLS All-Star Game is many things. Marketing exercise. Soccer festival. Measure of MLS growth. The MLS All-Star Game does a reasonable job of being some of those things and a poor job of being others. The nature of the event means its value is constantly in question, at least with the current format. Playing a touring European club . . .
LAFC and the Galaxy play the MLS coaching game
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 28, 2017) US Soccer Players - Thursday turned out to be quite the day for MLS in Los Angeles. Both teams, the one currently playing and the one set for next season, made coaching announcements. The established brand currently wheezing through a disappointing campaign made a change. The new concern setting themselves up for a successful debut season made an . . .
MLS promotes the Gold Cup by promoting itself
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 26, 2017) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer has always ALWAYS tied its identity to the United States Men’s National Team. This goes back to the earliest days of the league. Much of its early star power came from the American heroes of 1994. MLS has made the most of the involvement of players from its ranks in the international fortunes of the USA. Before . . .
MLS coaches in trouble?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 21, 2017) US Soccer Players - We're just past the halfway point of the 2017 Major League Soccer season. We're fresh off an extended break for the Gold Cup group stage. For some teams, this is the time for regrouping. For others, it's looking at what's already happened and figuring out if the time is right for a change. Yes, it's another episode of the coaching . . .
Playing for one club in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 19, 2017) US Soccer Players - Francesco Totti, the legendary Italian striker, just retired after a 25-year career. Totti spent every one of those 25 years with the same club, Roma, where he will now serve as a director in his post-playing days. He is the epitome of that oft-romanticized idea, a player who never leaves the team he came up with as a . . .
The Gold Cup approach creates a perception issue for the USMNT
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 14, 2017) US Soccer Players - Bruce Arena and the United States Men’s National Team wanted two things from the 2017 Gold Cup. An opportunity to evaluate a group of players not already established in the program who might be able to help the team with depth in Russia next year. It was also supposed to be the return of the program to its proper place among the . . .
