By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - Truly historic seasons are easy to spot. They come with gaudy numbers and long winning streaks. They seem to buck the odds and cut against the type of bad luck that invariably affects everyone. They are marked by great individual campaigns that reflect on the work of the team as a whole. They always prompt debate, particularly when . . .
The unpredictable MLS Cup
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 1, 2019) US Soccer Players - Not that long ago, we considered the possibility of a Seattle Sounders versus Toronto FC matchup in the 2019 MLS Cup final in this very space. At the time, that possibility seemed remote. Neither team held favored status heading into their respective conference finals. The club they'd face were easy picks as the league's clear best. . . .
There is no David vs Goliath in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer doesn't have titans. Even the David vs Goliath narrative is an overreach because no MLS team truly merits the label of "Goliath" relative to any other MLS team. The traditional, non-specific designations used so casually in Europe like "big club" and "small club" won't work in a single-entity league. It's not . . .
Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders aren’t underdogs
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - Toronto FC faced the Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup final for two consecutive seasons in 2017 and 2018. The Sounders prevailed the first time, Toronto FC the second. That quirk of fate ties the two clubs together. That's how history works. Nothing will change the connection between the two clubs in the MLS Cup final record books. . . .
Doing more than making the playoffs
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Ike Opara is the MLS Defender of the Year
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 18, 2019) US Soccer Players - Ike Opara winning Defender of the Year in Major League Soccer in 2019 is definitely about Ike Opara. The 30-year-old Minnesota United center back won his second Defender of the Year in three years on Thursday, beating out Walker Zimmerman of LAFC and Miles Robinson of Atlanta United. Opara carried the player and front office votes . . .
MLS needs to fix the Rookie of the Year award
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 16, 2019) US Soccer Players - It's awards season in Major League Soccer. With the regular season wrapped up and the playoffs looming, the league has begun handing out individual recognition for the best of 2019. First up, the Rookie of the Year Award. Colorado's Andre Shinyashiki took home the trophy for the best first-year professional player in the league . . .
MLS teams in need of a Cup run
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 11, 2019) US Soccer Players - The MLS Cup playoffs are mostly about crowning a league champion. Fourteen teams, eleven games, one group of players showering in confetti with Queen blasting from the speakers. The culmination of a long campaign decided by a knockout tournament played over barely three weeks. If only one team can win the title, that means 13 . . .
Chicago’s forward progress
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 9, 2019) US Soccer Players - The Chicago Fire is making moves. The club is leaving a perfectly good soccer-specific stadium for an oversized American football venue that is, for lack of a better way of saying it, in a better part of town. Which is to say that they're returning to Chicago proper from the village of Bridgeview. Though the Fire isn't an original . . .
Gregg Berhalter’s balance
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