By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 12, 2019) US Soccer Players - It's not every season that Major League Soccer teams get a multiple-week break in the middle of their schedule. It's only every other season when Concacaf holds its continental championship. The first time MLS halted league play for the international tournament was 2017, an 11-day pause. In 2019, the break is technically only . . .
What is Philadelphia in MLS?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 7, 2019) US Soccer Players - Let's start with a question: What is Philadelphia? An important city on the Eastern seaboard. The fourth largest television market in the country. A professional sports hotbed, with teams bearing the city's name in the NFL, NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball, and of course, Major League Soccer. The home to the Union. When it comes to . . .
The Red Bulls organization and MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 5, 2019) US Soccer Players - On Tuesday, RB Leipzig of the Bundesliga announced that Ralf Rangnick was leaving his post as sporting director of the club to become the director of sporting and development for Red Bull’s global soccer network. In that role, Rangnick will oversee the soccer operations of the New York Red Bulls and Red Bull’s new Brazilian . . .
The underappreciated Chad Marshall
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 24, 2019) US Soccer Players - Chad Marshall's decision to retire from the sport of soccer at the age of 34, in the middle of the Major League Soccer season, couldn't have been an easy one. No player wants to leave his team in the lurch, looking for cover while simultaneously fighting for points towards a championship goal. Marshall's status as a team leader . . .
The real contenders in MLS? It’s not that simple
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - Let's get this bit out of the way first: After 11, 12, 13, or 14 games (Major League Soccer scheduling is a little messy), you are probably what your record says you are. First place teams are good, 4th-place teams aren't too bad, and teams at the bottom of the conference standings are there for legitimate reasons. The potential to . . .
Frank de Boer’s grace period
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 17, 2019) US Soccer Players - The phrase “grace period” gets plenty of run in modern society. It sees use in the technical application like the grace period for interest on a credit card and in a more metaphorical sense. People get grace periods in all sorts of situations for all sorts of reasons. Only the hardest heart could judge performance without granting . . .
Cincinnati’s technical side, Zardes a DP in Columbus
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 15, 2019) US Soccer Players - The MLS calendar year is just one 12-month season of change. A rash of coaching changes in the early going of the 2019 campaign means more than usual to talk about when it comes to new faces and reorganization. New England has handed the reigns of their program to Bruce Arena. Colorado installed Conor Casey as an interim manager . . .
The importance of the second-leg
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - On Tuesday, Liverpool executed a comeback for the ages against Lionel Messi and Barcelona. Anfield pulsated from the opening whistle to the moment Divock Origi side-footed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s smart quick corner in the net, then erupted in celebration at full time. On Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur fell behind by two goals . . .
FC Cincinnati also makes a coaching change
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 8, 2019) US Soccer Players - Let’s not pretend that FC Cincinnati’s decision to fire head coach Alan Koch 11 games into their MLS expansion season wasn’t a surprise. Although their record of two wins, two draws, and seven losses was among the worst in MLS and the club hadn’t scored a goal in 600-plus minutes, dumping Koch this early in the campaign was still . . .
The Portland Timbers will end up at home
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2019) US Soccer Players - The Portland Timbers aren’t a big club. At the risk of offending Timbers fans, Timbers players, and Timbers investor/operators, the truth is that the Portland Timbers are a medium-sized club in a medium-sized market that has big-time support. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially when the size of the club doesn’t really . . .
