By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 10, 2018) US Soccer Players - For the first time since 2009, the US Open Cup will have a first-time winner. One is a previous two-time runner-up, while the other is in the final for the first time. The Philadelphia Union are the returning finalist of the pair. Philadelphia knocked off the Chicago Fire 3-0 at Talen Energy Stadium on Tuesday night, led by two . . .
Nemeth, Ramirez, and the MLS transfer window
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 8, 2018) US Soccer Players - The MLS secondary transfer windows officially closes at midnight on Wednesday, meaning teams have just a few more hours to finish any business for the balance of the 2018 season. The deadline doesn’t often spur a flurry of trades and transfers as it might in other leagues. Still, a few transactions did go down on Tuesday that will . . .
Arthur Blank’s focus on commitment is challenging and changing MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 3, 2018) US Soccer Players - Just after halftime of the MLS All-Star Game, Atlanta United investor/operator Arthur Blank joined ESPN’s Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman in the broadcast booth. The game in Atlanta was almost entirely of Blank’s making. It was Blank who expressed serious interest in backing an MLS team for the city back in 2014. Blank gave . . .
FC Cincinnati gets a jump on 2019
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 1, 2018) US Soccer Players - Over the weekend, the newest MLS expansion franchise made their first two MLS moves with a pair of signings. Because FC Cincinnati is attempting to ramp up quickly towards a 2019 launch, the business of building a roster has to start even as the club is in the midst of a final USL campaign. Looking to MLS is playing to the benefit of . . .
Bradley Wright-Phillips at 100 goals
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jul 27, 2018) US Soccer Players - Everyone loves a good, round, number. There’s something about them that strikes us as significant, a catch in our brains that make them seem special. That's true even if a round number of something is only slightly more meaningful than the previous non-round number. We celebrate them in every possible context, but especially in . . .
Bayern Munich’s North American plans
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jul 25, 2018) US Soccer Players - Late last week, reports had two American prospects on their way to Germany for “secret” trials with world famous Bayern Munich. The players in question, Cameron Duke and Ulysses Llanez, are two of the most highly touted young prospects in the American development system. Duke is a midfielder attached to the Sporting Kansas City . . .
Looking for hope in San Jose, Colorado, Seattle, and Toronto
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jul 20, 2018) US Soccer Players - The hope of March and April has given way to the despair of a season almost already lost in July for several MLS teams. Plans laid down in the dawn of the campaign have already gone up in flames in places like San Jose, Colorado, and perhaps Toronto and Seattle. Given their lack of games and a back-loaded home schedule, DC United is . . .
Thierry Henry makes a move
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jul 18, 2018) US Soccer Players - The Thierry Henry period in America was a notable one, for the player, for the team he played for, and for MLS. During a five-year run with the New York Red Bulls, Henry brought his world-class ability and reserved French charm to a league only just entering a new era of maturation. He scored brilliant goals, provided iconic . . .
Nothing set midway through the MLS season
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jul 13, 2018) US Soccer Players - Cresting the hill that is the halfway point of the MLS season doesn’t generally reveal much. There’s still so much left to play for, and the secondary transfer window has only just opened. Even as clubs scramble to reinforce their squads during the signing period, they also must navigate crucial games in the heat of the summer. By . . .
The Red Bulls and NYCFC hope for continuity
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jul 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - It’s not often that a new era begins for soccer clubs in the middle of a season, though it happens more often in MLS than in most leagues around the world. The schedule played in the United States and Canada means that summer can bring big changes, even with teams already good, bad, or in-between. Usually, MLS-style big changes, the . . .
