By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 18, 2023) US Soccer Players - The oldest soccer tournament in the world is now one game away from wrapping up the Third Round of the 2022-23 edition. This season's tournament is delivering its fair share of Cinderellas. Non-league Wrexham is still alive, giving its celebrity owners a Hollywood-like story. Next Tuesday's final Third Round replay will see either . . .
2023 moves highlight the importance of MLS center backs
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 13, 2023) US Soccer Players - Attackers get the glory, but every chief soccer officer in MLS knows there's no chance of winning a championship without a stout back line. The market for center backs across the league has been particularly interesting this offseason as clubs shuffle their defenses in the quest for trophies. 2023 will also deliver more games with . . .
Malik Tillman, Haji Wright, and Joe Scally’s 2022 USMNT debuts
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 30, 2022) US Soccer Players - World Cup years are not often ones for experimentation. Coaches looking to solidify their squads for the tournament after nearly four years of preparation prefer to have most of that work out of the way by the time the World Cup year arrives. It's rarely a time to talk about "firsts" when the climax of the cycle looms in the near . . .
Charlotte’s attendance, Seattle’s title, USMNT players at Leeds, and LAFC’s Cup highlight 2022
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 28, 2022) US Soccer Players - If 2022 was anything for soccer, it was eventful. With the World Cup on the schedule, that was a guarantee. However, the World Cup wasn't the only thing in the soccer world to make a mark on 2022. That was especially true in American soccer. The USMNT getting to and then playing in the World Cup were the big stories, but a select . . .
The Premier League returns for seven USMNT players up and down the table
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 23, 2022) US Soccer Players - In a mild surprise, Arsenal had charged to the top of the Premier League table from a multi-pronged attack and a stout defensive effort led by a cohesive pressing approach. American goalkeeper Matt Turner returns to Arsenal after his World Cup experience, where he was rated one of the best keepers in the tournament. Turner's . . .
Seattle prepares for its Club World Cup opportunity
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 21, 2022) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer's wait for success in the Concacaf Champions League was long for many reasons. The league spent years chasing a trophy in the revamped version of the competition, one that Liga MX teams dominated. Coming up short against those Liga MX clubs time and time again also meant missing out on a chance for MLS teams to . . .
It’s the cup and then the league as Belgian club soccer resumes next week
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 16, 2022) US Soccer Players - While all of the biggest leagues in Europe will wait until after Christmas or the New Year to resume play, a few competitions are returning to action sooner. Scotland's Premiership resumed yesterday and Belgium's topflight will hit the field for league matches again on December 23. Ahead of that, they'll play the seventh round of . . .
Major League Soccer’s free agency period is becoming the story
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 14, 2022) US Soccer Players - With a few weeks left in 2022 and the arrival of preseason training camps just around the corner, clubs are working to add proven MLS performers to their rosters from the ranks of the unattached. For a league that long resisted adopting a free agency mechanism and then tightly controlled the number of players granted the right to . . .
The season resumes for USMNT players in the Championship
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 7, 2022) US Soccer Players - England's second division resumed play last weekend with a single game and will play a full schedule of matches between Saturday and Monday while the World Cup's latter rounds unfold. The USMNT is well represented in the Championship, with eight players at seven different clubs calling the competition home. The Championship is a . . .
Lagerwey in Atlanta, Wood to New England, and Nancy with Columbus
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 7, 2022) US Soccer Players - With much of the world focused on the World Cup, Major League Soccer is going about its winter business. If not for the biggest sporting event on the planet happening simultaneously with massive news dropping across the North American competition, there might be more attention available. As it is, it's a great time to catch up on . . .
