By J Hutcherson (Aug 3, 2021) US Soccer Players - If there's a takeaway in this era of Nations Leagues and compacted schedules, it's that whatever just happened only counts for so long. The Concacaf Nations League ended a little over a month before the Gold Cup began. Now it's World Cup qualifying set to start on September 2. What's already clear is that success in this region is even more of a . . .
The Western Conference heats up
Tuesday's soccer news starts with midweek games on the schedule for Major League Soccer. While MLS normally prides itself in its unique brand of parity, what's happening in the Western Conference is odd even by that standard. All of a sudden, the front runners are vulnerable. The table may look the same with Seattle in 1st-place and Sporting KC in 2nd, but both are now in reach. Seattle has . . .
The Cup Winners’ Cup still resonates in Europe
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 2, 2021) US Soccer Players – The architects of Italy's recent European Championship title were manager Roberto Mancini and the team's delegation chief Gianluca Vialli. The duo, famous for scoring goals at Serie A side Sampdoria in the 1980s and early '90s, famously won the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. That title proved a springboard for their conquest . . .
The USMNT uses the Gold Cup
Monday’s soccer news starts with an established soccer cliche, the statement game. It seems like games are making statements more often than not, sort of like when every single game involving an MLS team somehow has playoff implications. Meanwhile, occasionally there are games that don’t just make a statement. They yell as loudly as possible that a group of players has accomplished something . . .
Gold Cup final: USMNT 1 – Mexico 0
A physical Gold Cup final at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas needed extra time to find a winner. Miles Robinson scored in the 117th minute with the USMNT lifting the trophy 1-0 over Mexico. USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner made five saves to keep the clean sheet over 120 minutes. The USMNT also finished with five shots on goal. That the game remained scoreless for so long speaks to the defending of . . .
MLS Week 16: Pressure in the Eastern Conference, another loss for Seattle
Week 16 of the 2021 MLS season started at Yankee Stadium on Friday night with NYCFC beating Columbus 4-1. Valentin Castellanos put New York up in the 14th with Thiago Andrade doubling the lead in the 35th. Keaton Parks made it 3-0 in the 51st with Santiago Rodriguez adding a fourth goal in the 71st minute. Pedro Santos scored for the Crew seven minutes into stoppage time Orlando City fell . . .
Preview: 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup final
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 30, 2021) US Soccer Players - The Gold Cup semifinals reached their most commonly expected outcome on Thursday night. They just took a stranger and more winding path than usual to get there. The USMNT found another gear to down a lively Qatar 1-0 via a late Gyasi Zardes goal in sultry Austin, Texas. Then a couple of hours to the southeast in Houston, Mexico . . .
LAFC, Minnesota, and Portland measure ambition in the West
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 30, 2021) US Soccer Players - On Thursday night in Los Angeles, LAFC played to a 2-2 draw with Minnesota United. Two clubs with MLS Cup ambitions split the points in an entertaining game that featured a goal from Carlos Vela and a stoppage time equalizer from United's Hassani Dotson. Adrian Heath and Minnesota United were the happier of the two teams after . . .
The USMNT and the 1-0 win
The USMNT's run at the 2021 Gold Cup continues with their third 1-0 win in a row. This time, it was Qatar unable to get the ball past USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner. Once again, it was Turner coming up with the crucial saves to keep the clean sheet and make one goal count. That came courtesy of Gyasi Zardes in the 86th minute, a super sub performance that once again highlighted his unique skill . . .
Gold Cup semifinal: Qatar 0 – USMNT 1
The USMNT survived to advance to the 2021 Gold Cup final where they will play Mexico after a 1-0 win over Qatar at Austin's Q2 Stadium. It took seeing off a motivated Qatar attack that couldn't get the ball past USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner in the first-half. Qatar had a chance to take the lead in the 61st minute, but Hassan Al-Haydos sent the ball over the bar. The USMNT made three substitutions . . .
