By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 3, 2021) US Soccer Players - No matter what happens this weekend, there will be a first-time finalist playing for the MLS Cup this season. The Western Conference final pits two former champions and two-time MLS Cup finalists against one another in a match rich with narratives at Providence Park on Saturday. The Timbers will be playing for the right to host the . . .
26 players named to December 2021 USMNT roster
USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter called in a mix of players for the December camp, held outside of an official FIFA window. That limits call-ups with the USMNT technical staff working with clubs to put together a squad. Berhalter's list includes mainly MLS players, but also players from the USL, Serie A, and 2.Bundesliga. The camp concludes with a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Carson, . . .
Goal for Musah in Valencia win
Friday's soccer news starts with Yunus Musah scoring in Valencia's 3-0 win at Utrillas in the first round of the Copa del Rey. Marcos de Sousa opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Valencia failed to convert a penalty in the 52nd, but Musah scored from the rebound. Koba Koindredi scored Valencia's third goal in the 70th minute. Valencia is at Arenteiro on December 15 in the second round. "You . . .
Major League Soccer’s playoffs paradox
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 2, 2021) US Soccer Players - On one level, Bruce Arena's words made sense. On another, they were bewildering. "We don't have the best roster in the league. It's got to get a little bit better, for sure," said the veteran coach after his New England Revolution fell to New York City FC on penalties in Tuesday night's MLS Eastern Conference Semifinal match at . . .
Ligue 1 wins for De La Fuente, Weah, and Gioacchini
Thursday's soccer news starts in Ligue 1. Konrad De La Fuente subbed out in the 65th minute of Marseille's 1-0 win at Nantes. Gerson scored in the 30th minute and Marseille played a man up from the 32nd. Tim Weah subbed out in the 80th minute of Lille's 2-1 win at Rennes. Weah assisted on Xeka's opening goal in the 31st minute and Renato Sanches doubled the lead in the 45th. Rennes pulled a goal . . .
Another year that wasn’t the Galaxy’s
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 1, 2021) US Soccer Players - This year was supposed to have been the year of the LA Galaxy. Maybe not the year the storied MLS club returned to its former glory, but certainly the year the club made strides toward that end after several down seasons. After all, everything was seemingly in place for such a breakthrough. They hired an MLS Cup-winning coach to guide . . .
Portland’s playoff pattern
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 1, 2021) US Soccer Players - The human mind is programmed to look for patterns. We see them everywhere, in nature, in numbers, in our daily lives. Sometimes the patterns are real and meaningful and can tell us something about the future. Other times, they're merely a product of chance and provide no insight at all. Then there's the matter of sample size. If . . .
NYCFC advances to the Eastern Conference final
The New England Revolution exited the playoffs 5-3 on penalties to NYCFC after drawing 2-2, joining Colorado as the top seeds that didn't advance from the conference semifinals. 4th-seed NYCFC becomes the only lower seed to win a game so far in the Eastern Conference bracket. "What we said internally was that no matter what happens, we stick together, we keep going," NYCFC goalkeeper Sean . . .
One and done in the Eastern Conference
By J Hutcherson (Nov 30, 2021) US Soccer Players - The 2nd and 4th-place teams will play for the Eastern Conference's spot in the 2021 MLS Cup final, completing a bracket that saw one upset. Sure, it was the biggest possible with the 4th-seed NYCFC knocking out the Supporters' Shield winning New England Revolution on penalties, but otherwise, the seeding told the story in the East. Philadelphia . . .
New England finally gets its playoff game
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the New England Revolution finally getting to open its playoff schedule later tonight, hosting NYCFC (7:30pm ET - FS1). While we've already seen the top three seeds in the Western Conference exit, it's a different situation in the East. All of the higher seeds have advanced so far, with the expectation that New England will continue the trend and join 2nd-seed . . .
