By Luis Bueno - RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 9, 2022) US Soccer Players - When Major League Soccer began, the US National Team benefited. Not only did MLS provide national team-caliber players a chance for meaningful minutes, but it also provided future national teamers a chance to start and develop their respective careers. Since 1996, the league has evolved substantially, and so has the league's role in . . .
5 things from the 2022 MLS season
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 7, 2022) US Soccer Players – Another Major League Soccer season has come and gone. The postmortem of the 2022 season will be dissected in the coming days and weeks after Los Angeles FC came away with the MLS Cup following Saturday's epic game against the Philadelphia Union. LAFC downed the Union on penalties after a 3-3 game that pitted the two top teams from . . .
MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, Champions League, and Europa League
Monday's soccer news starts with LAFC's MLS Cup win, beating Philadelphia 3-0 on penalties after drawing 3-3 at Banc of California Stadium. Kellyn Acosta put LAFC up in the 28th with the Union's Daniel Gazdag equalizing in the 59th. LAFC retook the lead from a Jesus Murillo goal in the 83rd with Jack Elliott equalizing for Philadelphia in the 85th. With the game in the second-half of extra time, . . .
Philadelphia’s diamond and LAFC’s three-man midfield in the MLS Cup final
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 4, 2022) US Soccer Players - Let's not pretend it isn't a cliche. Soccer games are won in the midfield. The cliche exists for an obvious reason. So much of any game is played in the middle half of the field that it's natural to focus there when trying to analyze a match-up. When the match-up you're trying to analyze is a championship game, it only ramps up the . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The obvious top two and figuring out the bottom of the tables
By Luis Bueno - RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 2, 2022) US Soccer Players - And then there were two. LAFC and Philadelphia will meet on Saturday at Banc of California Stadium in the 2022 MLS Cup. There is finally justice as the two best teams during the regular season will decide the league title in a one-off contest. If the result follows these rankings, the hosts will hoist the trophy before its boisterous . . .
Reflection, Revamping, and Rebuilding for the Dynamo and DC United
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 31, 2022) US Soccer Players – All eyes over the past few weeks have been on the MLS Cup playoffs. Meanwhile, for the 14 teams that did not make the postseason, this is a time for reflection, revamping, and rebuilding. It’s these three Rs that highlight the offseason for half the teams in MLS that came up short during the regular season. In a league known for . . .
LAFC and the Union will play for MLS Cup, Champions League preview
Monday's soccer news starts with the MLS conference finals, with LAFC shutting out Austin 3-0 at home to advance from the West. Cristian Arango opened the scoring in the 29th with an own-goal doubling the lead in the 62nd. LAFC's Kwadwo Opoku made it 3-0 in the 81st with goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau making one save to keep the clean sheet. "We were aggressive, intense, and we were capable of . . .
Another step for Cherundolo’s LAFC or Wolff’s Austin in the Western Conference final
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 28, 2022) US Soccer Players - When LAFC hosts Austin FC on Sunday in Los Angeles with Major League Soccer's Western Conference title and a berth in the MLS Cup final on the line, there will be plenty of captivating story lines. To start, Austin FC is attempting to do something only one modern MLS club has achieved, winning a championship in just its second year . . .
MLS potentially rethinks the playoffs, again
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 27, 2022) US Soccer Players - The playoffs are one of Major League Soccer's enduring traditions. The postseason reliably serves up some of its highest drama and most memorable moments. We've seen as much over the first two rounds of this season's edition. They've been an ever-present from MLS's inception, an essential North American sporting element despite a . . .
USMNT begins an MLS-only fitness camp in Frisco
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 26, 2022) US Soccer Players - With the MLS Cup playoffs hitting the final four stage this weekend, 24 clubs have officially reached their offseason. The immediate aftermath of a long MLS campaign that ends in disappointment typically means some postseason training, exit interviews, and goodbyes, some of them temporary, some more permanent. For others, . . .
