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 . . .
The changing market for Brazilian players in Major League Soccer
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 29, 2021) US Soccer Players – What one thinks of MLS depends largely on the kind of soccer watched each week. That's especially the case when talking about the reputation of Major League Soccer outside of North America. Why that matters has a lot to do with the kind of foreign players MLS teams are able to sign and the ability by the league to nurture talent . . .
Real Salt Lake and Philadelphia advance in the MLS playoffs
The soccer news starts with Real Salt Lake pulling off another upset in the Western Conference. RSL beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 at Children's Mercy Stadium, advancing to the conference final. Sporting took the lead in the 24th minute from a Johnny Russell penalty. Anderson Julio equalized for RSL in the 72nd and Bobby Wood scored their winner a minute into stoppage time. "We felt like the . . .
When home field isn’t an advantage in the MLS playoffs
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 26, 2021) US Soccer Players - Playing at home means something in Major League Soccer. Whether it's the partisan crowd filling the stands, the comfortable environment for the home team or the unfamiliar one for the visitors, or things unique to the field or the weather, playing in your building always counts. The travel deserves a mention as well. When the . . .
