By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Mar 25, 2020) US Soccer Players - This was supposed to be LA's year in MLS. Los Angeles FC already had a great spotlight due to last season's success. The LA Galaxy meanwhile went from one superstar to another. The clubs were not only going to grab the spotlight within Major League Soccer but were also poised to dig further into the city's sports landscape. Then life . . .
Three MVP winners show how MLS has changed
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 8, 2020) US Soccer Players - The ranks of Major League Soccer MVP award winners are rife with international names. Over the league's 24 seasons of existence, only seven Americans took home the honor. The last came back in 2013 when Mike Magee beat out the Galaxy's Robbie Keane and Montreal's Marco Di Vaio. Considering the league's humble beginnings and the . . .
How good was the ’96 Mutiny?
In 1996, the Tampa Bay Mutiny surprised its new league by finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference with the best overall record in MLS. 58 points from 32 games, nine more than the Western Conference winning LA Galaxy. DC United upended Tampa's season in the Eastern Conference finals, the first and only time the Mutiny would make it that far before exiting the league following the 2001 . . .
6 MLS Cups worth rewatching
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 6, 2020) US Soccer Players – Major League Soccer has produced a number of memorable matches over its quarter of a century. That includes the playoffs, designed to increase the intensity and raise the level of play. If all goes as planned, that concludes in a competitive MLS Cup. Major League Soccer decided from the beginning to follow the North American norm of . . .
The 2020 US Open Cup and a test of US Soccer’s will
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 3, 2020) US Soccer Players - American soccer has experienced ample adversity, strife, and disruption over the years. Leagues have folded. The game's place in the nation's sporting culture has ebbed and flowed. Through it all, perhaps the only constant has been the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the longest-running competition in the nation and the second-oldest . . .
What American soccer is doing without games on the schedule
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 3, 2020) US Soccer Players - Soccer leagues are built to hold soccer competitions. Soccer clubs are meant to play in them. When there's no soccer due to a global pandemic that forces restrictions on large gatherings, it pushes leagues and clubs into an existential crisis. Off seasons are one thing. They're built into the calendar, serving as a chance to rest . . .
The Premier League’s financial picture
Thursday's soccer news starts with Premier League players not exactly embracing the idea that the league's clubs are facing enough financial uncertainty to warrant reducing payments. A Wednesday meeting between England's leagues and the Professional Footballers Association ended with the PFA reportedly giving advice to players and agents not to agree to league plans to reduce wages. This comes . . .
Should MLS consider a split season?
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Mar 25, 2020) US Soccer Players - The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust much fear and uncertainty upon the entire globe. The near-global shutdown has affected nearly every corner of the planet. Mostly stuck at home, we're watching businesses and educational establishments try to reinvent themselves or formulate possible solutions on how to stay afloat during this . . .
Major League Soccer’s anniversaries
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 1, 2020) US Soccer Players - Year 25 of Major League Soccer isn't exactly going to plan. The outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic necessitated a shutdown of sports almost everywhere, forcing MLS to put a celebration of a quarter-century of top-flight professional soccer on hold. When the games return, the league can properly celebrate reaching the milestone . . .
When soccer returns to normal
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 30, 2020) US Soccer Players – The coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a halt. With people forced to stay home because of the contagion and life as normal interrupted, sports leagues have also come to a stop. Where does that leave these leagues once the virus subsides and life gets back to normal? It is difficult to predict the future, although the . . .
