By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jun 13, 2018) US Soccer Players - On May 22, amid reports that he and his agent had flown to France to negotiate a deal with Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, Patrick Vieira told reporters that any claims that he was leaving NYCFC were flatly false. “It makes me smile, because of course there’s no contract being signed or anything like that,” Vieira said. “This is the wrong . . .
NYCFC gets Domenec Torrent
For the second day in a row, the soccer news puts the focus on NYCFC. It took less than a day from announcing the exit of coach Patrick Vieira for OGC Nice for New York City to name a new coach. The timing might have been surprising, but the connection wasn't. NYCFC once again took advantage of their investor/operator, with City Football Group moving Manchester City assistant Domenec Torrent to . . .
Vieira leaves NYCFC
The soccer news starts with confirmation from NYCFC. It took awhile for the MLS club to make it official, but NYCFC announced on Monday morning that Patrick Vieira is indeed leaving for OGC Nice in France's Ligue 1. This is the first coaching change during the 2018 season, with NYCFC planning on quickly filling the position. How that works with City Football Group is an interesting question. . . .
MLS Week 15: Toronto wins away, Vancouver scores five goals
Week 15 of the 2018 MLS season started on Friday with Toronto shutting out Philadelphia 2-0 on the road. Jonathan Osorio opened the scoring in the 19th minute and doubled the lead in the 79th. Alex Bono needed four saves for the clean sheet. On Saturday, NYCFC and Atlanta United finished 1-1 at Yankee Stadium. Josef Martinez put United up on the road in the 48th with Alexander Callens equalizing . . .
The Red Bulls played a USL advantage in the Open Cup
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jun 8, 2018) US Soccer Players - The New York Red Bulls added to their bag of bragging rights against NYCFC with a 4-0 win in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup on Wednesday night. With both teams playing second-choice lineups in a competition with rules regarding the use of foreign players, it was the Jersey side that got the best of their city rivals. Former Red . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The World Cup break
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jun 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - The unofficial halfway point of the 2018 MLS season - the World Cup - is nearly upon us. MLS teams will shut it down for the duration of the tournament’s group stage. During that time, teams will either try and get things right or continue building on what works. There are more teams mired in the muck than there are in the first . . .
Lower division clubs still alive in the 2018 US Open Cup
The soccer news starts with the three MLS teams losing to lower division clubs in the 2018 US Open Cup. Louisville FC knocked out the New England Revolution 3-2 at home. Nashville SC shutout the Colorado Rapids 2-0 at home. Sacramento Republic beat the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at home. Other than stressing the point that playing at home appears to matter in the Open Cup, two of those three teams are . . .
LA in the US Open Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jun 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - The enduring enigma known as the US Open Cup returns to Southern California on Wednesday, but there will be a new wrinkle this year. For the first time since 2014 there will be two local MLS teams competing in this event. MLS expansion side LAFC joins the LA Galaxy as both teams will play concurrently on Wednesday evening some 12 . . .
Earnie Stewart named USMNT GM
Earnie Stewart was named the first general manager of the USMNT, a new role created by the US Soccer Federation. Stewart takes the role officially on August 1 with the expectation that US Soccer will hire a new head coach after that. “With his breadth of experience as both a player and a technical director, Earnie is the ideal leader to guide the long-term success of our Men’s National Team . . .
TAM tells a familiar MLS story
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jun 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - Target Allocation Money has, on the whole, been good for Major League Soccer. The league's new budget mechanism allows clubs to bridge the gap in the MLS talent pool between Designated Players with their seven-figure salaries and the lower level players often making closer to $100,000 a year. To say that it has been successful at . . .
