By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 27, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer's player acquisition system is what marks the path to the start of the 2020 season. MLS is the world's foremost producer of player acquisition mechanisms. It's a function of the league's salary budget system and byzantine team roster rules. Almost everybody else follows a brutally simple process. Find the . . .
The situation in Group H
The soccer news starts with the return of the Champions League. It's matchday five this week in a group stage that's beginning to feel like a combination of slog and foregone conclusion. To quickly recap, at one of the knockout round spots is already spoken for in groups A, B, C, and D. Except for Group C, the teams in 2nd-place will likely join them. It's a safe assumption that the top two in . . .
The USMNT in 2019
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 25, 2019) US Soccer Players – It has been quite a year for the United States. After losing to Mexico in the Gold Cup final over the summer, they ultimately did what was expected of them this Fall in the Concacaf Nations League. The recent wins against Canada and Cuba gave the USMNT confidence going into 2020 and allowed for younger players to get much-needed . . .
Disrupting the Premier League
The soccer news starts with Manchester United's comeback from 2-0 down that eventually turned into a 3-3 draw at Sheffield United. A point is better than nothing in the Premier League, but the result only underlined the problems at Manchester United. This is a team that remains an easy target for criticism, specifically directed at manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In another interesting moment for . . .
Wolfsburg beats Eintracht, Schalke wins at Werder Bremen
The roundup of USMNT players in Europe and Mexico starts in the Bundesliga. John Brooks's Wolfsburg won 2-0 at Eintracht. Wout Weghorst scored in the 19th minute. Wolfsburg went a man down with a red card to Marcel Tisserand in first-half stoppage time. Joao Victor doubled the lead in the 65th minute. Weston McKennie subbed on in the 73rd minute for Schalke's 2-1 win at Werder Bremen. Amin Harit . . .
MLS, Liga MX, and the MLS All-Star Game
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - The MLS All-Star Game isn't so much an institution as it is a traveling circus. Though some version of the game has been around since 1996, very little about it has been constant. Major League Soccer has seen fit to mold the All-Star Game and its surrounding festivities into various forms to better serve the purposes of expanding . . .
The Chicago Fire continues to revamp
The soccer news starts with the Chicago Fire's new logo. Part of following MLS is playing part-time graphic designer and fashion critique. Very little stays the same in this league, including logos. The new one for the Chicago Fire is divisive only because the team changed so little since joining the league in 1998. It's an old story that the original investor/operator decided not to follow . . .
Lessons from November as USMNT re-learn the CONCACAF ropes
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 21, 2019) US Soccer Players - After the USMNT's one-sided 7-0 Concacaf Nations League win over Cuba at Audi Field last month, Michael Bradley was asked for his opinion on the confederation's new tournament. The veteran midfielder was honest in his assessment. "Not a huge fan, at all," he admitted. "You want to play on as many days as possible against the . . .
The Bundesliga after the November break
The soccer news starts with the return of club soccer after the November international break, specifically that unpredictable Bundesliga table. Gladbach is still top with 25 points from 11 games. Three teams are chasing them four points back. That group has RB Leipzig in 2nd-place, Bayern Munich in 3rd, and Freiburg in 4th. Hoffenheim is a point behind them in 5th with 6th-place Borussia Dortmund . . .
Jorge Vergara’s Chivas USA
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 20, 2019) US Soccer Players - In 2004, MLS was a much different league. There were all of 10 teams playing in the league then, and the still-fledgling league was very much in flux. There were legitimate questions regarding the sustainability of the league and whether the team could support more than 10 teams. Enter Jorge Vergara. Despite attendance and support . . .
