Friday's soccer news opens with Europe's other club tournament. The Europa League began its group stage on Thursday. now facing a coverage issue in the United States. In English, the games are only available on B/R Live, the new streaming service launched by Turner Sports. In Spanish, Univision has coverage but mainly on their Deportes channel. UEFA has tried to raise the status of the Europa . . .
Tigres wins Campeones Cup, Seattle’s streak ends
The soccer news starts with the first Campeones Cup winners with Tigres beating Toronto 3-1 at BMO Field. Jesus Duenas put Tigres up in the 36th and doubled the lead in the 64th. An own-goal made it 3-0 Tigres in the 66th. Lucas Janson converted a penalty for Toronto in the 86th minute. What that means in the big picture is an open question. MLS and Liga MX wanted a game that counts, but it will . . .
Pulisic’s goal, McKennie’s assist
The soccer news starts with strong performances for USMNT players in the Champions League group stage. Christian Pulisic scored the game's only goal in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win at Club Brugge in Group A. Pulisic's goal came in the 85th minute, deflecting the ball off of his shin and over goalkeeper Karlo Letica. Ethan Horvath was on the bench for Club Brugge. ''It's really good that we won," . . .
La Liga, FIFA, and playing home games at home
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the latest in Spain's La Liga attempting to play a game that counts in the United States as soon as this January. La Liga has a deal in place, but received pushback from the Spanish federation, the Spanish players' union, and now FIFA itself. ESPN's Adriana Garcia has a statement from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of . . .
Seattle disrupts the West again
Monday's soccer news starts with the MLS table. Once again, the biggest story is about schedule imbalance and a winning streak. Once again, that winning streak belongs to the Seattle Sounders. After playing their way out of contention earlier this season, the Sounders are on their way to repeating an old story. The late season turnaround, trademarked by Seattle. The Sounders extended their . . .
FIFA and the transfer system
Friday's soccer news starts with a suggestion. If you really want to understand how contemporary soccer operates, you should spend some time with two books. Neither of them has anything to do with the game on the field. No histories of tactics or attempts to quantify what might happen over the next 90 minutes through the creative application of statistical modeling. Red Card by Ken Bensinger is . . .
Switching back to the club game
The September international window ended with games that count in Europe and a lot of friendlies everywhere else. It's probably worth the reminder that there used to be a single-game international window in August before FIFA redid the schedule a few years ago. A late starting league like the Bundesliga got in all of two league games before the September break. The Premier League has played four. . . .
The importance of USMNT vs Mexico
The soccer news starts with something that's easy to overlook in this era of transition for teams and tournaments in Concacaf. The USMNT vs Mexico rivalry is still the biggest thing in this region. It doesn't take expanded Gold Cups, Nations Leagues, or changes to World Cup qualifying to miss that particular point. Mexico vs USMNT is what Concacaf is all about, its meaning for the rest of World . . .
Preview: USMNT vs Mexico
The soccer news starts with the USMNT vs Mexico in Nashville (8:30pm ET - ESPN). Both teams are using younger players and both are shifting their lineups following Friday's friendlies under interim coaches. That continues the uncertainty for the USMNT as the coaching search continues. For Mexico, this is the first window without a permanent head coach. What USMNT fans should look for is more of . . .
Preview: USMNT vs Brazil
The soccer news starts with the USMNT vs Brazil friendly tonight at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (7:30pm ET - FS1). The USMNT is once again trying to make sure young players get opportunities against another tough opponent. Brazil enters the game in 3rd-place in the FIFA Ranking with the USMNT 22nd. This is the first game for the USMNT under general manager Earnie Stewart, the person conducting . . .
