By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 11, 2019) US Soccer Players – The start of another MLS season is just weeks away and coaches are refining their tactics with the start of the Concacaf Champions League and the numerous preseason friendlies. It’s a good bet that teams will line up in a very familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, which has become the tactical formation of choice for managers in recent . . .
The MLS regression rankings
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jan 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - MLS fans across the country are already checking their calendars. Teams are in training, running through their paces ahead of the 26th season of Major League Soccer. For some, the games start earlier than for others. Five sides will compete in the CONCACAF Champions League kicking off the third week of February. The rest of MLS gets . . .
RIP Sigi Schmid
The US National Soccer Team Players Association joins with the rest of American soccer in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Sigi Schmid. The former coach of UCLA, the LA Galaxy, the Columbus Crew, the Seattle Sounders, and the Galaxy again, Schmid has the all-time wins record for an MLS coach. His teams won three College Cups, five US Open Cups, and two MLS Cups. He joined the National . . .
Lessons from Tata
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 14, 2018) US Soccer Players - He came, he saw, he conquered, he left. From the moment he joined Atlanta United, Gerardo “Tata” Martino was already one of the biggest names ever to coach in Major League Soccer. Some insiders quietly wondered, however, whether he’d get a handle on the league’s myriad quirks, or wind up a curiosity, another asterisked figure in . . .
MLS 2018 season in review
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 10, 2018) US Soccer Players – It was a season of records for Atlanta United. The newly-crowned MLS champions, in just their second year of existence, emerged as a truly unstoppable train. That's thanks in large part to the scoring pace of Josef Martinez. The league’s MVP this season, Martinez easily surpassed the MLS regular-season scoring record 31 goals in 34 . . .
MLS moves on, FIFA task force meets over new competitions
The soccer news starts with the MLS champions Atlanta United and runners-up Portland Timbers. For the technical staffs on both teams, there wasn't a lot of time for either of them to celebrate or wonder what they might've done differently. By Sunday, they were announcing the players they're keeping for the 2019 MLS season. The league moves on, with Sunday a half-day trade window where moves . . .
Atlanta wins the Cup, but what does that mean for MLS?
By J Hutcherson (Dec 8, 2018) US Soccer Players - We’re well into the era of Atlanta United making anything they touch look like it belongs to a different league. Their fans going with an MLS 3.0 tifo shortly before the start of the game was equal parts mission statement as creativity. Atlanta lifted the 2018 MLS Cup after beating Portland 2-0 on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Josef . . .
Are the Portland Timbers MLS Cup underdogs?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Dec 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - There’s no rule that says a championship game must have a favorite and underdog. It’s quite possible that two teams can arrive at a final equally matched, on paper or in reality. That takes away the need for the tried-and-true narrative that one team is the obvious choice to win while the other is fighting an uphill battle. It . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The 2018 MLS season
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Dec 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - Only two teams are left standing in what has been an entertaining and memorable 2018 MLS season. Atlanta United will host the Portland Timbers as one team will lock down immortality while the other will rue the day for years to come. The final will culminate a month-long march that has had moments of drama and surprise. While only a . . .
What will the 2018 MLS Cup teach MLS?
By J Hutcherson (Dec 4, 2018) US Soccer Players - When Atlanta United hosts the Portland Timbers on Saturday (8pm ET - Fox) there's more at play than just the 2018 MLS Cup. That game should help set the tone for the offseason all over the league, with clubs looking at what worked for the two finalists and what they can take and adapt for their teams. In a league still under single-entity, . . .
