By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (May 15, 2019) US Soccer Players - Since 2019 is an odd-numbered year, Major League Soccer is taking a brief hiatus in June because of the Gold Cup. MLS will stand down during the tournament's group stage, but games will pick back up when the knockout rounds begin. For teams like LAFC, who has a star player from one of the participating Gold Cup nations, that should . . .
Cincinnati’s technical side, Zardes a DP in Columbus
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 15, 2019) US Soccer Players - The MLS calendar year is just one 12-month season of change. A rash of coaching changes in the early going of the 2019 campaign means more than usual to talk about when it comes to new faces and reorganization. New England has handed the reigns of their program to Bruce Arena. Colorado installed Conor Casey as an interim manager . . .
Does MLS know that it’s a league in transition?
By J Hutcherson (Mar 14, 2019) US Soccer Players - Three MLS clubs decided to “part ways” with their coaches over the last few weeks, a euphemism for firing them. In most cases, that ends up with two resets for the club involved. From the coach that started the season, to the interim, and then to whoever takes over. Considering the situations that normally lead to that “parting of the ways” it’s . . .
Arena takes over in New England
A day after the New England Revolution announced that they were "parting ways" with longtime general manager Mike Burns, the club announced the hiring of Bruce Arena as coach and sporting director. The move was hinted at shortly after the club fired Burns, with that following last week's dismissal of head coach Brad Friedel. “Bruce is one of the most successful coaches in American soccer . . .
MLS Week 11: Shutouts the story
Shutouts marked week 11 of the 2019 MLS season, including NYCFC winning an inter-conference match-up at the LA Galaxy and LAFC doing the same with a clean sheet at Columbus. Philadelphia stays put atop the East with a win over Toronto. The shutouts started on Friday, with Vancouver beating Portland 1-0 at home. Fredy Montero scored in the 9th minute with Maxime Crepeau making five saves to keep . . .
The importance of the second-leg
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - On Tuesday, Liverpool executed a comeback for the ages against Lionel Messi and Barcelona. Anfield pulsated from the opening whistle to the moment Divock Origi side-footed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s smart quick corner in the net, then erupted in celebration at full time. On Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur fell behind by two goals . . .
MLS 2019 so far: Good, bad, and ugly
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - The first 10 weeks of Major League Soccer’s 2019 regular season are now in the books. Though 24 rounds remain over the next five months, it’s a good time to take stock. Here’s a rundown of what we’ve seen so far. The Good Goals and Greatness: Just a few months ago Josef Martinez completely smashed the single-season scoring . . .
Spurs’ unlikely comeback
Another day, another Champions League final comeback. This time it was Spurs falling behind 3-0 on aggregate at Ajax only to finish 3-3 and advance on the away goals tiebreaker. Spurs will play Liverpool at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 1 in an all-Premier League final. Leading 1-0 from the opening leg, Matthijs de Light made it 2-0 Spurs in the 5th with Hakim Ziyech scoring in . . .
FC Cincinnati also makes a coaching change
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 8, 2019) US Soccer Players - Let’s not pretend that FC Cincinnati’s decision to fire head coach Alan Koch 11 games into their MLS expansion season wasn’t a surprise. Although their record of two wins, two draws, and seven losses was among the worst in MLS and the club hadn’t scored a goal in 600-plus minutes, dumping Koch this early in the campaign was still . . .
Preview: The 2019 US Open Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 6, 2019) US Soccer Players – The 2019 US Open Cup starts this month. It's the country’s oldest soccer tournament, a single-elimination knockout competition that dates back to 1914. The first round, which kicks off May 7, will feature 32 teams made up of eight amateur clubs in addition to the National Premier Soccer League and USL League One and Two. While last . . .
