By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Nov 7, 2022) US Soccer Players – Another Major League Soccer season has come and gone. The postmortem of the 2022 season will be dissected in the coming days and weeks after Los Angeles FC came away with the MLS Cup following Saturday's epic game against the Philadelphia Union. LAFC downed the Union on penalties after a 3-3 game that pitted the two top teams from . . .
Philadelphia’s diamond and LAFC’s three-man midfield in the MLS Cup final
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Nov 4, 2022) US Soccer Players - Let's not pretend it isn't a cliche. Soccer games are won in the midfield. The cliche exists for an obvious reason. So much of any game is played in the middle half of the field that it's natural to focus there when trying to analyze a match-up. When the match-up you're trying to analyze is a championship game, it only ramps up the . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The obvious top two and figuring out the bottom of the tables
By Luis Bueno - RIVERSIDE, CA (Nov 2, 2022) US Soccer Players - And then there were two. LAFC and Philadelphia will meet on Saturday at Banc of California Stadium in the 2022 MLS Cup. There is finally justice as the two best teams during the regular season will decide the league title in a one-off contest. If the result follows these rankings, the hosts will hoist the trophy before its boisterous . . .
LAFC and the Union will play for MLS Cup, Champions League preview
Monday's soccer news starts with the MLS conference finals, with LAFC shutting out Austin 3-0 at home to advance from the West. Cristian Arango opened the scoring in the 29th with an own-goal doubling the lead in the 62nd. LAFC's Kwadwo Opoku made it 3-0 in the 81st with goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau making one save to keep the clean sheet. "We were aggressive, intense, and we were capable of . . .
Another step for Cherundolo’s LAFC or Wolff’s Austin in the Western Conference final
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 28, 2022) US Soccer Players - When LAFC hosts Austin FC on Sunday in Los Angeles with Major League Soccer's Western Conference title and a berth in the MLS Cup final on the line, there will be plenty of captivating story lines. To start, Austin FC is attempting to do something only one modern MLS club has achieved, winning a championship in just its second year . . .
MLS potentially rethinks the playoffs, again
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 27, 2022) US Soccer Players - The playoffs are one of Major League Soccer's enduring traditions. The postseason reliably serves up some of its highest drama and most memorable moments. We've seen as much over the first two rounds of this season's edition. They've been an ever-present from MLS's inception, an essential North American sporting element despite a . . .
High-pressing tactics, creative playmakers, and strong goalkeeping in the 2022 MLS playoffs
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 24, 2022) US Soccer Players – The MLS Cup playoffs are in full swing, and, as usual, there have been some upsets. Playoff drama aside, single-elimination games often force coaches and players to give it that extra effort. There’s the potential for 120 minutes and penalties to resolve outcomes, stretching lineups more than they would be during the regular . . .
Playoff wins for NYCFC and Austin FC, Champions League preview focuses on groups E and G
Monday's soccer news starts with the MLS playoffs, specifically NYCFC knocking out CF Montreal 3-1 at Stade Saputo in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Maxi Moralez put NYCFC up in the 6th with Heber scoring three minutes into first-half stoppage time. Talles Magno converted a penalty in the 61st minute to make it 3-0 New York with Montreal's Djordje Mihailovic pulling a goal back in the 85th . . .
2022 becomes something for Inter Miami to build on
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 21, 2022) US Soccer Players - The scene was blue, both literally and figuratively, as Inter Miami CF's season ended at New York City FC on Monday night. As the visitors trudged off the converted baseball field, they were suddenly shrouded in thick clouds of artificial fog, apparently churned out as part of NYCFC's celebrations. Miami's first three years of . . .
Home field against the champions in the East, advancing on penalties in the West
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 21, 2022) US Soccer Players - Sunday's two Major League Soccer playoffs matches won't feature the top seeds in the Eastern or Western Conference. They won't feature the league's most historically successful club or the team that put together the biggest turnaround in the span of a year. But they will feature two of the league's best and most surprising teams . . .
