Atlanta took over 1st-place in the Eastern Conference with a week 24 win at Portland, but as almost always in MLS there's a caveat. United is not tied on points with Philadelphia and has a game in hand 26 to 27. That's not the problem for their status as Eastern Conference leaders. It's 3rd-place NYCFC four points behind Atlanta and Philadelphia but on 24 games played. If you're looking for the . . .
The Campeones Cup has a future
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 16, 2019) US Soccer Players - For the Campeones Cup, the old adage "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" doesn't hold true. It turns out, at least with one-off games between the champions of Major League Soccer and Liga MX, it's possible to reboot everyone's thinking. On Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, . . .
Atlanta lifts the Campeones Cup
The soccer news starts with Atlanta United winning the second edition of the Campeones Cup. The MLS Cup champions beat Club America, the Liga MX Campeon de Campeones holders, 3-2 in front of an announced crowd of 40, 128 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The result and the quality of the game could help turn the Campeones Cup into an important date on the MLS and Liga MX calendars. Emerson Hyndman put . . .
Year two of the Campeones Cup
By J Hutcherson (Aug 13, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer's other attempt for games that count between MLS and Liga MX will play out on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It's the second edition of the Campeones Cup, a sort of super cup between MLS champions Atlanta United and Liga MX Campeon de Campeones winners Club America. Unlike the Leagues Cup, this is a single game to at . . .
LAFC vs Atlanta United
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 26, 2019) US Soccer Players - White is the new black. Thirty is the new twenty. Los Angeles Football Club is the new Atlanta United. Sure, it's overly reductive, but there are plenty of direct comparisons to be made between the defending MLS Cup champions and the team currently burning up the league. Once you line up how they're similar, it's easy to see LAFC . . .
Frank de Boer’s grace period
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 17, 2019) US Soccer Players - The phrase “grace period” gets plenty of run in modern society. It sees use in the technical application like the grace period for interest on a credit card and in a more metaphorical sense. People get grace periods in all sorts of situations for all sorts of reasons. Only the hardest heart could judge performance without granting . . .
Pity Martinez in Atlanta’s system
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 1, 2019) US Soccer Players - Atlanta United's first home win of the season on Saturday didn't do much to quell fears that head coach Frank de Boer's system is still in need of a few tweaks to get the defending MLS Cup champions back to their best. United dominated possession. However, like multiple times already this year, that possession didn't mean a dramatic . . .
Is it too soon for the coaching hot seat in MLS?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 24, 2019) US Soccer Players - As April moves quickly towards May and temperatures begin to climb, the time has come to check on the status of those Major League Soccer coaches who haven’t had the best starts to 2019. The league gets tougher for coaches by the year, commensurate with rising budgets and more demanding fans not to mention bosses. That said, “job . . .
Barco and Browne in a changing MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 17, 2019) US Soccer Players - Ezequiel Barco arrived in Atlanta in early 2018 with massive expectations in tow. A drawn-out chase for the Argentine teenager by Atlanta United only intensified the pressure for him to perform. Fans in Atlanta used the #BarcoWatch hashtag to chart the progress of the transfer, feeding into the idea that he would light MLS on fire . . .
MLS contenders already looking for turnarounds in 2019
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 3, 2019) US Soccer Players - Before the 2019 Major League Soccer season began, a list that started with Atlanta United, New York Red Bulls, NYCFC, and Portland Timbers could have been an easy preseason power ranking of the top four teams in the league. Atlanta United entered the campaign as the defending league champion. The Red Bulls won the Supporters' . . .
