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 . . .
The next stage of MLS looms
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Dec 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - The 2018 MLS Cup final provided the latest backdrop for a pressing discussion about the future of topflight soccer in the USA and Canada. That discussion and the debate it engenders is a function of the success of Atlanta United and the ambition of the club’s owner, Arthur Blank. The massive crowd that filled Mercedes-Benz Stadium . . .
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 . . .
Preview: 2018 MLS Cup final
The soccer news starts with the 2018 MLS Cup final on Saturday (8pm ET - Fox) with Atlanta United trying to put the exclamation point on their season at home against Portland. The big talking points haven't changed. Tata Martino's last game draws at least a temporary line between eras for a team about to complete its second season. That's the situation for United, a dynasty in the making that will . . .
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, . . .
Atlanta United, the Western Conference, and the Armas scenario
The soccer news starts with the clear favorite in the 2018 MLS playoffs, and that's Atlanta United. With all due respect to the other half of the bracket, this is now Atlanta's MLS Cup to lose. It would take a meltdown of epic proportions in the second-leg on Thursday (7:30pm ET - FS1) for the New York Red Bulls to stage an unlikely comeback. FiveThirtyEight puts that Red Bulls scenario at 6%. . . .
Fulham moves on with Claudio Ranieri
The soccer news starts with the first managerial change since the start of the 2018-19 Premier League season. Tim Ream and Luca de la Torre have a new manager at Fulham. The club announced that Claudio Ranieri replaces Slavisa Jokanovic. Fulham is in last place in the Premier League with 5 points from 12 games, two points behind 19th-place Huddersfield and three points and a tiebreaker from . . .
Making too much about Decision Day
The soccer news starts with another look at the final day of the 2018 MLS season, specifically what happened at BMO Field. Decision Day underlined one talking point plenty of people felt like making following Atlanta United's announcement that Tata Martino will leave at the end of the season. How does the squad respond? What happens now with the Supporters' Shield in question and the playoffs on . . .
