By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 18, 2019) US Soccer Players – Here we are again. MLS teams competing in the Concacaf Champions League need to dust off the winter rust and speed up their preseason preparations. At stake is a tournament that has been elusive to American and Canadian clubs. The Mexican clubs that have dominated this tournament for years have a decided edge in the region. Higher . . .
The 4-2-3-1 formation in MLS
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 . . .
New coaches, familiar pressure in MLS
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 4, 2019) US Soccer Players – Preparation for the upcoming MLS season is in full swing. Players have hit the training grounds and playing preseason friendlies, while the front offices continue to deal for players and sell season-ticket packages. And the coaches? They’re doing a lot of the work, setting tactics and figuring out what formations to use. It’s also a . . .
Atlanta and the ceiling of allowable ambition in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Jan 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - Thursday morning delivered the news that everyone knew was coming. Atlanta United, the defending MLS Cup champions and a club that has already rocked the foundations of Major League Soccer in just two years of existence, announced the signing of River Plate attacker Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez. We knew Martinez was coming because . . .
Frank de Boer’s job in Atlanta
The soccer news starts with Atlanta United officially introducing new coach Frank de Boer to the media. As expected, the mood was upbeat with de Boer saying all of the right things about the club. Easy enough when the club in question is the defending MLS champion. De Boer's job role is clear. He can't allow the club to noticeably drop off from last season's form. That he could be doing that . . .
De Boer takes Atlanta United job
The soccer news is back from the holiday break with Atlanta United announcing their new coach. Frank de Boer takes over from Tata Martino who most expect to become the next coach of Mexico's National Team. De Boer is best known for coaching Ajax to multiple Eredivisie titles before moving to Inter Milan and then Crystal Palace. As a player, de Boer was one of world soccer's elite defenders, . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
