Monday's soccer news starts with Montreal taking the somewhat surprising lead at the top of the Eastern Conference. Montreal shutout Charlotte FC -0 on Saturday to pull into a three-way lead with 2nd-place Orlando City and 3rd-place Philadelphia all on 20 points. With Montreal and Orlando tied on total wins, Montreal takes the top spot on goal difference +3 to -1. Montreal and Philadelphia both . . .
Mixed results so far in 2022 for Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto
By Clemente Lisi – MONTREAL, CA (Apr 25, 2022) US Soccer Players – Scores of fans streamed out of Stade Saputo on a chilly April evening in Montreal. They'd just watched the hometown CF Montreal defeat Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps in what was a riveting 2-1 game. The encounter was the first all-Canadian match-up of the 2022 season. The state of the game in Canada is very good, especially . . .
Manchester City moves on, Revs win in CCL
The soccer news starts with Manchester City drawing 0-0 at home with Sporting to advance 5-0 on aggregate to the Champions League quarterfinals. Zack Steffen wasn't in the squad for City, who finished with four of their 14 shots on goal to Sporting's three from six. "I'm a guy who learns at the time to enjoy the moment," Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said. "When I qualify for the . . .
MLS has half the field in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 28, 2022) US Soccer Players – Many are already picking Seattle as an easy favorite in the race for MLS Cup. They have all of the makings of a legit contender, even in a league where several teams have spent more this offseason. Part of that may be another competition where the Sounders are an easy pick, Concacaf's Champions League. They're one of the four Major . . .
Manchester City’s big lead in the Champions League
The soccer news starts in the Champions League round of 16. Zack Steffen is injured and wasn't in the squad for Manchester City's 5-0 win at Sporting. Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring in the 7th minute and Bernardo Silva doubled the lead in the 17th. Phil Foden made it 3-0 City in the 32nd and Silva scored again in the 44th. Raheem Sterling finished off the City goals in the 58th minute. “Don’t . . .
Major League Soccer’s Canadian teams look to go home
By J Hutcherson (Jul 13, 2021) US Soccer Players - Though it's certainly closer than last season, it's still difficult to describe 2021 as normal for Major League Soccer. The easiest example of that is the three Canadian teams starting the season in the United States. Pandemic protocols made it unreasonable to hold league games in Canada. Once again, that forced the Canadian teams to try and . . .
Playing at home in MLS and Concacaf
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 3, 2021) US Soccer Players – There's no place like home. That's what a young Dorothy in the film "The Wizard of Oz" repeated to herself as she attempted to return to Kansas. In soccer, like in sports generally, playing at home and before your own fans has been considered a positive. In the pandemic era, home-field advantage and supporters have taken on a whole . . .
Mixed results for new MLS coaches
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 21, 2021) US Soccer Players - The start of the 2021 MLS season took place over three days this past weekend, pitting 26 teams against one another in 13 games. Only one team, Real Salt Lake, awaits its turn to get its campaign underway. An odd number of teams this season means there will always be a team sitting out a given round of matches. Unlike several of . . .
MLS 2021: Tactical preview
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 12, 2021) US Soccer Players – The start of a new MLS season brings with it plenty of questions and speculation. What a new season also brings with it is speculation over tactics and formations. How does a team win in MLS in 2021? That's the question coaches are trying to unlock heading into Friday's season opener. In MLS, there's another question that may be . . .
The new coaches in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 7, 2021) US Soccer Players - Perhaps no season in MLS history provided a ruder introduction to the league for new coaches than 2020. A typical preseason led directly into two games before a two-month layoff with no games and effectively no training. The return to play, first in Orlando at MLS Is Back, then in a truncated regular season that featured few fans . . .
