By J Hutcherson (Aug 14, 2018) US Soccer Players - Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup doesn't officially start anything. It's not the kickoff for either of Europe's club tournaments, both well into qualifying at this point. UEFA's Champions League couldn't even get out of the way for the World Cup, playing games while that tournament was still underway in Russia. The domestic leagues in Europe stagger . . .
The Scottish Premier League question
The 2018-19 Scottish Premier League season starts this weekend, a league that is now only occasionally identified with USMNT players. Perry Kitchen's time at Hearts was the latest example, but it's a list that includes the Alejandro Bedoya - Carlos Bocanegra - Maurice Edu era at Rangers and prior to that DaMarcus Beasley and Claudio Reyna spending time with the club. The collapse of Rangers' . . .
Bayern questions the transfer market and warns about the UEFA coefficient
Thursday's soccer news starts with Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge using his latest criticism of the European transfer market to make a point about the UEFA coefficient and the Champions League. After blaming PSG and Manchester City for the rise in prices, Goal.com's Robin Bairner relays Rummenigge's opinion on the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer. He's not a fan of the move, making a . . .
UEFA pushes forward with a Champions League for the top four
The soccer news starts with an example of why the revamped UEFA Champions League might not appeal to some parts of Europe. First a reminder. Starting this season, the top four leagues in Europe put four teams each directly into the group stage. The 5th highest ranked league gets three places in the group stage, with the 6th getting two. A quick look at the coefficient table has Spain's La Liga . . .
Manchester United’s Mourinho already managing expectations
By J Hutcherson (Jul 24, 2018) US Soccer Players - Credit Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho for getting out in front of potential issues. With his team on tour in the United States and eventually welcoming back World Cup winner and star player Paul Pogba, the expectations for this season are high. That hasn't meant good news for United in years, with the club struggling in a way that . . .
Juventus makes its moves
By J Hutcherson (Jul 17, 2018) US Soccer Players - When Juventus arrives in the United States later this month, they're not going to be the team anybody expected. That includes their fellow European teams on their International Champions Cup schedule as well as the MLS All-Stars they'll play in Atlanta on August 1. Nobody saw Juventus deciding to reinstate their super club status by successfully . . .
Chelsea push forward with another coach
Going from 1st to 5th in the Premier League was likely to lead to changes at Chelsea. That's the polite way to say that not staging a competitive defense of their title would lead to yet another manager. In this case, head coach Antonio Conte making way for Maurizio Sarri. Chelsea made the Sarri hiring official over the weekend, once again drawing a line underneath a successful period that didn't . . .
Juventus remembers to be a super club
The soccer news starts with something that seemed reserved for clubs outside of Serie A. That is until Italian champions Juventus went all in and set a new incoming transfer record in Italy. It cost them over $131m dollars to get Cristiano Ronaldo, and with it they sent a clear message. In an era of Premier League money and Spanish dominance in Europe, Juventus decided to play. It's not often . . .
The Champions League changes all over again
By J Hutcherson (Jul 10, 2018) US Soccer Players - The champions of Scotland began their 2018-19 season on Tuesday, with Celtic on the road in Armenia in the Champions League qualifiers. Yes, the same day two UEFA national teams meet in the World Cup semifinals in a European country, Europe's governing body needed to get on with their club competition. That the initial stage involves the winners . . .
Win for Philadelphia, Dallas hangs on against the Galaxy, Zidane quits Real Madrid
The soccer news starts with the roundup of MLS games. New England and Atlanta drew 1-1 at Gillette Stadium. Josef Martinez put Atlanta up in the 23rd minute with Teal Bunbury equalizing from the penalty spot in the 88th. "We want to get three points, so I wouldn’t say it feels like a win," Bunbury said. "Atlanta is a good team. They have a lot of key players but we kept pushing and we got a . . .
