Thursday's soccer news starts with a goal for a USMNT player in the Scottish Premiership. Christian Ramirez scored in Aberdeen's 3-2 home loss to Cameron Carter-Vickers's Celtic. Jota put Celtic up in the 16th minute and Matt O'Riley doubled the lead in the 20th. Ramirez pulled a goal back for Aberdeen in the 56th and Lewis Ferguson equalized in the 61st. Celtic took the lead for good when Jota . . .
Resetting the squads and expectations in Chicago and Miami
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 9, 2022) US Soccer Players - The Chicago Fire is starting over again. Inter Miami is doing the same, but for the first time. Beyond that difference, the two clubs enter 2022 very much in the same rickety boat. A boat they're trying to mend while at sea. Transforming a soccer team while moving through the rhythms of seasons and off-seasons is a little like . . .
Chicago’s Przybylko deal highlights the importance of allocation money
Wednesday's soccer news starts with Kacper Przybylko's move from Philadelphia to Chicago for a total of $1.15m in allocation money. Not lost on anyone is that Przybylko scored a dozen goals for the Union last season, double the next player on the list. Taking Chicago's allocation money now requires more of a revamp than most expected for Philadelphia. It also set another metric for valuing players . . .
The Chicago Fire’s changes
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the image issue for MLS clubs. For the 2022 season and its move back to Soldier Field, the Chicago Fire debuted a new crest. It didn't go well. Faced with fan backlash while playing through a strange season, the Fire's management acted. The club would get another new badge closer to the original. Unveiled in June, the Fire started offering merchandise with the new . . .
The Chicago Fire’s Soldier Field story continues
By J Hutcherson (Sep 21, 2021) US Soccer Players - In the original era of the Chicago Fire playing at Soldier Field, getting from the press box to the locker room was almost a form of time travel. Exit the modern press box, take the elevator down to the main concourse. Walk across to what looks like a random door that opens into the space underneath the bleachers. Step along the two-by-fours laid . . .
Ambition and expectation in the MLS playoff race
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 8, 2021) US Soccer Players - There's a point in every race when competitors off the lead pace have to make a move if they want a chance at victory. In some cases, kicking into high gear is part of the strategy. Giving it everything down the stretch can be a part of the game. It's not a direct comparison with how a playoff race tends to work. Still, every MLS . . .
Chicago’s new new logo
Monday's soccer news starts with the Chicago Fire announcing their revamped rebrand. After public dissatisfaction with the club's new logo, they regrouped and tried again. The result is closer to the traditional version of the Fire crest, but minus the overt fire department branding. If social media is the judge we all pretend it is, the result is another reason to revert to the original logo. . . .
Last place in MLS means different levels of pressure on coaches
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 14, 2021) US Soccer Players - The great soccer minds of history never quite answered just how long a coach should get before it's fair to judge them on their record. Almost everyone agrees that coaches need a season. No one is quite sure how quickly a club should jettison its field boss if things go bad in the beginning or middle of a campaign. Barely five . . .
MLS announces the 2021 schedule
Tuesday's soccer news starts with Major League Soccer setting an April 3 start date for the 2021 season. Clubs opening training on February 22 for the 34-game regular season. The league set the 2021 MLS Cup for December 11. MLS acknowledged that they have yet to reach an agreement with the Players Association after the league invoked the force majeure clause and set a January 29 deadline. In a . . .
How good was the ’98 Chicago Fire?
By J Hutcherson (Apr 28, 2020) US Soccer Players - As ESPN's The Last Dance makes clear, the biggest story in Chicago sports in the summer of 1998 was the Chicago Bulls. They won the final NBA championship of the Michael Jordan era amid the kind of turmoil that justifies a multipart documentary series. What could an expansion MLS team do that same summer to have any kind of relevance? Well, the . . .
