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 . . .
Inter Miami and Chicago wait for their home debuts
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 13, 2020) US Soccer Players - This week Major League Soccer made the decision to suspend its 2020 season for at least a month due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Other sports leagues at home and abroad have made similar moves to help slow the spread of the pandemic, and it's a no-brainer given the high stakes. For MLS in particular, though, it's a potentially . . .
The Chicago Fire’s reformat
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 26, 2020) US Soccer Players - The Chicago Fire made a change to its team just a few days ahead of the launch of the 2020 Major League Soccer season on Monday. The club signed 28-year-old Argentinian midfielder Gaston Gimenez from Velez Sarsfield in his native country. Gimenez is a clever, savvy player tested by the intense soccer environments of South America . . .
The Chicago and Atlanta MLS expansion models
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Feb 3, 2020) US Soccer Players – A new Major League Soccer season starts in four weeks. With preseason in full swing, coaches are testing new tactics as teams buy and sell players. For Nashville SC and Inter Miami, it's their MLS debuts. Expansion teams have typically had a tough go at it in North American sports. In MLS, the gold standard remains the Chicago . . .
Expansion isn’t the biggest story for MLS in 2020
By J Hutcherson (Jan 7, 2020) US Soccer Players - We've reached the point in the preseason where all 26 MLS clubs have coaches. Welcome aboard Ronny Deila, a surprising choice to take over from Dom Torrent at NYCFC. Orlando City also left it late before officially announcing former Monterrey coach Diego Alonso. Then there was Chicago naming Raphael Wicky just after Christmas, the latest step away . . .
