By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 19, 2019) US Soccer Players - Sixteen teams. Games in Costa Rica and Jamaica. Qualification through the new Nations League for two-thirds of the field. Each is a new element of the Gold Cup in 2019, meant to improve the tournament. For a region that is light on World Cup-caliber nations and overly dependent on the United States for hosting duties, these . . .
The return of the UEFA Nations League
We start the soccer news with the final four of the first ever UEFA Nations League set for Porto and Guimaraes. Portugal plays Switzerland on Wednesday and the Netherlands vs England is on Thursday with the final set for Sunday at the Estadio do Dragao. The competition might feel like an after thought just days following the Champions League final, with the quick switch from club to country. That . . .
The USMNT, Canada, and Cuba
The soccer news starts with the draw for the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League. In an event in Las Vegas, Concacaf finished out the groups with Canada and Cuba joining the USMNT in League A - Group A. Why Concacaf decided against numbering the leagues or the groups is a fair question. The USMNT will play their home and away Nations League group games during the October and November international . . .
Preview: USMNT vs Chile
The soccer news starts with the USMNT trying to keep their 2019 win streak alive against Chile tonight in Houston (8pm ET - ESPN2). USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter is installing a new system that has worked with a variety of USMNT players. That will continue at BBVA Compass Stadium, with Berhalter already saying he plans on using a different lineup than the one that beat Ecuador last week in Orlando. . . .
The end of the November window
We start the soccer news with the end of the November international window and the return to the club schedule. For the USMNT, the losses to England and Italy is the latest prelude to an announcement of the new coach. For the players, it's once again assuming that club performance will predict national team opportunity. In Europe, that puts the pressure on players who aren't getting time with . . .
Making the Nations League matter
The soccer news starts with an obvious point about the Nations League. It's going to take more than UEFA adding it to the schedule to make the games count. Everybody involved has to buy in. That's the challenge for any new competition, something that the Nations League is already struggling with at some levels. For all the upside when two big teams meet in League A, there's leagues B through D to . . .
Canada and the Nations League
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Oct 12, 2018) US Soccer Players - The United States Men’s National Team is in a weird place. A year out from losing to Trinidad & Tobago and missing out on the 2018 World Cup, one of CONCACAF leading nations is trying to figure out how to regain it’s lost prestige. During the October FIFA window, the Americans are playing friendlies against Colombia and Peru . . .
The Concacaf Nations League
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 27, 2018) US Soccer Players – With MLS heading towards an exciting regular-season finish and Europe’s domestic leagues monopolizing our Saturday mornings once again, focus shifts quickly. The international schedule returns in early September, with the club game making way for national teams. For the United States, the 2022 World Cup cycle starts this fall with . . .
How much does the 2018 Concacaf Champions League matter?
We start the soccer news with a new version of an old question. Thanks to Concacaf revamping the Champions League, for the teams most likely to lift the trophy it's now a short-run knockout tournament. Eight games from late February to mid-April to win the championship, rather than first having to navigate a group stage. What that means competitively is not a lot of difference, with MLS and Liga . . .
MLS wins again in the Concacaf Champions League
The soccer news starts with Concacaf insisting on a new spelling for the confederation's acronym and MLS teams winning two more first-legs against Liga MX teams in the Champions League. Both of those things didn't seem likely this time yesterday. Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders join the New York Red Bulls in carrying first-leg leads into next week's quarterfinal finales. The difference is that . . .
