By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 16, 2021) US Soccer Players - With Thursday's second match night of group B in the books, we're now halfway through the 2021 Gold Cup round-robin stage. The outlines of the knockout bracket are taking enough shape for some general observations can be made about the latest edition of Concacaf's top tournament. Here's four. Issues for Cinderella teams It's a . . .
Concacaf announces the Gold Cup preliminary rosters
Friday's soccer news starts with Concacaf taking another step towards the Gold Cup that starts on July 10. We now know the preliminary rosters for the participating teams, which tells us next to nothing since they could include a maximum of 60 players. In the press release announcing a whole lot of players potentially participating in the 2021 Gold Cup, Concacaf specified that "The final 23-player . . .
Concacaf announces Gold Cup venues
Friday's soccer news starts with Concacaf continuing the 2021 Gold Cup schedule rollout. We now know the other venues. Concacaf previously announced that Las Vegas's Allegiant Stadium would host the final and Inter Miami's Fort Lauderdale stadium is the site for the preliminary rounds. Add to that group AT&T Stadium in Arlington, BBVA Stadium and NRG Stadium in Houston, the Cotton Bowl in . . .
Preview: USMNT U-23s Concacaf Olympic qualifying
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 15, 2021) US Soccer Players – The Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Tournament that kicks off Thursday has been on the minds of many for the past year. Part of that was timing. Originally scheduled for last March, it and the Olympics ended up delayed due to the pandemic. Open to Under-23 players, it determines which two teams from the region travel to . . .
The 2021 soccer schedule
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Dec 28, 2020) US Soccer Players – 2020 was an unprecedented year loaded with obstacles, rescheduled games, and health protocols. Even when soccer came back, it wasn't the same. Tournaments played in bubbles, no fans allowed into stadiums, and piped in crowd noise became common this year. Despite all of this, enough of the games continued to create a new normal. . . .
USMNT gets Canada, Martinique, and a team to be named later
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the USMNT drawn into group B at the 2021 Gold Cup. Concacaf conducted the first ever Gold Cup draw, with the USMNT playing Canada, Martinique, and preliminary round winner 7. The tournament begins on July 10 with Concacaf eventually releasing the cities and schedules. "We're looking forward to competing in our confederation's premier event," USMNT coach Gregg . . .
Preview: The 2021 Gold Cup draw
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 28, 2020) US Soccer Players – The 2021 Gold Cup will mark the tournament's 16th edition. At the same time, the tournament will celebrate 30 years of existence. Over those three decades, the competition has both morphed and evolved with the times while making Concacaf teams more competitive at the World Cup. It's that evolving nature that, pandemic allowing, . . .
Concacaf adds Qatar to Gold Cup field
Thursday's soccer news starts with a lengthy press release from Concacaf nominally about finally adding a draw to the Gold Cup. Instead of setting the field and separating the United States from Mexico, Concacaf is opting for a draw to determine the group stage. From the knockout round "teams on opposite sides of the bracket meet from the quarterfinals onwards.... This change will provide more . . .
Concacaf’s new 2022 qualifying format sets expectations in the region
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 30, 2020) US Soccer Players - This week Concacaf rolled out its grand new plan for the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle. On Monday, the confederation unveiled a revised format and timetable for the road to Qatar in the wake of the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, it released the rescheduled dates for the final phase of the inaugural . . .
Concacaf sets its schedule
Tuesday's soccer news starts with Concacaf deciding eight is better than six when it comes to the final round of World Cup qualifying. Instead of this being the swansong for the Hexagonal ahead of World Cup expansion for 2026, we get the Octagonal. Two rounds will determine the three teams that join the USMNT, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Honduras with the final round starting in the June 2021 . . .
