By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 19, 2023) US Soccer Players - They don't hand out trophies for topping the MLS standings in May. That won't stop FC Cincinnati and its fans from feeling pretty good about being in 1st-place nearly 40 percent through the 2023 MLS regular season schedule. A 3-0 win over Montreal on Wednesday night, an emphatic, dominant performance that featured goals from two . . .
Three clubs looking to take another step in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 24, 2023) US Soccer Players - There are two steps to becoming part of the top echelon of Major League Soccer clubs, also known as the perennial contenders. Step one: Make your move into the ranks of the top teams in the league, qualify for the playoffs, and win a playoff game. Step two: Stay there. Step one isn't exactly easy, but with the league's . . .
FC Cincinnati assistant Dominic Kinnear on “formation, freedom, ability, and then opportunity”
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 23, 2023) US Soccer Players - In a one-on-one conversation with USSoccerPlayers.com at FC Cincinnati's preseason training base in Florida last week, assistant coach Dominic Kinnear had a simple explanation for joining the club in January 2022. "Well, I wasn't working," deadpanned Kinnear, "so I needed a job." Kinnear had spent a year away from the . . .
The expectations for Cincinnati’s Brandon Vazquez, Atlanta’s Thiago Almada, and Dallas’s Jesus Ferreira in 2023
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 22, 2023) US Soccer Players - Soccer is a team sport. Teams win games. Teams make the playoffs. Teams win championships. Still, individuals make up those teams, and without great individual performances, success can be elusive. The teams that achieve the most are almost always led by stars rising to a challenge. This is especially true in Major League . . .
Which story will Philadelphia vs Cincinnati tell in the Eastern Conference semifinals?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 14, 2022) US Soccer Players - If FC Cincinnati's visit to Philadelphia to take on the Union in the Eastern Conference semifinals was a popcorn flick penned by a screenwriter at a big studio, the student-teacher trope would be central to the story. The match-up of the 5th-seed and the conference's top team provides two different student-teacher dynamics. That's . . .
Considering all of the factors for Coach of the Year in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - The choice for the 2022 Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award in Major League Soccer may seem obvious. It's just that the choice is not always the same, depending on who you happen to ask. The 2022 MLS season delivered exceptional campaigns by a handful of teams. Some of those met or slightly exceeded expectations. Some far . . .
NYCFC, Orlando City, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami, and the LA Galaxy put themselves into playoff positions
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 26, 2022) US Soccer Players – Winning the MLS Cup is all about timing. The regular season is long, and often parts of it may seem insignificant. In reality, every game counts if you want to clinch a playoff spot in the end. Consistency is key, but so is peaking at just the right time. That time to peak is now, both for teams who've already clinched a spot . . .
What Matt Miazga already means to FC Cincinnati
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 31, 2022) US Soccer Players - Matt Miazga spent six years on a soccer sojourn across the island of Great Britain and the continent of Europe. Following a multi-million dollar transfer from the New York Red Bulls in 2016 to English powerhouse Chelsea, Miazga found himself featuring for clubs in the Netherlands, France, England, and Spain. His career is a vibrant . . .
Europa Conference League qualifying leads for Neftchi and Antwerp, Miazga to FC Cincinnati
Friday's soccer news starts with Europa Conference League third round qualifying first-legs and Kenny Saief subbing out in the 77th minute of Neftchi's 2-1 home win over Rapid Vienna in the main path. Ataa Jaber opened the scoring for Neftchi in the 44th and Saief doubled the lead in the 60th. Rapid Vienna pulled a goal back five minutes into stoppage time. Sam Vines's Royal Antwerp won 3-1 at . . .
First year coaches in MLS at the midway point
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (July 8, 2022) US Soccer Players - While there's a semantic argument about how many suggest a trend, Major League Soccer's 2022 season arrived with several coaches getting their first chance in charge of a topflight team. Whether or not this is a turn in who clubs consider for their open coaching jobs, the opportunities were clearly there. Taking them were long-time . . .
