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 . . .
There’s no overlooking FC Cincinnati in the East
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 11, 2022) US Soccer Players - When Chris Albright arrived at FC Cincinnati in October of 2021 as the club's new general manager, his challenge was daunting. Albright represented the third attempt by FCC to get its soccer leadership right. Following three straight seasons of last-place finishes, the club finally secured someone with deep MLS experience to turn . . .
Six games in for six MLS teams
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - For a while there, it was easy to judge Major League Soccer teams against one another. With an even number of clubs this season thanks to the addition of Charlotte, the league's weekend schedules had balance. Twenty-eight teams playing fourteen games in a given week means the season creeps along at an equitable clip. When everyone . . .
FC Cincinnati’s three points already change things in 2022
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 16, 2022) US Soccer Players - It seems strange to say after just three weeks of the new season, but FC Cincinnati's first win of 2022 was a long time coming. That's how it feels when you haven't won a game in 180 days. FC Cincinnati's 2-1 win over Orlando City in Florida on Saturday ended a losing streak the likes of which MLS had never seen. In the process, . . .
Pat Noonan gets the head coaching job at FC Cincinnati
The soccer news starts with a new coach for FC Cincinnati. Philadelphia Union assistant Pat Noonan takes the job with the club looking to rebuild after another last-place finish. He had been with Philadelphia since the 2018 season and previously worked as an assistant with Bruce Arena at the LA Galaxy and USMNT. "We are proud to introduce Pat as the new head coach of FC Cincinnati," Cincinnati . . .
Once again, FC Cincinnati finishes in last-place
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 29, 2021) US Soccer Players - On the same night that the New England Revolution set a new record for points in an MLS regular season, another club was setting an ignominious mark of its own 900 miles away. FC Cincinnati, the third-year MLS franchise with a sparkling new stadium and an engaged, enthusiastic fan base with which to fill it, fell to Nashville 6-3. . . .
In a parity driven league, FC Cincinnati needs patience
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 6, 2021) US Soccer Players - Ruled as we are by our devices, one of the habits of modern life is the update. You know how this goes. Your phone or computer tells you there's an update that needs to be installed and that the process requires a restart. Even though the process usually only takes a few minutes, it always feels interminable. And there's always a . . .
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 . . .
Gio Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund wins DFB Pokal
Friday's soccer news starts with another trophy for a USMNT player in Europe. Gio Reyna subbed on in stoppage time for Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 win over RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal final. Jadon Sancho put Dortmund up in the 5th minute with Erling Haaland making it 2-0 in the 28th. Sancho added a goal in first-half stoppage time. Leipzig's Dani Olmo scored in the 71st with Haaland scored again in . . .
