By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Oct 3, 2018) US Soccer Players - Among the collection of fresh faces in the USMNT roster is a pair of MLS fullbacks getting their first looks with the senior squad. One is a homegrown product of one of Major League Soccer’s more renowned academy setups barely into his 20s. The other is former college soccer player who built his career over several stops in American . . .
Orlando City, FC Dallas, and the MLS reserves problem
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Sep 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - In 2016, Orlando City launched a reserve team called Orlando City B as part of Major League Soccer’s partnership with the USL. The team ostensibly served the same purpose as the rest of the USL’s MLS entries, providing professional minutes to up-and-coming players in the Lions’ system as part of a path to the first team. Results . . .
Shuffling MLS rosters in August
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 29, 2018) US Soccer Players - Laurent Ciman scored the first-ever goal in Banc of California Stadium history back on April 21. The center back hit a hard, low free-kick that Seattle’s Stefan Frei fumbled into his net. LAFC would go on to win the game, creating an indelible memory for the capacity crowd in the venue and for all of the new fans of Major League . . .
Acosta plays for Colorado, makes a bigger point about MLS
Wednesday's soccer news starts with USMNT player Kellyn Acosta making his debut for his new club the Colorado Rapids on Tuesday night. The Rapids came back to draw with Boca Juniors 2-2 in regulation in a friendly at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The game went directly to penalties with Colorado winning 5-4 to lift the Western Union Cup. Wilmar Barrios put Boca Juniors up in the 11th minute with . . .
Q&A with Kellyn Acosta: “We have to take it game by game”
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 25, 2018) US Soccer Players – Kellyn Acosta is a fighter. The FC Dallas and USMNT player doesn’t let anything stop him from playing at the highest level. After recently undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia, Acosta was back in the Dallas lineup in May. As usual, he was there to link the defense to the offense, a player who has been the team’s midfield . . .
Jimmy Maurer on the uncertainty of life in the lower divisions
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 20, 2018) US Soccer Players - It’s not often that you see an American player make his top-flight professional debut at age 29. It’s even rarer for a player to arrive at that milestone via a path like Jimmy Maurer’s. A supplemental draft pick of the New York Red Bulls way back in 2011 after a solid NCAA career at South Carolina, the Georgia native didn’t get . . .
What will we learn in MLS week 3?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Mar 16, 2018) US Soccer Players - MLS might be a league of parity, but three weeks into the season not all games are even. A few might have more to teach us than others. Injuries, midweek games for Concacaf Champions League participants, and unusual conditions will play a role in the results and how we parse them. Here is a look at four games have the most potential . . .
FC Dallas exits the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League
The soccer news starts with a missed opportunity for MLS. The 2018 CONCACAF Champions League may have a new format, but for FC Dallas it was a familiar MLS story. Trailing 1-0 from the away leg at Tauro, Dallas returned to Frisco with the series in the balance. A 3-2 win at Toyota Stadium means Tauro advances on the away goals rule 3-3 on aggregate. That puts a Panamanian club into the . . .
Rubio Rubin gets a game for Tijuana in the CONCACAF Champions League
The soccer news starts in the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 with USMNT player Rubio Rubin making his debut for Tijuana in their 1-0 win at Motagua. Rubin subbed on in the 53rd minute, picking up a yellow card in stoppage time. Ignacio Rivero scored the game's only goal in the 71st minute with Manuel Lajud keeping the clean sheet. Michael Orozco was on the bench for Tijuana. Also in the . . .
How FC Dallas changed the MLS offseason forever
By Jeff Rueter – SAINT PAUL, MN (Feb 15, 2018) US Soccer Players - There’s a well-worn assumption that the key to becoming a successful soccer team lies in spending months, even years, training together and forming a core starting lineup. Sometimes, this comes in the form of off-field team building, like Huddersfield Town’s David Wagner leading the then-Championship side to a remote Swedish island . . .
