By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 18, 2022) US Soccer Players - If the end of the 2021 Major League Soccer regular season didn't represent an existential crisis for FC Dallas, it presented questions trending in that direction. The club's reputation as the country's best developer of soccer talent was well-won through years of work. FC Dallas committed money and attention to creating a structure . . .
Homegrowns vs hardware: FC Dallas go again
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 10, 2022) US Soccer Players - On the surface, the USMNT's recently-completed winter World Cup qualifying window was a triumphant one for FC Dallas. Five of the club's academy products (Kellyn Acosta, Reggie Cannon, Jesus Ferreira, Weston McKennie, and Ricardo Pepi) took the field in last week's 3-0 win over Honduras in Minnesota, four of them as starters. . . .
FC Dallas and Orlando City after major transfers
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - In Major League, math is complicated. More to the point, MLS makes its math complicated with a long list of rules and regulations that dictate the way clubs can spend their money. Nothing is simple. In most of the soccer world, any money made from player transfers is immediately available for spending on whatever a club might . . .
Goal for Musah in Valencia win
Friday's soccer news starts with Yunus Musah scoring in Valencia's 3-0 win at Utrillas in the first round of the Copa del Rey. Marcos de Sousa opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Valencia failed to convert a penalty in the 52nd, but Musah scored from the rebound. Koba Koindredi scored Valencia's third goal in the 70th minute. Valencia is at Arenteiro on December 15 in the second round. "You . . .
A big year goes south for MLS in Texas
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 22, 2021) US Soccer Players - Under Major League Soccer's forgiving postseason structure, every instance of elimination from playoff contention is a sobering milestone. Still, it feels quite different when confirmation of that status is certain well before Decision Day. Such was the case for FC Dallas on Wednesday night. In a playoff-race six-pointer, they . . .
Ricardo Pepi pushes forward
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 10, 2021) US Soccer Players - It was just yesterday that USMNT and FC Dallas striker Ricardo Pepi was a precocious talent emerging from the Texas border town of El Paso. Okay, so “yesterday” is a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. Pepi’s rise from local kid with potential to national team star happened so quickly that most of us just missed it. While some . . .
The issues for Major League Soccer’s Texas trio
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 1, 2021) US Soccer Players - As tourism efforts like to remind us, "Everything is bigger in Texas." The phrase is likely rooted in the state's sheer size, but it applies to many areas of life for Texans. Nobody does it bigger than Texas, with "it" standing in for food, football, and much more. Soccer, however, probably doesn't belong on the list. At least . . .
The MLS player development model is working for the league
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 20, 2021) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer's evolution as a "selling league" in the parlance of the world soccer market is a net positive. For the first time in its history, MLS is fully engaging with the international market for players. Long little more than an occasional buyer of relatively cheap and/or over-the-hill talent, MLS is now a provider of . . .
Did FC Dallas make a Western Conference statement?
Monday's soccer news starts with FC Dallas beating New England 2-1 at home with both goals from Ricardo Pepi. With the win, Dallas moves up into a group of clubs tied on 10 points, 11th in the table but with a game in hand over 10th-place San Jose. In other words, the win makes Dallas slightly better than bad in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, New England remains top of the East with a . . .
Title droughts can define a soccer club… until they don’t
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 2, 2021) US Soccer Players - Something momentous happened on Sunday in Mexico. Something momentous in soccer and, for a long-siffering fan base, something momentous in their lives. Cruz Azul won a championship. If you don't know much about the history of the Mexico City club, you might not know that until Sunday, Cruz Azul was cursed. Okay, "cursed" might . . .
