By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 7, 2022) US Soccer Players - It's not actually possible to start over in Major League Soccer. While rebuilding is part of the lifecycle of any professional sports operation, it's always a process. That might be a loaded term in pro sports, but it's the situation clubs find themselves in even when the intent is a massive overhaul across the board. Timing . . .
New coaches for LAFC and Houston
Tuesday's soccer news starts with two MLS coaching hires. Former USMNT player Steve Cherundolo is the new coach at LAFC. Cherundolo spent last season coaching their affiliate team, the Las Vegas Lights. He previously worked as an assistant in the Bundesliga. "I am ecstatic to be named the head coach of LAFC," Cherundolo said in a press statement. "Having been a part of the club for the past . . .
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 . . .
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 . . .
New investor / operators in Orlando and Houston
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 21, 2021) US Soccer Players - On the list of differences between Major League Soccer and pretty much all other leagues is how they define club ownership. Though the term has fallen out of casual use, MLS has investor/operators rather than traditional owners. That's one of the hallmarks of a single-entity league put in place to limit financial competition for . . .
The underdogs in the Western Conference
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 24, 2021) US Soccer Players - The 2021 season arrives for Major League Soccer behind a vanguard of uncertainty as formidable as any in recent memory. 2020 wreaked havoc on preconceived notions and reasonable expectations while laying waste to rosters throughout a stop-start campaign. It’s impossible to know what might have happened in the absence of the . . .
NYCFC and Houston playing under the radar
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 4, 2020) US Soccer Players - A question about the 2020 MLS season: Does this season have a radar? As in, under it? We often talk about teams that don't get much media attention but are slowly building towards becoming a contender as under the radar. The abnormal nature of this year makes it tough to know if such a radar even exists. Pulling forward what we . . .
Ramos with the Dynamo
The soccer news starts with the new coach in Houston. Tam Ramos left his role as US Soccer's youth technical director to take the job with the Dynamo. It's an interesting transition for a coach with plenty of experience with the youth national teams. After retiring in 2002 as a member of the MetroStars, Ramos was involved with youth soccer in New Jersey before taking the USMNT U-20s job. He has . . .
Will more MLS coaches lose their jobs in 2019?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 14, 2019) US Soccer Players - The MLS coaching merry-go-round doesn't stop. Not even long enough to write a story about the state of the MLS coaching merry-go-round. Between the conception of this piece and its execution, the Houston Dynamo announced that they had "parted ways" with head coach Wilmer Cabrera. Cabrera is the fifth MLS head coach to lose his . . .
Disappointment in the Champions League qualifiers
The soccer news starts with Scottish Premier League champions Celtic failing to advance in Champions League qualifying. Celtic lost 4-3 at home to CFR Cluj and 5-4 on aggregate in the third round of qualifying. They led 3-2 from a 76th-minute goal. Cluj equalized from the penalty spot in the 80th and scored seven minutes into stoppage time. Unfortunately for the rest of the Scottish Premier . . .
