Friday's soccer news starts with Bruce Arena talking to the media after taking over as New England's sporting director and head coach. Arena made it clear that the only thing he has to prove is that he can turn the team around over the longterm. New England is currently in last place in the Eastern Conference. “It’s not going to happen in the next two weeks, but I’m confident over the next couple . . .
Arena takes over in New England
A day after the New England Revolution announced that they were "parting ways" with longtime general manager Mike Burns, the club announced the hiring of Bruce Arena as coach and sporting director. The move was hinted at shortly after the club fired Burns, with that following last week's dismissal of head coach Brad Friedel. “Bruce is one of the most successful coaches in American soccer . . .
Is it too soon for the coaching hot seat in MLS?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 24, 2019) US Soccer Players - As April moves quickly towards May and temperatures begin to climb, the time has come to check on the status of those Major League Soccer coaches who haven’t had the best starts to 2019. The league gets tougher for coaches by the year, commensurate with rising budgets and more demanding fans not to mention bosses. That said, “job . . .
The MLS rivalries in the I-95 corridor
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 15, 2019) US Soccer Players – For the major East Coast cities linked by Interstate-95 in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the country, every game between them is a rivalry game. That's regardless of the sport. all of them have a rich sports tradition and distinct rivalries. Over the past two decades, rivalries built by those other sports have . . .
The New England Revolution in transition
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Feb 15, 2019) US Soccer Players - No Major League Soccer club has teased its supporters more over the course of 23 seasons than the New England Revolution. One of the league’s original franchises, the Revs are a study in coming up just short with potential that never reached fruition. As far as identities go, it’s not a great one to own. It’s going to take a lot of . . .
Spare a thought for the New England Revolution
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Sep 12, 2018) US Soccer Players - Pity the New England Revolution, even if the situation they find themselves in is largely of their own making. Certainly pity their fans, a hardy group of loyal-to-a-fault soccer obsessives who support their beloved team despite often wanting to tear their hair out while doing so. Pity MLS, a league made weaker by the inability of . . .
Nemeth, Ramirez, and the MLS transfer window
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Aug 8, 2018) US Soccer Players - The MLS secondary transfer windows officially closes at midnight on Wednesday, meaning teams have just a few more hours to finish any business for the balance of the 2018 season. The deadline doesn’t often spur a flurry of trades and transfers as it might in other leagues. Still, a few transactions did go down on Tuesday that will . . .
Playing with any advantage in MLS
The soccer news starts with another quirk of the MLS schedule, too many games over a short period of time. MLS is normally defensive of its scheduling, pointing out the unique constraints and issues in programming the 23-team league. When it was a smaller league, shared stadiums were the problem. Now, it's logistics complicated by special issues. That can make the schedule seem almost personal for . . .
The MLS transfer window closes, does anybody care?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (May 2, 2018) US Soccer Players - The effects of Targeted Allocation Money aka TAM on MLS in 2018 are clear and profound. Using the new salary budget mechanism, clubs across Major League Soccer have invested heavily in new talent, largely from abroad. That's pushed the quality of the competition to new heights. Especially on the attacking end of the field, MLS is a . . .
Trying to make a run in the East
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Apr 18, 2018) US Soccer Players - Let’s start this discussion about the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer by putting aside three teams: NYCFC, Atlanta United, and Toronto FC. That's the elite of both the Eastern Conference and MLS. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees that those teams belong at the top. Two other teams might deserve inclusion . . .
