By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 27, 2021) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer is so big that it needs two weekends to complete one iteration of its Rivalry Week promotion. That's double the matchdays for clashes between teams with or developing a dislike for each other. It's double the available bragging rights and double the atmosphere. As marketing exercises go, this one gives us . . .
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 . . .
Is New England turning into the team to beat in MLS?
By J Hutcherson (Jun 22, 2021) US Soccer Players - Conference disparity is nothing new in Major League Soccer. Pick a season, and part of the story is one conference usually finishing notably better than the other. At one point, that meant a lopsided playoff field when MLS leadership decided to go wildcard-heavy rather than sticking to the conference standings. The almost single-table experiment . . .
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 . . .
What to expect from the MLS final four
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 10, 2021) US Soccer Players - The most unusual year in Major League Soccer history ended with the Columbus Crew lifting its second MLS Cup trophy following a comprehensive victory over the Western Conference champions Seattle Sounders. The season did not end the way the Sounders had hoped, but the club's achievement of reaching four MLS Cup finals in five years . . .
Kessler, Dike, and the continued importance of the college model
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 20, 2021) US Soccer Players - Gregg Berhalter's first USMNT camp of the new year now has a match to close it out. A mixed American squad will face off against Trinidad & Tobago on January 31 in Orlando. The game is the finale of an annual process that's about talent identification and opportunity. This year’s camp is also serving as a chance for U-23 . . .
MLS 1.0 in the Eastern Conference final
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 2, 2020) US Soccer Players - Over its 25 years, Major League Soccer repeatedly turns to what's new. The league itself was a new way of limiting spending on players. It's original team names and uniforms were about what was cutting edge in the mid-1990s. Multiple rounds of expansion have pushed new teams forward. New fans, new stadiums, and new understandings of . . .
Philadelphia, New England, and the East
Tuesday's soccer news starts with Philadelphia winning 2-1 at New England. An own-goal put the Union up in the 34th minute with Anthony Fontana doubling the lead in the 69th. Tajon Buchanan pulled a goal back for the Revolution in the 80th minute. The result has Philadelphia in 2nd-place, three points behind Toronto and four points ahead of Columbus. Toronto and Philadelphia have played 19 games . . .
The 6 best regular season games in MLS history
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 13, 2020) US Soccer Players – Our look back at the last quarter-century in MLS continues by highlighting the best regular-season games in league history. For a league that's relatively young, MLS has packed a lot of passion and emotion over a short time. MLS has had its share of superstars from North America as well as across the globe. Some of the best games . . .
What Sporting KC can teach the Revs about a rebrand
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 25, 2020) US Soccer Players - Branding a soccer club in the modern American soccer landscape is an unenviable task. Getting it right might mean a huge wave of interest and the kind of viral marketing success that can turn soccer from after-thought in a market to the "it" team everyone wants to support. Getting it wrong means missing out on a potential group of . . .
