By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 3, 2023) US Soccer Players - Absences loomed large in the story of Major League Soccer in 2022. More than a few teams dealt with missing big names last season, a list that's long enough that it's not worth using the limited space available here to run it down. Just know that Sporting Kansas City, the Seattle Sounders, Atlanta United, and others can claim to be . . .
Loss for Venezia, win for Arsenal, Sands at NYCFC
Thursday's soccer news starts in Serie B, where Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessmann, and Andriya Novakovich's Venezia lost 1-0 at Bari to a 63rd minute goal. Busio subbed out at halftime and Novakovich subbed on in the 69th minute. Venezia is 16th in the table with 29 points from 27 games, a point behind 15th-place Perugia. "I told my players that sometimes good performances don't pay off," Venezia . . .
Six of the most intriguing occasions on the 2023 MLS schedule
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 22, 2022) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer's 2023 regular season schedule is now set, and supporters of all 29 teams can firm up their plans for the matchdays ahead. It's not hard to predict that perennially entertaining matchups like Seattle vs Portland, Toronto vs Montreal, and New York Red Bulls vs New York City FC will continue to be destination . . .
NYCFC, Orlando City, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami, and the LA Galaxy put themselves into playoff positions
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Sep 26, 2022) US Soccer Players – Winning the MLS Cup is all about timing. The regular season is long, and often parts of it may seem insignificant. In reality, every game counts if you want to clinch a playoff spot in the end. Consistency is key, but so is peaking at just the right time. That time to peak is now, both for teams who've already clinched a spot . . .
The Union and NYCFC build an MLS rivalry
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 29, 2022) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer loves a good rivalry. Check that. MLS loves any rivalry, even ones that might not be immediately apparent. MLS decided long ago that pushing rivalry was a winning marketing strategy. Rivalry can come from nearly anything, but geography is the most common variable at play. Put a couple of teams on a soccer field . . .
Red Bulls and Sporting KC advance in the US Open Cup
Thursday's soccer news starts in the US Open Cup quarterfinals. The New York Red Bulls shutout NYCFC 3-0 at Red Bull Arena. Lewis Morgan put the Red Bulls up in the 52nd. NYCFC went a man down in the 62nd with a red card to Thiago. The Red Bulls doubled the lead through Luquinhas in the 70th and Omir Fernandez finished off the scoring in the first minute of stoppage time. Both teams saw red six . . .
NYCFC knows how to navigate a mid-season coaching change
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 15, 2022) US Soccer Players - It happened again. New York City Football Club said goodbye to a head coach in the middle of the season. On Monday, Ronny Deila left defending MLS Cup champions NYCFC midway through his third season in charge to become the coach of Standard Liege in the Belgian Pro League. Assistant Nick Cushing takes over on an interim basis and . . .
What did we learn from midweek MLS?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 20, 2022) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer delivered school night action on Wednesday with ten games spread across the country. Some midweek rounds can slip by without getting the notice they deserve. With games on top of games in a league with 28 teams, it can be difficult to fully appreciate one match night of results. Wednesday's round included a . . .
MLS teams looking to make moves in May
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 4, 2022) US Soccer Players - This May might as well be called moving month in Major League Soccer. The league kicked off at the end of February, meaning May will be the third full month of play for the 2022 season. Believe it or not, the schedule is close to one-third complete. So the time to say "it's still early" is rapidly slipping away. March and April . . .
Four points in the Eastern Conference
By J Hutcherson (Apr 12, 2022) US Soccer Players - There's no magical moment over the course of an MLS season where we all agree that the numbers become real. The league of the four-game losing streak doesn't lend itself to the points suddenly counting early or even midway through the season. Bad teams stay within easier reach than they should of a playoff spot as Decision Day looms. While this is . . .
