By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 13, 2020) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer's 2020 season didn't give us much before the league made the tough, but crucial decision to suspend play amid the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but it did leave us on a high note. Sunday's back-and-forth affair between LAFC and the Philadelphia Union in Los Angeles put on display the kind of high intensity, . . .
Trying again at Orlando City
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 6, 2019) US Soccer Players - Orlando City Soccer Club is no one's idea of a marquee Major League Soccer franchise. The Lions have a passionate fan base and an international flavor that comes from Brazilian ownership. Still, they can't or won't compete with the nouveau riche of the league dollar-for-dollar in the chase for MLS championships. Winning is harder . . .
Freddy Juarez drops the interim title at RSL, Orlando hires Pareja
The soccer news starts with the coaching situation at Real Salt Lake. Interim coach Freddy Juarez is now the new head coach. The club also removed the interim title from general manager Elliot Fall with Real Monarchs GM Dan Egner becoming RSL technical director and former player Tony Beltran hired as assistant GM. “Having gone through everything with the academy and the Monarchs and now being . . .
Another rebuild for Orlando City
The soccer news starts with Orlando City going into the off season minus head coach James O'Connor. Orlando announced the decision on Monday, now seeking their fourth full-time coach since joining the league in 2015. Over that time, the club has yet to make the playoffs. That makes it hard to avoid yet another rebuild tag after yet another disappointing season. Just like last year, the club . . .
Orlando City focuses on youth development
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jul 29, 2019) US Soccer Players – There are many metropolitan areas throughout this country that can claim to be thriving soccer centers. It's what happens after two decades of MLS fan growth and team expansion. The professional club game has become a regular part of the daily sports diet of millions of people. It isn't surprising that youth clubs, academies, and . . .
Moving on from week 1 in MLS
The soccer news starts with expectations in MLS. For FC Cincinnati, a quick start in their opening game led to an unnecessary reminder of the degree of difficulty. Expansion is tough. So is defending a title, something Atlanta went through at DC United. Neither of these extremes is news, necessarily. MLS isn't the type of league that regularly rewards the safe assumption. Maybe you'd like to . . .
The next Orlando City rebuild
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Nov 28, 2018) US Soccer Players - Orlando City hasn’t had much success on the field, failing to reach to the playoffs in every one its four top division seasons. Over that period, the club has gone through three different head coaches and several different strategies for breaking out of the also-ran group in Major League Soccer. None of the coaches (with the jury . . .
Orlando City’s misspent season
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Oct 19, 2018) US Soccer Players - The numbers don’t lie, as they say. Orlando City’s 2018 MLS season is the stuff of history, but not the good kind. With two games remaining on the club’s regular season schedule the Lions have already set a new standard for defensive frailty. Through 32 matches Orlando has conceded 72 goals, besting the previous ignominious mark of . . .
Next season for Orlando City
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Sep 14, 2018) US Soccer Players - Orlando City head coach James O’Connor paid his dues to earn his shot at the highest level of soccer in the United States. After ending his playing career with the USL version of Orlando City where he also served as an assistant, he moved to USL expansion team Louisville City as the top man. In three-plus seasons in Kentucky, . . .
Orlando City, FC Dallas, and the MLS reserves problem
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Sep 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - In 2016, Orlando City launched a reserve team called Orlando City B as part of Major League Soccer’s partnership with the USL. The team ostensibly served the same purpose as the rest of the USL’s MLS entries, providing professional minutes to up-and-coming players in the Lions’ system as part of a path to the first team. Results . . .
