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 . . .
Figuring out how to score goals in MLS
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 24, 2022) US Soccer Players - With more than half the regular season still to play and the secondary transfer window set to open on July 7, every club in MLS still believes it has a shot at glory. This is Major League Soccer. There's no reason to think that things can't change, and quickly. The question of how to get better is ever-present, even for the . . .
Philadelphia’s start speaks to what the club does right
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 15, 2022) US Soccer Players - The Philadelphia Union stands alone going into the seventh full weekend of the 2022 MLS season. Jim Curtin's Eastern Conference outfit is the lone remaining unbeaten team heading into a weekend match-up with Toronto FC at BMO Field on Saturday. Philadelphia's success is most often attributed to its smart, team-focused approach . . .
The Philadelphia Union may already be that team
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 25, 2022) US Soccer Players - Is the Philadelphia Union the best team in Major League Soccer? The club certainly has an argument in the early stages of the 2022 MLS season. Through four weeks, the Union sits atop the standings in the Eastern Conference with an unbeaten record and a +5 goal differential. Only LAFC and Real Salt Lake can match the Union for . . .
The next phase of the Philadelphia Union project
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 24, 2022) US Soccer Players - As season openers loom, coaches and fan bases around MLS tend to engage in roster arithmetic. How much talent and productivity is gone? What reinforcements have arrived? What missing pieces must still be added to the equation? Usually, the sight of both a club's leading scorer, as well as its second-leading assist-getter, . . .
Pat Noonan gets the head coaching job at FC Cincinnati
The soccer news starts with a new coach for FC Cincinnati. Philadelphia Union assistant Pat Noonan takes the job with the club looking to rebuild after another last-place finish. He had been with Philadelphia since the 2018 season and previously worked as an assistant with Bruce Arena at the LA Galaxy and USMNT. "We are proud to introduce Pat as the new head coach of FC Cincinnati," Cincinnati . . .
Uncharted territory for Philadelphia and NYCFC
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 3, 2021) US Soccer Players - No matter what happens this weekend, there will be a first-time finalist playing for the MLS Cup this season. The Western Conference final pits two former champions and two-time MLS Cup finalists against one another in a match rich with narratives at Providence Park on Saturday. The Timbers will be playing for the right to host the . . .
The Philadelphia Union model is working
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 17, 2021) US Soccer Players - Unless you're a fan of an Eastern Conference rival, you might find yourself feeling bad for the Philadelphia Union. The Union won its first trophy in 2020, lifting a makeshift Supporters' Shield at Subaru Park last November before later receiving the actual Shield. The Union finished with the most points in MLS after a challenging . . .
MLS tries again against Liga MX
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Sep 15, 2021) US Soccer Players - The US National Team and Mexico met up twice in a pair of high-stakes title games over the summer with the Americans winning both. The victories showed that the USA returned to the same level as Mexico, arguably taking a step past them. After all, the USMNT played with two different rosters, in two different largely pro-Mexico . . .
Philadelphia tries for a Champions League turnaround
Tuesday's soccer news starts with Club America hosting Philadelphia in the second-leg of their Concacaf Champions League semifinal series tomorrow night (9pm ET - FS1). Club America took a 2-0 lead at Estadio Azteca on August 12. Separating the games by over a month that included an international break is an interesting choice. Whether it's a benefit for either team is part of the scenarios . . .
