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 . . .
Kansas City adds World Cup host to its reputation as a soccer city
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 22, 2022) US Soccer Players - Last Thursday, Kansas City was the lone Midwestern locale to be awarded matches for the 2026 World Cup. Of the 11 American cities chosen among 16 host cities in total, Kansas City ranks among the biggest surprises. They don't have a new-ish NFL stadium like the other American hosts, and they're the smallest metropolitan . . .
Six games in for six MLS teams
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - For a while there, it was easy to judge Major League Soccer teams against one another. With an even number of clubs this season thanks to the addition of Charlotte, the league's weekend schedules had balance. Twenty-eight teams playing fourteen games in a given week means the season creeps along at an equitable clip. When everyone . . .
Three trends to watch early in the 2022 MLS season
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 28, 2022) US Soccer Players – It's just a month into the MLS season, and narratives are already beginning to emerge. In a league known for not exactly being predictable week-to-week, the expectation is that it takes time for the season to come into focus. The initial weeks are normally about teams trying to make some obvious points, but plenty fade as the . . .
Seattle’s situation
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the Seattle Sounders back in action later tonight at LAFC (10:30pm ET - ESPN). Considering how dominant Seattle was over the opening months of the season, it's tempting to call their current situation a dip in form. Except we're talking about the team in 1st-place in the Western Conference. The Sounders are on a three-game winless streak, most recently losing at . . .
Will Saturday help us figure out the Western Conference?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 22, 2021) US Soccer Players - When the MLS schedule delivers, it really delivers. Following a 1-1 draw at 3rd-place Colorado, the 1st-place Seattle Sounders host 2nd-place Sporting Kansas City on Saturday (Univision - 3:30pm ET). Later that night, 4th-place Portland is at the Rapids (ESPN+ - 9pm ET). What sets the stage for the weekend happened on . . .
As MLS heads into week 28, what do we really know about the Western Conference?
By J Hutcherson (Sep 28, 2021) US Soccer Players - Week 28 is another midweek wonder from Major League Soccer as MLS gets the games in over a compacted season. There are either eight or nine games left for those in the playoff positions in the Western Conference. While the East is getting the attention for how close the playoff positions are, it's also a tight table at the top in the West. Three . . .
Colorado after Week 21
Monday's soccer news starts with a simple observation. If the all-star break marked the midpoint of the season, it would come after round 16. That's part of the problem with our insistence on using week instead of round. By "our," that means most places covering the league. Check the league's official site, and you'll see that week 21 just ended. It was week 19 concluding last Sunday, with week 20 . . .
What is the Leagues Cup?
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 13, 2021) US Soccer Players - "I think as an organization we always try to put front and center winning as our No. 1 objective. So obviously this is a competition that we are participating in and we're going to try to give everything we have. I feel that we're going to put a team on the field that has the ability to win and we'll do our best in the . . .
One club players are a rarity for a reason
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 11, 2021) US Soccer Players - Lionel Messi is a Paris Saint-Germain player now. It may take a while for those words to be anything but surreal. A player so identified with one club that it's almost impossible to imagine him playing for anyone else will represent a new team this season. Needless to say, the soccer world is reeling. Barcelona fans are, as you . . .
