By J Hutcherson (Aug 17, 2021) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer has a long tradition of unbalancing the schedule. Figuring out the table takes more than assuming all teams playing the same number of games at any given time. For long stretches of the season in this league, it's points plus games played up and down the conference tables. Even that may not be enough information. With MLS . . .
Major League Soccer’s Canadian teams look to go home
By J Hutcherson (Jul 13, 2021) US Soccer Players - Though it's certainly closer than last season, it's still difficult to describe 2021 as normal for Major League Soccer. The easiest example of that is the three Canadian teams starting the season in the United States. Pandemic protocols made it unreasonable to hold league games in Canada. Once again, that forced the Canadian teams to try and . . .
Playing at home in MLS and Concacaf
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 3, 2021) US Soccer Players – There's no place like home. That's what a young Dorothy in the film "The Wizard of Oz" repeated to herself as she attempted to return to Kansas. In soccer, like in sports generally, playing at home and before your own fans has been considered a positive. In the pandemic era, home-field advantage and supporters have taken on a whole . . .
Mixed results for new MLS coaches
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 21, 2021) US Soccer Players - The start of the 2021 MLS season took place over three days this past weekend, pitting 26 teams against one another in 13 games. Only one team, Real Salt Lake, awaits its turn to get its campaign underway. An odd number of teams this season means there will always be a team sitting out a given round of matches. Unlike several of . . .
Is MLS developing replacement level players?
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 15, 2021) US Soccer Players - A little over two years ago, the New York Times profiled Dutch club Ajax and the particularly talented group of homegrown talent that spearheaded their deep run in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League. The club's prolific academy is well-known. Members of that season's group would move to some of the world's biggest sides for . . .
Manchester City advances in Champions League, Toronto and Philadelphia in CCL
Thursday's soccer news starts in the Champions League. Gio Reyna subbed on in the 68th minute of Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 home loss to Manchester City with City advancing to the semifinals 4-2 on aggregate. Jude Bellingham scored for Dortmund in the 15th minute. Riyad Mahrez converted a City penalty in the 55th with Phil Foden scoring in the 75th minute. Zack Steffen was on the bench for Manchester . . .
MLS in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 31, 2021) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer teams got a bit more time to prepare for the 2021 season due to the delay caused by collective bargaining negotiations in January. That extra month might look like a positive after 2020 pushed rosters to the brink. Then again, there's already been more than enough time to recover and plan. New England . . .
Toronto, Montreal, and an intriguing 2021 season
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 12, 2021) US Soccer Players - Life in Canada isn't any more complicated than life in the United States at the moment, with an ongoing global pandemic limiting social interaction, travel, and the economy. Well, unless you happen to play professional sports. In addition to the concerns everyone else is dealing with, players from Major League Soccer's three . . .
Chris Armas takes over Toronto in transition
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 15, 2021) US Soccer Players - MLS history is a bit deceiving. As a league with a quarter-century of existence, MLS has packed a lot into a relatively short period. With parity a central feature, the fortunes of clubs have risen and fallen in dramatic ways at shorter intervals than happens in the rest of the world. Those big swings can be disorienting when it . . .
Fulham draws at Spurs, Juventus and Barcelona advance
Thursday's soccer news starts with Fulham getting a point in a version of the London derby. Antonee Robinson's Fulham drew 1-1 at Spurs in a game rearranged due to Aston Villa's coronovirus issues. Trailing from the 25th minute, Ivan Cavaleiro equalized in the 74th minute. Tim Ream was on the bench for Fulham, in 18th-place with 12 points from 16 games. "To a man we were superb under what we . . .
