By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Sep 18, 2019) US Soccer Players - Jesse Marsch is an American soccer coach. He grew up in Wisconsin, played college soccer at Princeton, and contributed to three different teams over his 14-year Major League Soccer career. Before getting his first head coaching position with the Montreal Impact in 2012, Marsch's entire soccer experience happened in the United . . .
Champions League losses for Chelsea and Liverpool
The soccer news starts with what counts as a Champions League disappointment. Christian Pulisic didn't play in Chelsea's 1-0 home loss to Valencia. Rodrigo scored the game's only goal in the 74th minute, with Chelsea taking 22 shots with 6 on goal to Valencia's 8 with 2. Chelsea missed a penalty, adding to the pressure now on the squad. "We created enough good chances, had a penalty, and then . . .
Group H in the 2019-20 Champions League
The soccer news starts with the Champions League group stage. While the European Club Association leadership tries to build consensus for a revamp of the competition, the games begin. The current era of the Champions League favors the top three leagues in Europe, giving each of them four group stage places and keeping them out of the multi-tiered qualifying process. That means the outsider teams . . .
The big clubs will get what they want in Europe
The soccer news starts with a foregone conclusion. The big clubs in Europe will eventually get what they want one way or another. It might not be as straightforward as they'd like, but they're the ones holding the power. AP's Graham Dunbar has the follow-up to reports that the rest of the European clubs aren't necessarily interested in a revamped Champions League. No surprise there. The de facto . . .
The 2019 summer transfer window closes
The soccer news starts with the transfer window disappointing without another marquee deal among the super clubs. Neymar stays at PSG. Manchester United sticks with Paul Pogba. Real Madrid decides that they need Gareth Bale after all. Joao Felix from Benfica to Atletico Madrid ends up the highest transfer fee of the summer at almost $138m just ahead of Antoine Griezmann moving from Atletico to . . .
USMNT players and a coach in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 30, 2019) US Soccer Players - The annual pomp and circumstance of the UEFA Champions League draw unfolded in Monaco on Wednesday evening. That included the requisite recently retired luminaries on hand to both take in the event and, in some cases, aid in its execution. Former Netherlands winger Wesley Schneider, who ended his career this summer after playing . . .
Games that count in European soccer
The soccer news starts with the growing concern that this version of a super league might be real. It's not the breakaway most expected. Instead, it's UEFA turning the Champions League into a super league by default. They do that by all but closing off Europe's top competition with the next major Champions League revamp. Some version of that will happen as the current broadcast rights deal expires . . .
Europe vs itself for the future of the Champions League
The soccer news starts with what's now an old concern. At some point, it only makes sense that the elite clubs of Europe will decide that they're better off on their own. UEFA's attempts to mullify those clubs will eventually run itself out. European soccer's governing body can only give so much before there's a super league by default. If that's the situation, why would the clubs need . . .
Disappointment in the Champions League qualifiers
The soccer news starts with Scottish Premier League champions Celtic failing to advance in Champions League qualifying. Celtic lost 4-3 at home to CFR Cluj and 5-4 on aggregate in the third round of qualifying. They led 3-2 from a 76th-minute goal. Cluj equalized from the penalty spot in the 80th and scored seven minutes into stoppage time. Unfortunately for the rest of the Scottish Premier . . .
The Champions League asks too much
By J Hutcherson (Jul 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - There's an old truism about the Champions League. For most teams, it only really counts if you make the group stage. For the elite, it's making the knockout round. Whenever a team tries to stretch that to the Europa League, it falls flat. UEFA downgraded their secondary competition too many times. The only thing that counts at that level is . . .
