By J Hutcherson (Jan 21, 2020) US Soccer Players - I've been working in soccer since the late 1990s. For most of that time, the idea of a breakaway European Super League has been background noise. Occasionally, the volume gets louder, but it eventually fades out. That can happen courtesy of UEFA doing something with the Champions League or the idea simply not taking hold. There have been enough . . .
Does anybody really want more Champions League?
Thursday's soccer news starts with a question UEFA may have already answered. With the continual threat of a breakaway European super league, a report in The Times has UEFA planning to add four games to the Champions League in 2024. How that will work isn't clear, but the likeliest reason for those extra matchdays would be the old second group model. Like the name suggests, back in the early . . .
Jesse Marsch’s Red Bull Salzburg problem
Wednesday's soccer news starts with a UEFA decision that was never going to help the smaller clubs trying to compete in Europe. The Champions League no longer cap ties players for the entire season. Instead, the January window allows teams in the knockout round to restock their already successful squads. It's not exactly a surprise that this could come at the expense of overachieving teams from . . .
Barcelona gets no benefit of the doubt
Tuesday's soccer news starts with what is now a familiar story. An elite European club is only tied on points at the top of the table and failed to win a tournament played in Saudi Arabia. That lack of quick results means FC Barcelona is under new management. Ernesto Valverde is out as coach and Quique Setien with a short runway before Barcelona plays Napoli next month in the Champions League . . .
Manchester City takes the schedule seriously
The soccer news starts with Manchester City beating Manchester United 3-1 first-leg loss to Manchester City at Old Trafford in the first-leg of the League Cup semifinals. While it's tough to consider the League Cup as anything other than an obligation at this point in the season, Manchester City is a team that takes all of their competitions seriously. They showed this last season when they won . . .
Chelsea vs Bayern and RB Leipzig vs Spurs
The soccer news starts with the Champions League draw for the teams with USMNT players left in the tournament. Christian Pulisic's Chelsea plays Bayern Munich in the round of 16, home on February 25 and away on March 18. Though Bayern isn't currently stacking up the points at the top of the Bundesliga table, currently in 5th-place, it's always tough against an established world soccer power. What . . .
Bradley stays with Toronto
The soccer news starts with Toronto announcing that club captain Michael Bradley will stay with the team. Bradley was out of contract at the end of the 2019 season, but there was little speculation of him ending up anywhere else. "I feel so attached to the city of Toronto, the club, the team. I love it here and I am really proud of what we’ve been able to do over the past six years," Bradley . . .
Jesse Marsch’s level of respect
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 11, 2019) US Soccer Players - Jesse Marsch had a simple answer to whatever happened to his club at home against Liverpool in the Champions League. "This isn't about me. It is about the club, the city, the people here in Salzburg," Marsch said about the support he received there. That's what a coach should say. It's also likely Marsch believed it, with his . . .
Chelsea 2nd and Ajax 3rd in Group H
The soccer news starts with the finale of Champions League Group H. Christian Pulisic did his part in Chelsea's 2-1 home win over last-place Lille, but a surprise in Amsterdam meant Chelsea finished second to Valencia. Starting the day in 1st-place, Tammy Abraham put Chelsea up in the 19th minute with Cesar Azpilicueta doubling the lead in the 35th. Loic Remy scored for Lille in the 78th. Pulisic . . .
Shame will not stop a super league
By J Hutcherson (Dec 10, 2019) US Soccer Players - Last week, the New York Times' Tariq Panja reported that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is pushing for a European super league. The start of that league would coincide with the end of the current Champions League broadcast rights deal in 2022. UEFA has been hard at work trying to recraft the Champions League post-2022, recognizing that the . . .
