By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 22, 2020) US Soccer Players - In early June, Gregg Berhalter's tenure in charge of the USMNT will pass the 18-month mark. In a world without COVID-19 and the disruptions it's unleashed, he and his team would be set to gather for a camp to prepare for the Concacaf Nations League semifinals and final. Those games were on the schedule for June 4 and 7 in . . .
US Soccer makes striking retreat from the youth development space
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 17, 2020) US Soccer Players - Over the past quarter-century or so, the American soccer community has gotten used to hearing terms like "historic" and "unprecedented" in mostly positive contexts. The game has grown by leaps and bounds here. This week that norm got flipped on its head. That's because US Soccer announced a set of dramatic measures to cut costs . . .
The lost classics of the USMNT in the 1990s
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 17, 2020) US Soccer Players - There's a fairly well-defined list of the most important USMNT results in modern history. The 2002 Round of 16 win over Mexico. The last-minute victory over Algeria in 2010. The 1-0 victory in Port of Spain in 1989 that sent the Americans to the World Cup for the first time in 50 years. Attention regularly turns to those games . . .
Scotland ends lower division seasons
UPDATE: Partick Thistle has said that the club will not pursue a legal case over their relegation. Thursday's soccer news starts with an update to yesterday's lead story, Dundee voted to end the Scottish Football League season. With 81% of the clubs voting for the resolution, the lower divisions ended immediately with the Scottish Premier League remaining suspended. Ending the season now allows . . .
Remembering what made the boys of ‘94 so special for MLS
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 10, 2020) US Soccer Players - MLS marked its 24th birthday this week, celebrating the anniversary of its inaugural match back in 1996. With the current season suspended indefinitely, the coronavirus pandemic has imposed some awkwardness on the milestone. Yet the situation may also give us a bit more mental bandwidth to process and appreciate just what a . . .
The 2020 US Open Cup and a test of US Soccer’s will
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 3, 2020) US Soccer Players - American soccer has experienced ample adversity, strife, and disruption over the years. Leagues have folded. The game's place in the nation's sporting culture has ebbed and flowed. Through it all, perhaps the only constant has been the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the longest-running competition in the nation and the second-oldest . . .
What American soccer is doing without games on the schedule
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 3, 2020) US Soccer Players - Soccer leagues are built to hold soccer competitions. Soccer clubs are meant to play in them. When there's no soccer due to a global pandemic that forces restrictions on large gatherings, it pushes leagues and clubs into an existential crisis. Off seasons are one thing. They're built into the calendar, serving as a chance to rest . . .
Olympics pushed to 2021
Tuesday's soccer news starts with the latest rescheduling of a summer tournament. The Tokyo Olympics will move to next summer, with the International Olympic Committee making the announcement earlier today. Concacaf Men's Olympic qualifying would've already been underway in Guadalajara. The USMNT U-23s would be playing Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic in Group A. With the official . . .
5 USMNT players in the Eredivisie
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 23, 2020) US Soccer Players – The USMNT was supposed to be preparing for a Thursday friendly against the Netherlands in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. It was supposed to be a big test for the Americans as they prepared for the Concacaf Nations League and World Cup Qualifying. Instead, none of this seems to matter at the moment. The USMNT last played on February 1 . . .
Clint Dempsey and that goal
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 20, 2020) US Soccer Players - Wednesday marked an auspicious occasion in the history of American soccer. March 18 wasn't the date of a monumental US men's national team victory or the day that MLS started its first season. There's nothing about significant decisions for the sport taking place on that date. March 18 is an auspicious day in American soccer . . .
