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 . . .
Gregg Berhalter dials up evolution process with latest USMNT roster
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 29, 2019) US Soccer Players - Gregg Berhalter signaled a gradual but measurable shift towards the USMNT's longer-term future on Wednesday with the unveiling of his roster for September's friendlies vs Mexico and Uruguay. Diversity of age, experience, and location defines the group that will gather in New Jersey after this weekend's club action. Players from . . .
Carlos Vela in the clutch
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Aug 28, 2019) US Soccer Players - Carlos Vela has been having himself a season. The LAFC talisman has shattered MLS records and dominating opponents and is likely to win the league's Most Valuable Player award. Aside from his 27 goals and 15 assists though it was his team's performance in last weekend's LA derby that makes his MVP case stronger. With the game in the . . .
Nashville’s DP move
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 28, 2019) US Soccer Players - FC Cincinnati is currently suffering through a painful MLS expansion season. They're dead last in the combined league table with a -37 goal differential. FCC has already changed course in year one, firing coach Alan Koch 11 games into the season. The club also hired a new general manager midseason to replace club president Jeff . . .
Outside England’s big clubs
By J Hutcherson (Aug 27, 2019) US Soccer Players - If you spent any time around soccer stadiums in Europe a few years ago, you probably saw a few Against Modern Football stickers slapped onto a light pole or a street sign. They took their place alongside stickers proving some other club's fans had shown up in that particular city. Some fan groups put on in-stadium displays of support for a simple . . .
Moving on from Rivalry Week
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 26, 2019) US Soccer Players – Although MLS is a fairy new league, it and its fans have worked to build up rivalries. The notion of a Rivalry Week may feel contrived. Still, more often than not, it does its job in generating wider interest. It's more than a marketing strategy. Since these games come in late summer, they go a long way in gauging the health of . . .
Montreal, Wilmer Cabrera, and the shrinking shelf life of MLS head coaches
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - In Major League Soccer, a single-entity league with copycat tendencies, Montreal is different. Quebec's little slice of Europe on the St Lawrence River is like no place else in North America. That's also reflected in their soccer club. The Montreal Impact's rowdy supporters groups chant, sing and curse in French. Their home . . .
Wayne Rooney and DC United’s season
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - Many metaphors might work for a discussion about the relationship between Wayne Rooney and DC United at the moment. It is a breakup, after all. Though Rooney will stay with United until the end of the season before returning to England to join Derby County, it does feel like a "divorced people sharing a house" . . .
The rivalry problem in MLS
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Aug 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - MLS has done a great job at building the league up over the last decade-plus. After the 2007 MLS season, 12 teams were in existence. Now, 24 teams are vying for the MLS Cup title. On Tuesday, the league announced St Louis as the 28th franchise. Forming the league has been a systematic process based on geography, venues, and willing . . .
St Louis and MLS expectations
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 21, 2019) US Soccer Players - Don Garber's whistle-stop expansion tour was in St Louis on Tuesday. The MLS commissioner announced that the city will be home to the newest addition to the ever-growing list of teams. If you're counting at home, this is lucky number 28. The as-yet-unnamed club begins play in 2022. That launch date that gives the ownership in St . . .
