By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 28, 2019) US Soccer Players – The 2019 MLS season brings to a close a decade where the league not only grew in size, but also in respect. It was also a decade that saw, to date, seven different teams win MLS Cup. It's the result of a league that's not only grown in terms of the number of teams but also one that remains very unpredictable. That's why preseason . . .
Feilhaber, Zizzo talk breakout success of “BS The Podcast”
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - American soccer fans generally know where to look for breaking news. A relatively small corps of reporters and outlets tend to deliver most of the scoops and tidbits. This year, though, a few of the most interesting news items around MLS have come from an unexpected source. Benny Feilhaber, Sal Zizzo, and Ike Opara were once . . .
Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders aren’t underdogs
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 25, 2019) US Soccer Players - Toronto FC faced the Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup final for two consecutive seasons in 2017 and 2018. The Sounders prevailed the first time, Toronto FC the second. That quirk of fate ties the two clubs together. That's how history works. Nothing will change the connection between the two clubs in the MLS Cup final record books. . . .
The playoff edition of the LA derby
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 23, 2019) US Soccer Players - Over the last two seasons, LA's Major League Soccer clubs have been all over the place. Los Angeles FC arose from nothing, pieced together a strong lineup and coaching staff, and has blossomed into one of the most successful teams in the league over the last two seasons. The LA Galaxy, meanwhile, reminded Angelenos that it has been . . .
Doing more than making the playoffs
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FIFA and UEFA consider the future of the club soccer schedule
By J Hutcherson (Oct 22, 2019) US Soccer Players - As the stakeholders in European club soccer try to turn the Champions League into something different to coincide with the start of the next TV deal, it's worth considering the wider audience. There's plenty of talk about the lessening importance of the group stage and the foregone conclusion that most of the big clubs will advance. To hear the . . .
Changing tactics in the MLS playoffs
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 21, 2019) US Soccer Players – The MLS Cup Playoffs have brought with it drama and excitement in what is now a single-elimination tournament. That also means a newfound urgency and with it new tactics. This fall has brought with it a set of tactical trends that differs from the regular season. It's the type of thing to expect from do-or-die games at this level. . . .
Ike Opara is the MLS Defender of the Year
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 18, 2019) US Soccer Players - Ike Opara winning Defender of the Year in Major League Soccer in 2019 is definitely about Ike Opara. The 30-year-old Minnesota United center back won his second Defender of the Year in three years on Thursday, beating out Walker Zimmerman of LAFC and Miles Robinson of Atlanta United. Opara carried the player and front office votes . . .
End of an era in Charleston
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Oct 17, 2019) US Soccer Players - A piece of American soccer history will take its final bow on Saturday before heading into oblivion this winter. The USL Championship's Charleston Battery close out their 2019 regular-season slate vs Bethlehem Steel at MUSC Health Stadium, the last game in the stadium's 20-year history. Debuting as Blackbaud Stadium in 1999, the . . .
Being the best in MLS requires lifting the Cup
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Oct 16, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer has seen some amazing players compete in the league and defend one of its clubs' colors. Ask ten different people, and you will get ten different Best XI lineups. Trying to narrow all those players down to one all-time best MLS player? Nearly impossible. There is one person, though, who seems quite certain about . . .
