By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 4, 2021) US Soccer Players - "That's what the national team is. It's unpredictable. You don't know what players are coming in, you don't know the form that the players are going to be coming in at, who's playing more with their teams than who aren't, who's injured, who's not. It's always constantly changing." That was an observation from Clint Dempsey in a . . .
MLS Power Rankings: Seattle stays put, New England moves up the table
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jun 2, 2021) US Soccer Players - The 2021 MLS season is not at the halfway mark, but the league is taking its first of two international breaks in June/July. This one will help some struggling teams while hurting those who look like they are starting to figure things out. We already see a clear amount of separation at the top of the conference tables. That's not . . .
Title droughts can define a soccer club… until they don’t
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 2, 2021) US Soccer Players - Something momentous happened on Sunday in Mexico. Something momentous in soccer and, for a long-siffering fan base, something momentous in their lives. Cruz Azul won a championship. If you don't know much about the history of the Mexico City club, you might not know that until Sunday, Cruz Azul was cursed. Okay, "cursed" might . . .
The US television market creates opportunity and issues for soccer properties
By J Hutcherson (Jun 1, 2021) US Soccer Players - A few weeks ago, La Liga announced that it would move its broadcast rights in the United States from beIN Sport to ESPN, beginning with the 2021-22 season. The move required La Liga to buy back their broadcast rights in the US market since beIN Sports held them through 2023-24. The ESPN deal represents a bigger platform, even if it's one crowded by . . .
Preview: Concacaf Nations League final four
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 31, 2021) US Soccer Players – The summer is back to being busy. With the pandemic halting the action last summer, confederation championships in Europe and South America move to 2021 along with the Gold Cup. Four Concacaf nations have it even busier, starting this week with the Nations League final four. With the conclusion of that tournament delayed and . . .
DeAndre Yedlin embraces changing role in USMNT
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 28, 2021) US Soccer Players - American soccer's velocity is increasing. The generational churn is changing how coaches and fans alike think about player roles in the USMNT. It wasn't that long ago that a 27-year-old would be right in the middle of the age plot for a national team roster. The USMNT has always relied on players with experience, meaning players in . . .
USMNT start massive summer with Switzerland – Nations League two-step
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 27, 2021) US Soccer Players - "It's amazing to see the talent that's here. And the ages of these players is incredible, and then how talented they are. I think we're entering sort of a golden era for US soccer." That was DeAndre Yedlin's assessment of the USMNT's burgeoning youth movement as he made his first return to the program since 2019 this week. The . . .
LAFC without and with Carlos Vela
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (May 26, 2021) US Soccer Players - The last time Major League Soccer played a normal season, it ended with Carlos Vela winning the Most Valuable Player award. And with good reason. Vela had a record-breaking year in 2019 as part of one of the best regular seasons in MLS history. This year, LAFC needs another standout performance from Vela, and the sooner, the . . .
A season of MLS transfers and loans to Europe
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 26, 2021) US Soccer Players - The 2020 Major League Soccer season began with plenty of promise. It was the league's 25th season, a remarkable achievement for an organization that nearly didn't make it to its second decade. 2020 also brought an uptick in multi-million spending across the league. Clubs that had previously been reluctant to drop seven-figure fees . . .
What did we learn from the 2020-21 European soccer season?
By J Hutcherson (May 25, 2021) US Soccer Players - There's a difference between what we learned and what we think we learned from European soccer during the 2020-21 season. The big picture takeaway is that the game survived without the event revenue from tickets, concessions, and merchandise. The quicker takeaway is that a dozen of Europe's biggest clubs decided that they should be in control of . . .
