By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 6, 2022) US Soccer Players - No late dramatic collapse. No bad luck. No questionable referring decisions. No wasted chances. No hearts in throats. No twist of fate to undo rounds of advancement at the final hurdle, preventing a breakthrough achievement for a club and a league. In the end, no doubt and no curse. If we’re being accurate, no one called Major . . .
US Soccer leaders return to the access question
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - If USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and his colleagues at US Soccer ever had any doubts about that power to inspire, a recent informal poll of the current USMNT swept them away. "When I talk to our team, that diverse group of players that we have about their most memorable experience with the World Cup, the first thing that comes to . . .
MLS Power Rankings: LAFC steps up and NYCFC looks strong
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (May 4, 2022) US Soccer Players - LAFC lost a game in April to local rivals the LA Galaxy, but they're still the clear-cut front runner in Major League Soccer. LAFC leads the league with 22 points, has scored the second-most goals, and has the second-best goal-differential in MLS. LAFC and Philadelphia, the 2nd-place team in the rankings, seem set to stick around near . . .
MLS teams looking to make moves in May
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 4, 2022) US Soccer Players - This May might as well be called moving month in Major League Soccer. The league kicked off at the end of February, meaning May will be the third full month of play for the 2022 season. Believe it or not, the schedule is close to one-third complete. So the time to say "it's still early" is rapidly slipping away. March and April . . .
Another outsider story ends in the Champions League
By J Hutcherson (May 3, 2022) US Soccer Players - While I'm not sure any of us should be nodding along with the idea that we're watching the best club soccer has to offer in this edition of the UEFA Champions League knockout round, it's certainly interesting. Liverpool, needing to reorganize to advance past Villarreal, once again stressed the level of difficulty at the highest level of European . . .
MLS goalkeeping continues to impress in 2022
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 2, 2022) US Soccer Players – MLS has no shortage of great goalkeepers. It never has. This country has turned developing goalkeepers into almost a cliche. Add to that recruiting from overseas, and there's an expectation in Major League Soccer. A competitive team needs a standout goalkeeper. That's already holding in 2022. For an MLS side to be successful, the . . .
Nashville SC’s soccer-specificity
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 29, 2022) US Soccer Players - With apologies to Albert King and Tennessee's other music mecca, Nashville SC was born under a bad sign. Unlike the protagonist of King's famous blues song, Major League Soccer's 26th franchise didn't let a bad start keep it down. Despite entering the top division of soccer in North America during one of the most trying seasons in . . .
Daytona turns into a soccer town with July 4th weekend extravaganza
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 28, 2022) US Soccer Players - One of auto racing's spiritual homes is the site for what the marketing materials humbly proclaim as "the greatest soccer event of all time." That would be the Daytona Soccer Fest, set for July 4th weekend at Daytona International Speedway. There's no surprise that it's the racing venue's first soccer-centric occasion, packed . . .
LAFC begins to build in the West
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Apr 27, 2022) US Soccer Players - While the matchdays have yet to hit double digits, there seems to be little debate over the best team in Major League Soccer. At 6-1-1, LAFC sits atop both the Western Conference and the Supporters' Shield standings. The record matches the fast start LAFC had in what became a dominant 2019 regular season. This team, though, is . . .
The Sounders play for the trophy they’re missing
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 27, 2022) US Soccer Players - There aren't many places the Seattle Sounders haven't been before. Back in the heyday of the NASL, the Sounders were a fixture of a soccer revival notable for big crowds and big names. Seattle's soccer team played for two titles and had the honor of opening the Kingdome with more than 58,000 in attendance in 1976 against Pele and . . .
