By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 8, 2019) US Soccer Players - Let’s not pretend that FC Cincinnati’s decision to fire head coach Alan Koch 11 games into their MLS expansion season wasn’t a surprise. Although their record of two wins, two draws, and seven losses was among the worst in MLS and the club hadn’t scored a goal in 600-plus minutes, dumping Koch this early in the campaign was still . . .
Preview: The 2019 US Open Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 6, 2019) US Soccer Players – The 2019 US Open Cup starts this month. It's the country’s oldest soccer tournament, a single-elimination knockout competition that dates back to 1914. The first round, which kicks off May 7, will feature 32 teams made up of eight amateur clubs in addition to the National Premier Soccer League and USL League One and Two. While last . . .
The Portland Timbers will end up at home
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2019) US Soccer Players - The Portland Timbers aren’t a big club. At the risk of offending Timbers fans, Timbers players, and Timbers investor/operators, the truth is that the Portland Timbers are a medium-sized club in a medium-sized market that has big-time support. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially when the size of the club doesn’t really . . .
David Wagner, Schalke, and changes facing an American outpost in Europe
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2019) US Soccer Players - In a season marked mostly by misery, Saturday afternoon brought unexpected euphoria for Schalke 04. Few expected them to taste victory as they made the short trip to Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund for the latest edition of the Revierderby. It's perhaps the fiercest rivalry in Germany, with Borussia Dortmund chasing the league title . . .
MLS Power Rankings: The West Coast shift
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (May 2, 2019) US Soccer Players - The balance of power in MLS is shifting to the West Coast. Not only do the top teams share the spotlight in the same West Coast town, but the entire western part of the country is home to five of the six strongest teams in the league. Imagine if the Portland Timbers could play home games. The theme is already clear this season. The . . .
Zlatan’s game causes issues for the Galaxy
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (May 1, 2019) US Soccer Players - The LA Galaxy has always carried itself with a bit of arrogance that, when the team is winning, is something the rest of the league has to deal with. Arrogance combined with poor sportsmanship though is whole different thing. The LA Galaxy is back to its winning ways, at least early in the 2019 campaign. The club is doing well to . . .
Pity Martinez in Atlanta’s system
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (May 1, 2019) US Soccer Players - Atlanta United's first home win of the season on Saturday didn't do much to quell fears that head coach Frank de Boer's system is still in need of a few tweaks to get the defending MLS Cup champions back to their best. United dominated possession. However, like multiple times already this year, that possession didn't mean a dramatic . . .
MLS trends in 2019
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Apr 29, 2019) US Soccer Players – MLS is once again off to an intriguing start. This is the point in the schedule when some of those preseason predictions are starting to look silly. It’s also a great time for teams up and down the conference tables to take stock before heading into the busy summer stretch. Unlike Europe’s often-predictable title races, MLS is . . .
In the MLS era of growth, travel is still an issue
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 26, 2019) US Soccer Players - The Montreal Impact defeated the New England Revolution 3-0 on Wednesday night, with two of the goals coming from homegrown player Anthony Jackson-Hamel. The win was Montreal’s fourth of the year and vaulted the Impact into 2nd-place in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer. As these things go, that result is not, by . . .
USMNT U-17s kick off qualifying with a new coach and old questions
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Apr 26, 2019) US Soccer Players - The US Under-17 National Team begins their journey to the U-17 World Cup next week when the Concacaf U-17 Championship kicks off at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The regional qualifying tournament is the first big event under new coach Raphael Wicky. It’s also a timely signpost for a keenly-watched age level whose . . .
