By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 27, 2019) US Soccer Players - On Tuesday, one day before the USMNT wrapped up Gold Cup group play with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Kansas City, The Athletic published a Gregg Berhalter feature based off a one-on-one conversation with writer Paul Tenorio. In it, Berhalter spoke frankly about the pressure and scrutiny around his job even in the early stages of . . .
MLS Wednesday and playoff positions
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 26, 2019) US Soccer Players - On Saturday, MLS took a half-step towards a full launch into the post-Gold Cup break period with a six-game schedule. On Wednesday, the league will do it again with six games across the country. The consideration given to the Concacaf championship happening at the same time in the United States was always limited. Once again, a . . .
Q&A with USMNT player Jordan Morris
By Clemente Lisi – CLEVELAND, OH (June 24, 2019) US Soccer Players – The United States is firing on all cylinders at this Gold Cup following the 6-0 rout of Trinidad and Tobago. The USMNT has had several offensive weapons emerge at this tournament, and a few more coach Gregg Berhalter can still deploy as the Gold Cup progresses. One of them is Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris. On a roster . . .
MLS resumes after the Gold Cup break
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 21, 2019) US Soccer Players - Major League Soccer is back! Are you ready to catch the fever? Ready or not, with three major international tournaments currently taking attention away from club competition, MLS will get back to its schedule with a set of seven games this weekend. Think of the limited slate as a way to ease back into the season after the Gold Cup . . .
USMNT aims to shift gears vs T&T
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 21, 2019) US Soccer Players - The USMNT began their Gold Cup run as expected, with a 4-0 win over Guyana in Minnesota on Tuesday. The result was a welcome feeling in the wake of this month's two losses in warmup friendlies. In the circumstances, though, even a blowout scoreline could only mean so much. Postgame reactions reflected that. "It's a game that we . . .
Mexico’s Gold Cup dilemma
By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jun 19, 2019) US Soccer Players - Normally, the summer after the World Cup would be a busy and important one for the Mexican national team. Played every odd-numbered year, the Gold Cup is a calendar staple. With Copa America held the year after the World Cup, that too would be plenty to keep Mexico busy. Add in the importance of the FIFA Confederations Cup. For years . . .
The USMNT, Mexico, and Concacaf’s new schedule
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 19, 2019) US Soccer Players - Sixteen teams. Games in Costa Rica and Jamaica. Qualification through the new Nations League for two-thirds of the field. Each is a new element of the Gold Cup in 2019, meant to improve the tournament. For a region that is light on World Cup-caliber nations and overly dependent on the United States for hosting duties, these . . .
2019 Gold Cup Preview: The USMNT’s opponents in Group D
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (June 17, 2019) US Soccer Players – The United States enters the 2019 Gold Cup knowing that it faces a tricky group stage against a trio of teams that will try to pull off an upset. The USMNT is also very familiar with two of those three teams, Trinidad & Tobago and Panama, giving the Americans a scouting edge ahead of their first game. “I think we have a great . . .
Preview: Everybody else at the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (June 14, 2019) US Soccer Players - Starting Saturday, Concacaf will add its semi-annual championship to the pile of international summer soccer already underway. In Group A of the 2019 Gold Cup, Canada faces Martinique in Pasadena in the first game of the day, with Mexico opening its quest to reclaim the Gold Cup title against Cuba in the second game of the . . .
The problems with the US Open Cup format
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 13, 2019) US Soccer Players - The fourth round of the 2019 US Open Cup unfolded this week. It's traditionally one of the most followed phase of the tournament, when MLS teams enter to mix it up with lower-division sides. Except that this year there wasn't all that much mixing, considering that MLS teams are just 21 of the 84 teams in all who are taking . . .
