By J Hutcherson (Jan 17, 2022) US Soccer Players - Let's set some quick ground rules first. The Tampa Bay Mutiny exited the league prior to the 2002 season, and while San Jose relocated to Houston in 2005, the record book that stayed with the eventual revival of the Clash turned Earthquakes is missing the 2006 and 07 seasons. That leaves us with eight of the original ten teams that have played . . .
St Louis City gets the MLS expansion focus in 2023
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jan 16, 2023) US Soccer Players – MLS expansion side St Louis City's first training session happened last week at the club's downtown facility. St Louis represents Major League Soccer's 29th team and will play in the Western Conference, the latest example of the league's ongoing commitment to grow in new markets across North America. It was just under a decade ago . . .
2023 moves highlight the importance of MLS center backs
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 13, 2023) US Soccer Players - Attackers get the glory, but every chief soccer officer in MLS knows there's no chance of winning a championship without a stout back line. The market for center backs across the league has been particularly interesting this offseason as clubs shuffle their defenses in the quest for trophies. 2023 will also deliver more games with . . .
Into a new era of North American soccer broadcasting
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 12, 2022) US Soccer Players - Soccer broadcasting in North America is evolving rapidly. Tuesday drove home that shift as the public got a clearer idea of what it will be watching on its televisions, and other screens, in the months and years ahead. One week out from the first match of its new broadcasting contract with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, a . . .
29 teams try to figure out how to succeed in MLS in 2023
By J Hutcherson (Jan 10, 2022) US Soccer Players - It's unfair to think that the addition of another MLS team is somehow going to shake up what it takes to build a competitive squad. Then again, a 29-team league means adding players and options in a competitive situation defined by the league's allocation and squad rules. There's only so much any MLS team can do, a set of circumstances that have . . .
What the World Cup showed club teams about the 5-3-2 formation
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jan 9, 2023) US Soccer Players – This could be the year where the 4-2-3-1 begins to fall out of favor. It’s a tactical formation that has endured since 2012 when it was popularized at the European Championship that summer, reliable because it gives teams balance across the field. The recent World Cup highlighted a few tactical formations that could move into the . . .
Five questions for USMNT Players in England in 2023
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 5, 2022) US Soccer Players - English soccer's festive fixtures are drawing to a close. The traditional exhausting euphoria of the holiday period now shifts into the more regular grind of league action interspersed with cup competition and, for a lucky few, European campaigns. The autumn World Cup has made for a uniquely back-loaded calendar with many . . .
Five USMNT players at new clubs for 2023
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jan 2, 2023) US Soccer Players – A new year means a change in uniform for many American players. Whether it’s a player going from MLS to Europe or those who have changed teams but are staying in Major League Soccer, there were lots of moves made in 2022 that could make an impact this year. MLS continues to generate talent as more Americans sign with European clubs. . . .
Malik Tillman, Haji Wright, and Joe Scally’s 2022 USMNT debuts
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 30, 2022) US Soccer Players - World Cup years are not often ones for experimentation. Coaches looking to solidify their squads for the tournament after nearly four years of preparation prefer to have most of that work out of the way by the time the World Cup year arrives. It's rarely a time to talk about "firsts" when the climax of the cycle looms in the near . . .
US National Teams had a good 2022
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 30, 2022) US Soccer Players - Setbacks and breakthroughs in both familiar settings and faraway lands. Tribulation, tragedy, and triumph on the field and off it. Steady, hard-earned growth, exhilarating new frontiers, and sobering reminders of well-established challenges. The US National Teams lived a spectrum of experiences and emotions in 2022. As is so . . .
