By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 3, 2021) US Soccer Players – There's no place like home. That's what a young Dorothy in the film "The Wizard of Oz" repeated to herself as she attempted to return to Kansas. In soccer, like in sports generally, playing at home and before your own fans has been considered a positive. In the pandemic era, home-field advantage and supporters have taken on a whole . . .
Squad rotation, fixture congestion, and competitive imbalance
By J Hutcherson (Apr 6, 2021) US Soccer Players - Speaking after the Premier League win at Leicester City on Saturday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola became the latest to ask a simple question. Why is it alright to compress the schedule and obligate players across multiple competitions for club and country? In Guardiola's more concise version, it's a simple statement. "They are human . . .
USMNT U-23s fail to qualify for Olympics
Monday's soccer news starts with the USMNT U-23s exiting the Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament following a 2-1 loss to Honduras. The United States fell behind just before halftime. The US got caught trying to play out of the back in the 47th minute, making it 2-0. Jackson Yueill pulled a goal back for the USMNT in the 52nd with a shot from distance. Finishing with 63% of the possession, . . .
Northern Ireland 1 – USMNT 2
The USMNT finished out the March 2021 international window with a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland in Belfast. As expected, Northern Ireland changed most of their lineup from the one they used last week in World Cup qualifying. The USMNT made four changes to its starting lineup. Gio Reyna put the USMNT up in the 30th minute through a solo effort. Christian Pulisic doubled the lead from the penalty . . .
Preview: Northern Ireland vs USMNT
By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 26, 2021) US Soccer Players - Fresh off a 4-1 win over Jamaica in Austria, the USMNT heads to Belfast to face 45th-ranked Northern Ireland on Sunday. The game will serve as another opportunity for head coach Greg Berhalter to push improvement for a young, talented group of American players now brimming with a confidence earned against the Reggae Boyz. The . . .
U-23s get Honduras in Olympic qualifying
Friday's soccer news starts with the USMNT learning who they'll need to beat to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Honduras and Canada drew 1-1 to conclude group B with Honduras winning the group on a tiebreaker. They play group A runners-up USA on Sunday (6pm ET - FS1). Canada faces Mexico in the late game. The semifinal winners advance to the Olympics. What Jason Kreis and his squad should . . .
Four talking points following the USMNT’s win over Jamaica
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 25, 2021) US Soccer Players - The USMNT ran their unbeaten streak to eight games on Thursday with a confident 4-1 defeat of Jamaica in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, the first of their two friendlies in the March international window. Sergino Dest opened the scoring with a lovely long-range strike, the highlight of his eye-catching performance. Brenden Aaronson . . .
USMNT 4 – Jamaica 1
The USMNT beat Jamaica 4-1 in an international friendly played without fans at Stadion Wiener Neustadt in Austria. The game is the first of two European dates, with the USMNT traveling to Belfast for Sunday's game against Northern Ireland (12pm ET - FS1). With a roster made up mostly of European players, it was an MLS attacking midfielder responsible for half of the US goals. Barcelona defender . . .
USMNT U-23s lose group A finale, senior squad vs Jamaica
Thursday's soccer news starts with the USMNT finishing 2nd in group A at Concacaf World Cup qualifying. They and group winners Mexico wait on the group B results to see who they will play for a spot in the Olympics on Sunday. Mexico beat the USMNT 1-0 on a 45th minute goal from Uriel Antuna An injury forced Mexico to sub out goalkeeper Luis Malagon for Sebastian Jurado in the 39th minute. With . . .
USMNT advances to Concacaf Olympic qualifying semifinals
Monday's soccer news starts with the United States and Mexico Under-23 teams advancing to the Concacaf Olympic qualifying semifinals. The two play each other on Wednesday (9:30pm ET - FS1) to close out the group A schedule. Mexico holds the tiebreaker going into the group stage finale after a 3-0 win over Costa Rica. They'll meet the top two group B teams in the semifinals with the winners advance . . .
