By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 13, 2018) US Soccer Players – MLS is often overlooked, even mocked, for its defending. In a league where backlines are often maligned and strikers soak up all the attention, it isn’t easy not to notice that some of the league’s best players can be defenders. Among this elite group is Sporting Kansas City center back Ike Opara. The 29-year-old defender is one . . .
5 American players to watch in Europe
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Aug 6, 2018) US Soccer Players – The summer touring season is coming to an end for European clubs with league games that count on the horizon. One of the bright spots from the summer friendlies was how well American players did, a possible precursor for things to come this season. Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah are just two of the many young Americans expected to . . .
Pondering lessons for the USMNT from Russia 2018
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jul 6, 2018) US Soccer Players - It can take days, even weeks, for the most educated observer to thoroughly sift through the lessons of 90 minutes of high-level soccer, much less the entirety of a World Cup. Watching the growing ranks of teams eliminated from Russia 2018, it's tempting to try to make sense of their experience. What's there to learn for the USMNT, . . .
As modern goalkeeping evolves, is the US keeping pace?
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 29, 2018) US Soccer Players - Even a week later, it’s still vivid, one of the most stunning moments of a World Cup with plenty of them. Argentina was already wobbling against Croatia in their Group D clash, still level at 0-0. That's when Willy Caballero received a back pass from teammate Gabriel Mercado in the second-half. Under pressure from Ante Rebic, . . .
Q&A with Kellyn Acosta: “We have to take it game by game”
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 25, 2018) US Soccer Players – Kellyn Acosta is a fighter. The FC Dallas and USMNT player doesn’t let anything stop him from playing at the highest level. After recently undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia, Acosta was back in the Dallas lineup in May. As usual, he was there to link the defense to the offense, a player who has been the team’s midfield . . .
R.I.P. Walter Bahr
National Soccer Hall of Famer and USMNT player Walter Bahr died on Monday, June 18, 2018. Bahr was a member of the 1950 World Cup squad that beat England 1-0 in Brazil. The members of that team entered the National Soccer Hall of Fame together in 1976, responsible for one of the most famous moments in world soccer. The story eventually became the movie The Game of their Lives. Bahr would play 19 . . .
The USMNT works toward the 2019 Gold Cup
By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Jun 11, 2018) US Soccer Players – With the United States missing out on the World Cup, the focus shifts to a new coach, the Fall friendlies, and games that count in 2019. The next stop on the road to rebuilding is next summer’s Gold Cup. This is a tournament that has traditionally allowed the USMNT to assert itself as a regional power, test players, and create a . . .
France 1 – USMNT 1
The USMNT was the opponent in Lyon for France's World Cup sendoff game, drawing 1-1. The home crowd was vocal and excited, but that enthusiasm took a hit when Julian Green put the USMNT up in the 44th minute. Green's goal was the first for the USMNT all-time against France. Bobby Wood almost doubled the lead in the 48th with that goal called offside. Kylian Mbappe equalized for France in the 78th . . .
France friendly a reminder of what’s possible, and what’s failed, for US Soccer
By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 8, 2018) US Soccer Players - In the final stop on the USMNT’s early-summer tour, Dave Sarachan’s youth movement is about to face its stiffest test to date. The young Yanks are in Lyon, France this week, preparing for a friendly vs Les Bleus on Saturday afternoon (3pm ET - ESPN). It’s a daunting opponent, one with legitimate aims of winning this summer’s World . . .
Preview: France vs USMNT
The USMNT plays France in Lyon on Saturday (3pm ET - ESPN) in France's final World Cup warm-up game. The quickest parallel is the obvious one. France beat Ireland 2-0 in Paris on May 28. Ireland beat the USMNT 2-1 in Dublin last Saturday. The difference for Ireland was possession. They clocked in at 24% against France, taking five shots with one on goal to France's 18 shots with eight on goal. . . .
