1. I really question the NCAA’s decision to have tournament matches on MLS Cup Sunday. It is hard for a game like Akron v. SMU to get any attention when it starts at 8 pm ET and the MLS Cup coverage starts at 9pm ET. There should be no NCAA soccer matches on MLS Cup Weekend. 2. Somebody at U.S. Soccer needs to push for all national team matches to be televised. Last night’s USWNT match had a record crowd in
U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named a 22-player roster that will travel to Philadelphia in advance of the match against regional rival Mexico on Aug. 10 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The match will be the first for the former FIFA World Cup and European Championship winner at the helm of the U.S. Men’s National Team since being named head coach. Kickoff for the teams’ first meeting in a friendly since 2008 is set for 9
“With great power comes great responsibility.” A great quote that defines U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati’s role in the beautiful game. Gulati is a man that wields a lot of influence, but he is also a man that understands his own obligation to the growth and prosperity of the world’s game here in the U.S. Gulati and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn spent the last few weeks evaluating the performance of the men’s national team and came to a strong conclusion: change and reform were needed
The U.S. Men’s National Team was drawn into Group A of CONCACAF’s Semifinal Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifying during the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup that took place Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The U.S., led by new head coach Juergen Klinsmann, will begin its quest to qualify for a seventh-consecutive FIFA World Cup when Semifinal Round play in CONCACAF begins in June of 2012. The U.S. was drawn into Group A with Jamaica, and will
Alexi Lalas is as big a name as you will find in American soccer. Lalas became a soccer icon as a member of the U.S. men’s national team in the 90s. He experienced great success in MLS and overseas after a brilliant collegiate career at Rutgers. His love and passion for soccer never ended after his retirement as a player. Lalas would see himself become a club executive and his service in the Galaxy front office made him a central figure
After the all the presentations were made, the secret voting tallied up, and the final word from FIFA President Sepp Batter, it was announced that Russia would hold the 2018 World Cup and that Qatar had beaten the United States for the 2022 World Cup. In the historic vote, Russia becomes the first Eastern European nation to hold the World Cup and Qatar becomes the first Middle Eastern country to host the prestigious event. As for the United States, many across the
Two Goliaths fell today as Russia and Qatar were selected to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively. Both England and the U.S. were considered slight favorites in what appeared to be the tighest race for a World Cup in recent history. As an American, it is easy to be disappointed about the defeated 2022 USA Bid. It is easy to criticize FIFA, saying that the organization bowed down to the oil dollars. It is easy to hop
As delegations from nations far and wide presented their World Cup presentations to FIFA in Zurich Wednesday, we were treated to many different ideas on how to put on a the Cup. Here’s a quick look at how I rate the 2022 bids and who I think FIFA will pick: Qatar – I give this Middle East nation an A on presentation alone. While you don’t imagine scarve wearing, beer-swilling football fans in this desert nation, you will see an untapped