In its brief history, MLS has seen some talented sides.
The '98 Chicago Fire assembled arguably the best MLS team in history in their first year as an expansion side. With Zach Thornton, Peter Nowak, Chris Armas, and Jesse Marsch, along with the burgeoning stars Ante Razov and Josh Wolff, the club swept both the cup and league.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a conversation with retired NFL player Osi Umenyiora, who asked the Swede what position he would play if he were in the NFL.
Here's Zlatan's answer: “The guy who makes the difference. I’d be the one who catches the ball. Maybe I wouldn’t be so fast but I would be like a bull and run through all of them.”
The holier-than-thou footballing mentality of the English came to the fore when Frank Lampard announced his retirement Thursday. Lampard, who was slated by all of England during the 2006 World Cup and booed at Wembley during their disastrous Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, is a living legend, but he didn’t die on Tuesday, he just won’t be playing for NYCFC anymore.
Even with the shadow of the collective bargaining agreement hanging over the United States Women’s National Team, the 2017 NWSL season is set to be the best one yet. Two new ownership groups and a new stadium in Orlando are positive achievements for the league, but Thursday’s announcement of an agreement between the NWSL and A+E Networks is the biggest news yet.
Diego Maradona’s expulsion from the 1994 World Cup in the United States, for what FIFA executive committee member Michel d’Hooghe described as “a cocktail of drugs”, resulted in a 15-month ban from soccer, but the verdict also prohibited Maradona from visiting the US for 22 years.
Prior to Sunday’s match against Serbia, much of the coverage centered on the idea of dual-national American players. It’s not a new concept. The United States has been fielding dual nationals since US Soccer was founded.
Oguchi Onyewu signed for the Philadelphia Union on Monday, bringing back a smorgasbord of painful nostalgia. I loved Onyewu, he proudly flew the flag for American soccer players abroad for a number of years, but he was also at the center of a couple unpleasant memories during a very formative time in my life.
The 2016 NWSL season concluded on October 6th with the Western New York Flash winning the title on penalties. Meanwhile, on the men's side of the game, the Carolina RailHawks were sitting at home after missing the NASL playoffs and wondering how to rebound in 2017. Now, neither of those teams exist — well, not in their previous form.
Yes, professional soccer players have lives off the pitch and get married like every other human beings. But, with their mandatory practices and long trips on the road, how do they find the time to get married?
While United States Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati has declined to comment on U.S. Soccer’s stance towards Donald Trump’s executive order to ban the entry of citizens from seven different Muslim countries, USMNT captain Michael Bradley criticized Trump with a heartfelt message on Instagram.