NASL/USL

There are some things that just don’t die, like cockroaches and Kool & the Gang.

Something else that won’t die? Joe Cole’s soccer career.

Once one of England’s most skilled players, Cole has bounced around half-a-dozen clubs since leaving Chelsea on a free in 2010.

After playing at clubs like Lille and Coventry City, Cole landed where most people go to retire: Florida.

But instead of hanging up his boots, Cole is still kicking it.

He's playing for NASL side Tampa Bay and is scoring like never before.

A record-setting crowd of 32,287 packed into FC Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium to watch their club take on surging MLS side Chicago Fire in the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup. Perhaps there’s no greater barometer for the growth of the sport in America than the fact that this wasn’t just a quirky Wednesday night excursion to the stadium to watch Bastian Schweinsteiger for FCC faithful, this was a seething cauldron of tensions and daring expectancies.

Upon hearing the announcement of a new professional soccer team in San Diego, you’d probably expect to see Landon Donovan and Don Garber chumming it up. Donovan has been a main force behind bringing a MLS franchise to San Diego over the past six months. However, it’s the NASL and a group of European-based stars, led by Eden Hazard, returning soccer to the beach city. 

Without trying to quantify the emotional side plots that make the U.S. Open Cup fifth round meeting between FC Cincinnati and the Chicago Fire so intriguing, we can objectively say that there’s never been a USOC match (at least outside of the final) as eagerly anticipated as this one.

For starters, a record attendance was on hand to watch Cincinnati defeat the Columbus Crew in the fourth round. With over 18,000 tickets having already been sold for Wednesday night’s match, Cincinnati are going to come close to matching or bettering that number.

Here it is: your complete guide to the 2017 summer soccer schedule. 

For most sports, the offseason is a time of respite. Once the Super Bowl ends in February, NFL teams don’t suit up for another game, scrimmage or otherwise, for six months. Soccer, fortunately, doesn’t abide by such silly rules.

The European soccer season technically ends after the Champions League final around late May or early June, but preseason exhibitions pick up in early July. Then there are also international matches (friendlies and cups) to also fill the void. 

It happens every year. Like a Johnny Unitas haircut, you can set your clock to it.

When MLS teams hop into the U.S. Open Cup, inevitably some are immediately chopped down. On Wednesday night, three MLS clubs were swept aside by lower-level squads. 

An impressive 30,160 fans showed up at Nippert Stadium for USL side FC Cincinnati’s 1-0 home win over Ohio rival Columbus. For the record, the Cincinnati Reds are averaging 22,063 fans per game.

2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action resumes today and tomorrow with the fourth round, and I'll forgive you for not knowing that, but I'll never forget. Founded in 1914, the competition has overcome some turbulent times in American soccer, as evidenced by the fact that the tournament’s two most successful sides, Bethlehem Steel FC and Maccabi Los Angeles, no longer really exist.