USA

For years, N.C. Courage attendance numbers were some of the best in the NWSL. In 2022, no one wants to go see the Courage play, even when it’s the Challenge Cup final. 

The reasons are pretty obvious. Well, they’re obvious to everyone but the owners, it seems.

For the last few years (discounting the pandemic season of 2020), North Carolina has averaged more than 5,000 fans per game, always in the top half of the NWSL attendance rankings. It wasn’t hard to see why: The Courage won three NWSL Shields and two NWSL Championships from 2017-19. 

Christian Pulisic might be done with Chelsea, at least if we go by his Instagram bio. Pulisic transfer rumors are spiking after the American winger seemed to hint he’s on his way out after removing Chelsea from his bio and profile pic.

Pulisic is the most popular USMNT player in the world thanks to his big-money move to Chelsea in 2019. But the native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, hasn’t received the playing time he or his fans would prefer.

After two long years without the U.S. Open Cup because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the game that made us fall in love with this glorious competition all over again.     

Third-division Union Omaha — contesting just its second-ever Open Cup match — travelled to 60,000-seat Soldier Field on April 19 to take on four-time champion Chicago Fire and twice came from a goal down, including an equalizer in the 122nd-minute, to prevail in a penalty shootout.

When Jesse Marsch was hired to revitalize a struggling Leeds United earlier this year, the Ted Lasso comparisons were everywhere, British media members incapable of treating Marsch like his own man. Now, Leeds’ American coach can separate himself from the TV manager.

In his first season, Ted Lasso’s fictional AFC Richmond was relegated. In his first season, Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United survived. 

Clint Dempsey was tenacious as a footballer. He combined the typical American trait of indefatigability with verve and style going forward. Dempsey was unique as an American footballer, arguably the greatest offensive player the U.S. men’s national team has ever seen. 

RB Leipzig won its first major trophy since the club was founded 13 years ago on Saturday after defeating SC Freiburg 1-1 (4-2 on penalties). For the second year in a row an American player wins the DFB-Pokal with Tyler Adams collecting his first major trophy. Gio Reyna and Dortmund won last year.

Saturday’s DFB-Pokal has two polar opposite clubs competing for their first triumph in the tournament. For Freiburg this was the club’s first trip to the DFB-Pokal final in 118 years of existence. This was Leipzig’s third trip in the club’s 13 years of existence.

American stars Catarina Macario and Lindsey Horan became the fourth and fifth USWNT players to win the UEFA Champions League as Lyon defeated the seemingly unstoppable Barcelona 3-1 on Saturday in Turin.

Macario and Horan played the entire game and the 22-year-old phenom made history as the first American to score in the final.