Disgraced former USMNT manager Jürgen Klinsmann has doubled down on his belief that he had the nation “in a good place” and on track for “the final four” at the 2018 World Cup despite his final game in charge — a 4-0 defeat to Costa Rica in San José — echoing through time as the second-most abject, clueless performance in the history of the program (the nadir being that night in Couva).
U.S. Soccer has decided to abandon hosting the USMNT’s January camp in Doha, Qatar, instead moving the camp to Florida. The USMNT made the announcement Friday night, less than 48 hours before the camp was scheduled to begin.
U.S. Soccer deemed Qatar too risky for the national team given escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Rewind about five years and you'll find a name on the USMNT that most people have forgotten about: Aron Johannsson. People were excited about his potential and what the then 24-year-old could bring to the national team after scoring 17 goals and picking up 16 assists for AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie.
Since that season, Johannsson has struggled with injuries and has barely seen the field, not only taking him off the pitch but also off the USMNT, where he scored four goals in 19 appearances.
If you watched Chelsea’s dominate 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Sunday, you might be justifiably worried that Christian Pulisic is in another “rough” patch for the time being. After scoring five goals in three Premier League matches during a tear between Oct. 26 and Nov. 9, the American went five matches without a goal or assist.
Recently named the USMNT Young Male Player of the Year, Sergiño Dest has had quite an impressive 2019-20 season already. He's logged major minutes for Ajax in the Eredivisie and chose to represent the USMNT over the Netherlands (still trying to figure out why, to be honest).
Sports and politics have long been intertwined. For as long as athletes have had a platform, they’ve used it to speak up for their beliefs and ideals, from Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Tom Brady and LeBron James.
But when it comes to American politics, soccer players have long been on the periphery, too obscure for anyone to really notice come election day. That began to change somewhat in 2016, and based on an announcement on Friday, 2020 could be a big year for American soccer players in politics.
Julie Ertz, a two-time World Cup winner, and Christian Pulisic, a one-time Gold Cup runner-up, were named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for 2020, announced Tuesday. The annual list recognizes high-performing individuals under the age of 30. Last year, Crystal Dunn was the lone soocer player selected.
Y’all remember Terrence Boyd?
At the start of the decade, Boyd, a German-born striker with an American father, was part of the influx of German-Americans brought into the fold of the USMNT under then-coach Jürgen Klinsmann.
Jürgen Klinsmann finally found another coaching job, for now.
Three years and six days after Klinsmann was fired by U.S. Soccer amidst a disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign (one that would only get more disastrous), the German was hired by Hertha Berlin to coach the Bundesliga side.
With both teams having completed their 2019 schedules, U.S. Soccer announced the six women and six men nominated for Player of the Year for the USWNT and USMNT on Tuesday.
The list for Female Player of the Year in the U.S. includes some of the best players in the world. The nominees for Male Player of the Year? Not so much.
Here are your 2019 #USWNT Player of the Year nominees!