Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Fort Wayne FC will join USL League Two for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before jumping to USL League One in 2023, the club announced Wednesday. The Indiana-based expansion team, which planned to debut in the NPSL this year prior to the pandemic forcing the season’s cancelation, boasts an…
U.S. men’s national team stalwart and recent Houston Dynamo left back DaMarcus Beasley is now a member of the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame. “Run DMB,” who’s from Fort Wayne, Ind., was announced as an inductee for the Class of 2018 earlier this week. It is truly a honor…
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Former U.S. men’s national team defender and current FOX Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas joins the panel of Aaron Gunyon, Nipun Chopra and Kevin Johnston to size up the current state of American soccer. The U.S. Soccer presidential race is heavily discussed, along with the move of Jonathan Gonzalez to…
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
As the Beckham-Miami group is scheduled to announce their MLS expansion news on Monday, Miami FC is expected to make an announcement of their own. Miami FC will field a team in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) during the league’s 2018 season which runs from March through August….
Welcome back to Project 50/50. This is Part III of my ongoing series, wherein I find what I believe to be the best untapped markets for professional soccer in every single U.S. state. The idea is that every single team concept should be Division 3 compliant, with a stadium…
In March, Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated revealed that 2019 would see the formation of a new league — a yet-to-be-named USL Division 3 league. USL has been very transparent with its expansion process so far. Visits to Lexington, Des Moines, Lansing, Fort Wayne, etc., have occurred in the public domain….
OMAHA, Neb. — On a warm spring evening in Omaha, Neb., there were roughly 5,000 people in attendance at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium, the site of the state soccer tournament. Creighton Prep defeated Kearney, and Westside High School beat Millard South to set up a very familiar rivalry dating…
The panel welcomes USL Division 3 vice president Steven Short on to discuss the new league, which is still in its formative stages and plans to debut in 2019. Short also touches on the appeal of two Indiana markets: Ft. Wayne and Evansville. LISTEN HERE Thumbnail photo credit: USL…
Soc Takes understands that an unidentified investor (see update for identity of the investor) has secured the USL territorial rights for Chattanooga. This new team will be unaffiliated with Chattanooga FC. Currently, Chattanooga FC operates in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) playing their homes games at Finley Stadium….
The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announced Thursday morning that co-founder and top official Peter Wilt has resigned from his position with the league. NISA, its teams and Club 9 Sports, its consultant, will now take up the joint task of finding Wilt’s replacement. Wilt, who helped get notable…
With his team almost a decade old, Tim Kelly, chairman of Chattanooga FC, is equal parts concerned and bullish about the future of American soccer. During our conversation, he repeatedly pivoted his concerns with statements of, “We need to end the divisiveness,” and “I’m not going to throw stones.”…
National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) founder Peter Wilt joins the panel to discuss the newly forming league, his former clubs and all things U.S. Soccer. Wilt helped launch the Chicago Fire, Chicago Red Stars and Indy Eleven, to name a few. Soc Takes contributing writer Kartik Krishnaiyer also guests…
Welcome back to Project 50/50. This is Part III of my ongoing series, wherein I find what I believe to be the best untapped markets for professional soccer in every single U.S. state. The idea is that every single team concept should be Division 3 compliant, with a stadium…
As originally reported by Soc Takes contributor Kartik Krishnaiyer, this weekend, Jacksonville Armada owner Robert Palmer will meet with interested owners about launching an unsanctioned league. Sunday @JaxArmadaFC owner Robert Palmer will convene a “Division Zero” Task Force meeting in Orlando. Among the topics to be discussed are how…
Welcome back to Project 50/50, my quest to find the best city in every single U.S. state for lower-division professional soccer. The idea is to put together a plan for a market that is theoretically Division 3 compliant, so that the city could join either the NISA or USLD3….
The currently forming National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) provided a status update Friday via a post on its website from league founder Peter Wilt. Three cities have officially been accepted into the league thus far: Miami, Chattanooga and Connecticut. Four others, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Charlotte and Omaha, had their…
Right now, the American soccer landscape is in the best shape it has ever been. We have a thriving top-flight league in MLS, two growing Division 2 leagues and two newly announced Division 3 professional leagues in the USL D3 and NISA. With new leagues come new markets, and…
A couple weeks back, I was listening to “Counter Attack” on SiriusXM FC while mowing my lawn one evening and Tony Meola — quickly off the top of his head — named a myriad of events that happened in the soccer landscape in the U.S. since the end of…
In March, Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated revealed that 2019 would see the formation of a new league — a yet-to-be-named USL Division 3 league. USL has been very transparent with its expansion process so far. Visits to Lexington, Des Moines, Lansing, Fort Wayne, etc., have occurred in the public domain….
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
CINCINNATI — In each club’s first game back since the conclusion of the MLS Is Back tournament, FC Cincinnati and D.C. United settled for a nil-nil draw Friday at Nippert Stadium. Both teams are currently in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference with FCC sitting on…
In the latest episode of Front Porch Discourse, co-hosts John Lenard and Ian Foster discuss the pitfalls of FC Cincinnati‘s expansion season, comparing them to the decade’s other lower-leagues-to-MLS transitions. But first, they take on how the media seemed to completely underestimate Jill Ellis and the USWNT in 2019….
The North Carolina city would be the league’s 30th franchise Following MLS Board of Governors meetings on Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn, N.Y., it has been reported that MLS will go ahead with the announcement of Charlotte as the league’s 30th franchise in the coming weeks. Initially reported by Soc…
The most exciting factor of any playoffs is that often the best team of the regular season doesn’t win the championship. And the full domination of Los Angeles FC by the Seattle Sounders was not the exception to the standard rule. LAFC broke or reached every MLS record, became…
Los Angeles FC is in dangerous territory. October will define if it’s remembered as the most ambitious project in the history of MLS or as another good team with an impeccable campaign. If LAFC doesn’t culminate 2019 with the MLS Cup, it’s going to be a statistic, a precedent,…
With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.). Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League,…
In June, the MLS Players Association unveiled its salary guide — as has become customary — listing the base and total compensation of every player in the league for the 2019 season. Here’s the 2019 MLS salary guide converted into an Excel workbook to help you farther sink into…
CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati’s brutal inaugural MLS campaign recently encountered a spell of positivity with two consecutive victories after going winless in league play in all of June and most of May. But second-half breakdowns in the defensive third Thursday night spoiled the run of good form, as FC…
After ending up on the wrong side of a 7-1 shellacking June 29 in St. Paul, FC Cincinnati enters Thursday’s home fixture with D.C. United schlepping a two-match winning streak. D.C. sits third in the Eastern Conference standings, but will be without a notable playmaker Thursday evening. Kickoff at…
CINCINNATI — The LA Galaxy were out-passed and out-possessed at FC Cincinnati on Saturday, but were much more efficient with their opportunities to earn a 2-0 road win. Emmanuel Boateng and Favio Alvarez tallied for the visitors, with the latter also providing the assist on the former’s goal. The…
With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.). Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League,…
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Major League Soccer announced “The 25 Greatest” last week, its 25 greatest players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Most of the players deserve to be on the list. One of them caught my attention. And I’m having trouble rationalizing it. David Beckham. No disrespect to Beckham….
Fort Wayne FC will join USL League Two for the 2021 and 2022 seasons before jumping to USL League One in 2023, the club announced Wednesday. The Indiana-based expansion team, which planned to debut in the NPSL this year prior to the pandemic forcing the season’s cancelation, boasts an…
U.S. men’s national team stalwart and recent Houston Dynamo left back DaMarcus Beasley is now a member of the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame. “Run DMB,” who’s from Fort Wayne, Ind., was announced as an inductee for the Class of 2018 earlier this week. It is truly a honor…
Former U.S. men’s national team defender and current FOX Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas joins the panel of Aaron Gunyon, Nipun Chopra and Kevin Johnston to size up the current state of American soccer. The U.S. Soccer presidential race is heavily discussed, along with the move of Jonathan Gonzalez to…
As the Beckham-Miami group is scheduled to announce their MLS expansion news on Monday, Miami FC is expected to make an announcement of their own. Miami FC will field a team in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) during the league’s 2018 season which runs from March through August….
Welcome back to Project 50/50. This is Part III of my ongoing series, wherein I find what I believe to be the best untapped markets for professional soccer in every single U.S. state. The idea is that every single team concept should be Division 3 compliant, with a stadium…
In March, Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated revealed that 2019 would see the formation of a new league — a yet-to-be-named USL Division 3 league. USL has been very transparent with its expansion process so far. Visits to Lexington, Des Moines, Lansing, Fort Wayne, etc., have occurred in the public domain….
OMAHA, Neb. — On a warm spring evening in Omaha, Neb., there were roughly 5,000 people in attendance at Creighton University’s Morrison Stadium, the site of the state soccer tournament. Creighton Prep defeated Kearney, and Westside High School beat Millard South to set up a very familiar rivalry dating…
The panel welcomes USL Division 3 vice president Steven Short on to discuss the new league, which is still in its formative stages and plans to debut in 2019. Short also touches on the appeal of two Indiana markets: Ft. Wayne and Evansville. LISTEN HERE Thumbnail photo credit: USL…
Soc Takes understands that an unidentified investor (see update for identity of the investor) has secured the USL territorial rights for Chattanooga. This new team will be unaffiliated with Chattanooga FC. Currently, Chattanooga FC operates in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) playing their homes games at Finley Stadium….
The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announced Thursday morning that co-founder and top official Peter Wilt has resigned from his position with the league. NISA, its teams and Club 9 Sports, its consultant, will now take up the joint task of finding Wilt’s replacement. Wilt, who helped get notable…
With his team almost a decade old, Tim Kelly, chairman of Chattanooga FC, is equal parts concerned and bullish about the future of American soccer. During our conversation, he repeatedly pivoted his concerns with statements of, “We need to end the divisiveness,” and “I’m not going to throw stones.”…
As originally reported by Soc Takes contributor Kartik Krishnaiyer, this weekend, Jacksonville Armada owner Robert Palmer will meet with interested owners about launching an unsanctioned league. Sunday @JaxArmadaFC owner Robert Palmer will convene a “Division Zero” Task Force meeting in Orlando. Among the topics to be discussed are how…
Welcome back to Project 50/50, my quest to find the best city in every single U.S. state for lower-division professional soccer. The idea is to put together a plan for a market that is theoretically Division 3 compliant, so that the city could join either the NISA or USLD3….
Right now, the American soccer landscape is in the best shape it has ever been. We have a thriving top-flight league in MLS, two growing Division 2 leagues and two newly announced Division 3 professional leagues in the USL D3 and NISA. With new leagues come new markets, and…
A couple weeks back, I was listening to “Counter Attack” on SiriusXM FC while mowing my lawn one evening and Tony Meola — quickly off the top of his head — named a myriad of events that happened in the soccer landscape in the U.S. since the end of…
CINCINNATI — In each club’s first game back since the conclusion of the MLS Is Back tournament, FC Cincinnati and D.C. United settled for a nil-nil draw Friday at Nippert Stadium. Both teams are currently in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference with FCC sitting on…
In the latest episode of Front Porch Discourse, co-hosts John Lenard and Ian Foster discuss the pitfalls of FC Cincinnati‘s expansion season, comparing them to the decade’s other lower-leagues-to-MLS transitions. But first, they take on how the media seemed to completely underestimate Jill Ellis and the USWNT in 2019….
The North Carolina city would be the league’s 30th franchise Following MLS Board of Governors meetings on Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn, N.Y., it has been reported that MLS will go ahead with the announcement of Charlotte as the league’s 30th franchise in the coming weeks. Initially reported by Soc…
The most exciting factor of any playoffs is that often the best team of the regular season doesn’t win the championship. And the full domination of Los Angeles FC by the Seattle Sounders was not the exception to the standard rule. LAFC broke or reached every MLS record, became…
Los Angeles FC is in dangerous territory. October will define if it’s remembered as the most ambitious project in the history of MLS or as another good team with an impeccable campaign. If LAFC doesn’t culminate 2019 with the MLS Cup, it’s going to be a statistic, a precedent,…
With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.). Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League,…
In June, the MLS Players Association unveiled its salary guide — as has become customary — listing the base and total compensation of every player in the league for the 2019 season. Here’s the 2019 MLS salary guide converted into an Excel workbook to help you farther sink into…
CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati’s brutal inaugural MLS campaign recently encountered a spell of positivity with two consecutive victories after going winless in league play in all of June and most of May. But second-half breakdowns in the defensive third Thursday night spoiled the run of good form, as FC…
After ending up on the wrong side of a 7-1 shellacking June 29 in St. Paul, FC Cincinnati enters Thursday’s home fixture with D.C. United schlepping a two-match winning streak. D.C. sits third in the Eastern Conference standings, but will be without a notable playmaker Thursday evening. Kickoff at…
CINCINNATI — The LA Galaxy were out-passed and out-possessed at FC Cincinnati on Saturday, but were much more efficient with their opportunities to earn a 2-0 road win. Emmanuel Boateng and Favio Alvarez tallied for the visitors, with the latter also providing the assist on the former’s goal. The…
With the rise of advanced analytics in soccer, expected goals (xG) has become a go-to metric for examining the quality of both clubs and individual players beyond base accumulation stats (goals, assists, etc.). Inspired by Ben Mayhew of Experimental 3-6-1, who utilizes similar statistics for the English Football League,…