Naked Truth
Three Simple Reasons Why Promotion and Relegation Will Never Happen in the US
One of the most common criticisms in regards to soccer in America is the lack of a promotion and relegation system that is quite common across much of Europe,...
Naked Truth
Allowing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Leave Has Been MLS’ Worst Mistake
Prior to his arrival there were months of tabloid speculation. Although the league had moved away from the practice of signing aging stars past their prime, rumors of Zlatan...
Naked Truth
American Professional Soccer is Basically That Cringeworthy, Rich, and Dysfunctional Family
Major League Soccer recently announced the launch of a third division league set to start in 2022. It is being touted as a bridge between MLS Next academies and...
Naked Truth
Will Kyrie Irving’s COVID-19 Vaccine Stance Affect MLS and Other Major Sports?
Kyrie Irving, NBA star of the Brooklyn Nets, has been indefinitely barred from playing or practicing with the team as a result of his decision to not get the...
Anonymous Mailbag
Anonymous Mailbag No. 4: Quitting Corporate America
Here is our latest Urban Pitch Anonymous Mailbag, where we answer your unfiltered questions and replies to our stories or any particular issues and topics in soccer and culture...
Naked Truth
Lionel Messi’s Eighth Ballon d’Or Will Finally Catapult MLS Onto the World Stage
There have been a few defining moments during the 29-year history of MLS. Development of soccer-specific stadiums, implementation of the designated player rule to facilitate the signing of David...
Naked Truth
Ready or Not, Here She Comes — A Second Women’s Professional League In the US
The USL recently made a surprise announcement that their women's Super League would push back their launch date to 2024 and apply to U.S. Soccer for Division I sanctioning....
Naked Truth
Lionel Messi’s Historic Run at Barcelona is Over…But Who is to Blame and Where Can He Go?
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta made the shock announcement that negotiations to keep Lionel Messi at the club had ended. Expressing that...
Naked Truth
Why I Don’t Think The European Super League Did Anything Patently Wrong
On April 18, 2021 the football world's foundations shook as 12 of the most famous football clubs announced that they were breaking away from UEFA competitions in order to...
Naked Truth
Pay-to-Play is Good for Soccer and the Harshest Critics are Hypocrites
I'll begin by saying that I am not arguing that there aren't certain issues, unscrupulous practices, or problematic cracks within the pay-to-play model — there are. However, I am...
Naked Truth
Why 2022 is a Make-or-Break Year for Both LAFC and Carlos Vela
In February, LAFC unveiled their "Five Years Strong" slogan to kick off their 2022 MLS season. While intended to signify a milestone in their short history, a five-year mark...
Naked Truth
Cristiano Ronaldo Reminds Us That Aging with Grace is Almost Impossible for the World’s Best Athletes
On August 27, 2021 when Manchester United announced they had agreed to terms with Juventus to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, it was heralded as a triumphant return of their long...
Naked Truth
Inter Miami Brazenly Cheated MLS Rules…But Was It So Wrong?
MLS first introduced the designated player rule in 2007 in order to give clubs more flexibility to sign lucrative deals with marquee players. It was informally called the David...
Naked Truth
The Hidden, Ugly Side of Youth Soccer, Part 2: Nightmare Parents, Feeble Leadership, and Dirty Politics
The fast-paced world of club soccer isn’t just about shuttling kids to practices, cheering them on at games, and traveling to high profile tournaments on weekends. Spurred on by...
Naked Truth
LAFC’s Carlos Vela is a Prime Example of Why the Designated Player Rule is Broken
The MLS Designated Player Rule allows clubs the ability to sign expensive players without exceeding the team salary budget. First introduced in 2007, the same year as the original...
Naked Truth
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Virtue Signaling Cost Coca-Cola $4 Billion While Exposing His Own Hypocrisy
During a Euro 2020 press conference on Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo purposefully moved two strategically placed Coca-Cola bottles out of view. He then picked up a water bottle and set...
Naked Truth
Pay-to-Play Critics Have No Defense For These Undeniable Truths
The pay-to-play model is the commonly accepted punching bag that is usually cited as the primary reason for what is wrong with U.S. Soccer. But is that really the...
Anonymous Mailbag
Anonymous Mailbag No. 3: The MLS Talent Pipeline
Here is our latest Urban Pitch Anonymous Mailbag, where we answer your unfiltered questions and replies to our stories or any particular issues and topics in soccer and culture...
Naked Truth
The Undeniable Blueprint USL Should Follow to Force a Merger with the MLS
Major League Soccer kicked off its 30th season last Saturday, with all 30 teams getting back to the action on the pitch. Earlier in the same week, the United...
Naked Truth
Why ‘The Sopranos’ is the Greatest TV Show of All Time and What MLS Can Learn From It
There have been plenty of masterful TV shows over the years including Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, The Wire and many others. But with all due respect, the...
