us soccer third division

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...
la galaxy boycott

The LA Galaxy Boycott Has Begun to Unravel and Fold — What Happens Next?

After enduring a decade of on-field failures and tumultuous leadership under Chris Klein's presidency, five LA Galaxy supporters’ groups released a joint statement of their intention to boycott matches...
usl mls merger

The Undeniable Blueprint USL Should Follow to Force a Merger with 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...

Why Promotion and Relegation is Overrated and a Closed System is Far Superior

The sentimental idea behind promotion and relegation seems fair, good-natured, and based upon a system of meritocracy. In practice, this is a complete fallacy and the stark reality is...

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...
usl cba

USL Players Are Set to Receive Higher Pay, But How Does it Compare Against the Underground Scene of Latino Leagues?

The USL and its players association reached an agreement in principle on a collective bargaining agreement for the second-division USL Championship. It is being touted as a landmark achievement...

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...
crypto.com arena

The Crypto.com Arena Deal Shows How Much the Business of Soccer Still Lags in the US

It was recently announced that LA's iconic Staples Center would be getting a new name in time for Christmas: Crypto.com Arena. The 20-year agreement, thought to be the biggest naming...

Racial Abuse is Still Prevalent in Football, But Public Outrage is Lacking When Perpetrated Against Asian Footballers

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Hwang Hee-chan is one of two South Korean players in the Premier League, along with Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur. Last year in August, the Wanderers...
veronique rabiot france

EURO 2020 Shows That Even the Highest Levels Aren’t Exempt From Nightmare Soccer Moms

One of the surprise stories coming out from EURO 2020 is the report of the contentious behavior by Veronique Rabiot, the mother of France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, towards other...

Championship-or-Bust Expectations Led to the Downfall of Bob Bradley

In a big city like Los Angeles, with its siren-like call of glitzy Hollywood and seductive promises that seem just within reach, it has always been championship or bust...
inter miami cheating

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...

There’s a Palpable Sense of Urgency for Neymar in What is Likely His Last World Cup

It's difficult to decide whether Neymar Junior has met or fallen short of the grandiose expectations that were laid on his young shoulders so many years ago. Making his...
lionel messi barcelona

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...
usl super league

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....
us soccer mls sum

The Murky Partnership Between US Soccer and MLS is Finally Coming to an End

The United States Soccer Federation announced that it would be parting ways with MLS-owned Soccer United Marketing (SUM) and not renewing their commercial rights agreement. The nearly 20-year partnership...
washington spirit ownership

How The Embarrassing Feud Within the Washington Spirit Organization is Actually a Huge Win For All NWSL Players

There’s been a long and publicly drawn out battle occurring within the Washington Spirit organization. Amidst accusations of abusive behavior and a toxic club culture, this is a situation the National Women's...
lionel messi ballon dor

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...
la galaxy fans

LA Galaxy Supporters Are United in Their Boycott — But Will It Ultimately Work?

The news that Chris Klein would return for an 11th season as president of the LA Galaxy was quietly announced on a Thursday evening in a two-sentence statement to...

Lorenzo Insigne’s $100M Record Contract is a Clear Signal That MLS’ Salary Cap No Longer Works

It has been widely reported that Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne has agreed to join Toronto FC in July after finishing out the 2021-22 season in Italy. The 30-year-old Italian winger notched a...