Is college soccer too much of a risk for rising U.S. talent?
By: Tisha Thompson, E:60 ERYK WILLIAMSON STOOD in front of Albany’s soccer goal and took a deep breath. The Maryland students chanting in the end zone, throwing taunts at the goalkeeper below them, went still. His coach crouched down on his heels, hand over his mouth, in silence. Even the brittle wind, the kind that digs deep […]
Mason Toye is a different kind of one-and-done baller
By: Andre Kimo Stone Guess | The Undefeated After a successful freshman season at Morristown-Beard High School in New Jersey, Mason Toye was curious. Could he build on that success and his AAU basketball experience to help take his game to the next level? Was he good enough to play with the best players in […]
The Youngest Player Starting in MLS
Alphonso Davies has come a long way in a short time. Born at a refugee camp to parents fleeing civil war in Liberia, he walked onto the pitch in Vancouver 15 years later as the second youngest MLS player ever.
Until youth soccer is fixed, US men’s national team is destined to fail
By: Rick Eckstein David beating Goliath is very exciting – unless you’re a fan of Goliath. The United States has 330 million people and a massive youth soccer system, yet its men’s national soccer team just got bushwhacked by a team from Trinidad and Tobago, a country with 1.3 million residents. How could this happen? It’s not just about […]
Girls don’t need U.S. Soccer Development Academy
By: Jeff DiVeronica | Democrat & Chronicle I didn’t like U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program when it was launched locally for boys five years ago, and I like it even less now that teenage girls are being asked to make the same choice between playing for their school or joining the academy. But it’s happening in Section V […]
Project Commits $3 Million to Build 50 Soccer Fields in New York
New York City FC, Adidas and the U.S. Soccer Foundation announced that they will build 50 junior-sized soccer fields in NYC over the next 5 years. Looks like a good step and well overdue. Lets hope they actually follow through. Sounds alot like the urban field building initiative the Foundation launched several years ago with […]
What’s Wrong with American Soccer Development
Interesting take: Editor’s note: This story appears in the Spring 2016 issue of Howler. IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT that you are an octopus. Your sinewy tentacles are extended before you into the jet-black deep, your movement clearly directed in a general heading, but there is something awkward about your progress. Each tentacle operates entirely on its own, […]
The Embarrassing Lack Of Diversity In U.S. Women’s Soccer
Why America’s soccer is so wealthy, suburban, and white. On Friday, the heroes of the U.S. Women’s National Team will get a parade in New York City to celebrate their amazing World Cup victory over Japan—a major milestone for women’s sports and for U.S. soccer in general. But as stars like Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, […]
After Theater in Brazil, Soccer’s Calloused Cousin Takes the Stage
Another interesting piece by William Rhoden……….. NFL training camps open this week. With that summer ritual, the eagerly awaited heathen season is upon us. N.F.L. football is back. For casual soccer fans, the World Cup was an intriguing spaceholder. Great theater. In fact, soccer offers much better theater than the N.F.L. Broadway on the pitch. […]
Henry: Kids shouldn’t copy Messi and Ronaldo
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry thinks Germany forward Thomas Muller is the perfect role model in modern football. Muller was one of the stars of this summer’s World Cup as Joachim Low’s side lifted the trophy in Brazil having overcome Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the final. Henry, now with the New York Red Bulls, is […]