Posts by Andrew Lewellen
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What Matt Besler and Graham Zusi Staying in K.C. Means for American Soccer
Imagine this scenario: You grow up playing soccer in a suburb of an American city. You’re a talented high school player but not a nationally recognized prospect, and only a few colleges show interest in you. You go to an American university, play in four NCAA tournaments, make all-conference three seasons, and in your senior […]
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Home or Away: Where Does the Future Lie for the USMNT and American Soccer?
It’s easy to fall into sermonizing and hyperbole during a World Cup, but one thing can’t be overstated: The 8 million American kids watching this tournament are witnessing something important to the evolution of the game in the United States.
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Is John Terry Wolverine? Can You Prove He Isn’t?
The chances of an ankle sprain keeping John Terry out of Wednesday’s second leg against Atleti are about as good as the likelihood of Jose Mourinho cracking a (non-sarcastic) smile on the sideline.
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You Can Go Home Again: The Trend of USMNT Players Signing With MLS Clubs
This summer five USMNT players have signed or re-signed with MLS clubs. The most significant of those was Clint Dempsey, who shocked the American soccer community by transferring to the Seattle Sounders from Tottenham Hotspur. Two weeks later, 24-year-old Galaxy center back Omar Gonzalez, the 2011 MLS Defender of the Year and 2012 MLS Cup […]
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Is There Value in the Guinness International Champions Cup?
Tonight, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Real Madrid will play Chelsea in the final of the Guinness International Champions Cup, this summer’s version of the now-annual American tour of friendlies by (mostly) elite European clubs. The ICC kicked off last week and has featured seven European teams — Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, Everton, Inter […]
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The Return of Landon Donovan
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” said Landon Donovan. It was March 28, and the most famous American soccer player in the world was speaking to reporters on a conference call, his first contact with the media since retreating from the soccer world in December 2012. Earlier last week, he had rejoined the Los […]
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5 Reasons You Need to Watch MLS Cup This Weekend
What’s my relationship status with MLS? It’s complicated. I’d like to tell you that ever since I became a supporter of the league, when it kicked off in 1996, I’ve remained loyal to it. But I haven’t. And many American soccer fans probably have a similar story. For me, it’s been hard to stay devoted to […]
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How Bruce Arena Rebuilt the Galaxy
Sunday night, the L.A. Galaxy gathered in the cold rain on a stage on Century Link Field, amid a chorus of boos from the remaining Seattle Sounders fans, waiting to receive the trophy as the MLS Western Conference champions. They had just beaten the Sounders 4-2 in aggregate goals in a two-game series and earned […]
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San Jose Earthquakes Win the Marcus Tracy Lottery
On Wednesday, MLS announced that the San Jose Earthquakes — who have the best record in the league (57 points) and the league’s leading goal scorer (Chris Wondolowski, 20 goals) — had won the rights to Marcus Tracy in a lottery. Tracy, a forward, won the 2008 Herman Award (soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman) in […]
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The Future of U.S. Soccer: The Unlikely Rise of Clint Dempsey
On Friday, transfer deadline day in European soccer, Clint Dempsey did what he’s done his entire career when facing a challenge: He succeeded. Heading into the day, Dempsey essentially didn’t have a team to play for. He was coming off a career year, probably the best ever by an American in Europe: 23 goals for […]
