Posts by Noah Davis
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![Landon Donovan]()
Building the Next Landon Donovan
Spend enough time in American soccer circles, and a casual fan will inevitably ask why the United States hasn’t produced its own Lionel Messi. Which, of course, is an absurd question. The little Argentine followed a truly unique path to his otherworldly greatness, one that no country’s soccer program could hope to replicate. If they […]
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Team Sapsucker Will See More Birds Than You
Chris Wood and five of his closest friends are going bird-watching today. But this isn’t some casual walk in the park; it’s a serious endeavor that comes after a week of location scouting, forecast models, and even car maintenance practice. The six-person Team Sapsucker out of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology plans to cover the […]
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![Jurgen Klinsmann]()
Jurgen Klinsmann, the Coach vs. Jurgen Klinsmann, the Visionary
When Jurgen Klinsmann took over the United States men’s national team in the summer of 2011, United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati tasked the former German star with two objectives: (1) qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and (2) remake the American program in an effort to turn a middling soccer nation […]
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![Sporting KC]()
Are More People Watching MLS in Person or on Television?
Soccer viewership on English-language stations in the United States is growing. Last week’s match between the U.S. and Mexico drew a 1.6 overnight rating and 2.39 million viewers on ESPN, more than double the previous high for a World Cup qualifier on the channel. Fox Soccer Channel may be shutting down, but Champions League broadcasts […]
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![USMNT]()
Where Does the USMNT Stand Now?
The fly-in, fly-out nature of international soccer creates a scenario in which an entire season’s worth of emotional highs and lows can take place within the span of a week. (In that regard, the whiplash emotional condition of the collective American fan base doesn’t help matters.) Eight days ago, the United States national team found […]
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![USMNT]()
Snow Blind: The USMNT Overcomes the Elements (and Costa Rica)
Panic is mostly a matter of perception. The situation before the United States men’s national team took the field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Friday night was this: With eight matches remaining in a 10-game tournament, the Americans — who hadn’t lost a home World Cup qualifier since 2001 — were a single point […]
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![Jurgen Klinsmann]()
Where Would the USMNT Finish in the Champions League Group Stage?
On Wednesday, Bayern Munich and Málaga joined six other clubs in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Watching the games made me wonder how the United States national team would do if it were dropped into the group stage of the tournament. Would the Americans be able to finish in the top two of a […]
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![Jermaine Jones]()
Creating Community on a Diverse USMNT
Before the United States men’s national team starts each formal practice, the players warm up in little groups. They juggle, getting touches, and chatting with each other. On one portion of the green pitch, you might see youngsters Juan Agudelo, Josh Gatt, Terrence Boyd, and Joe Gyau sharing a multicolored Nike ball. Fifteen yards away, […]
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![Aric Almirola]()
NASCAR Goes Biking
Aric Almirola earned more than $4.7 million during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, winning the pole at the Coca-Cola 600 and driving the no. 43 Ford car to top-10 finishes in two of the year’s final four races. The 28-year-old, who was born at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and […]
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![Landon Donvan]()
In Defense of Landon Donovan
Eight days ago, the United States men’s national soccer team fell, 2-1, in Honduras to open the final round of 2014 World Cup qualification. The defeat was notable for a few reasons, one being the fact that it was the first meaningful Hexagonal round match that Landon Donovan’s missed in more than a decade. The […]
