Nipun Chopra

Nipun divides his time between his two great loves - neuroscience and soccer. You can find him discussing both of those, as well as regular updates (pupdates) on his wonderful doggo, Octavia on Twitter. Get in touch with feedback/story suggestions at @NipunChopra7 or nipun.chopra@SocTakes.com
  • Chernobyl – USMNT edition

    CINCINNATI — There was a moment during Gregg Berhalter’s press conference yesterday where everything felt different. Berhalter intimated that he expected the press coverage of the match to suggest that the sky was falling for the U.S. men’s national team (USMNT). And while he pretended this wouldn’t affect him...
  • Founders Cup

    Sorting out hurdles facing Founders Cup, NPSL

    Confusion abounds over the circumstances surrounding the Founders Cup. The NPSL-aligned professional “league” is expected to kickoff in August, but per sources and Chris Kivlehan’s reporting, some issues remain. This article attempts to dive into those issues. These issues include problems getting group insurance for players, potential member disagreements...
  • provisional

    Players from U.S. Soccer’s lower divisions on provisional Gold Cup rosters

    Per the Gold Cup’s provisional 40-player rosters submitted by participating nations, the Gold Cup could have as many as 31 current or former players from the lower divisions of U.S. Soccer. Twenty-six of 31 currently play in the USL Championship, four in USL League One and one in the...
  • MLS expansion good

    Opinion: MLS expansion good news for USL clubs

    Cha-Ching. Corked Champagne. Celebrations. On April 18, MLS confirmed what everyone except Don Garber had said out loud — MLS would be expanding to 30 teams, already accelerating beyond their previously set upper limit of 28. While this is good news for the top division, what does it mean...
  • Gary Green

    Q&A with Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings CEO Gary Green

    Soc Takes recently spoke to developer and Omaha Storm Chasers owner Gary Green about his new project, one that would interest our readers. As was announced earlier this month by USL League One, Omaha will be the site of a 2020 expansion team in the Division 3 league. We...
  • Tommy Heinemann

    Exclusive Q&A with ‘Tubthumping’ Tommy Heinemann

    Tommy Heinemann has endured a difficult year. From the highs of winning the NASL and signing a contract with FC Cincinnati, to the lows of the events of early January and beyond. On Nov. 15, Heinemann’s agent, PJ Savage, confirmed via Twitter that Heinemann won his arbitration case against...
  • player ratings - Gyasi Zardes

    Player ratings: Columbus Crew v Minnesota United FC

    Columbus Crew SC Zack Steffen – 6/10. Steffen had little to do other than pull the ball out of the net. Twice. Could not have stopped the two goals, and did well to recover from a nasty head collision late in the first half. Harrison Afful – 7/10. Good...
  • Lansing Ignite FC joins USL D3

    It is now official. Lansing will be a founding member of USL League One — the artist formerly known as USL D3. The possibility was first reported by Soc Takes via Twitter. Is @USL_D3 coming to Lansing, Michigan?There are reasons to argue yes&no. Yes: An ad (sent to @SocTakes...
  • Interview with PRO Referees

    In response to Soc Takes’ recent article on referee assessment, we were contacted by PRO Referees to further expand on the refereeing conversation. Soc Takes also spoke to PRO general manager Howard Webb – arguably one of the best known retired referees worldwide – about USL’s role in the...
  • Riverside

    New USL D3 club will have the backing of AS Roma

    Sources inform Soc Takes that AS Roma will be part of an ownership group that brings a professional soccer team to Riverside, California. This currently unnamed team will be playing in USL Division III in 2019. USL Division III will be rebranded as USL League One at the end...
  • NPSL clubs

    NPSL clubs have median survival rate of 2 years

    The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is a well-known adult amateur soccer league, which will be one of two (the other being the United Premier Soccer League, or UPSL) “tier one” leagues in the upcoming USASA tier format. Therefore, understanding the health and longevity of the NPSL, prima facie,...
  • USL referees

    Assessment of USL Referees

    “That boy has been striking the ball very well,” Brian Darling says about George Davis IV during Louisville City’s draw against Indy XI in August 2018. Darling has been around the game for a long time – he earned his first USSF license back in 1979. Along the way,...