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Are we ready to return to play? I’m sorry, but we are not. Not even close. It feels as though it has been years since I watched Tyler Pasher terrorize Tim Howard in Indy Eleven’s away win against Memphis 901. Since then, U.S. Soccer has come to a complete...
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I grew up a sports fan. I’m from Chicagoland. I watch TV. Therefore, you become a sports fan. Well that, and I was surrounded by sports fans. I’m a White Sox fan, Bears fan and an Indiana University fan above all else. I grew up thinking I was an...
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Link to download near bottom of story I’ve created a custom Football Manager 2020 database containing a fully regionalized, four-tier American pyramid complete with promotion and relegation, Open Cup and league cups. It contains four divisions (Premier, Championship, First and Second) each containing four conferences (Eastern, Central, Southern and...
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Claim structural changes make competing impossible for college-reliant amateur clubs As a result of changes made by U.S. Soccer to the U.S. Open Cup schedule, several qualified USL League Two clubs are planning to withdraw from the competition entirely, citing a lack of available players in the early spring....
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Well hello there, Soc Takes. It’s been a while. You may have noticed my as-of-yet unexplained absence the past few months. To make a long story short, I got dumped, took some vacations, got a promotion at work, met a new girl and went to a lot of soccer...
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WalletHub, a finance website, unveiled its 2019’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans rankings this month, with Los Angeles claiming the top spot. The study sized up 280-plus U.S. cities that boast a pro or collegiate soccer team and analyzed them across several metrics. Some of the metrics include attendance,...
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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...
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Here’s a six-way Venn diagram of every professional soccer city in the U.S. — from MLS, the USL Championship and USL League One — plus all the pro sports towns from the other four major American sports: the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi. Support Soc...
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John, Ian and R.P. discuss the success — or not — of various business deals made across American soccer. They discuss the general move toward digital ticketing, the USSF ticketing structure (13:30), Chattanooga FC’s ownership drive (31:30) and try to answer if bad shirt sponsors affect soccer jersey sales...
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Co-hosts John Lenard and Ian Foster run down the exciting proofs of concept happening between American and Canadian soccer. But first, they quickly hit on a couple of frustrating developments from USL Chicago and D.C. United. Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click...
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Co-hosts Nipun Chopra and Jason Davis are joined by The Athletic’s Miki Turner for Episode 9 of Lower League America. The panel updates the status of all the lawsuits currently hovering over the American soccer landscape. You can watch Episodes 1-8 below: Related: Lower League America: The Premiere Related: Lower League...
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The history of lower-division soccer in the United States is a rocky journey through a rotating door of clubs, acronym-heavy leagues and the aspiring saviors of U.S. Soccer who mastermind them. As evidence, one needs only to look at two images sourced from the United States Soccer League System...
Are we ready to return to play? I’m sorry, but we are not. Not even close. It feels as though it has been years since I watched Tyler Pasher terrorize Tim Howard in Indy Eleven’s away win against Memphis 901. Since then, U.S. Soccer has come to a complete...
I grew up a sports fan. I’m from Chicagoland. I watch TV. Therefore, you become a sports fan. Well that, and I was surrounded by sports fans. I’m a White Sox fan, Bears fan and an Indiana University fan above all else. I grew up thinking I was an...
Link to download near bottom of story I’ve created a custom Football Manager 2020 database containing a fully regionalized, four-tier American pyramid complete with promotion and relegation, Open Cup and league cups. It contains four divisions (Premier, Championship, First and Second) each containing four conferences (Eastern, Central, Southern and...
Claim structural changes make competing impossible for college-reliant amateur clubs As a result of changes made by U.S. Soccer to the U.S. Open Cup schedule, several qualified USL League Two clubs are planning to withdraw from the competition entirely, citing a lack of available players in the early spring....
Well hello there, Soc Takes. It’s been a while. You may have noticed my as-of-yet unexplained absence the past few months. To make a long story short, I got dumped, took some vacations, got a promotion at work, met a new girl and went to a lot of soccer...
WalletHub, a finance website, unveiled its 2019’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans rankings this month, with Los Angeles claiming the top spot. The study sized up 280-plus U.S. cities that boast a pro or collegiate soccer team and analyzed them across several metrics. Some of the metrics include attendance,...
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...
Here’s a six-way Venn diagram of every professional soccer city in the U.S. — from MLS, the USL Championship and USL League One — plus all the pro sports towns from the other four major American sports: the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi. Support Soc...
John, Ian and R.P. discuss the success — or not — of various business deals made across American soccer. They discuss the general move toward digital ticketing, the USSF ticketing structure (13:30), Chattanooga FC’s ownership drive (31:30) and try to answer if bad shirt sponsors affect soccer jersey sales...
Co-hosts Nipun Chopra and Jason Davis are joined by The Athletic’s Miki Turner for Episode 9 of Lower League America. The panel updates the status of all the lawsuits currently hovering over the American soccer landscape. You can watch Episodes 1-8 below: Related: Lower League America: The Premiere Related: Lower League...
The history of lower-division soccer in the United States is a rocky journey through a rotating door of clubs, acronym-heavy leagues and the aspiring saviors of U.S. Soccer who mastermind them. As evidence, one needs only to look at two images sourced from the United States Soccer League System...