Mattlichtenstadter

Harry Kane’s impact for Tottenham went far beyond his goals last season, and if anyone needed proof of that, the last 25 or so minutes for Spurs against Stoke should solidify that in the mind. Before he was subbed off due to a twinge in has calf, Spurs were absolutely rampant. They were fluid, structured […]

How could some of the mounting pressure on Jurgen Klinsmann be relieved without even playing a match? He could have turned a wandering eye to the World Cup qualification draw this morning. In a time when CONCACAF despite all the peripherals is steadily improving, the US somehow came out with as easy of a draw […]

After one day of letting the US’ loss to Jamaica marinate, very little about it has changed in the grand perspective. But one question has arisen based on what the entirety of Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure has entailed thus far – is playing the long game in international soccer viable? Better yet, is it even possible? […]

The US Men's National Team loss to Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final Wednesday night is a shock to the US Soccer system, and it’s indicative of many tournament specific failures. However the big picture is still a different matter. In this particular tournament, the US was not good enough by any measure. It was […]

Watching Canada’s men’s program struggle through another Gold Cup group stage, without scoring a goal, makes me wonder whether the program will ever get it right. Canada once made a World Cup in 1986, won the Gold Cup in 2000, and has produced some great talents such as Jason DeVos, Dwayne DeRosario, Paul Stalteri, Atiba Hutchinson […]

Five days after the US stunned the Dutch in Amsterdam, surely they couldn’t pull off the same trick again in Germany against the World Champions? Once again, some doubts have been quelled by the US in these tough European environments. Or, similarly, Michael Bradley is still as good if not better than he’s ever been. […]

Trips to Amsterdam often end with things that can barely be believed, or when looked back upon with reflection someone saying, “what in the hell just happened?” That was the USMNT’s match against Holland at the Amsterdam Arena. Whatever symbolic significance this game has, and it has plenty, time to pump the brakes on the […]

When people around soccer speak about vote bribing surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, many will immediately jump to Qatar. The stories about bribery coming from the Qatar committee are numerous, public and accepted by many as the truth. But the Russia 2018 bid isn’t presented by singing angels either. Now that the FBI […]

The FIFA corruption charges from the US Department of Justice today come not as a major surprise, but the first truly public salvo in the attempt to wash out the clearly rampant corruption inside soccer’s governing body. But for the steps that were taken, there are clearly many more needed to establish the real change […]

For so many years, the narrative in English soccer has been “finish fourth, finish fourth”. The Premier League’s fourth and final Champions League spot is awarded to the team that finished in fourth, and has been for years. It always seemed as if England’s position atop this chain would be safe, but that position is becoming […]

Often we’re told as football fans that the Premier League is the best league in the world. Based on the performances of English teams in Europe, that’s not true. What is true is that the Premier League is the most competitive soccer league in Europe, and combine this with the lack of a language barrier […]

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has decided to suspend all competitions from May 16 onwards in a dispute with the government over the new TV rights deal signed into law at the end of April. The RFEF says it wasn’t properly consulted when the rights were being negotiated, therefore accusing the government of a “lack […]

Jose Mourinho’s aim is never to play the prettiest football, it’s about getting results. Even with the roster of players he has to work with, he’s never fully utilized all of their talents together consistently. On occasion Chelsea play absolutely mesmerizing football, but most of their games end up as the 1-0 win against Palace […]

It all looked so promising for the Montreal Impact. The Big O was as alive as it’s ever been, especially when Andres Romero scored in the eighth minute. And after Club America hit the underside of the bar from point-blank range, it looked like the fates were on the side of the bleu-blanc et noir. Except, […]

When the Montreal Impact step into the “bee’s nest” that will be the sold out Estadio Azteca tonight, they’ll not only have to fight an angry Club America team coming off a 4-0 home loss on the weekend, but a team that is desperate to win this very competition. The Impact’s story is feel good. […]