Robert Hay

What if? It's a question fans of history and sports always like to ask, usually at a pub or in the depths of despair. What if this person did this, or a manager made that decision? When authors write about these decisions, they tend to be straightforward historical retellings. However, author James Durose-Rayner takes a […]

Soccer in America has forever been the domain of those who enjoy combining philosophy and sport. Until the recent growth of MLS, soccer fans tended to gather in their corners of the internet and often try to create enclaves of sophistication; it was not enough to cheer for the sport as an American football or […]

U.S. Soccer announced today the field and schedule for the 102nd Lamar Hunt tournament. The big news is the size of the field – 91 teams including all 47 professional teams from the top divisions of USSF. The other 44 come from various amateur leagues in the U.S. and include teams such as the Madison […]

The exodus of the United States' best players from Europe to the homeland continued this winter, with Mix Diskerud and possibly Sacha Kljestan signing with MLS clubs. We have written a novel's worth of stories about its impact on the U.S. national team, whether it is good for this country's soccer development and how concerned […]

Coming off of surprising Round of 16 appearances in the 2014 World Cup, the United States men's national team will renew its rivalry with Mexico this April, according to an announcement today by the US Soccer Federation. The match will take place Wednesday, April 15 at 8:30 PM ET and will be broadcast on Fox […]

Jurgen Klinmann’s call-ups for the most recent January camp contained a few names known only to the most knowledgeable MLS fans. One of those was DC United’s Perry Kitchen, who may not be famous but has long been the next big name in U.S. soccer and, because of his position, may be a key name […]

The boy genius gone wrong – this is a familiar theme in the soccer world. The hot-shot young manager slays every challenge he faces until he reaches the summit, the biggest challenge. Then inexplicably he fails, undercutting his genius and showing his soccer mortality. Some, like Brian Clough, bounce back when they find the kind […]

The past few weeks have been tumultuous ones for America’s top professional soccer division. Instead of slowly transitioning the league’s marketing to its new superstars and priming the way for its new high-profile clubs, the top office has instead been sidetracked by controversy. The Frank Lampard “will he or won’t he” and “was he ever” […]

The way to tell if someone was a knowledgeable DC United fan has always been to check their opinion on a new stadium. The most diehard, knowledgeable fans always answered with a variation of this phase: "I'll believe it when I see the shovel hit the ground". Since the Columbus Crew opened the first MLS […]

Admittedly I am a newer soccer fan. The 2006 World Cup helped me truly fall in love with the beautiful game to the point where I began to actively follow it online and on TV. Since that World Cup, I have become a fanatic, following multiple teams on multiple continents while writing for this site, […]

While it most certainly was not the first, Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch set the tone for the soccer fan autobiography. Launching him to fame (and gaining Arsenal two fans in my household), the famous books details the passion and heartbreak of being an Arsenal fan. Since its publication in 1992, it has launched many imitators […]

As we’ve discussed for weeks now on this site, the new MLS brand (“MLS Next”) comes at a time of incredible importance to the league. For most of the front office and media, the focus has been on the league’s future and how bright it looks. However, the league needs to take a hard look […]

On Tuesday morning, The New York Times took over as the PR firm of New York City FC and wrote a puff piece on their most recognizable names, Frank Lampard and David Villa. The piece was primarily about the system of franchises Manchester City is establishing across the globe, but it also included a line about […]

The debacle that Chivas USA has become is an indictment of MLS’s obsession with the shiniest new objects while their current properties rot. Reports are now flying that the team could be put on hiatus, folded, or neither, and as much as we may joke about the empty stadiums and anti-Galaxy fan base, this public […]

It’s over; the international break is finally over. We get teased by the start of league play only to have to put our excitement on hold for the week while the national teams potentially injure our favorite players. Starting this weekend, however, the club games start again and we have some juicy match-ups. I have […]