Jonathan Tannenwald

This was supposed to be THE year for soccer in the US to explode in growth and it's looking like itll actually go backward because a combo of greed and incompetence

Oh

#USMNT vs. Portugal is close to sold out, as has been the case for a while.

But I wonder if the get-in price will fall if Cristiano Ronaldo's injury keeps him from traveling.

www.ticketmaster.com/usmnt-vs-por...

A check of the ticket price tracker:

The get-in number for #USMNT vs. Belgium is under $50. Lots of seats sold, but enough still available.

www.ticketmaster.com/usmnt-vs-bel...

Damned when they lose and damned when they win.

Oh, not everyone. Bisous!

Meet Huntingdon Valley-bred Erica Dambach, who built Penn State’s pipeline to the USWNT Nineteen years into her tenure as Penn State’s head women’s soccer coach, Dambach has built one of the nation’s top college programs and has sent a raft of players to the sport's biggest stages.

Consider this lineage:

Alyssa Naeher was teammates with Christine Nairn.

Nairn played with Raquel Rodríguez.

Rodriguez played with Marissa Sheva.

Sheva played with Kerry Abello, Sam Coffey and Kate Wiesner.

Wiesner played with Olivia Smith.

That's 2006 to '23.

www.inquirer.com/soccer/erica...

Meet Huntingdon Valley-bred Erica Dambach, who built Penn State’s pipeline to the USWNT Nineteen years into her tenure as Penn State’s head women’s soccer coach, Dambach has built one of the nation’s top college programs and has sent a raft of players to the sport's biggest stages.

It's not just about how good a coach Dambach is. It's how she has built an outstanding pipeline of players who've gone on to the NWSL, the #USWNT, the #CanWNT, and more.

Words here from Dambach and people who know her - Emma Hayes, Sam Coffey, and Emily Sonnett:

www.inquirer.com/soccer/erica...

Meet Huntingdon Valley-bred Erica Dambach, who built Penn State’s pipeline to the USWNT Nineteen years into her tenure as Penn State’s head women’s soccer coach, Dambach has built one of the nation’s top college programs and has sent a raft of players to the sport's biggest stages.

I've wanted for a long time to write a good feature on Erica Dambach, Penn State's women's soccer coach who grew up in the Philly suburbs and runs one of the college game's top programs.

This week, I did it.

Good timing too, with the #USWNT back in the northeast:

www.inquirer.com/soccer/erica...

Ohtani cranks a grand slam in team Japan’s first game of the 2026 WBC.

In Tokyo.

Blessed to be alive to see this. Sound UP.

Bradley Carnell says 'sometimes, the moment gets to' his Union players, and he wants to fix it After a 0-2 start in Major League Soccer, Carnell says: “We know we’re not quite where we need to be, and that’s totally understandable, but it’s no excuses either.”

Bradley Carnell says 'sometimes, the moment gets to' his Union players, and he wants to fix it.

(Good thing he does.)

Plus a look at the Leagues Cup draw:

www.inquirer.com/soccer/mls-s... via @phillysport.bsky.social @inquirer.com

🚨 🚨 THE FIRST BUZZER-BEATER OF MARCH IS HERE🚨 🚨

Lehigh's Nasir Whitlock with a 50-footer from just beyond halfcourt to beat Holy Cross in the Patriot League quarterfinals

MLS Week 2 And World Cup Roster Questions w/ Thomas Pinzone and Jonathan Tannenwald YouTube video by The Best Soccer Show

Starting up on The Best Soccer Show. @tpinzone343.bsky.social and @jtannenwald.bsky.social to guest. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzo...

Sonia Citron will have to wait to make her competitive debut for the senior national team. After suffering an injury during Unrivaled, she has been replaced on the roster for the World Cup Qualifying Tournament and won’t be available. @theixsports.bsky.social

The Washington Post will let a wire service deal with this piddling event

UPDATE: The USL Players Association posted its full statement on Instagram regarding the league's email to players.

"If anything, this kind of pressure campaign only reinforces why players voted to provide strike authorization in the first place."

"HERE WE GO!": the lowdown on "football journalist" Fabrizio Romano The Italian "influencer" who has never worked as a real journalist, has 100m+ followers on social media and leverages them for cash. This is a tale about modern sports media

"HERE WE GO!": the lowdown on "football journalist" Fabrizio Romano

sportingintelligence832.substack.com/p/here-we-go...

No. The Union are the “home” team
for all their games.

USL emails players about union resignation procedures as strike looms The email, sent to all USL Championship players, includes an “FAQ” section on crossing a potential picket line

REPORT: On Wednesday, the USL emailed all Championship players with information on procedures for crossing a potential picket line and resigning their union membership, multiple sources have confirmed to The Guardian.

Details, including the attached "FAQs" pdf: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

MLS Commissioner Don Garber at the Inter Miami White House ceremony, sitting next to Andrew Giuliani

For those asking (once again) why more fans weren't in Harrison today... making its 2026 debut...

Bradley Carnell says 'sometimes, the moment gets to' his Union players, and he wants to fix it After a 0-2 start in Major League Soccer, Carnell says: “We know we’re not quite where we need to be, and that’s totally understandable, but it’s no excuses either.”

Bradley Carnell says 'sometimes, the moment gets to' his Union players, and he wants to fix it.

(Good thing he does.)

Plus a look at the Leagues Cup draw:

www.inquirer.com/soccer/mls-s... via @phillysport.bsky.social @inquirer.com

Programming notes!

I'll be on @siriusxmfc.bsky.social with Wynalda immediately following Spurs-Palace to talk about soccer on the radio.

Tonight at 9 ET I'll be live on YouTube for this week's ep of The Best Soccer Show. Guest co-hosts @tpinzone343.bsky.social and @jtannenwald.bsky.social.

Holy shit does she not know?

#USMNT World Cup home kit, confirmed at a local grocery store.

And if you'd like to see a web page get built in real time...

www.leaguescup.com/schedule/#cl...

If you guessed that the Union would probably see Julián Carranza in the Leagues Cup, you're right.

Necaxa will visit Subaru Park on August 9.

The Union will also host Cruz Azul and Santos Laguna in the group stage.

🤷‍♂️

The Mbappe Project: Making a Superstar Making a Superstar

Publication day! My new book, "The Mbappé Project", is officially out today. It is not a biography, but an attempt to understand and explain how a football prodigy was built into a global star by his entourage and by himself, retaining control every step of the way.

uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

Indiana Vassilev has remained the roaring engine driving the Union attack: ‘He’s been really important’ A true box-to-box midfielder, Vassilev is one of a few players on Carnell’s roster that has the freedom to roam, in part because the Savannah. Ga., native never stops moving.

@sprtswtr.bsky.social puts a spotlight on Indiana Vassilev:

www.inquirer.com/soccer/india... via @phillysport.bsky.social @inquirer.com