Author: Jake Adams

The US is on the brink. This World Cup qualifying cycle has been the complete opposite of the 2014 cycle. Four years ago, the US were already qualified at this point and were at the top of the table. Fast forward four years and they’re fighting to qualify for any spot. The United States’ last games against Costa Rica and Honduras were not convincing for fans. The pressure is building up for Bruce Arena. He knows four points are the least they can do, and six points is a must. Panama is not going to roll over for the United…

Top 5 Sports in America Sports play a huge part in American culture. Whether it be entertainment or actual involvement, athletics have become an important part of our society. TV ratings and brand marketing have skyrocketed in recent years. This has led to nicer stadiums, athletes being celebrities, and even richer owners. Fan bases are not restricted to the US either, there has been an increase in foreign players, which has resulted in an increase in foreign fan bases. You can find Cowboys fans in Mexico, Dodgers fans in China, and even Knicks in Latvia (thanks to Kristaps Porzingis). These…

EPL Power Rankings American Football and English Football both returned this week, granted the international break was only a little over a week, while the NFL off-season was six months. Regardless, there are some really interesting story lines to follow, and a lot of movement on the table. So lets get right to it: 1. Manchester United (no change) Even though the Red Devils had a tough match against Stoke City, the team is still the best in the league (so far). Last weekend, was the first goals they allowed this season, surprisingly to Stoke City. The attack has been…

US struggles with Costa Rica and Honduras The United States had a horrific two games, this past week.  First, they lost crucial points against Costa Rica on home soil. During the game, the US started strong, but one lapse in concentration led to Costa Rica scoring. Tim Ream was caught way out of position and the away side’s counter attack led to a goal. Tim Howard was also at fault for the opening goal, his goal kick and poor positioning, led to the opening goal. After that goal, the US looked like they wanted no part in the game. Their confidence…

Bruce Arena Announces Roster for Upcoming Qualifiers On Sunday evening, US soccer released its roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The roster held few surprises, and consisted of veteran and youthful talent. Here is the complete roster: Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jorge Villafana (Santos Laguna), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union),…

US Soccer is back to qualifying in a little over a week, and Bruce Arena will be announcing a roster soon. He’ll have some guys injured or out of form, so there might be some new faces called in. With all leagues in play now, let’s take a look at who is in-form or out of form. IN-FORM Christian Pulisic The hype around the young 18-year-old is skyrocketing every match he plays in, and why shouldn’t it? He opened up the Bundesliga season with a goal and an assist. The whole game, he ran around the Wolfsburg defense (something…

Premier League Power Rankings After opening match day, there were some great performances and some more shocking ones (@Chelsea). Some teams played to the hype, and others had a day to forget (Again, @Chelsea). So, with all of that said, here is where I rank the teams after their opening match (Note, these rankings are based on recent form and results): 1. Manchester United Manchester United came into the season with a lot of hype, and they lived up to it. New expensive signing, Romelu Lukaku, scored two goals, and old expensive signing, Paul Pogba, scored a banger from distance. Nemanja…

We are less than a week away from the start of the Premier League season, and here are preseason predictions before first kick-off. 1. Chelsea Last year’s champions look just as strong this year. Antonio Conte won a title in his debut season as manager, and has replaced every player lost (or going to be lost) in the transfer market. Nemanja Matic left to play for his former boss, Jose Mourinho, at Manchester United. He replaced him with Tiemoue Bakayoko, from Ligue 1 champs, AS Monaco FC. They also added former Real Madrid striker, Alvaro Morata, who may have…

Bruce Arena’s Second Stint in Charge So far, Arena has not lost a game in charge of the US national team. In his 14 games as head coach, he posts a record of 9 wins and 5 draws. An excellent start for the manager, whose main job was to bring stability to the program. In contrast to former boss, Jurgen Klinsmann, Arena makes safe line-up choices for all games. He doesn’t try and move players out of position, and knows he won’t always be able to be the dominant side. However, there is a lot to still process here. The…

In my first article, I said that the likely final would be between the US and Mexico. However, for consecutive tournaments Jamaica upset a CONCACAF giant. Even if it was Mexico’s B-team, give the small island credit for standing tall defensively and finishing when it mattered. Also, credit Andre Blake for outstanding goalkeeping (look out to see a possible move from the MLS to Europe). USA had a shaky start to the tournament, but it won’t matter if they win tonight. Final Preview USA looked good in their last match against Costa Rica, but they’ll look to play even…