The Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League (NASL) are close to completing an incredible feat. They currently sit atop the NASL Spring Season standings with just three matches remaining. A year ago at this time they sat anchored to the bottom of the NASL table, a year after setting a record for the least amount of wins by a second division American side in a twenty-eight game season.
The race to host this season's North American Soccer League Soccer Bowl is now down to five teams.
The Carolina RailHawks fought FC Edmonton to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon in front of 3,474 at Clark Stadium, needing midfielder Cesar Elizondo to score an 88th minute equalizer to save the match.
The Carolina RailHawks jumped to top of the North American Soccer League table after making a stoppage-time comeback to defeat the Tampa Bay Rowdies, 2-1, on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The Atlanta Silverbacks continued their stretch of home games on Saturday, drawing 1-1 against FC Edmonton.
Just hours after reports broke about the Cosmos landing a TV deal with an One World Sports, an English-language channel that covers sport in Asia, the New York Cosmos have secured one of Japan's rising stars in soccer.
The Cosmos agreed a deal with Shimizu S-Pulse of the J-League in Japan to sign on-loan forward Satoru Kashiwase for the upcoming fall NASL season.
Two of the North American Soccer League's top three goalscorers meet on Saturday in a clash between the Carolina RailHawks and the Tampa Bay Rowdies at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Brian Shriver leads the league and the RailHawks' attack with six goals, but not far behind is the Rowdies' Georgi Hristov, who has four goals to his name.
With 2013 North American Soccer League spring campaign coming to a close, week nine action saw the Atlanta Silverbacks hold on to their first place spot in the table while there is a three-way tie in second place, as the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Carolina RailHawks and Minnesota United failed to secure victory this weekend.
The Carolina RailHawks, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Minnesota United FC are tied in second place as they enter week nine of the first half of the North American Soccer League season this weekend.
The RailHawks downed an noticeably weaker Los Angeles Galaxy side, 2-0, on Wednesday at WakeMed Soccer Park during U.
The Atlanta Silverbacks defeated the San Antonio Scorpions, 1-0, on Saturday, leap-frogging past the Carolina RailHawks and Tampa Bay Rowdies to the pole position in the North American Soccer League.
Minnesota United made up for last Saturday's defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies at the Metrodome by returning the favor, defeating the Rowdies on the road by a 3-2 margin, the same as the prior week's result.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies look to continue their positive momentum when they host Minnesota United FC on Saturday at Al Lang Field. Both team's met last week at the Metrodome, as Rowdies forward Keith Savage scored a late-goal to give the Tampa side three points on the road.
The revived New York Cosmos announced the signing of Villarreal legend and European Champion Marcos Senna on Thursday. Senna's signing is further indication that the revived Cosmos, now in the second-tier of football in America, the North American Soccer League (NASL) are serious about building a high-level side despite the restriction of not being in the American top-flight league.
In their first incarnation, the New York Cosmos made their biggest splash by signing a Brazilian star. Four decades after Pele carried the flag for the Cosmos, a new Brazilian will be leading the same club.
The New York Cosmos announced that former Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna had signed for the club pending a medical, and will be ready for the NASL opener on August 3.
The New York Cosmos continue to add pieces ahead of their first North American Soccer League match on August 3.
Former Blackburn Rovers forward Jemal Johnson and defender Chris Rodd have signed contracts with the team, the Cosmos announced on Friday, putting the current squad at 17 players.
At a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, the New York Cosmos officially opened their practice facility on the grounds of the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, New York.
The Cosmos, spending $400,000 of their own money to redevelop and renovate the complex, will use the space as their practice facility while playing games at Shuart Stadium in nearby Hempstead, New York.
They may be playing in the second tier of U.S. Soccer this season, but the New York Cosmos are making waves with their first tier sponsorship deals.
The Cosmos announced a deal on Tuesday with Emirates Airlines to become the team's jersey sponsor, and potentially to get naming rights to a future stadium.
The New York Cosmos will have a new look when they take the field in the NASL this summer, sporting these snazzy new uniforms designed by Nike, which struck a deal with the Cosmos to be their official kit supplier.
For decades now, the relationship between New England and the American soccer pyramid has been fickle at best, with only one team at the top and dozens at the very bottom.
A combination of low attendance and the United Soccer League consolidating have created a wide gap in the "middle pyramid" that are the second and third divisions for the region.
Oh boy. Last night was a fun one in the 2013 US Open Cup. More MLS struggles and more questions as to how serious some teams are taking this tournament.
Let's get down to the upsets first. We nearly had three of them.
The Upsets
Orlando City SC 1, Sporting KC 0
Orlando City SC pulled off one of the biggest upsets in this tournament's history last night when they went to Kansas City and knocked off the defending Cup champions Sporting KC 1-0.
No matter what happens during the final three rounds of what has been a wild U.S. Open Cup, one thing was sealed on Wednesday night.
There will be a new champion this year.
The 2012 champions Sporting Kansas City were dumped out of this year's edition in the Round of 16 after USL Pro affiliate Orlando City pulled off a shock 1-0 road win.
A week ahead of the Fourth Round in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup, the potential winners will know where they are next headed.
On Wednesday, U.S. Soccer revealed the draw for the quarterfinals of the competition, set to take place on June 26. Six Major League Soccer stadiums could potentially host a match in the quarterfinals, while a potential D.
The 2013 US Open Cup could get more interesting as the rounds go. Today, the USSF released the potential quarterfinal pairings for the tournament.
Some tough pairings for some clubs like Portland or New York. Defending champions Sporting KC have to hit the road regardless if they beat Orlando next week.
Luke Lohr and Pedro Gomes reunite to talk USMNT results, the best and worst of MLS and the newest jersey deal in the NASL. Also joining is friend of the show George John who sheds light on the good form of FC Dallas, the vibe of the team and Pedro puts him to the test after his beer to the noggin a few months back.
It may be a couple years before we see this again in the US Open Cup. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Take one look at the pairings from the last two nights in the 2013 edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. One thing you'll notice right away was the four MLS sides from the Western Conference who had to travel to the east coast for their third round matches.
Sporting KC fans celebrate moving on to the fourth round. (Photo by Mark Shaiken WVHooligan staff photographer)
After this week's results, 12 MLS sides move through to the fourth round on June 12. Only four lower division teams left but the biggest one missing from MLS has to be three-time champions Seattle.
On Tuesday night, two Western Conference clubs made the trip to the East Coast and were promptly knocked out of the 2013 U.S. Open Cup by a pair of plucky USL Pro sides.
On Wednesday night, two teams from the NASL stepped up and doubled the underdogs' head count, dispatching visiting Western Conference opponents of their own.
After a wild Tuesday evening of upsets, narrow wins, red cards and last-minute goals, seven more Major League Soccer sides look to survive and advance in Wednesday's Third Round action in the 100th U.S. Open Cup.
Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro) vs. Chicago Fire (MLS): 7 p.
Sandy, UT Jason Kreis' nightmare scenario nearly came true.
A year after losing in the U.S. Open Cup third round to NASL club Minnesota Stars (now Minnesota United), Real Salt Lake conceded a lead just three minutes before full time, forcing this year's third round match against a lower division opponent into extra time.
The announcement to create New York City Football Club as the next Major League Soccer expansion franchise elicited positive responses from across the city and country.
However, the Borough Boys, a supporters club whose mission is to "assist in bringing a top flight soccer club to New York City," and to, "dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs," has announced their opposition to NYCFC.
In this episode Luke Lohr and Pedro Gomes to sit down and examine the impact that the 20th MLS team will have on the NASL's New York Cosmos, the results of the Open Cup and where each league stands in the tournament. Josh Hakala of TheCup.us steps in to shed light on the Open Cup's best talking points and Garth Lagerwey, General Manager of Real Salt Lake, joins to talk about the possibility of an RSL branded team competing in USL PRO.
Against the odds, four Premier Development League (PDL) sides came through victorious in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup, defeating professional opposition on Tuesday evening.
FC Tucson outlasted the NASL's San Antonio Scorpions on the road on penalty kicks, winning 4-3 after the score was level at 2-2 following regulation and extra time.
In this episode Luke Lohr and Pedro Gomes discuss the improvement of the US Men's National Team and the stunning results of the US Open Cup. Head Coach of Orlando City SC Adrian Heath joins the show to talk about the Lion's upset victory over Sporting Kansas City. Also joining is Head Coach of the Carolina RailHawks Colin Clarke reflecting on his side's defeat of a second MLS club and advancement in the US Open Cup.
Major League Soccer may be on a bit of an international break, but there's still plenty of action to go around this week in the form of the U.S. Open Cup fourth round. Twelve MLS sides are joined in the Round of 16 by four lower-tier competitors two from the NASL and a pair of USL-Pro clubs as well.
Major League Soccer may be on a bit of an international break, but there's still plenty of action to go around this week in the form of the U.S. Open Cup fourth round. Twelve MLS sides are joined in the Round of 16 by four lower-tier competitors two from the NASL and a pair of USL-Pro clubs as well.
Last year, half of Major League Soccer's 16 American clubs were bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup in the Third Round.
Barring an upset-heavy Wednesday night, more MLS clubs should survive in the tournament's centennial edition but the upset bug was buzzing all around the country on Tuesday.
It's that time of year again, the time of year when Major League Soccer sides enter U.S. Open Cup play. This year's tournament the hundredth edition of the cup features some intriguing third round match-ups. Let's take a look at this week's games.
The North American Soccer League hits the final stretch of the season as all seven teams rush to finish in at the top of the spring campaign.
From sitting atop the NASL table with 15 points to cruising to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup after a convincing 3-1 victory over Chivas USA, the Carolina RailHawks are entering this weekend of action with plenty of momentum.
The New York Cosmos has been rapidly constructing their roster ahead of the NASL fall season, and have already added some name recognition to the squad with the recent addition of Marcos Senna.
Now it appears they could be lining up a move for another familiar name to European soccer fans in the states.
Lost in the shuffle of this huge deal for New York FC are the Cosmos, who have now gone from hoping to one day be the city's second team to hoping against hope that one day in the distance future the league assumes a pro/rel structure. Pipe dreams. It seems only appropriate now to look back on my piece from last year on the Cosmos' strange history and how now they must enjoy life in the second
