Category: MLS

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History of United States Men’s National Soccer Team in Houston

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The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) returns to Houston for the first time since the summer of 2016 when they face Chile at BBVA Compass Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26th. This will be the seventh time the U.S. men have played in the Bayou City. The first came in 1988 when they lost 2-0 to Ecuador. The most recent match came in July of 2016 when they were soundly beaten by Argentina 4-0 in the semifinal of Copa America Centenario. Overall the USMNT are 1-2-3 in Houston, the only victory coming against Panama in the 2011 … Continue reading History of United States Men’s National Soccer Team in Houston

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Top 5 Houston Dynamo CONCACAF Champions League Matches

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After a four year absence from the competition, the Houston Dynamo return to the 2018-2019 version of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) Tuesday night (9 p.m CST) (Yahoo Sports, Univision Deportes). The club automatically qualified into this years version of the CCL Round of 16 knockout stage when they won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Houston last September. The opening opponent for the Dynamo will be Guatemalan side CD Guastatoya, who qualified after winning a special two-legged playoff over Antigua GFC, scheduled when the suspension of the Guatemalan federation was lifted by FIFA. This will be the … Continue reading Top 5 Houston Dynamo CONCACAF Champions League Matches

Austin F.C., MLSLeave a comment

MLS Launches its Third Texas Club-Austin FC

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43 years after the San Antonio Spurs joined the National Basketball Association, the central part of Texas now has a second team in a high level national professional sports league. Austin FC was introduced as the 27th team in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top soccer league in the United States, during an unveiling ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.  MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Austin FC Chairman and CEO Anthony Precourt and Austin Mayor Steve Adler hosted the official launch in front of hundreds of passionate club supporters at a 6th Street Austin location. “We think about us (MLS) as a league … Continue reading MLS Launches its Third Texas Club-Austin FC

Austin F.C., MLS, USL Championship1 Comment

Austin’s Professional Soccer is TSJ’s Top Texas Story of 2018

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Austin Began 2018 with Zero Pro Soccer Teams and Ended with Two A book would be needed (and probably should be written) about the soap opera year in Austin professional soccer. After Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt announced late last year that he was exploring a relocation of his team to Austin, it set off a sequence of events that created front page news in both Austin and Columbus throughout the year. The first two stadium sites preferred by Precourt Sports Ventures (PSV) never got off the ground because of negative community reaction to the use of Austin parkland for … Continue reading Austin’s Professional Soccer is TSJ’s Top Texas Story of 2018

Austin F.C., FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, MLS, Texas Soccer History, US Open Cup2 Comments

Top 10 2018 Texas Soccer Stories # 5-1

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Link to Top 10 2018 Stories #10-6: #5: UPSL Builds Significant Momentum in Inaugural Season It is hard not to be impressed with the start-up of the United Professional Soccer League (UPSL) in Texas during 2018. This high level amateur league, since the first Texas teams were announced late in 2017, has rapidly expanded into a full fledged competition today. Successful Spring and Fall seasons were played during 2018 and the Conference is already planning to implement a promotion/relegation system in part of their Central Conference in 2019. A team in El Paso also began play in the Southwest Conference … Continue reading Top 10 2018 Texas Soccer Stories # 5-1

Amateur, FC Dallas, MLS, National Soccer Hall of Fame, NWSL (Houston Dash), Texas Soccer History, USL Championship2 Comments

Top 10 2018 Texas Soccer Stories: # 10-6

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First, Clint Dempsey announced his retirement from soccer on August 29. The Nacogdoches native is certainly the best male player ever to come from Texas and, arguably, also the best male player in U.S. Soccer history. During his career in MLS and England, Dempsey scored 129 goals. He also finished with 57 goals for the U.S. Mens National Team, tied for first all-time, and is the only American to score goals in three FIFA World Cups. Second, the 2026 FIFA World Cup was awarded to the joint bid from the U.S., Mexico and Canada in June. 17 finalist cities in … Continue reading Top 10 2018 Texas Soccer Stories: # 10-6

Amateur, FC Dallas, High Schools, Houston Dynamo, MLS, US Open Cup, USL Championship, YouthLeave a comment

2018 Favorite Texas Soccer Media

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Over the course of the year I watch, read and consume a lot of soccer related information. This post will attempt to highlight some of my favorite Texas soccer related media of all varieties from 2018. I obviously can’t read or watch everything and make no assertions that the media I highlight in this article are the “Best” of anything….because they are only my opinions and reflect my own taste. There will also invariably be a southern part of Texas slant because that it where I typically watch live soccer. Nevertheless, here goes and if I missed anything that readers … Continue reading 2018 Favorite Texas Soccer Media

Amateur, College Soccer, FC Dallas, High Schools, Houston Dynamo, MLS, YouthLeave a comment

2018 Top Texas Soccer Teams/Coach/Players

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Like other end-of-year lists I am publishing, this selection of various Teams, Coaches and Players is my best attempt at identifying excellence over the course of the year and not intended to be a “Best of” list. There is too much soccer activity in the State, for me at least, to make these kinds of claims. Before getting started, I would also like to highlight three Texas soccer Supporters Groups who went above and beyond this year. Dallas Beer Guardians, Houston’s Texian Army and San Antonio’s 210 Alliance were jointly awarded the Independent Supporters Council (ISC) Philanthropic Group of the … Continue reading 2018 Top Texas Soccer Teams/Coach/Players

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Favorite Texas Saves of 2018

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Like my favorite Goal of the Year post, I can’t pretend to have seen all of the saves over the course of the year in Texas. These are some of the saves that caught my attention. The winner was the double save by FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer against Philadelphia on April 21. The Contenders Houston Dynamo’s Joe Willis save against Portland in July https://www.houstondynamo.com/post/2018/11/02/joe-willis-nominated-mls-save-year Matt Cardone’s USL Save of the Week in September Diego Restrepo Save of the Week in May The Favorite Save of the Year Continue reading Favorite Texas Saves of 2018

FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, MLS, US Open Cup, USL ChampionshipLeave a comment

Favorite Texas Goals of 2018

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2018 produced outstanding goals from all over the State, including the NPSL Goal of the Year. My favorite was a cheeky effort from San Antonio FC’s Ever Guzman in July, that ended up being one of the easiest goals scored this year by the time it was in the net. I can’t pretend to have seen every goal scored in the thousands of matches played in Texas this year, but I have identified some of the goals that made an impression on me here. My apologies to the goal scorers I may have missed. The Contenders The Favorite Goal of the Year Continue reading Favorite Texas Goals of 2018