Why Keeping Girls in Sports Matters Far Beyond Producing Elite Athletes
Most girls who play soccer will never become professionals—and that is not the point. New research connects sustained youth sports participation with leadership later in life, adding another reason why keeping girls in the game matters. Read more…
Seeing the NWSL Beyond Wins, Losses and Goals
Wins and losses tell only part of the NWSL story. Modern women’s soccer analytics can expose sustainable performance, hidden stars and warning signs that the standings alone cannot show. Read more…
NWSL CHAMPIONSHIP PICTURE
Gotham FC leads the NWSL after 22 matches, but standings alone cannot identify a championship contender. GOALNEWS looks at Gotham, Washington, Utah, San Diego and Portland through four tests that become increasingly important as November approaches: consistency, response, game management and decisive players.
VS
THE RESULT TELLS US WHO WON.
UNDERSTANDING THE MATCH TELLS US MUCH MORE.
Liga MX swept all four MLS clubs out of the 2026 Leagues Cup quarterfinals. But the four defeats did not tell the same story. GOALNEWS looks beyond the 4-0 result to examine what happened on the field, what changed from 2025, and what MLS can learn from an uncomfortable measuring stick.
→This rivalry-rich competition offers the winners a trophy, prize money and three Concacaf Champions Cup berths. Who’s in the mix and when they’ll face each other? Read more ….
One match. Two champions. One North American crown.
Inter Miami and Cruz Azul collide in Miami with the Campeones Cup at stake, and with LIGA MX leading MLS 4×3 in the competition’s history, there’s much more than another trophy on the line. Read more ….
IT WAS GOOD THAT YOU CAME!
Spain is the World Champion getting the crown from Argentina that still in the podium with silver medals. After thrilling Semifinals games with England losing to Argentina 1×2 and Spain downing France 2×0, the two finalists battled in NY for the world title. The youthful Spain frustrated the high end Argentina’s talent.
AMERICA 250 YEARS OF FREEDOM
Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States with a patriotic tribute to freedom, history, and the American spirit from 1776 to 2026.
Read MoreTHE BUILDUP TO 2030 IS OFFICIALLY IN MOTION
With Mauricio Pochettino secured through 2030, the USMNT is already turning the page from its memorable 2026 World Cup run. Four fall matches against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada will launch a new cycle — and the long process of discovering the team that can carry American soccer toward 2030.
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THE COMPETITION THAT CONNECTS AMERICAN SOCCER
The U.S. Open Cup doesn’t erase the differences between levels of American soccer
It puts them on the field. With all 27 U.S.-based MLS clubs returning in 2027, GOALNEWS examines what the competition contributes to the American soccer ecosystem and why its role goes far beyond its history.
The 2027 U.S. Open Cup will expand to 96 teams, including all 27 U.S.-based MLS clubs and 32 Open Division teams.
• That matters because the Open Cup’s distinctive role is not simply crowning another champion. It creates competitive connections between clubs that spend most of the season in separate leagues and divisions.
• Different resources. Different markets. Different competitive levels.
• One national tournament……
POCHETTINO GETS FOUR MORE YEARS TO BUILD THE USMNT
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be played across 16 host cities distributed throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
U.S. Soccer has extended Mauricio Pochettino and his staff through 2030. After navigating a compressed two-year road to the 2026 World Cup, the USMNT coach now gets a full cycle—and a broader role in shaping American soccer.
U.S. Soccer extends Mauricio Pochettino through 2030 after a successful World Cup run—and gives him a broader role in shaping the future of American soccer.
Mauricio Pochettino is staying.
• And this time, the assignment goes beyond the USMNT.
• Mexico: Multiple venues continuing the country’s World Cup hosting legacy (previously hosted 1970, 1986)
• Under the new agreement, Pochettino and his staff will also advise and support U.S. Soccer in areas including the National Team pathway, youth soccer, coaching education, professional league collaboration and other technical aspects of the American game.
Group FROM A TWO-YEAR RUSH TO A FOUR-YEAR PROJECT Pochettino’s first USMNT contract was always unusual. When U.S. Soccer hired him in 2024 following the team’s disappointing group-stage exit at Copa América, approximately two years remained before the United States would help host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That meant Pochettino inherited a team searching for identity and confidence while facing an unforgiving deadline.
