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2020 Ranking of MLS Academies 23-11

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Over the last decade we saw numerous changes in the American player development ecosystem.  All of the changes we made derived from when the United States Soccer Development Academy decide to go from a Spring season league to a 10-month year-round league starting in the fall of 2011. 

From there we have seen the quality of the average American soccer player increase, the depth of youth national teams spike, and the rise of Major League Soccer academies. Over the last five years MLS academies have seen a major increase in funding allowing them to provide better coaching, a professional training environment, a laid-out pathway to professional soccer, and better opportunities to go pro either through their teams or through opportunities to be found by a European scout. 

The academies have become stable enough that U.S. SOCCER decided to close the under-17 men’s national team residency down in Bradenton as the clubs would actually provide a better environment for players to develop in.  

Now as we head into the new decade we will see the MLS academies grow and provide a system that elite players all over the country will be able to join and fight for a chance to become a professional soccer player.  Now we are seeing a few clubs who have earned the right to say they are the best of the best in youth development and we have clubs who used to not care about player development who have begun investing in their club to produce their own homegrown talent.  Here I will lay out my opinion of where each active American Major League Soccer academy ranks amongst each other and will explain why I have determined these rankings.

The MLS Academies Rankings

Counting backward from 23. The first four teams are ranked at the bottom because their academies are so young that it is unfair to judge them on the same curve as the other 19 academies. 

23. Nashville SC

Nashville comes in last in this list because while they do have an MLS team, their academy will not start their first season until later this year.  THe academy will be completely hit or miss. When you look at southern states like Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana there is a lot of production in other sports (mostly football) so there is hope that they can launch a successful academy in a market that really has not shown much care for soccer. 

If they can identify and recruit players out of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to go along with the best players from Tennessee, then they do have a chance to produce some gems as those states do have the talent. The only thing to do is sit back and watch them work.

22. FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati better get used to not being very good as their academy will likely be one of the worst MLS academies in the league for a long time.  Larry Sunderland is a very good coach but they will need to actively recruit around the country to find players and will be competing for players against other small market clubs with much better track records.  The area of Cincinnati has been very poor at developing players. Bobby Puppione’s time at Cincinnati United Premier saw some very good players come through but none that would have been good enough to step up to the MLS level. 

They are a club that is in an area that does not have a lot of talent, surrounded by other cities with their own professional soccer academies (Louisville City FC, the Columbus Crew, and most likely Indy 11 at some point) and a club without much of a track record for player development will make things challenging to bring youth into their first team.  I would not expect this club to see results from their academy and I hope that Larry Sunderland can go to another club because he is too good of a coach to fight a losing battle.  

21. Minnesota United

Minnesota United are about a year or two away from no longer being considered a new academy so they will need to start signing their talented local players.  They have rolled out their academy in as slow of a manner as possible which is a huge knock against them as they are now in their third year of having an academy and have only signed Fred Emmings, a goalkeeper.  One has to wonder why they did not choose to absorb the Minnesota Thunder or Shattuck St Mary’s academies like Atlanta, who came into the league the same season, did with Georgia United which allowed them to immediately sign Andrew Carleton, Chris Goslin, George Bello, Patrick Okonkwo, and Lagos Kunga.  

The positives for Minnesota United are that they do have two very talented players in their academy.  Their next homegrown signing will be Patrick Weah, the cousin of Tim and nephew of George Weah. Patrick Weah however, is not the most talented player in their academy.  That title belongs to Bajung Darboe who is already playing up at the u16/17 level (2003’s) as a 2006. Darboe is one of the best players of his age group and will be a key player for youth national teams until the 2028 Olympics where he will still be eligible.  Minnesota needs to sign both players as soon as possible.

20. Inter Miami

 The best of the new academies is Inter Miami. They are owned by David Beckham who knows more than all what it takes to develop players. Beckham has stated multiple times that Miami plans to be a youth first club and seeing as how they are in a soccer hotbed in southern Florida there is a very good reason to be optimistic that this academy will be a conveyor belt of elite players every year.  

There are two players to particularly be excited about in their academy currently: Franky Raggio and Axel Perez.  Raggio has just been seen training with the u23 men’s national team and it should be assumed that he will be the club’s first homegrown signing.  Axel Perez is the player that people should keep an eye on over the years. Perez is very young (he is a 2007 and turns 13 this year) but has the composure, technical skills, and soccer IQ of a player much older than him and is a player who is regarded by many to be a potential wonder kid and is the best player in his age group so far, keep an eye on him. 

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Rankings 19-1 are of the established MLS academies who have had ample opportunity to develop a competitive and quality academy.

19. Portland Timbers

Portland has taken the prize for the worst Major League Soccer academy.  The only teams ranked lower than them are there because they are so young that you can’t actually rank them fairly.  Portland has literally done nothing with their academy since they became a team in 2011. Their best academy product is Marco Farfan… yes, I know, that’s depressing to think about. 

There are no excuses for their complete lack of success as other teams in smaller markets have managed to develop their own prospects. Portland had a gem in Rubio Rubin who they couldn’t even convince to join their academy as he elected to play for Westside Metros instead.  They destroyed the career of Adrian Villegas as well who was a pretty promising midfielder. The only player in their academy with a future in professional soccer is Masango Akale, younger brother of former u16 youth national team standout Mukwelle Akale. They are without a doubt, the worst Major League Soccer academy. 

18. Orlando City

The only positive about Orlando City’s academy is that they are not as bad as the Portland Timbers but outside of that there is nothing good to say.  They have four homegrown players on their roster and only one was signed directly out of the academy which is Jordan Bender. Orlando City is now entering their sixth season so there is no reason that they could not have produced one player capable of getting first team minutes as a teenager.  The area is not lacking for talent either so that is not an excuse, just ask Dillon Payne (@DontTreadSoccer) and he will tell you about every talented player the area has ever had and then fall into depression after because Orlando City are so terrible.  

The only good thing is that they at least have a USL team that has played academy players but that is literally it, there is nothing else that can be thought of as a positive for this academy.  They should not be expected to improve unless they are taken over by new ownership and hire a new GM. If you are an Orlando City fan, I am sorry.

17. Houston Dynamo

The Dynamo’s only successful homegrown is Memo Rodriguez and from there their only real academy prospect is Marcelo Palomino who is back in Houston after not finding a club in Europe.  Houston like Chicago sit on top of a massive metro population so the complete lack of production falls directly under the reasoning of the organization being completely incompetent.  

There is hope for the Dynamo as they have brought in the best youth coach in the country in USMNT legend and former u20 youth national team coach Tab Ramos.  No one in the country knows more about the youth landscape than Tab and no one knows how to better develop young players than Tab. If there was an academy to bet on becoming a power house out of nowhere then bet on the Dynamo.  Tab will likely revitalize the Dynamo to become the second homegrown factory in the state and a real rival to FC Dallas.

16. Chicago Fire

Chicago may be the most disappointing of the MLS academies yet.  This is because they have had success at the Development Academy level and then refused to sign hardly any players out of high school until 2019.  The only exception to this has been Djordje Mihailovic who has plateaued over the course of 2019. They have waited too long to sign players and let them go to college when they could have immediately been signed out of high school.  The list of players that apply for this are Mauricio Pineda, Grant Lillard, and Harrison Shipp. The list of players who have played for other clubs in the area or the Fire have passed on signing is down right depressing. Here are some of those names: Andrija Novakovic, Chris Mueller, Emmanuel Sabbi, Joshua Penn, Cam Lindley, Axel Alejandre, Andrew Gutman, Michael Jimenez, Perry Kitchen, and so many more.  The most disappointing part is that they discontinued their u18/19 Development Academy team which means that their best prospects have been stuck playing at the u17 level all season which is not a high enough level for their development.  

However, there is some very good news.  They may have finally learned their lesson! Since the start of 2019 they have actually decided to start signing players including Gabe Slonina, Nick Slonina, Andre Reynolds, Javier Casas, Brian Gutierrez, and Alex Monis.  They also have two of the best 2004’s in the country in Allan Rodriguez-Lopez and Justin Reynolds who will be receiving contracts soon enough. On top of that the Fire have also announced a partnership with Forward Madison FC in the USL where they will be able to send all of those signings to get minutes against better competition.  If the club’s new ownership decides to dive into the academy then they could quickly become a power house as the Fire are home to the third largest metro-population and have relatively little competition for players compared to other MLS academies.

15. New England Revolution

The best of the worst is the New England Revolution. The good news is they have had some success with Diego Fagundez, and Scott Caldwell.  The bad news is that is all they have done since becoming a team in 1996. They should have signed Justin Rennicks when he was 18 but decided to be petty and wait an extra two years just because he went and trained at other clubs in Europe.  

There are some positives that have recently developed.  They have announced the addition of a USL team and have picked up the rate of signing homegrown players.  The potential downside is that Bruce Arena is their coach and he was not exactly friendly to young players during his recent tenure at the Galaxy or with the USMNT (Pulisic doesn’t count).  Take the steps they have taken recently with care, we have no idea if the organization will change their ways yet.

14. Los Angeles FC

LAFC ranks very high for a brand-new academy because they already have numerous prospects who are contract ready including Antonio Leone, Erik Duenas, Luis Lima, Donovan Palomares, and Christian Torres.  At the rate they are going, they will quickly surpass LA Galaxy’s academy in the same manner as how their first team has quickly emerged as the best soccer team in the city of LA.

What they need now is to sign their first player (looking right at Antonio Leone) and launch a USL team to house all of these young prospects that they are producing.  

LAFC has done a fantastic job in developing what I think is the best local scouting networks amongst MLS academies.  If you haven’t taken a listen to the Scuffed podcast with LAFC Academy Director Todd Saldana I highly suggest that you do.  At the rate LAFC are going, the will become the top academy before the end of the decade. 

13. San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose is an academy that is improving but still has a long way to go.  They have been a club since 1996 and have managed to only sign seven homegrown players which is to put it lightly… awful.  With those homegrown’s they have seen some moderate success as Nick Lima and Tommy Thompson (still the greatest name of all time) have both made regular appearances for the first team over the years and Lima has received nine USMNT caps since Gregg Berhalter took over which is a big positive for the Earthquakes academy.  But only seven homegrown players in 24 years as a club is a haunting number. The good news is that four of the seven are 18 or younger so they are trending up as of late.  

The key for their academy success is obvious, identify, develop, and sign more players.  The Earthquakes sit on top of the fifth largest combined statistical area according to the 2018 census so there is a huge market to get players but they have to start scouting the area more first and make sure the best area talent is in their system.  The talent they have signed over the last three years in Gilbert Fuentes, Jacob Akanyirige, Cade Cowell, and Casey Walls are all quality players who have gotten great USL experience and Cowell may potentially be in the immediate first team plans as he made his MLS debut on March 7th this year.  So, overall the last few years have been positive for the Earthquakes but they have the potential to be doing much better. 

12. Atlanta United

Atlanta United does a great job at producing great prospects at the academy level but they have done a horrific job of taking those academy products and turning them into first team players.  Andrew Carleton was the undisputed best prospect for his age group and is now playing for Indy 11 because the first team has failed him, Chris Goslin was a top midfield prospect for the 2000’s and was released from his contract… last I know he was playing in Armenia. 

They still have a chance to break the cycle with George Campbell and George Bello. Bello would have been their first homegrown success if not for some very unfortunate injuries. Atlanta are aware of their mistakes as shown in this article by Felipe Cardenas.

What Atlanta does well is identifying talented prospects and turning them into USL level players but taking the next step and getting a player to go from USL to MLS has been a test that Atlanta has yet to pass.  Once they can unlock the secret that other clubs have seem to figured out then they will become a youth development gold mine. Their academy is stacked with talent with players like Nigel Prince, Efrain Morales, Will Reilly, Daniel Mangarov, Jackson Conway, Tyler Wolff, Caleb Wiley, Kobey Stoupp, Brendan Lambe, Andrew Durkin, Alan Carleton, Italo Jenkins, Ty Wilson, Ty Wilson and more.  If they can finally turn academy players into first team players then they will completely change the player development game and immediately become a top tier academy, but they can’t keep being a homegrown graveyard like they have been up until now or they will fall down this list.

11. Columbus Crew

Columbus have had one incredibly successful homegrown in Wil Trapp and then they have had unsuccessful homegrown players in Ben Swanson and Matt Lampson.  Their academy has been improving as of late as they have been ramping up their funding and recruiting efforts which has paid off in three recent signings of Aboubacar Keita, Aidan Morris, and Sebastian Berhalter.  They do have some talent in the academy in Elton Chifamba, Sam Sarver, and Noah Hall that should be signed within the next year as well. What is keeping them from the top ten is that under Gregg Berhalter they did not incorporate youth prospects well outside of Wil Trapp who was the poster of the club for the last year.  

Columbus need to tap into the Cleveland market more which is completely underserved and sign their promising talents and loan them to USL teams (or… launch your own program that can play at Mapfire Stadium which will soon be vacant).  Columbus let players like Aboubacar Keita, Aidan Morris, Sebastian Berhalter and Isaiah Parente go to college when they all should have been signed out of high school and loaned out to get better experience than what college soccer provides.  If they can sign, develop, and integrate homegrown players into USL teams and MLS teams at a quicker rate then they will quickly rise up this list.

Check out 10-1 top MLS academies.

USMNT

2024: A Pivotal Year for the USMNT

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Thomas Deschaine (@uskeeper on X/Formally Twitter)


Photo From: USA Today-John Locher, AP – 18, June 2023 – 2023 Concacaf Nations League 

As the fog hovered over Estadio Parque Artigas Stadium in Paysandú, Uruguay in the 58th minute Eric Wynalda received the ball on the right wing with Joe-Max Moore making a run forward and in front of  Wynalda who delivered a pass to Moore who then went down preventing the ball from being taken away and sending it back to Wynalda who slides forward and scores the third goal of the match and his third goal of the tournament, making it 3-0 USA over tenth-ranked Argentinians and all but sealing the win and the top spot in Group C at the 1995 Copa America. The win for this USMNT consisted of 17 players from the 1994 World Cup team who reached their pinnacle with this group of players finishing fourth at this Copa America.

Over the previous three decades, the USMNT has had some of the biggest wins in the team’s history. During the 1999 Confederations Cup, which was played in Mexico the USMNT played a hard-fought match against the fifth-ranked Germans defeating them 2-0 in the final group stage match and finishing third overall in the tournament. The USMNT would also have an even bigger result against second-ranked Spain in the semi-finals of the 2009 Confederations Cup when they ended Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak in a 2-0 victory that would send them to the final against Brazil.

2024 is the midway point of the 2026 FIFA World Cup cycle, and the next two windows for the USMNT who as a team and federation need to start ascending to their apex with this group to ensure that they have an amazing performance at the 2026 World Cup.

The USMNT has already played their first match, a 1-0 defeat to Slovenia, but need to quickly focus on the March window 2024 CONCACAF Nations League Finals where they will play Jamaica in the semi-final round and a win would put the USMNT in their third straight Nations League Final where they would have a chance to play either Mexico or Panama and win their third straight Concacaf Nations League trophy.

Some 90 days later the USMNT will be kicking off only their fifth appearance at the Copa America Tournament, with the stakes for this group at an all-time high and where success is demanded from the players, coaches, fans, and the federation. Will this current group of USMNT players and coaches be able to progress to the next level against the elite teams of CONMEBOL? It’s worth noting that the USMNT has finished fourth twice at Copa America in 1995 and 2016, however, the USMNT finished 32nd at the 1998 World Cup and failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

The U-23 USMNT will also be playing the Olympics for the first time since 2008, which provides a great opportunity for those U-23 players to get noticed on a big stage. There are many eligible players who if released by their clubs will have a great opportunity to impress while helping the U-23 USMNT make a deep run at the 2024 Olympics in France.

As it becomes increasingly harder for the USMNT to schedule non-Concacaf opponents the US Soccer Federation will need to get creative in who and where they schedule these Friendly matches. The June window offers up the best opportunities for the USMNT to schedule matches against other CONMEBOL teams, preferably in Groups A and B which feature Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela

Edgar Moreno on X, formally Twitter, reported that the USMNT and Colombia have scheduled a Friendly headed into Copa America. It was also reported on Goal.com that Colombia will be scheduling a total of four matches leading into the tournament, two of which will be taking place in Europe. While there are challenges with timing and logistics around scheduling Friendlies with UEFA teams, USSF really needs to do everything possible to secure a similar type of schedule headed into Copa America but, rarely schedules USMNT Friendlies outside of the FIFA International window, which Colombia would need to do to make that schedule work. 

 It has been recently rumored that the USMNT might close to scheduling a Friendly with Colombia headed into Copa America. The September and October windows have few quality opponents available, at the time of the article it appears that the September window could be an opportunity to play schedule matches with teams from the CAF Confederation, but those matches would likely need to be played at neutral sites in Europe. 

2024 USMNT Window

MarchJune WindowCopa AmericaSeptemberOctoberNovember
CNL Finals                 March 18-26Friendlies            June 3-11                                  June 20-July 14Friendlies           Sept. 2-10Friendlies           Oct. 7-15CNL quarterfinals       Nov. 11-19

Below are eight years since the 1994 cycle that at the time were considered big years for the USMNT as they were playing in FIFA tournaments against teams from other confederations. Below is a look at how they fared.

1992

6 Wins, 4 Draws, 11 Losses, GF-21, GA-27

Third Place at the King Fahd Cup renamed Confederations Cup in 1997 edition.

First at U.S. Cup (Participating teams –Ireland, Italy & Portugal)

Top Goal Scorers

5-Eric Wynalda
3-Hugo Perez
3-Marcelo Balboa
2-Bruce Murray
2-John Harkes

Goalkeeper Stats

5 Wins – Tony Meola
4 Shutouts – Tony Meola


Photo From: Soccer International, Volume 3, Issue 12, December 1992

1993

10 Wins, 11 Draws, 13 Losses, GF-45, GA-44

Twelfth place at Copa America 

Second Place at Gold Cup

Third Place at U.S. Cup (Participating teams – Brazil, England & Germany)

34 matches played 1st All-Time

11 Draws tied for 1st All-Time with 1994

13 Loses 1st All-Time

44 Goals Conceded 1st All-Time

Top Goal Scorers

8-Joe-Max Moore
7-Dominic Kinnear
4-Alexi Lalas
4-Thomas Dooley

Goalkeeper Stats

Photo From:  El Grafico Number 3847, June 16, 1993

7 Wins – Tony Meola
8 Shutouts – Tony Meola

1995

5 Wins, 3 Draws, 6 Losses, GF-20, GA-18

Fourth Place at Copa America

First at U.S. Cup (Participating teams – Colombia, Mexico & Nigeria)

Top Goal Scorers

3-Eric Wynalda
2-Joe-Max Moore
2-Alexi Lalas
2-John Harkes

Goalkeeper Stats

3 Wins – Kasey Keller
2 Shutouts – Brad Friedel & Kasey Keller

Photo From: DIEGO GIUDICE Associated Press file, July 14, 1995

1999

7 Wins, 2 Draws, 4 Losses, GF-19, GA-11

Third Place at Confederations Cup

Second Place at U.S. Cup (Participating teams – Bolivia, Guatemala & Mexico)

Top Goal Scorers

3-Joe-Max Moore
3-Brian McBride
2-Ben Olsen
2-Jovan Kirovski
2-Frankie Hedjuk

Goalkeeper Stats

2 Wins – Brad Friedel & Kasey Keller
2 Shutouts – Brad Friedel & Tony Meola


Photo From: FIFA Report- 1999 Mexico, July 30, 1999

2003

10 Wins, 2 Draws, 4 Losses, GF-28, GA-10

Seventh Place at Confederations Cup

Third place at Gold Cup

Top Goal Scorers

7-Landon Donovan
4-Carlos Bocanegra
3-Brian McBride
3-Chris Klein

Goalkeeper Stats

6 Wins – Kasey Keller
5 Shutouts – Kasey Keller

Photo From: FIFA Confederations Cup, June 23, 2003

2007

12 Wins, 1 Draws, 5 Losses, GF-31, GA-19

Twelfth Place at Copa America 

First Place at Gold Cup

Top Goal Scorers

9-Landon Donovan
3-Clint Dempsey
3- DaMarcus Beasley
2-Eddie Johnson
2-Benny Feilhaber
2-Carlos Bocanegra

Goalkeeper Stats

8 Wins – Tim Howard
4 Shutouts – Tim Howard

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Guillermo Legaria/EPA/Shutterstock (8021271j) Argentinean Striker Lionel Messi (r) and U S Mildfielder Ricardo Clarck Figth For the Ball During the Copa America Group C Soccer Match Argentina Vs Usa at the Pachencho Romero Stadium in Maracaibo Venezuela 28 June 2007 Venezuela Maracaibo Venezuela Soccer Copa America – Jun 2007


Photo From: Guillermo Legaria – FIFA Copa America, June 28, 2007 

2009

13 Wins. 3 Draws, 8 Losses, GF-43, GA-36

Second Place at Confederations Cup

Second Place at Gold Cup

Top Goal Scorers

6-Jozy Altidore
5-Landon Donovan
4-Clint Dempsey
4-Michael Bradley
3- Sacha Kljestan
3- Charlie Davies

Goalkeeper Stats

7 Wins – Tim Howard
4 Shutouts – Tim Howard


Photo From: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

2016

12 Wins, 1 Draw, 6 Losses, GF-37, GA-20

Fourth Place at Copa America

Top Goal Scorers

6-Jozy Altidore
4-Bobby Wood
4-Clint Dempsey
3-Christian Pulisic
3-Gyasi Zardes

Goalkeeper Stats

8 Wins – Brad Guzan
6 Shutouts – Brad Guzan


Photo From: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Expectations for the in 2024 USMNT

The USMNT is expected to once again advance to the Nations League Final and with their full fit A Squad should be able to bring home their third Nations League trophy, but the 2024 Copa America tournament is very possible the most important non-World Cup the USMNT has even competed it. How success and failure will be determined by the USSF and fans will be interesting to follow. Gregg Berhalter has to prove that he can put together a roster, a formation that allows for simple and effective tactics that will allow the USMNT to not only compete against some top-tier nations but beat them. Success for me isn’t just advancing to the semi-finals of Copa America The USMNT needs to perform at the next level against the top-tier nations, something that I’ve only seen a handful of times in my nearly 35 years as a USMNT fan.

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USMNT

USMNT’S Next Great Location

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Where the USMNT Should Play Next and Why?

26 JUN 1994: COBI JONES#13 OF USA FIGHTS OFF THE CHALLENGE FROM FLORIN RADUCIOIU OF ROMANIA DURING THEIR 1994 WORLD CUP GROUP A MATCH AT THE ROSE BOWL STADIUM IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA. ROMANIA WON THE MATCH 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT

The largest USMNT home attendance of 93,869 took place at the 1994 World Cup in a 1-0 loss to Romania at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The U.S. men’s national team announced last month that their only January Camp 2024 Friendly match would be played in the nearly 8,300-seat Toyota Field, home of the USL Championship team San Antonio FC. This marks only the third time USMNT has played a match in a USL venue, the last match was in March 2018, at WakeMed Soccer Park, in Cary, North Carolina. It also marked the 16th time that the USMNT will be playing a match at a venue with a capacity of less than 10,000 (USMNT have played 13 matches at 10,000 seat capacity). 

How and where USMNT decides to play matches has recently been scrutinized by fans who live in areas of the United States where matches are rarely — or never — played. Back in March 2023, the USMNT played their final Concacaf Nations League match in Orlando, making its sixth appearance in Orlando since Exploria Stadium opened in 2017. The USMNT has also played seven matches in the state of Ohio since the beginning of the 2018 cycle, four of which have been played in Cincinnati, which is tied for the second most matches played in a city since 2018. USMNT fans nationwide who haven’t been able to attend a local or regional match recently continue to ask why the same handful of venues continue to be selected, even for Friendly matches.  

Since the beginning of the 2018 cycle, the USMNT has played 62 home matches at 28 venues, but 10 of those venues have hosted three or more times. The USSF doesn’t have control over which venues the USMNT will play their Gold Cup and Nation League Finals matches, but it does with friendlies, World Cup Qualifiers, and all home Nations League matches. 

During the Gregg Berhalter era (yes, I am counting the six-ish months when Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan coached) the USMNT played the second- and third-longest consecutive home match stretches; 15 consecutive home matches in 2019 and 14 consecutive home matches in 2023. Both were years when the Gold Cup was played. The longest stretch was in 1994 when the USMNT hosted the World Cup and played 17 consecutive home matches. As we look forward to 2024 it is possible that the USMNT could reach 16 consecutive home matches played if they can play the maximum amount of Copa America matches and don’t schedule any road or neutral location matches during the September and October windows.

When posting on X (formerly Twitter) about the match at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, the USMNT account said, “Another stadium to cross off the list,” which appears to be a jab at the USMNT fans about venue selection. The recently scheduled January Camp match scheduled in San Antonio isn’t the first time the USMNT has played in this city. They beat Costa Rica 1-0 in 1988 at Alamo Stadium and in 2015 beat Mexico 2-0 at the Alamodome.

Breaking Down Recent USMNT Home Matches


Below are the US Cities in which the USMNT has played since the beginning of the 2018 cycle up through the group stage matches of Copa America 2024.

Kansas City, Kansas*5
Orlando, Florida5
Arlington, Texas4
Austin, Texas4
Cincinnati, Ohio4
Nashville, Tennessee4
Carson, California3
Paradise, Nevada3
St. Louis, Missouri3
St. Paul, Minnesota3

Below are the US States in which the USMNT has played since the beginning of the 2018 cycle through the Copa America 2024 group matches.

Texas10
Florida7
Ohio7
California6
Kansas*5
Missouri4
Tennessee4

*All three 2021 Gold Cup Group Stage matches were played at the same location.

In the past, locations and venue selection for World Cup qualifiers haven’t been ideal to ensure a true home-field advantage for the USMNT (see the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey). The US Soccer Federation has started to rely on the same 7 or 8 venues for critical matches. But, with the USMNT not needing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, USSF has a great opportunity to play in locations they have never played before, or at least in recent memory.

As it currently stands, the USMNT hasn’t played a match in 22 of the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) and there are seven states in which the USMNT hasn’t played a match in nearly 10 years. Indiana, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Kentucky are the four most populated states to never host a USMNT match, and very much overdue to get matches scheduled at those locations.

One of the seven locations that haven’t seen the USMNT play in over 10 years is Michigan, which has seen two of the largest crowds to watch International Club soccer, the largest attendance of 109,318 in 2014 when Manchester United defeated Real Madrid 3-1 and the 2nd largest attendance of 105,826 in 2016 saw Real Madrid defeat Chelsea 3-2 both were played at the University of Michigan Stadium aka “The Big House”.

Which State or Venue Should the USMNT Play at Next?

Here’s a look at 10 locations/venues where I would like to see the USMNT play over the next couple of cycles. There are some challenges in getting matches scheduled in certain states and venues due to the playing surface not being grass or the venue not being the required size, which is the case in many of the NCAA football fields. 

The below graphic shows the regions where the USMNT has played or already scheduled  457 home matches, up through the Copa America 2024 group stage.

Alabama

Protective Stadium Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham Legion FC – USL Championship & UAB Blazers – NCAA Football
Capacity – 47,100

C:\Users\desch\OneDrive\Desktop\USMNT_Venues\Alabama-Protective_Stadium.jpg

Under the management of Bruce Arena, the USMNT played three matches in Alabama during the 2002 and 2006 cycles, but haven’t returned in almost 18 years. 

Last three Matches played in Alabama

March 30, 2005 – 2-0 win vs Guatemala – Birmingham, Alabama – Legion Field – World Cup Qualifier

March 10, 2002 – 1-0 win vs Ecuador – Birmingham, Alabama – Legion Field – Friendly

March 12, 2000 – 1-1 draw vs Tunisia – Birmingham, Alabama – Legion Field – Friendly

Arkansas

War Memorial Stadium – Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock Rangers – USL2 & Secondary Home of Arkansas Razorbacks – NCAA Football
Capacity – 54,120

WholeHogSports - In UA's view, War Memorial in need of $10M update

Neither the US Men’s nor Women’s National teams have played a soccer match in the state of Arkansas. Another option could be to play at the recently announced expansion USL Championship team to be located in Northwest Arkansas. 

Last three Matches played in Arkansas

No matches played


Hawaii

New Aloha Stadium (2033 – 2038) – Honolulu, Hawaii
University of Hawaii – NCAA Football
Capacity – Expected 25,000 – 30,000

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With a new Aloha Stadium expected to be built and hopefully finished in the next 10 years, playing a match in Hawaii seems more likely an option for the USMNT in the future, the perfect opportunity for a January camp location.

Back in 2015, the USWNT had a scheduled victory tour match at the current Aloha Stadium but was canceled on the day of the match because the artificial turf surface at the stadium was deemed unplayable. 

Last three Matches played in Hawaii

No matches played

Idaho

Albertsons Stadium – Boise, Idaho
Boise State University – NCAA Football
Capacity – 36,387

Neither the USMNT nor the USWNT has ever played a match in Idaho, or any of the other surrounding states of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. However, in 2015 a friendly match was scheduled at the home of Boise State University at Albertsons Stadium, which is known for its blue surface, aka “Smurf Turf.”  The Basque Soccer Friendly featured Athletic Bilbao of La Liga against Club Tijuana of Liga MX in front of a crowd of 21,948 with Athletic Bilbao winning 2–0.   

Last three Matches played in Idaho

No matches played


Indiana

Future – Indy Eleven Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana
Indy Eleven – USL Championship
Capacity – 20,000

C:\Users\desch\OneDrive\Desktop\Eleven-Park.png

The senior USMNT has never played in the state of Indiana. The B Team, however, has played Olympic qualifying matches there for the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, as well as the 1987 Pan American Games, with games not counting as full international caps

Last three Matches played in Indiana

May 10, 1992 – 3-1 win vs Canada – Bloomington, Indiana – Bill Armstrong Stadium – Olympic Qualifying 

August 15, 1987 – 0-2 loss vs Argentina – Indianapolis, IN – Kuntz Memorial Soccer Stadium- Pan American Games

May 25, 1987 – 4-1 win vs El Salvador – Indianapolis, IN – Kuntz Memorial Soccer Stadium – Olympic Qualifying

Kentucky

Lynn Family Stadium – Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville City FC – USL Championship
Capacity – 11,700 (Expandable to 15,304)

It was nearly a full capacity crowd at Lynn Family Stadium Saturday on a hot evening as LouCity took on visiting Memphis. The boys in purple won, 3-0. June 12, 2021

Louisville City FC has been one of the more successful and popular USL teams in recent seasons and has an amazing fan base. This spurred the building of their soccer stadium in 2018. It is a logical location for a USMNT match. 

Last three Matches played in Kentucky

No matches played

New York City

Future – New York City FC – Bronx, New York
New York City FC – MLS Team
Capacity – 25,000

The US Men’s National Team hasn’t played in the New York City area in nearly 40 years, even though they have played matches at the home stadium of the New York Red Bulls which is in New Jersey. 

Last three Matches played in New York City Area

November 30, 1984 – 0-0 draw vs Ecuador – Hempstead, New York – Hofstra Stadium– Friendly

September 15, 1968 – 3-3 draw vs Israel – Bronx, New York – Yankee Stadium – Friendly

May 27, 1964 – 0-10 loss vs England – Randall’s Island, New York – Downing Stadium – Friendly

New York (Upstate)

Future – Buffalo Bills stadium (2026) – Orchard Park, New York
Buffalo Bills – NFL Team
Capacity – 62,000

Buffalo Bills unveil first design images of their new $1.4 billion stadium

The US Men’s National Team has never played in Upstate New York and with the new stadium being built for the Buffalo Bills — expected to be finished sometime in 2026 — the area would have a good venue for the USMNT to play.

Last three Matches played in Update New York

No matches played

New Mexico

Proposed – New Mexico United Stadium – Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico United – USL Championship
Capacity – 12,000

https://soccerstadiumdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NewMexico-conceptual2020.jpg

Another stadium option for the USMNT in New Mexico would be University Stadium also in Albuquerque, which had a seating capacity of over 30,000, however the overall attendance in the only three matches played there wasn’t impressive.

Last three Matches played in New Mexico

March 19, 2005 – 1-0 win vs Honduras – Albuquerque, New Mexico – University Stadium – Friendly

April 30, 1994 – 0-2 loss vs Chile – Albuquerque, New Mexico – University Stadium – Friendly

June 7, 1988 – 0-1 loss vs Ecuador – Albuquerque, New Mexico – University Stadium – Friendly (Clasico International Cup)

Oregon

Providence Park – Portland Oregon
Portland Timbers – MLS
Capacity – 25,218

It’s been 10 years since the USMNT has played in Oregon and with the Pacific Northwest being a soccer-crazed region, is time for the USMNT to return, while the stadium is currently using field turf they would have to make the necessary accommodations to support a grass service.

Last three Matches played in Oregon

July 9, 2013 – 6-1 win vs Belize – Portland, Oregon – Jeld-Wen Field – Gold Cup-Group Stage

May 24, 1998 – 2-0 win vs Kuwait – Portland, Oregon – Civic Stadium – Friendly

September 7, 1997 – 1-0 win vs Costa Rica Portland, Oregon – Civic Stadium – World Cup Qualifier


Other venues and locations considered were Paladin Stadium at Furman University in South Carolina, Memphis 901 FC recently announced a new 10,000-seat stadium to be built in Memphis, Tennessee in the next several years, and Riccardo Silva Stadium home of the USL Championship team Miami FC. Louisiana is another state which has two venues, the Tad Gormley Stadium and the Superdome both of which the US Women’s National Team has played at in the past and could be suitable options for the USMNT in the future.


What are the next and necessary steps for the US Soccer Federation?

With so many high-profile soccer tournaments to be played in the United States over the next six years, this is a great opportunity for the USSF to expand its reach and bring the USMNT to places it’s never been. As it relates to attendance and ticket pricing, the USSF needs to figure out the formula that would allow for maximum capacity at all home matches while allowing for the federation to bring in the necessary revenue desired. Here’s hoping that the United States Soccer Federation sees it the same way and acts accordingly. 

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USMNT

Away From the USA

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Away From the U.S.A.

The US Men’s National Team just wrapped up their 2023 campaign with yet another Gregg Berhalter road loss to Trinidad and Tobago in a critical match, but this time the USMNT was able to qualify for the 2024 Copa America.

For decades the philosophy for the US Men’s National Team when playing in FIFA competitive Concacaf road matches was to play for the draw, which doesn’t really provide the necessary mindset or winning culture for a nation that has more money & resources that most of the 41 teams of Concacaf.

I am not suggesting that it’s easy to play road matches in Concacaf, there aren’t a lot of challenges that the team encounters from the field conditions, fans surrounding team buses on their way to the stadium and the passionate fans yelling and cheering against their team’s opponent.  

It’s rare for the USMNT to play road Concacaf Friendly matches. Here’s a breakdown of those matches played since the 1990 cycle.

2022 Cycle – 2 Wins, GF-10, GA-3
2 Neutral Match Friendlies played at Wiener Neustadt, Austria

2018 Cycle – 2 Wins, GF-5, GA-1
2 Road matches against Cuba & Puerto Rico

2014 Cycle – 2 Wins & 1 Draw GF-2, GA-0
3 Road matches against Canada, Mexico & Panama

2010 Cycle
No Matches played

2006 Cycle – 1 Win, GF-2, GA-1
1 Road matches against Jamaica

2002 Cycle – 1 Draw GF-2, GA-2
1 Road matches against Jamaica

1998 Cycle – 1 Win, 1 Loss, GF-3, GA-1
2 Road matches against Jamaica & Trinidad & Tobago

1994 Cycle – 1 Win, 2 Draws & 3 Losses, GF-5, GA-9
6 Road matches against Jamaica & Trinidad & Tobago

1990 Cycle – 2 Wins, 1 Loss, GF-2, GA-1
3 Road matches two against Guatemala & the other against Bermuda

USMNT Managers Concacaf Road Results

Below is a look at the road result for World Cup qualifying for the USMNT by cycle, with the 2022 and 2018 cycles being two of the worst performance from the USMNT, with the 2006 and 2010 cycles being the only ones where the USMNT had the winning road record, however, both of those years Concacaf qualify only provide byes for top teams for the 1st round of qualifies and saw the USMNT playing the 2nd Round and beat Grenada at home 3-0 and 3-2 on the road during the  2006 cycle and also beat Barbados at home 8-0 and won 1-0 on the road in the 2010 cycle.

2022 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Gregg Berhalter
1 Win, 3 Draws & 3 Losses, 6 pts, GF-5, GA-7

2018 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Jurgen Klinsmann (1-1-2) & Bruce Arena (0-3-1)
1 Win, 4 Draws & 3 Losses, 5 pts, GF-10, GA-11

2014 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Jurgen Klinsmann
3 Wins, 2 Draws & 3 Losses, 11 pts, GF-11, GA-12

2010 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Bob Bradley
5 Wins, 1 Draw & 3 Losses, 16 pts, GF-12, GA-11

2006 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Bruce Arena
4 Wins, 3 Draws & 2 Losses, 15pts, GF-13, GA-10

2002 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Bruce Arena
2 Wins, 3 Draws & 3 Losses, 9 pts, GF-8, GA-7

1998 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Steve Sampson
2 Wins, 4 Draws & 2 Losses, 10 Pts, GF-10, GA-8

1990 – WCQ Road Results – Managed by Bob Gansler (2-1-1) & Lothar Osiander (0-1-0)
2 Wins, 2 Draws & 1 Loss, 8 Pts, GF-2, GA-1

A look at the past USMNT managers road World Cup qualifying results from the 1990 cycle to 2022 cycle.

Gregg Berhalter

Away
1 Win, 4 Draws & 5 Losses, GF-7, GA-12

-USMNT score zero goals in their 4 losses & 2 goals in their 3 draws

Neutral
1 Win, 0 Draws & 0 Losses, GF-4, GA-0

Jurgen Klinsmann

Away
4 Wins, 3 Draws & 5 Losses, GF-17, GA-18

Klinsmann had 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses in road matches during the 2018 cycle before being fired.

Bob Bradley

Away
5 Wins, 1 Draws & 3 Losses, GF-12, GA-11

Bruce Arena

Away
6 Wins, 9 Draws & 7 Losses, GF-25, GA-23

Arena’s road record after replace Jurgen Klinsmann during the 2018 cycle was 0 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss.

Steve Sampson

Away
2 Wins, 3 Draws & 2 Losses, GF-8, GA-6

Bob Gansler

Away
1 Win, 2 Draws & 1 Loss, GF-1, GA-1

Neutral
1 Win, 0 Draws & 0 Losses, GF-1, GA-0

USA vs. Concacaf and their struggles.

Here’s a breakdown of the road World Cup Qualifying results for most common USMNT opponents from 1990 through 2022 cycles. The USMNT has a road record against the below Concacaf teams of 13 Wins, 21 Draws, and 19 Losses with a GF-51, GA-62, and having never won a World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica or Mexico.


In an effort to prepare themselves for the smog and high altitude of Azteca, the USMNT has taken many measures to prepare one of which has been the use of hyperbaric chambers leading up to the matches. While other road Concacaf venues have different challenges this is the only known extra preparation the USMNT has taken to try and give themselves an advance and I have wondered why we don’t see more of an effort to do things like this for other road Concacaf opponents.

Costa Rica
0 Wins, 0 Draws & 10 Losses, GF-6, GA-25

El Salvador
2 Wins, 2 Draws & 0 Losses, GF-6, GA-3

Guatemala
1 Win, 5 Draws & 1 Loss, GF-5, GA-6

Honduras
3 Wins, 1 Draw & 1 Loss, GF-11, GA-7

Jamaica
1 Win, 5 Draws & 1 Loss, GF-5, GA-5

Mexico
0 Wins, 4 Draws & 3 Losses, GF-3, GA-6

Panama
2 Wins, 2 Draws & 1 Loss, GF-8, GA-5

Trinidad & Tobago
4 Wins, 2 Draws & 2 Loses, GF-7, GA-5

What this means

Everything the USMNT has experienced over the last 30-plus years suggests that the mindset, preparation, and mentality for road matches especially in Concacaf needs to greatly improve if US Men’s Soccer is ever going to become a consistent elite nation on the International stage.

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