• 2020 rewind: Silent stadiums and hot debates on anthems, coaching, soccer's rules and urgently needed reform
    Below is a selection of columns from 2020 that have provoked mostly helpful and civilized dialogue from our readership.
  • Sam Okpodu on the joys of coaching at various levels and creating opportunities for Black players and coaches
    The age, gender - even the continent - of his players does not matter. "When you love the game, you will coach at any level."
  • Coach Vlatko Andonovski's Olympic challenge: How to get all four excellent midfielders on the field
    Most coaches would love this problem, even though it complicates the lineup choices and could even result in the omission of a national team star on the Olympic roster.
  • Josh Wolff on launching Austin FC with former World Cup teammate Claudio Reyna, and the influence of Bob Bradley and Gregg Berhalter
    During a 15-year playing career Josh Wolff played for some of the country's finest coaches: Bob Bradley, Bruce Arena, Bob Gansler, Peter Vermes, Clive Charles.
  • Searching for solutions to the global problem of referee abuse
    Tom Webb and his colleagues identify the importance of training and mentoring, especially to keep young referees from quitting at the first sign of trouble.
  • Amanda Vandervort on women's pro soccer worldwide: the strides, setbacks and FIFPro's call to action
    COVID's effects on soccer are well-documented. Professional, college, high school and youth seasons have been shortened or canceled. Spectators are banned or limited.
  • Georgetown's Brian Wiese on college soccer's uncharted waters for pro hopefuls and high school recruits
    Georgetown University, whose men's soccer won the 2019 D1 College Cup, implemented some of the nation's strictest precautions against COVID spread
  • Wise and witty 'Farther Corner' takes us back to England's Northeast
    The very character of non-League soccer in England is a lure for romantics, nostalgics and anyone with time to spare who feels at home in a soccer stadium.
  • Stanford's Paul Ratcliffe on training his champions during COVID, video recruiting, and the remarkable Catarina Macario
    If not for the pandemic, this would have been the week when Stanford had hoped to become the first back-to-back women's NCAA Division I champion since 2009.
  • Comparing youth leagues in the wake of the DA's demise
    Let's say this at the outset: All youth soccer rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. Maybe a silo full of salt.
  • Amid the pandemic, finding soccer joy by passing it on to those we love
    My daughter can't play with any neighborhood kids, and as she is so far our one and only, there are no soccer playmates her age available in our family bubble.
  • Jeff Agoos: The MLS vice president who starred on the field during soccer's rise in the USA
    Jeff Agoos, who holds a crucial executive position at MLS, is among those whose life in soccer since childhood tells the story of the game's rise in USA.
  • Ian Barker on United Soccer Coaches' evolving courses: diversity, 'soft skills,' and the benefits of virtual classrooms
    Even before the pandemic, United Soccer Coaches' courses were changing. "Content should be available to anyone who wants it," says its director of coaching education.
  • What are soccer's standards for 'unsporting behavior'?
    There was a curious incident during stoppage time of VfB Stuttgart's Bundesliga game at Werder Bremen on Sunday.
  • Perspectives on the dual-national dilemma from Sofia Huerta and Martin Vasquez
    It can be tantalizing torture for fans to get a glimpse of talented performers in U.S. colors without knowing if their choice is permanent.
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