The Editors
With the NWSL Draft and the MLS Draft in the rearview, it’s time to put aside the future of US Soccer and live in the moment, at least as it relates to 2019 for Americans on the field.
The predominant American stories in that regard will be the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the new-look USMNT under Gregg Berhalter returning to competition for the first time since Couva, a rejuvenated Mexico under Tata Martino and, speaking of Tata, how Atlanta United fare in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Of course, “American soccer” is hardly monistic, and there will be plenty of eyeballs on the Premier League finish, continental championships in South America and Africa, and the always compelling knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. MLS, Liga MX, NWSL, Serie A and a legitimate title race in the Bundesliga will all command attention as well. I’m certain I left something glaring out; I assure you it wasn’t intentional.
It’s a lot to digest, but isn’t one of the reasons we find soccer so enchanting that it never seems to pause and come up for air?
Here at The Yanks Are Coming, 2019 represents our tenth year on our own website, telling American soccer stories, featuring new American voices, writing match previews and hopefully, adding a verse to what has become an impressive assemblage of media talent covering the game Yanks call “soccer” stateside.
When, in 2008, Jon Levy and I fired up a blogspot hours after Michael Orozco’s star-crossed red card at the Beijing Olympic Games, it was mostly to vent. It was the middle of the week and one of those August days in Gainesville where it’s 90 degrees by noon and feels like 110 and all I had was a coffee pot, a bag of Folgers, a third a handle of Jack, some cold cuts and a creative writing degree.
Mostly I wanted to crank out an essay about how much I enjoyed watching that team play and when I mentioned this to Jon, well, he had some thoughts too. We kept writing that autumn, mostly to an audience of a few soccer loving friends, and it was cathartic and a fun way to spend the few months you have to weather between Gold Cups.
Here’s what we didn’t imagine.
We didn’t imagine we’d form lifelong friendships covering soccer.
We met Dan Seco not long after that Olympic summer and before long, Dan had the little blogspot in its own space, with a host of writers cranking out content. Dan kept at it with relentless passion and fury until cancer made him stop; when he fought cancer, thousands sent notes and tweets of support and encouragement. Dan got better. We kept writing.
As for Jon and myself, we kept writing but most of all, we kept watching soccer games together. There was the Egypt game at the 2009 Confederations Cup and Bob Bradley’s symphony days later against a historically good Spain. A year later, when I got a blood infection that caused us to miss the World Cup, we watched Landon Donovan latch onto the loose ball in the Algeria six together, bittersweetly stateside, screaming at each other through our cell phones. Days later, we cried with Ricardo Clark and wondered how Timmy Howard could get caught flat-footed short side.
We lived these moments with one another and with our writing.
In Matthew Tomaszewicz, I didn’t just meet one of the smartest people I’ve ever met or the best humans I know, I got the chance to write for a larger audience, about the Premier League, the USWNT, MLS and even my beloved Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
When The Shin Guardian stopped writing award-winning US match previews, we picked up the slack, to occasional acclaim and always, to hand-wringing over our starting 11. How could they start Ale Bedoya at defensive midfielder, readers would ask. Ask Jurgen, we would write.
In Jason Davis, we found a moderate voice who shared our passion for the American stories in this sport. Jason was an advocate for Dan, Jon and our website when we were just getting going. He’s earned everything that’s come his way and our sport is better for him.
As famous and vital as Men in Blazers has been, The Total Soccer Show guys have revolutionized the podcast game in this little corner of the world. You know a show is legit when you spend an hour preparing to be a guest just so you don’t sound dumb. Thanks to Taylor and Daryl for always being so smart, cool and including us for even a small part of your exceptional journey in storytelling.
Kartik Krishnaiyer joined us in 2017, after the World Cup debacle, for a series of podcasts and some timely writing on a US Soccer Federation still trying to find its way after a stunning failure. He brings a veteran voice and insider smarts to our little outlet and most importantly, is fair, measured and kind. I’m proud he’s my friend and proud he’s joining us again in 2019 as a Co-Editor.
In Keith Hickey, Jay Bell, Will Parchman, Zack Goldman, John Halloran and so many others we’ve been a place where extremely talented young American soccer voices have been given a platform. I’ve always wished we had more to offer than that– they deserve it– and judging by where they’ve all gone on to write since– ESPN FC, The Ringer, The Athletic, SB Nation, MLS, Equalizer Soccer and so many other amazing places– people quickly figured out they deserved it. Sanjay Sujanthakumar is the next one up, I promise. Get to know him.
Eventually, we covered matches in person; almost always out-of-pocket, but often in places we would have gone anyway.
In person, we covered most the 2014 Hex and nearly the entirety of the 2018 cycle, including its tragic end in Couva on the Caribbean island where US dreams had come true a generation earlier.
We covered a Copa America, multiple Gold Cups, a FIFA Women’s World Cup and in 2014, a FIFA World Cup in Brazil. To the friends and folks we met at US Soccer that have been so accommodating: David Applegate, Aaron Heifetz, Neil Buethe, Jeff Crandall, Ilyanna Gutierrez, Bob Bradley and Jill Ellis, to name a few– thank you. You have no idea how nice it is to show up in a foreign country to cover this wonderful game and your talented teams and be greeted with a smile and a handshake.
When this all started, I don’t think I ever imagined sitting at Estadio Azteca watching the US as credentialed media. Speaking of media…sitting next to and talking soccer with writers I admire and revere- Ives Galarcep, Frank Dell’Apa, anyone named Vecsey, Grant Wahl, Stephanie Yang, Brian Straus, Jeff Carlisle, Doug McIntyre, Jonathan Tannenwald, Richard Farley, Paul Tenorio, Caitlin Murray, George Quraishi, Rob Usry, Kim McCauley and countless others– are you kidding me?
Watching the way this sport is covered now compared to when we started is mind-boggling; it’s just a different universe now than it was even 8 years ago. American soccer is better for it and more accountable because of it.
We didn’t imagine the list of players and coaches we’d have access to, be given the chance to learn from and an opportunity to share a story about. I’m often asked if I have a favorite interview and in truth, I have several. Carli Lloyd just after the London Games, when she told me her goal was to “be a machine.” Carlos Bocanegra about the meaning of wearing the US shirt. The way Michael Bradley answers a question pensively, deliberately, honestly. Any conversation ever with Becky Sauerbrunn. Fabian Johnson’s warmth. Lauren Holiday’s passion. What a joy and privilege to tell American soccer stories.
I certainly didn’t imagine covering an MLS Cup in my hometown of Atlanta; the fact that was a real thing that happened is still something I’m wrapping my head around and the game was over a month ago. ((Atlanta won the championship and didn’t lose in the end despite being better most the game, in case y’all missed it.))
If you told me I’d be yards away from a US team that failed to qualify for a World Cup on my birthday in Trinidad in less than a decade when we started this website, well–I’d probably have told you to lay off the Paul Caligiuri YouTube clips.
Most of all, we didn’t imagine we’d be writing about soccer on our own website ten years later anymore than we imagined that the fateful Orozco red card game against Nigeria would be the last game a U.S. Men’s Soccer team has played in the Olympics to this very moment.
Come to think of it, maybe TYAC has cursed US Men’s Olympic soccer teams. Maybe we’re why they can’t qualify? Maybe that’s a cross too heavy to bear?
Maybe not.
Here’s to ten more years.
Signed,
Neil and Jon