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Soccer in the USA can sometimes feel tough to get excited about. Our leagues aren’t the best in the world, organizational problems sometimes cause rifts between leagues and teams, and unfortunately far too often we lose professional clubs. But there are always reasons to be positive. And some fantastic things are on the way to brighten American soccer in 2024.
Copa América
Arguably the second most important international competition in the world, after the World Cup, returns to the USA this upcoming summer in the form of the 48th Copa América tournament.
CONMEBOL’s ten nations will be joined by six from Concacaf, including the United States and Mexico, to battle for the crown of best team in the Americas.
The USMNT has a chance to prove themselves against the stars of South America in what will be a key tournament leading up to the 2026 World Cup, which will also be in the United States.
The tournament kicks off June 20 with Leo Messi and Argentina in Atlanta, while the final will be held in Miami on July 14.
In the opening round, the United States faces Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
MLS controversially attempted to pull its first teams out of America’s oldest national soccer competition for 2024. But the USSF nixed that idea and it appears, for now at least, the tournament will go on as usual for its 109th edition.
As always, we can expect plenty of drama and hopefully, a few giant slayings and Cinderella runs in this magical competition.
The Open Cup will run from March 19 to September 25.
New pro clubs and a new competition
The game continues to grow in the USA. We’ll have eight brand-new professional clubs hitting the field in 2024 across all three professional divisions and five leagues. This includes the return of the Utah Royals of NWSL, who previously played in the league from 2018-2020. Of the currently existing pro leagues, only Major League Soccer won’t see a new entry this…
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Author : Derek Reese
Publish date : 2023-12-31 17:00:00
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