NEW: Following our @us.theguardian.com investigation, Major League Soccer is reopening its own investigation into Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner. The club says Tanner has since been placed on leave. Details here: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

NEW: Ernst Tanner has built a powerhouse at the Philadelphia Union. But my @us.theguardian.com investigation has shown wide-ranging allegations of misbehavior throughout his 7-year tenure. Tanner denies the allegations, and was investigated by MLS this year. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

NEW: Ernst Tanner has built a powerhouse at the Philadelphia Union. But my @us.theguardian.com investigation has shown wide-ranging allegations of misbehavior throughout his 7-year tenure. Tanner denies the allegations, and was investigated by MLS this year. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Zohran Mamdani—a real-deal soccer aficionado & magnetic political force—is the right guy to lead the charge against FIFA. For too long, FIFA has been “fully focused on monetizing the sport, no matter the collateral damage,” as @leanderalphabet.bsky.social put it www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Absolutely insane goal in insane conditions in the CPL final. Absurd.

If you have enough match-worn vintage American soccer stuff you can pull together a last-minute costume like 1997 MLS REFEREE OF THE YEAR ESSE BAHARMAST (this is his kit from 1996.) Only downside is you die alone. Love Cindy the cat’s cameo here too.

Remember, MLS fans, if you’re still looking for a Halloween costume, you can always go as a ghost.

Diego Maradona would've turned 65 today. A few years ago I wrote one of my all-time favorite stories: the improbable, insane tale of Maradona's one-game career with a Canadian minor league team, complete with long-lost footage, photos & interviews. www.nytimes.com/athletic/206...

@romanmars.bsky.social heard the teaser after the last endless thread episode and i PRAY TO GOD that the sega game is seaman. was obsessed with it 20 years ago.

They say we have no “footballing culture” but right now in America, there’s a team named “Sharktopus FC” that just earned a replay of a loss because the ref for their last match turned out to have once been a player for their opponent’s second team. 🇺🇸

Don’t get a tattoo of Striker, they said. Your body is a temple, they said.

I’m so thrilled to see @tombogert.bsky.social back at The Athletic! I was there when he left the first time and none of us wanted him gone in the first place. 😊

Guys, I think I need to talk to whoever makes DC Power’s score graphics

We literally just played one in a country where the stadiums were built by slave labor and the president of FIFA seems to be besties with Trump so…. yeah I think it’ll still happen, buddy.

Filmed for a documentary yesterday in NYC and I was chatting w/a PA who played for the Nashville Metros in 2008. I told him I grew up going to games in Nashville in the 90s w/a handful of other soccer weirdos. The rise of @nashvillesc.bsky.social still feels like a fever dream. Congrats, guys.

Sure do hope I end up covering the World Cup for an outlet becuase I feel absolutely certain that there's no way, shape or form I'll be able to afford even one game as a fan.

Maybe the best thing about coaching high school soccer is you get to witness moments where the kids support and love each other & lift each other up through tough moments. There’s plenty of bitching too, but it is so, *so* wonderful to witness kids that age showing kindness to each other.

A random person walked up to me in the airport in Raleigh-Durham a couple of weeks ago and told me they loved my writing. It happens occasionally, and it’s always the nicest thing. In that moment, it felt so important I could’ve cried. It’s just been a tough few months. So if that was you, thanks.

Sources telling me that DC United has cut the entirety of its scouting department as the club continues its overhaul under new sporting director Erkut Sogut & head coach Rene Weiler. Assitant GM Caleb Shreve among those let go (that bit first reported by my guy @tombogert.bsky.social the other day.)

tfw i come on here to tell everyone i have a new, obscure soccer history deep dive coming soon

it’s Constitution Day btw

Somewhat tipsy at a bar in DC - and old, so all of a sudden in recent months I can’t read up close well - and I read this as “Hat trick for Seu Jorge?” and I was so, so confused and so, so excited all at once.

Highly enjoyed all of this. 👀

A really worthwhile watch. Cackling right now honestly.

Love receiving a text like this from @gregoryroche.bsky.social, seems to happen every time there’s a new DC United shitshow…. So… see y’all on the show tomorrow.

It hasn’t been said publicly but all the DCU SGs have agreed on no more drums, banners and flags (besides Pride tonight) for the rest of the season. They’re done. Jason Levien has also been made aware and was told this at the STM Q&A on Thursday night

76 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, perfect evening in Washington DC. Got roped into a DC United game for the first time in nearly two years. There’s nobody here to see it. The state of the supporters end in particular kills me.

Doing some research at the National Soccer HOF archives in North Carolina today and doing my very best to alienate everyone here, too.

Again, I never see DC United gear out and about anymore. Just this.

For someone who hails from a country whose national team has a truly passionate, engaged and sometimes angry fanbase, Pochettino is being extremely fragile when it comes to recent USMNT criticisms. Berhalter, Arena, Klinsmann and others have all faced similar.

A truly unexpected & hilarious piece of MLS storytelling from @pablo.show on this week’s @thisamericanlife.org. The story of how the Houston Dynamo (possibly) got conned into signing the “Honduran Maradona.” IYKYK. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

I'm bored on Amtrak somewhere between NYC and Boston. So... let's do an AMA I guess. Ask me anything - soccer, cars, life, love, medical advice... I'm stuck here. #AskPablo

I actually hate that it’s come to this, but I have to ask: How many of you out there would pay (modestly) for a substack? You’d get my very stupid, very niche 🇺🇸 soccer features, some breaking news and occasional analysis. And a direct line to me, whenever you want (whatever that’s worth.)

Saw Nine Inch Nails in Baltimore tonight. Sixth time I’ve seen them in the last few decades. Truly awestruck by how good they are live, to this day. Worth every penny.

So well-written and so relatable. Fucking insane time to be a Washingtonian.

"NWSL clubs across the country are making massive inroads in terms of popularity and relevance. But there are few other markets where the narrowing of the popularity gap between NWSL and MLS has been made so apparent as it has in DC." By @mlsist.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

On @us.theguardian.com, I wrote about the contrast between the Washington Spirit & DC United. In DC, the Spirit haven't just narrowed the gap in terms of popularity & relevance, they may well have eliminated it. United, on the other hand, are worse than ever: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

fantastic stuff

Today @mlsist.bsky.social has a really interesting piece on the evolution of soccer brands/logo design, why Mexico '70 looks so awesome in comparison to USA/Mexico/Canada '26, and why every new US soccer crest you see looks kinda same-y. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

On @us.theguardian.com, I spoke to a pair of renowned designers - Lance Wyman, an all-time design icon, and Matthew Wolff, 🇺🇸 soccer’s most prolific modern designer - about the process of designing a crest. Really enjoyed both conversations. Give it a read! www.theguardian.com/football/202...

We have @mlsist.bsky.social in @us.theguardian.com today, folks. On Leagues Cup, a competition that has improved a ton but whose place in the US soccer ecosystem remains really tough to decipher: www.theguardian.com/football/202...

@jodyavirgan.com my favorite historical marker (re: most recent pod episode) is this deeply petty one for… stew… that I spotted in VA. I love the pride/pettiness… “other states have made the claim… but virginia’s is the first.”

Dying at this text from my ex-gf, who witnessed me cover DC for a decade

Good to see DC United reconnecting more with its history on its socials, etc. I mean that. Thing is - if you’re largely irrelevant in the present, and consistently bad on the field, that stuff rings hollow or can even come across as a smokescreen, or desperate.

Can confirm Tom’s (as always) excellent reporting - Swiss manager René Weiler will take the helm at DC United. The Lesesne move has been on the table for months, as DC have had convos with a number of candidates all summer.

It’s my 45th birthday today! 44 was ok, by and large. Learned to love myself better and loved others better too. My goal for 45 is to learn how to smile. Don’t hold your breath.

IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS BEEN POISONED BY A LIGAMX SQUAD, YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION

The Vancouver stuff is preposterous and plays right into stupid stereotypes that many folks in the States have about folks in Mexico. They made a huge deal out of bringing their own chefs, etc - they get sick days after the final? Then go public? Cmon. You got trounced.

Final day for me on @golazoamerica.bsky.social's Morning Footy! Tune in to hear more "analysis" from me and more importantly to see what I pull out of my chest of American soccer history...

Today on @golazoamerica.bsky.social, I was please to be able to teach the next generation (USMNT/Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards) about the beauty of the Landon Donovan water fountain photo (with an assist from @alytrostmartin.bsky.social). The kids are alright!