Sunday Cup-o-American soccer: MLS and NWSL are back, solidarity payments, and MNT and WNT hopefuls

After taking Labor Day weekend off, the Sunday Cup-o-American soccer is back. Settle in, read about how awesome American soccer is this week and be nice to each other in the comments.

Yes, in case you were wondering, MLS is still back

Well the uncertainty surrounding everything in 2020 has led to the need for MLS to once again adjust its schedule. Following the MLS is BACK tournament and initial phase one re-restart, the league announced another set of matches through the end of the month. While it might not be ideal, the league is pushing forward and seems to have come up with an effective way to keep games going while adapting to conditions as they change.

Yes, in case you were wondering, NWSL is still back

Some NWSL players have decided to take their talents to England, but the domestic women’s league restarted also. Last weekend commissioner Lisa Baird spoke about the future of the league and how it will handle things going forward in the midst of the pandemic. Her comments included details about how the NWSL Fall Series came to fruition and the league’s support for Black Lives Matter. More of her address can be found on Black and Red United.

Oguchi Onyewu on why McKennie to Juventus is such a big deal

It might not be obvious, but it’s a big deal that Weston McKennie is headed to Juventus. Oguchi Onyewu was interviewed by Goal and discussed his own road to a huge club in Italy and what challenges McKennie will face on the superclub. He shared how he stayed motivated with AC Milan and why he thinks Andrea Pirlo is a good choice for manager. Onyewu in many ways helped blaze the path that McKennie and others followed over the last decade and his experience is deeply relevant for players like McKennie and others in Europe.

Savannah McCaskill on her goal to re-join the USWNT

The much touted no. 2 overall 2018 NWSL College Draft pick is still looking to have a breakthrough season. She hopes that the work she did going into the 2020 season will give her a chance to do just that. After a solid showing in the NWSL Challenge Cup, McCaskill spoke to the NWSL league site and talked about her goals for the year and training she did after last season to make that happen. Ultimately, she hopes to earn callups to the WNT by playing her best soccer.

Matt Turner’s unexpected rise and his big ambitions

Goalkeeper is typically one of the stronger positions in the USMNT player pool. That wasn’t exactly the case leading up to the 2018 qualifying cycle, but is certainly changing. Aside from Zack Steffen, the pool has quality and depth with a new younger generation of keepers coming through. One player that has been getting attention is Matt Turner. The New England Revolution netminder was interviewed by American Soccer Now about his journey to MLS and late start in the sport. He also has some big goals for his career moving forward.

Training compensation is getting weird again

One of the topics that is highly contentious and also fought with ambiguity is training compensation. Charles Boehm on US Soccer Players gave an indepth look at the issue including how the US Soccer Federation’s “neutral” stance isn’t exactly neutral and still favors one side over the other.