It’s going to be tough to look back on The Athletic’s 2023 American soccer coverage without first thinking of July and August.
It was always going to be a busy period with the Women’s World Cup and the U.S. women’s national team’s quest for a third straight trophy, but then Lionel Messi happened. In June The Athletic reported his imminent arrival in MLS, and the next month he made it official and debuted in the Leagues Cup on July 21st – the same day as the USWNT’s World Cup opener.
Between the USWNT’s historic underperformance, Messi’s expectation-shattering introduction and all the narratives and developments that followed, the entire American soccer scene had never been more in the spotlight all at once.
We could not be more proud of how every member of our team met that moment. Our full-time staff grew to be larger than ever this year, along with many freelance contributors and numerous colleagues who chipped in from abroad.
All of those people were on top of their game in July and August and every other month, and that much is apparent in our 23 selections of our best stories from an unprecedented year in American soccer.
With a full season of Messi in MLS, a new USWNT regime incoming on the eve of the Olympics, two new NWSL expansion teams and the small…
