Kasey Keller begins the World Cup year by anchoring a nearly impenetrable U.S. backline during the Concacaf Gold Cup. His fourth straight shutout comes in the final vs. Costa Rica, 2-0. Two days earlier he stopped two penalty kicks in the semifinal shootout with Canada (0-0, 4-2). In all, Keller allows just one goal in five starts as the USMNT wins its second regional trophy.

Bob McNab is named Tacoma Stars head coach less than two months before the club's first game. McNab, 40, was both hired and fired by Stars president John Best while both were with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1980. McNab is a former Arsenal captain.

Lamar Neagle scores his first-career MLS goal and Patrick Ianni adds another, giving the Sounders a 2-1 victory over a 10-man Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. Ianni ends Salt Lake's 409-minute shutout streak at 71', and Neagle rips a rising drive past Nick Rimando in the 84th. RSL sees its MLS record 29-game home-unbeaten streak snapped while Seattle begins an 11-game unbeaten run (8-0-3) across all competitions.

Seattle's Lake City Hawks run roughshod at the Pacific Coast International tournament in Vancouver. After routing Oregon's Rockwood Pioneers, 13-0, in the semifinals, the state U11 champions drub Dunbar, 5-2, for the title.

Gonzaga snaps a 15-year winless streak against WCC powerhouse Santa Clara with a nationally-televised 1-0 upset of the No. 15 Broncos at Luger Field. Lauren Towne stops six shots, and Chelsea Le scores a 40' penalty kick set up by a foul on Katelyn Rigg. The Bulldogs had beaten Santa Clara only once before, in 2007. It's their first win over a ranked team since 2017.

Kasey Keller makes two diving stops in the final 20 minutes as the United States, playing a man down, achieves a 1-1 draw in Group E with Italy in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Keller bats away an Alessandro del Piero volley and then parries a 25-yard blast by the Italian forward. The underdog Americans play the final 43 minutes with just nine players, two having been sent off. Italy also lost a starter to a red card, but still plays with a man advantage throughout most of the second half.