060713_isi_jam3_usmntjd060613134 John Dorton/isiphotos.com
ASN User's Guide

9 Different Ways to Use American Soccer Now

It's no secret: Our traffic spikes around U.S. national team matches, and we expect to "see" some new faces on our site over the next five days. So here's a quick guide to making the most of ASN.
ASN Slideshow 060713_isi_jam2_usmntjd060613137
BY John Godfrey Posted
June 21, 2013
11:00 PM
NEW TO AMERICAN SOCCER NOW? Welcome. We want to be your favorite Website. We want you to come back multiple times every day. We want you to like us—as well as LIKE us—and we promise to do our best to earn your loyalty.

Yes, we write about soccer—just like everybody else in this space. We also do a bit more. Here's a quick rundown.

1) We celebrate great photography.

We have a dedicated photo editor who spends a significant portion of every day looking for the best images out there. We create slideshows, like the one above right, whenever possible. In this case, it's a collection of images chronicling the buildup to Friday's Jamaica match. Check it out.

2) You are part of the story here.

Most sites let you comment on their articles; we take it to an extreme level. Our ASN Matrix, for instance, wouldn't exist without your input. In this interactive infographic, we ask a (hopefully) thought-provoking question and give you the opportunity to graph your position on an X/Y axis, argue your point of view, and absorb what others have to say. It's one of the cooler features on the site, it's custom-built HTML5, and we're very proud of it.

3) The Starting XI tool

What would you do if you were Jurgen Klinsmann? We put you in the coach's seat for every U.S. national team game, empowering you to select the starters and formation; articulate a tactical game plan; and share your vision with likeminded soccer fans.

4) We give away soccer vacations

If you get reallyreally good at predicting Klinsmann's roster selections, you and a friend could win a free week in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, including a stipend for free tickets to a match. Seriously.

5) Soccer Vacations—plural

You can also enter our sweepstakes. The prize is the same. The rules are right here. You have absolutely nothing to lose.

6) We own the Hex

Want to read up on the key players for each squad? Thinking of traveling to Costa Rica for the September 6 qualifier? Wondering how Honduras has performed in the last five World Cup cycles? Our well-researched Hexagonal channel is ready for you.

7) The ASN 100 is addictive

Yes, our editorial panel—which includes Grant Wahl, Alexi Lalas, and others—ranks the top 100 American soccer players from 1-100, but that's just the beginning. This highly interactive feature lets you sort the players by birthplace, age, height, position, and more. You can rank them by the number of Twitter followers they have. If you click on any player you'll get an in-depth profile, stats, videos, and links to great articles from ASN and elsewhere. It's a great way to devour an hour or 12. (And we invite you to tell us who should be ranked higher/lower/not at all.)

8) The ASN Questionnaire is cool

We ask 16 strategic questions to U.S. national team players (as well as U.S. hopefuls) so you can get a sense of the people behind the players.

9) Player Ratings

Once the match is over, it's time to grade the performances. Our interactive ratings tool makes it fun and easy to celebrate a great performance, critique a lousy one, and sound off on Klinsmann's tactics.

We have a lot more in the works, I assure you, including a mobile-friendly version of our content for those of you who insist on spending all day staring at your iPhone 5 or S4. But we hope there's enough in the here and now to keep you busy in the meantime. Let us know how we're doing below, and don't be shy about asking for more, or better, or whatever.

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