“The ball is round, the place is Philly!” I have begun editing two days a week for the Philly Soccer Page, the “local soccer sports section you wish your newspaper had…” I have been a long-term reader, and I’m enjoying contributing. I even fill in to write a few Match Reports on an as-needed basis. My most recent effort, an away tie at Houston Dynamo, is from last night, July 19: https://phillysoccerpage.net/2025/07/20/match-report-houston-dynamo-1-1-philadelphia-union/

Working with the writers and editors on PSP has been gratifying and fun. And it has helped sharpen my writing (and editing) skills. It has sharpened the way I look at the game. Taking notes, looking for tactics, or play, or even trends that played out through the game has also helped. If I ever get up the courage to find an old guys league, it may even help my play somewhat!

The Ball is Round is not only part of PSP’s slogan, but is David Goldblatt’s definitive book about soccer, and I highly recommend it. Goldblatt’s book, as well as reading The Secret Footballer, first in the Guardian, and then the collected writings, made me feel writing about American soccer would be fun. It also showed me the kinds of things that weren’t being talked about, how the eye for detail could be interesting and meaningful, and how proper football relates to broader contexts. And Philly Soccer Page does good work doing deep dives into different aspects of the game. They also chronicle local and development leagues.

Definitely sign up for the PSP newsletter and get the best writing delivered right to your inbox.

Here are two of my earlier match report posts:

FC Dallas v Phila. Union: https://phillysoccerpage.net/2025/06/01/match-report-fc-dallas-0-0-philadelphia-union/

US Open Cup match, Pittsburgh v. Philly: https://phillysoccerpage.net/2025/05/22/match-report-philadelphia-union-4-1-pittsburgh-riverhounds/

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James McCrone is the author of the Imogen Trager political suspense-thrillers Faithless Elector, Dark Network , and Emergency Powers–noir tales about a stolen presidency, a conspiracy, and a nation on edge. Bastard Verdict, his fourth novel, is about a conspiracy surrounding a second Scottish Independence referendum. His novel-in-progress is called Witness Tree, a (pinot) noir tale of murder and corruption set in Oregon’s wine country.

All books are available on BookShop.org, IndyBound.org, Barnes & Noble, your local bookshop, and Amazon.

eBooks are available in multiple formats including Apple, Kobo, Nook and Kindle.

James is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Int’l Assoc. of Crime Writers, and he’s the current president of the Delaware Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. He lives in Philadelphia. James has an MFA from the University of Washington in Seattle.

For a full list of appearances and readings, make sure to check out his Events/About page. And follow this blog!

You can also keep up with James and his work on social media:
Bluesky: @jmccrone.bsky.social
Facebook: James McCrone author (@FaithlessElector)
and Instagram/Threads “@james.mccrone”