Amazing

Joshua Kimmich's winner in Bayern Munich's big game against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday not only put the Bundesliga champions on track to retain their title but was a reminder of the midfielder's importance to their success. 

The 25-year-old, whose delicate chip over the Dortmund keeper took Bayern seven points clear of their rivals with six matches remaining, will lead the team again against in-form Fortuna Duesseldorf on Saturday. 

As major American sports leagues plot their respective paths back to action, they are having to balance the requisite safety measures and local stay-at-home restrictions with the formulation of return-to-play scenarios. 

While over in Europe the mantra is something like “just get it done” due to the nature of how domestic leagues work (no playoffs, relegation), American competitions like the NBA are being forced to get creative due to both time constraints and the hard truth that no one’s interested in watching the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Sounds do battle right now.

Various sports leagues and countries — including the NFL and USA — are keeping a close eye on Germany and the Bundesliga to see how a league can best operate during a pandemic. The Germans have always seemed to be one step ahead with mass testing, tracking and precautions to ensure the safety of players and staff.

Now, the latest German innovation for safety is here and it’s called Shopping Cart Soccer.

As Bayern Munich moved one step closer to an eighth straight Bundesliga title, the world familiarized itself with 19-year-old Canadian phenom Alphonso Davies. One standout moment from Bayern’s victory over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday was the left back tracking way, way back in a matter of seconds to take the ball off Erling Haaland just as the fellow prodigy shaped to shoot.

So just how fast is Alphonso Davies?

Throughout the entirety of the 2018-19 Premier League season, the home team won 47% of matches, lost 34% and drew 11%. Prior to the break, home teams in the Bundesliga had won 43.3% of their games. Many wondered what playing behind closed doors would do to home advantage, and the early answer is actually quite astounding.

Under normal circumstances, football fans would be watching domestic leagues in Europe wrap up and be getting ready for the Champions League final later in May. The month of March is known for college basketball’s March Madness, but the real chaos in the footballing world happens in May. You could even call it “May-hem.” The date May 19 has had several unbelievable matches. This list counts down some of the craziest football matches on the date May 19.

In April during the height of quarantine the internet went crazy for a cat playing goalkeeper. The second wave is here after popular FIFA Youtuber ChrisMD posted a video of his own feline guarding the goal-line. I must say, this cat goalkeeper gives the last one a run for its money.

With the Bundesliga taking center stage around the planet this past weekend, millions tuned in on Sunday to watch league-leader Bayern Munich go through the paces in a 2-0 win over Union Berlin. While the two-month break obviously took its toll on the standard of play, Bayern relied on the unshakeable midfield brilliance of Thiago Alcântara to establish the rhythm of play and control 62 percent of possession.

When thinking of heroines and heroes on the pitch, the referee isn’t typically too high on the list, but American ref Katja Koroleva is proving to be one of the sport’s biggest heroines during the pandemic.

In an interview with Los Angeles Times writer Kevin Baxter, Koroleva shared her experiences while battling the novel coronavirus as a physician assistant.

Seven years ago, the wildest sequence of events took place at Vicarage Road during the Championship playoff semifinal between Watford and Leicester City. Troy Deeney’s goal vs. Leicester is fondly remembered years later as one of the best last-second winners.

At the time, Watford had been out of the Premier League for six years, and this was the first time in five years that the Hornets had finished in the top six of the Championship and even qualified for the playoffs.