Today we answered a very important question in the world of football: which is more difficult, beating Crystal Palace or zippering a coat?
Zippering, clearly.
the jacket zipper strikes again... pic.twitter.com/OQbmn4azzK
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) December 28, 2017
It’s hardly a surprise for anyone that FIFA named Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano as one of the top ten young soccer players of the year. Having scored 11 goals in 16 matches playing for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, the 22 year-old Mexican international is off to a blistering start to his European career.
We demand more Friday night lights at the Emirates. After the Gunners opened the season in August with a wildly entertaining Friday night win over Leicester City, the Arsenal vs Liverpool match in North London was arguably even better to start the festive fixtures on Friday. Liverpool scored the first two goals before three goals in five minutes from Arsenal, only for the Reds to equalize in a fantastic 3-3 draw between two of the best clubs in the English Premier League.
Compared to the pain of missing the event entirely, the tale of the USMNT’s 2006 World Cup can now be viewed in a more favorable light. However, after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2002 competition and subsequently breezing through CONCACAF qualifying for the ’06 tournament in Germany, it was with huge belief and soaring naivety that we approached the world’s biggest stage.
Hello folks. We got two matchdays over the holiday weekend. Lets get this thing poppin’ like Buddy the elf in the mail room.
3 Wise Men
Marko Arnautovic (West Ham):
Much like the Abominable Snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, West Ham’s Marko Arnautovic was once really bad, but now he’s good.
If the Austrian midfielder can get over a slight calf twang before the visit of the team that puts the “ug” in “struggle”, Newcastle United, Moyes’ preferred boy will have his third huge FPL performance in four weeks.
Jack Wilshere went ice skating last week and it was a news event.
Wilshere posted a picture on Instagram of him and his family ice skating, remarking that he managed to avoid injury. Jack Wilshere has a reputation for being injury prone and is at least a little self-aware.
Most years the Europa League is barely given a second thought this time of year. Sure it might be worth watching as the competition draws to its climax, but the Round of 32, not to mention the Europa League draw itself, typically doesn’t register highly on the mainstream soccer watch list.