It’s the debate that was probably triggered by Liam Neeson’s outstanding performance in The Grey: could a man, equipped with only his wit, will to survive and a totally healthy sense of self-worth, kill a wolf in single combat? For Neeson, the answer was yes, although an entire den of wolves proved a few wolves too many.
Footballers aren't like regular humans. They live different lives, and operate in completely different planes of existence. To wit: in my capacity as a professional soccer jokester, I have never had to take to social media to deny wiping a booger on the shirt of a professional colleague. Not even at the company Christmas party.
Dani Alves, however . . .
LAFC made a stirring debut in Major League Soccer on Sunday, winning 1-0 at Seattle thanks to a beautiful goal from Diego Rossi set up by Carlos Vela. It was a superb piece of play from Bob Bradley’s two designated players and the perfect way to kick off the new franchise. But that win was nothing compared to the recent LA derby victory.
Much of the talk surrounding LAFC’s inaugural season centers on how the other club in L.A. will react. Based on a recent friendly between the two, LAFC is well on its way to being the best in Southern California.
There are generally two ways to celebrate an amazingly great thing happening in one's life.
The first way is a celebration that is wild but contained enough to retain the appearance of responsible adulthood. This is generally reserved for adult-type happy occasions such as engagements, weddings, promotions, raises, job offers, grad school acceptances, etc.
The second is this:
This is how Pep Guardiola celebrated when Manchester City beat Chelsea.
Everybody loves goalkeepers. Except, of course, when they mess up and concede the stupidest goals. Recently, we have thought a lot about the things that make goalkeepers weird.
From strange training drills to incomprehensible attitudes, keepers have so many things that make them unique.
For many, especially in South America, the World Cup is everything. Every four years football fans tune in with hopes of seeing their country lift the trophy. For some (Germany, Brazil), this is a legitimate expectation. For others (England, the U.S.), it’s a mere pipe dream. The Colombia World Cup hopes are somewhere in between, but I really hope Los Cafeteros aren’t the last ones standing in Russia come July.
Leon's shiny new (used) American import, Landon Donovan, celebrated his 36th birthday on Sunday, and his Leon teammates celebrated it with him by shoving cake into his face during training.
Y al final de nuestro entrenamiento, @landondonovan y Burbano fueron festejados así... pic.twitter.com/8CzSlRqBiC
The haters said this concept would never work as an article. "You'll never find 10 footballers who could conceivably be compared to restaurant chains via different quirks that they have, and even if you did, Facebook's algorithm would do to that article what white American settlers did to the buffalo herds roaming the Great Plains in the 1800s. Sure, it worked with clubs but it will never work with players."
The haters, as usual, were wrong.