High School

Weston McKennie nearly scored epic bicycle kick for his first goal of the season — Juve defeat Napoli 1-0

TURIN — Juventus delivered an efficient performance as they moved back to provisional top spot in Serie A on Friday, securing a 1-0 home win against a wasteful Napoli thanks to a header from Federico Gatti.

Juve had their best chance of the first half when Dusan Vlahovic's close-range attempt was blocked by Natan, and Weston McKennie's subsequent rebound with an overhead kick was denied by Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret.

Weston McKennie bicycle kick vs Napoli

Lionel Messi torches Walker Zimmerman to score golazo — Inter Miami win Leagues Cup in shootout

Lionel Messi did it again Saturday night with a spectacular goal vs. Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup final as Inter Miami won 10-9 on penalty kicks after drawing 1-1 after 90 minutes.

United States men’s national team fans could only watch on in horror as our beautiful defensive prince Walker Zimmerman was torn to shreds along with the rest of the Nashville defense in the 23rd minute.

Up until that point Nashville had nullified the Messi effect. The Argentine had touched the ball only a handful of times and had no impact on the game yet.

Wondolowski nets hat trick, plays keeper at TST after Luis Robles suffers nasty shiner

There are plenty of interesting teams to watch at The Soccer Tournament, but one of the most star-studded is certainly Team Dempsey (although USMNT legend Clint Dempsey only serves as the head coach in flip-flops).

On Thursday, they began play at the 7-on-7 tournament with a starting lineup that had Luis Robles in goal (three USMNT caps), Jermaine Jones in midfield (69 USMNT caps), Eddie Johnson out wide (63 USMNT caps) and Chris Wondolowski up top (35 USMNT caps). Jaime Lozano (34 Mexico caps) was on the bench.

Alyssa Thompson becomes youngest draft pick in NWSL history after being selected No. 1 overall

LOS ANGELES — Angel City FC on Thursday selected 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson with the first pick of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) draft, making the Los Angeles native the first player in league history drafted directly out of high school.

"Alyssa Thompson, for us, is a phenom and generational player," said Angel City general manager Angela Hucles Mangano.

"She's a player who can make an immediate impact, but she's also young and can develop and look to be a player that we're building a future off of, too."

Memo Ochoa records 9 saves on his Serie A debut against AC Milan

After another memorable performance in Qatar for Mr. World Cup (stonewalling Robert Lewandowski from the penalty spot), Guillermo Ochoa made his Serie A debut with Salernitana on Wednesday against defending champions AC Milan.

Salernitana hosted at Stadio Arechi, but the gap between the two sides was evident with Milan putting 11 shots on target to just one for the hosts.

The USA advances from Group B — 3 biggest takeaways from narrow 1-0 victory vs. Iran

The United States men’s national team triumphed against Iran with a nervy 1-0 victory on Tuesday to clinch a Round of 16 game against the Netherlands. The USA gave American fans several heart attacks along the way, but this is a massive accomplishment for the team.

The USA grinded out a tough one but ultimately came out on top. The magic moment came from none other than Christian Pulisic who put his body on the line to score the game-winner.

A viral goal from the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament? You know the drill

It's become an annual tradition unlike any other here at The18. Every winter the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament comes around and, like clockwork, drops the highlight of the year.

American keeper Josh Cohen experiences 90 minutes of hell against PSG

Maccabi Haifa's 30-year-old American goalkeeper Josh Cohen was the toast of Europe on Oct. 11 when making five saves en route to a clean sheet during his side's incredible upset of Juventus in the Champions League.

His mission Tuesday? Do it again, but this time against Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and PSG at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

This time Cohen faced five shots in the first-half alone and could only watch in agony as four of them found the back of the net.

Cohen couldn't do anything about Messi's opener in the 19th minute.

Mental Training: A High School Soccer Player's Guide For Watching Game Film

The high school soccer season is in full swing right now for the majority of boys' soccer players in the U.S. As a high school goalkeeper coach, the fall is my favorite time of the year as I get to train the next generation of great shot-stoppers at my alma mater.

Expert Nutritionist Provides Tips & Tricks For Maintaining Fitness And Avoiding Injury

Preseason training is in the past, school is in session and the fall season is now in full swing. 

When you think about what you want to accomplish over the coming months, there's a lot that's out of your control — things that are dependent on your coach, the opponent, etc. — but you can give yourself the best possible chance of success by maintaining a routine that keeps you prepared, elevates your performance and ultimately reduces your risk of injury. 

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