Two of the fastest players to ever play in the English Premier League were Eden Hazard and Theo Walcott. Both players have tremendous dribbling abilities and the two showed off those skills on April 8. Hazard in 2019 and Walcott in 2008. The only question is: Who had the best run of Hazard vs. Walcott.
These days, Alexi Lalas is known for his outlandishly stupid hot takes. But like most American soccer broadcasters on TV, Lalas had quite the playing career back in the day, including a stint in Serie A and two World Cups.
Aside from play-by-play men and women like John Strong and JP Dellacamera and studio hosts like Rob Stone and Max Bretos, most American soccer broadcasters were experienced players before they joined the world of television.
After Antonee Robinson’s rumored AC Milan move to become one of the few Americans to play in Italy’s first division fell through, we at The18 were reminded of the last USMNT defender to appear for the Rossoneri — Oguchi Onyewu.
Onyewu’s story is a cautionary tale for any American playing abroad, and a reminder that nothing in sports is a given, even if you want it so bad you break a legend’s rib fighting for it.
When you think of great left feet, you think of Gareth Bale golazos, Arjen Robben curlers, John Arne Riise smashers, Robin van Persie volleys or anything Lionel Messi does.
But the best left foot in the history of Major League Soccer doesn’t conjure images of spectacular goals. Heck, most people probably couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.
There have been a fair number of fantastic left-footers to grace MLS, perhaps none greater than Preki. Ashley Cole spent a few seasons with the LA Galaxy and more recently Carlos Vela obliterated the MLS single-season scoring record.
When soccer fans think about the best youth academies in the world, some of the clubs that probably come to mind are Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and perhaps Dinamo Zagreb.
While the academy of Stade Rennais may not often come up in that discussion, it has produced some extraordinary talents and often does not get the credit it is due. Rennes has produced World Cup winners and champions of leagues across the continent. Here are some of the best talents who started their careers in the capital of the famous region of Brittany.
Most USMNT fans fondly remember the Snow Clasico of 2013, but how many fans remember the USWNT’s first-ever snow game, in which Alex Morgan made her national team debut?
Almost three years before the men’s national team beat Costa Rica 1-0 in a ridiculously snowy World Cup qualifier in Colorado, the USWNT played Mexico in a friendly in front of 3,732 fans on March 31, 2010, at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The Americans prevailed 1-0 that blustery night, and Morgan made her USWNT debut at the age of 20.
The postponement of soccer around the world recently has left me, like many others, with no choice but to watch old highlights to get my fill. While watching clips from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil I came across a moment that instantly became an all-time classic: Tim Cahill's stunning volley against the Netherlands in a 3-2 group-stage defeat.
Arsene Wenger watched on sullenly from his seat on the bench as the final whistle blew. Having entered the game against Chelsea just four points behind their league-leading opponents, the Gunners were ripped to shreds by Jose Mourinho's side in a lopsided 6-0 defeat. Wenger could not have imagined his 1,000th match in charge of Arsenal would play out like this.