“Who is Brandon Vazquez?” is a question that United States men’s national team fans could be asking themselves. If you’re a fan of the USMNT who doesn’t pay too much attention to Major League Soccer, then you might not know about the 23-year-old FC Cincinnati forward.
Last week, an American seldom known by even the most astute USMNT fans made his debut in the UEFA Champions League. Josh Cohen played all 90 minutes between the posts for Israeli side Maccabi Haifa during the club's 2-0 defeat to Benfica.
MUNICH - Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández laughed off the notion that playing at Bayern Munich is like visiting the "house of horrors" ahead of Tuesday's mouthwatering Champions League Group C clash.
They met in last season's group stage, with the Germans twice winning 3-0, although Barça are now a very different side and spearheaded by striker Robert Lewandowski, who moved to the Nou Camp from the Bavarians in the close season.
The year is 1974. It's mid-February, and after months of intense wear, the pitch at Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium is nothing more than a mud pit. The players slog through ankle-deep sludge as they labor in vain to hoof the water-logged leather sphere up the pitch.
The aim is not to score, rather it's to prevent the opponent from finding the back of the net. It's a cynical way of thinking that has long plagued the English game, thus preventing its tactical advancement.
La campaña del Puebla en el Apertura 2022 es absolutamente bananas.
El equipo apenas perdió uno de los 13 partidos que ha jugado en el torneo, pero del resto solo ganó dos. ¿Los otros diez? Empates, ocho de ellos de manera consecutiva. Es tan rara la racha que La Franja igualó el récord histórico de empates en el fútbol mexicano y está muy cerca de igualar el récord mundial.
La última igualdad de La Franja fue un 2-2 ante Pachuca, en un partido que ganaban 2-0 hasta el minuto 78.
The new "semi-automated offside technology" that's going to be used at the 2022 World Cup made its Champions League debut this week, and guess what, controversy and existential questions regarding humankind's dwindling agency in its own game — at the hands of the robots! — reigned supreme.
The world's love of soccer stems from many reasons, but one of the most fundamental tenets of the game is that it can be played by anyone, anywhere and at anytime. If you have a ball, then you have your Theater of Dreams.
For far too long America remained largely ignorant of this fact — believing that the sport was only played 11-on-11 on the pristine fields of suburban America. Thankfully, that way of thinking has suffered a humiliating death (see: MLS 1.0 to 3.0), and the people's game is now thriving across the country's urban core.
Real Madrid started its Champions League title defense Tuesday with a bittersweet 3-0 victory over Celtic in Scotland. Bitter because Karim Benzema suffered a worrisome knee injury, sweet because Eden Hazard showed up to become the night's unexpected hero, providing an assist and scoring a goal.
The trip to Glasgow didn't start well for Real Madrid. The Bhoys put on a good performance in front of their fans and were close to upsetting the champions on a couple occasions.
The story of American keeper Matt Turner has been widely publicized over the last year after the late-blooming New Jersey native went from collegiate afterthought to USMNT hero over a few short years. While Turner will hope to play in the Europa League this year with Arsenal, another American keeper will be taking center stage in the UEFA Champions League — Maccabi Haifa's Josh Cohen.
Cohen's soccer career mirror's that of Turner's, and though he has not received the recent fanfare, Josh Cohen is more than deserving of American soccer fans' attention.
Gio Reyna is back, baby! The American wunderkid seems to have put his muscle injuries in the past and made an immediate impact in Borussia Dortmund's first UCL match of the season, providing two brilliant assists in a 3-0 victory over FC Copenhagen.
Reyna started the game on the bench but soon had to jump onto the field to cover for the injured Thorgan Hazard. The skillful midfielder came on in the 23rd minute, and before halftime, he'd already left his footprint on the game.