Throughout the tenure of Jurgen Klinsmann as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, American soccer fans have watched the team take steps forward, as they did by advancing out of the group of death at the 2014 World Cup, only to also watch them take steps back, as they did by losing in the semifinals of the 2015 Gold Cup.
Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney has now figured in two shock results for the Hoops in the UEFA Champions League — their stunning 2-1 win over Barcelona in November of 2012 and their not-as-stunning-but-still impressive 3-3 draw with Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Both matches were at Celtic Park.
But the 19-year-old’s role against City was certainly different than his task against the Blaugrana in 2012.
A few weeks back Landon Donovan returned to the LA Galaxy to close out the 2016 season. The media were stunned. While the reaction should have been primarily excitement and respect, many in the fan community appear as cynical as ever.
After two season out of the game, Donovan decided to rejoin the Galaxy after they suffered a number of injuries and needed depth to close the year out. Once people realized it was not an off-calendar April Fools Day joke, the skepticism began.
Francesco Totti is an icon, having played for Roma for the entirety of his lengthy and successful career. Totti is in his last season for Roma, and he turned 40 years old Tuesday. Lionel Messi, the current best player in the world, sent Totti a nice message.
The positive atmosphere surrounding Clint Dempsey’s return to light training on September 14th has been dashed following the devastating Seattle Sounders’ announcement that the 33-year-old forward will not return in 2016.
Chicharito scored a hat-trick this weekend in the Bundesliga, so we were on the edge of our seats with regards to what he might do in the Champions League.
He delivered with a goal.
Make it 4 goals in 4 days for @CH14_, and since he moved to Europe! https://t.co/uISlpAcf1k
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 27, 2016
On paper, Celtic don’t stand much of a chance against English giants Manchester City on Wednesday night in their UEFA Champions League group stage match.
But, as the old saying goes, the game won’t be played on paper, but on grass — specifically Celtic Park grass, where the Hoops have a history of pulling off the odd upset.
Coming off a 7-0 loss at Barcelona in the opening match of the group stages, the Bhoys will need a result to keep their faint hopes of advancing to the knockout round alive. However, they can draw on these momentous results for inspiration:
What would’ve otherwise been a non-story had Real Madrid managed to hold on to their 2-1 lead over Las Palmas on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo's 72nd minute substitution has since blown up following Sergio Araujo’s 85th minute equalizer.
Las Palmas held Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw, diminishing Los Blancos' lead at the top of the La Liga table to a single point. The main talking point from the match has now switched to Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane's decision and Ronaldo's reaction.
What a week for 23-year-old Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard. The Manchester United youth academy product put in his best performance of the Premier League season on Saturday in United’s 4-1 victory over Leicester City.
Starting the match and playing for 78 minutes, Lingard played a vital part in United’s second goal by registering a classy assist for Juana Mata’s 37th minute goal.
Juan Mata's goal. Great team goal! pic.twitter.com/1bFu5A6TqK