One year ago, the U.S. men’s national team traveled to Cuova in Trinidad and Tobago on the final day of Concacaf World Cup qualifying. All the USMNT needed was a win or draw or at the very least have Mexico or Costa Rica get a win to keep its World Cup hopes alive.
None of it happened, and it was the darkest day in the history of the USMNT.
During Cristiano Ronaldo’s quicksilver rise at Manchester United and with the Portugal national team — which was highlighted by his inclusion in the 2004 UEFA Team of the Year at the tender age of 19 — perhaps no quote better illustrated the winger’s otherworldly talent than the praise heaped on him by United’s golden No. 7, George Best: “There have been a few players described as the new George Best over the years,” he said, “but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”
As Jean-Paul Satre once said, “In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team.” Breaking down an opponent has puzzled the world’s brightest minds since the beginning of time, but this process has eventually yielded a collection of the best team goals ever.
Some of these goals are the finest examples of a style purveyed by a team throughout an era (Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, Spain’s golden generation, mid 90s Ajax, etc.), while some are simply instances of 11 footballers momentarily achieving authentic telepathic clairvoyance.
Wednesday's Tottenham vs Barcelona Champions League match is exciting by itself. Two great teams facing each other, that's already really cool.
Dear football enthusiasts and aficionados,
There has been some controversy following VAR this past weekend, and there has been ever since it was implemented so I think it's time to finally address all the controversies surrounding it and discuss it openly.
The Red Devils are on a highway to hell. At the end of the summer, Paul Pogba — back as a World Cup Winner — was eager to perform the way he did for France. But neither he nor Manchester United have been playing with the caliber they know they can. They're currently seventh in the Premier League (having only won three of six games). They drew with Wolves on Saturday. They lost to Derby in the League Cup yesterday, getting knocked out in the third round for the first time since 2007.
Donald Trump becoming president of the U.S. was unexpected. Leicester City winning the EPL was unexpected. Croatia making it to the World Cup final was unexpected.
But Lionel Messi ranked in fifth place for FIFA The Best Awards is just crazy. Fifth place? Are we serious right now? WTF?! Let’s pack our bags people; the apocalypse is coming: the white walkers or an "Independence Day" type of alien invasion. Or worse, we humans will manage to blow up the planet.