Opinion

Back on June 1 in Madrid, Liverpool was the beneficiary of eagle-eyed referee Damir Skomina’s decision to punish Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko for a controversial handball in the first minute of the 2019 Champions League Final. It was Mohamed Salah who stepped up to the spot to give Liverpool a lead it would never relinquish, so you could probably be led to assume that Salah is in favor of meticulous, hairsplitting decisions — the kind that VAR is all about.

You’d be wrong.

The 2019 USL Championship (USLC) season marks the division’s third year as the second tier of American and Canadian soccer, and with 36 clubs vying for the USL Cup — including three that are averaging attendances of over 10,000 per match — the competition has never been bigger or better. 

After a year-and-a-half together at the Camp Nou, it’s likely that Ousmane Dembélé and Philippe Coutinho have ended their time together as teammates on the pitch. 

Money is becoming increasingly inflated in soccer over the last five years. It seems like each year a new record transfer fee is set both at a club level and international level. This has been possible thanks to incredible broadcast rights fees in other countries that then trickle down to teams in each league. Teams then have more money to spend on players and clubs take advantage of that, setting ridiculous asking prices for their players as the sponsorship money just rolls in alongside the lucrative TV deals and funding from club owners.

I don’t know about you, but there's been a burning question on my mind ever since a certain young American got transferred to a certain English club that wears the color blue: Does Christian Pulisic have a girlfriend, and should they get married?

Hmmm...

Christian Pulisic Girlfriend —> Wife: Pros/Cons

Yes:

He’s living 4,000 miles away from home and his family and friends. The kid needs someone to keep him company, to hug him when he’s feeling down after losing or to hug him when he’s over the moon after winning. 

Late on Sunday night, Real Salt Lake announced an end to the tenure of controversial head coach Mike Petke. 

Real Salt Lake Terminates Contract of Head Coach Mike Petke

https://t.co/k0IVfOR1rB pic.twitter.com/qxzutLOmUy

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) August 12, 2019

FIFA Career Mode has been a fun time in recent years when you're looking to do something other than Ultimate Team or The Journey, and although Career Mode has seemed to be fading a bit, this year’s edition looks to have brought in some cool new features that make the mode worth your time.

Oh no.

How did we get here? Why are there horoscopes on the hallowed pages of The18.com? Why aren’t there more extremely interesting transfer mongerings like the ones over at ESPN FC? (Sources: Man Utd pray Dybala arrives in transfer exchange for Phil Jones . . . Sources: Coutinho rejects Tottenham and mind-body dualism . . . Sources: We don't have any sources.) 

These astrological signs better at least be rooted in scientific fact, The18, or I’m going batshit crazy in the comments section. You're not ready to feel the wrath of my keyboard.

Editor's Note: For an updated list of the best soccer streaming services, read our 2020-2021 guide here.

What is the best soccer streaming service? Which services are worth paying for? Which soccer streaming services are crap?

Jill Ellis announced Tuesday she will resign from the USWNT after the team’s Victory Tour ends in October, bringing to an end the most successful reign in the history of women’s soccer coaching.