As fans of soccer, we appreciate the theater, drama and storylines that call us to develop personal opinions. The game is as much about heroes and tribes as it is about common enemies and villains. There are some things we all love to hate. If you can’t admit that, well, you’re just afraid of your own primal instincts.
Let’s get this out of the way: there was absolutely nothing Tim Howard could do about this second goal from Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri on Monday. The ball over the top is sublime and Shaqiri’s first touch is even more sensational, lobbing the ball over Howard and into the top corner with zero hesitancy.
The past was always better. That seems to sum up Pelé’s vision of modern soccer. He said that nowadays he would be a much better player than he was in his day because there is more preparation and care for footballers.
If you're left-footed, you know that you've been gifted with both a blessing and a curse. Typically, you're an oddity on the team, alone in your preference for the left foot. Left-handers make up only 10% of the general population, and only half of southpaws are also left-footed. Our numbers may be small, but we are incomparably strong. We've got Messi.
#1: You’re the first name on the team sheet
Cesc Fabregas has crossed seas, leaving the cities of his formative years, Barcelona and London, only to return, oscillating between ensconced locales in search of a happiness that can only be provided by fulfilling an unobtainable ambition.
The opening of the January transfer window provides MLS-based players an opportunity to test themselves in the top European leagues, if only for two-months on a loan deal. For the sake of the United States national team, these loan deals are instrumental in providing American players an opportunity to progress.
After Manchester United’s dismal Champions League elimination at the hands of Wolfsburg this week, Manchester United fans from around the world must have looked at each other and said: “What the hell just happened here?”
All the promise going into this season has disappeared. United’s inability to put together a cohesive and effective attack has lead to their early Champions League exit, and all the people who were excited about the madman master Van Gaal last season are just about ready to call for his head.
After the latest bust took down a bunch more of FIFA's top brass, we have some questions.
Are FIFA even paying attention? They stayed in the same hotel as the last big bust. It didn't even occur to them to switch hotels! The only difference between this bust and the last one was the police came in a different door to arrest people.
Who will be the Apertura Championship 2015 in Liga MX? The draw is set for a dramatic conclusion to a great season in Liga MX. Table-toppers Pumas take on Copa Libertadores finalists Tigres in the final of the Apertura Championship. Both teams deserve to be in the final and all we can say is that the two final matches will have great football on display!
Copa Sudamericana is an international football tournament organized by the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), which brings together more than 50 football clubs in South America. It is the second international competition developed in South American territory after most prestigious Copa Libertadores. It is held in the second half of each year.
The Copa Sudamericana Finals 2015, as in they did in 2014, face off one team from Argentina against another from Colombia. This year features Huracán against Santa Fe.