Opinion

What’s your lasting memory of the 2020-21 Premier League season? Is it Zack Steffen lifting the trophy to the heavens? Or is it Bruno Fernandes wheeling away from a penalty, mouth agape in celebration with enough room for a large cantaloupe? Or maybe it’s Jorginho hopping, skipping and prancing to the spot before necking the Chelsea badge?

One thing’s for certain — there were way, way, way too many penalties last year, giving rise to one of the most odious sentences in all of football: “There was contact.”

Crystal Palace supporters have good reason to be excited for the coming Premier League season. The Eagles, not generally known for efficient or exciting business in the transfer market, are in the midst of a youth revolution in the current window as they seek to improve on last season's 14th-placed finish. 

Chelsea has once again caused a stir with its new away kit. If there's something that characterizes the London club year after year, it's the annual release of away jerseys that always generate opinions and rarely leave fans feeling indifferent.

This is the case for the 2021-22 season. After unveiling the home uniform, which has a clear nod to the past, now it's the away shirts turn.

U.S. Soccer morale isn’t too high across the board right now. On the women’s side the USWNT has done anything but impress at the 2020 Olympics with one decent performance and two horror shows. Meanwhile on the men’s side, the B-team is grinding out Gold Cup results and is preparing for its biggest challenge yet, Qatar.

USMNT

I’ve seen several posts online from fans in agreement that they would rather lose to Mexico 5-0 than fall to Qatar at home. I would have to agree in all honesty.

Come August, there are always a few clubs that capture the imagination with their audacious summer spending before inevitably collapsing by October. Usually this is Everton. 

The return of a club legend, the signing of a highly touted prodigy or a loan move for a big-name player whose career has stalled (or preferably all three in one window) are the usual fixings for getting way too hyped before the start of a new campaign.