Gareth Bale did not find himself on the team sheet for Real Madrid’s friendly against Tottenham in Munich on Tuesday. Instead, he was spotted on the green, playing golf at the Ciudad Grupo Santander, a private course on the outskirts of Madrid.
I’ll admit that my own excitement over last night’s MLS All-Star Skills Challenge led to disappointment for the better part of an hour. The Shooting Challenge round — kicks from the spot aimed at targets in goal — was turgid and tedious as all hell, and then I sank even lower after the Touch and Volley round, which I’d likened beforehand — in my own head — to be soccer’s equivalent of the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest.
In recent years, Major League Soccer has gone up against numerous big-name European clubs in a friendly to help showcase both the talent in MLS as well as international talent of clubs vying for more market presence in the U.S. The MLS All-Star Skills Challenge is part of that ploy. So, here’s some helpful information to know before you watch it.
Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) has been making headlines over the past few months by waging a steady assault on FIFA’s rights to everything in club soccer; most notable was an exclusive deal with Juventus, meaning that the club’s name, badge, kits and Allianz Stadium will only be available in PES 2020 — FIFA 20 players will have to make do with ‘Piemonte Calcio.’
Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio will miss most of 2019-20 season after rupturing his ACL against Arsenal on Tuesday night. The injury came in a clash with Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Gareth Bale has been linked with an imminent move away from Real Madrid in recent days. Zinedine Zidane called Bale out in a press conference only to later deny his comments were disrespectful.
Yet, Bale still managed to both play and have an impact in Los Blanco's International Champions Cup match against Arsenal on Tuesday.
If the big-wigs of soccer are looking at the Forbes World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2019, you can bet your bottom dollar they’re thinking “European Super League.” Back in 2012, only one team across all sports was worth at least $2 billion, that being Manchester United. Now, 52 teams meet that criteria, including almost every NFL team.
After making his Chelsea debut as a 65th-minute substitute against Kawasaki Frontale on Friday, Christian Pulisic was handed his first-ever Chelsea start Tuesday as the Blues defeated Barcelona 2-1 in Saitama, Japan.
It was the sort of tackle in which the final verdict would be better suited to a courtroom; a straight red card certainly doesn’t seem like enough justice for an act of violence perpetrated with the sole intention of seriously injuring another player.
During yesterday’s “friendly” between Sevilla and Liverpool at Fenway Park in Boston, Sevilla’s Joris Gnagnon was handed his marching orders in the 76th minute for this assault on 18-year-old Liverpool winger Yasser Larouci.
Despite having not scored more than 10 league goals in a season since 2014-15 (his first with Real Madrid), Colombian attacker James Rodriguez remains one of the game’s most recognizable and beloved footballers. The 28-year-old’s playmaking ability is world class (he dropped 13 assists during his first season on loan at Bayern Munich), and although he’s been deemed surplus to requirements by Zinedine Zidane, the likes of Atlético and Napoli are desperate to sign the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner.