Underdogs

Come for the train, stay for the goals: Two USL Championship underdogs down MLS opposition in midweek US Open Cup fixtures

As the tail end of the nation’s oldest and most storied soccer tournament approaches, two second-division teams continue to linger. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Birmingham Legion both welcomed MLS opposition into their humble abodes for the US Open Cup Round of 16 and won more than just the hearts of those watching.

Luton's crumbling Kenilworth Road is one win from the Premier League

LUTON, England - Opinions of Luton Town's Kenilworth Road stadium run the gamut from charming and cosy to a ramshackle dump, but the club's former manager John Still believes it could be one of the team's most potent weapons if they reach the Premier League next season.

Luton Town need to beat Coventry City in Saturday's Championship Playoff Final at Wembley to earn promotion — and the biggest prize in the game.

Brighton secure spot in Europa League with 30-yard laser to draw Man City 1-1

BRIGHTON — Champions Manchester City's 12-match winning streak in the Premier League came to an end as Julio Enciso's stunner earned sixth-placed Brighton and Hove Albion a 1-1 draw to seal them a Europa League berth on Wednesday.

Treble-chasing City, who wrapped up a fifth title in six seasons at the weekend, lacked their usual intensity but took the lead when Phil Foden slotted home in the 25th minute.

Over 100,000 Feyenoord fans pack center of Rotterdam on Monday afternoon to celebrate league title

ROTTERDAM - More than a hundred thousand Feyenoord fans gathered in the city center of Rotterdam on Monday to celebrate their team's Dutch league title, the 16th in their history but only the fourth of the past 30 years.

Thousands of singing and dancing fans crowded the streets in front of the town hall early on Monday, hours before the team would appear on the balcony around noon local time (1000GMT).

Hundreds of flares were lit by the raucous crowd when the players finally appeared, as the squad led the fans through almost an hour of songs and chants.

Arsenal hopes crushed by Brighton as Man City on the brink of title

LONDON - The flickering embers of Arsenal's Premier League title dream were all but extinguished as they suffered a 3-0 home drubbing by Europe-chasing Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.

With relentless Manchester City winning at Everton in the earlier kickoff to move four points clear, long-time league leaders Arsenal knew only a victory would suffice.

I can’t stop laughing at these commentators’ reactions to game-winning Indonesia goal

If you’re like me then you had no idea that the Southeast Asian Games were taking place right now. However, a late game-winner from 10-man Indonesia against Vietnam has been brought to my attention after the hilarious reaction from the commentators.

Saturday’s game was the semifinal match and Indonesia were going up against the two-time defending champions Vietnam.

Patrick Bamford might have just doomed Leeds for relegation with penalty miss

LEEDS — Defender Rasmus Kristensen scored a late equalizer to give Leeds United a share of the points in a thrilling Premier League 2-2 draw with Newcastle United that saw Leeds miss one spot kick, concede two more and have a man sent off in stoppage time.

Leeds are still in the relegation zone but move up one spot to 18th on 31 points, one point behind Everton in 17th, while Newcastle remain third in the table on 66 points, three ahead of Manchester United and four ahead of Liverpool.

FC Basel are 90 minutes away from making Swiss club football history

FC Basel stunned Fiorentina on Thursday with a 2-1 victory away at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the Europa Conference League. If they can hold on to their aggregate lead at home, then Basel will be headed to the final. This begs the question, has a Swiss club ever made a European final?

Has a Swiss club ever made a European final?

No.

A Swiss team has yet to win a major European trophy or even appear in a final. The semifinal is the closest one has ever come.

US Open Cup Round of 16 features a record 14 MLS teams: Should other teams be given more opportunities to compete?

The culmination of this week’s midweek U.S. Open Cup matches ensured that 14 of the teams in the tournament’s Round of 16 will be from Major League Soccer, equalling a record set in 2015, 2016 and 2019 for the most MLS representatives at this stage of the competition. The two non-MLS representatives are USL Championship sides Birmingham Legion FC, who beat fellow USLC side Memphis 901 FC 3-0, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, who pulled off the round’s only “cupset” as they knocked off Bruce Arena’s New England Revolution 1-0.

Sporting Kansas City finally wins a game!

Given the limelight on Sunday afternoon to show viewers why they'd gone winless through the opening 10 matches of the MLS season, Sporting Kansas City disappointed everyone who was looking for more of the same by beating the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at Lumen Field.

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