If you think Emiliano Martinez is the most despicable goalkeeper out there, just wait to meet Zsombor Senkó, the man between the sticks for Hungarian second-division side DVTK. He's being rightly booed worldwide after denying a goal and crushing the dreams of a seven-year-old boy on his birthday!
Boooo! And another boooo!
Nike announced on Monday that it will no longer produce kangaroo leather products, including its famous soccer cleats. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, the news is a real wake-up call. Since the 1970s, kangaroo leather has represented the pinnacle of what a football boot is and should be, providing players with a touch on the ball unlike any other boots on the market.
Despite only beginning the club's sixth season in Major League Soccer, LAFC have already begun tapping into the hot bed of talent in Southern California with exciting homegrown players like Erik Dueñas, Christian Torres, Nathan Ordaz and Tony Leone all on the roster.
I've seen enough. I'm declaring 17-year-old AZ Alkmaar phenom Kees Smit the winner of the 2023 Golden Boy Award, and there's nothing some preciously talented La Masia graduate at Barcelona can do about it.
Over a month ago, the Netherlands youth international came to my attention with an incredibly inventive goal during an indoor match. It's as beautiful as a Rembrandt.
The United States have earned a spot at this year's U-17 Men’s World Cup with a hard-fought 5-3 win against Guatemala in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. It took four goals to defeat the tournament’s hosts in an extremely hostile home atmosphere.
We got a good one brewing! Keyrol Figueroa’s leads the #CU17C with 6 goals ⚽️
Today’s heroes in Guatemala are looking set to be tomorrow’s golden boys. The U-17 USMNT is in the midst of its Concacaf Championship campaign and has gotten off to about as good of a start as possible. Saturday’s comprehensive 5-0 drubbing of Barbados was followed by another dominant performance and a 3-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago on Monday night.
GOAALL
I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, but if you've been following The18 for the past year then you've already seen all 11 FIFA Puskas Award nominees. We have exquisite taste like that.
But in case you can't remember the strikes — arriving as early as Apr. 2 and as late as Kylian Mbappé's side-volley against Argentina in the World Cup final on Dec. 18 — here's a trip down memory lane with videos that you can watch right here, right now. I've also included a link to what The18 said at the time.
In 2020 my creative juices were flowing as I penned three award-nominated (not actually nominated) horror stories about youth soccer.
Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Alexi Lalas told us this would happen — it's one generation inspiring the next after watching Christian Pulisic deliver and Tyler Adams dominate.
"If Shaq Moore can get 20 minutes in a World Cup, why not me?" is what these kids are asking themselves around the country, and they're heeding Donovan's advice to stop counting the days and to start making the days count.
Ingrained as they are in our social fabric, sports are crucial to bringing people and communities together. And this is especially true when we talk about youth sports. Unfortunately, it's not always a level playing field for those athletes trying to break through when the opportunities are not the same for everybody.
DIRECTV knows about these difficulties and hardships, so in partnership with LeagueSide, they decided to be an agent of change in society by offering a series of sports scholarships nationwide.