When Arsenal returns from a 2.5-week break on Feb. 10, Mikel Arteta’s side will focus solely on finishing in the Top 4 in the Premier League. Out of every other competition this season, the Gunners’ only goal now is returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2016-17, or at the very least making it back into the Europa League.
The number of USMNT winter transfers to Europe continues to grow by the day. With Major League Soccer not beginning until Feb. 26, some of the brighter stars are skipping out on next season with their respective MLS clubs and looking for minutes in Europe.
Crystal Dunn is arguably the most versatile footballer on the planet. Capable of being one of the NWSL’s best forwards and then becoming one of the world’s best fullbacks with the USWNT, there isn’t much she can’t do. Her next position? Mom. So just who is this Crystal Dunn husband who will help the star footballer raise a baby along with a few cats and chickens?
Well, well, well... La batalla para convertirse en el nuevo rey del vecindario comenzó anoche con el anuncio de las parejas que animarán los octavos de final de la Liga de Campeones de la Concacaf 2022.
No hubo necesidad de hacer un doble sorteo como sucedió hace unos días con esos principiantes de la UEFA y el futuro de Cruz Azul, León, Pumas y Santos Laguna, los equipos que defenderán el estandarte mexicano en la competencia, quedó de la siguiente manera:
Montreal drew Liga MX power Santos Laguna for the most high-profile Round of 16 pairing in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, as the four MLS teams from the United States randomly drew first-round matches with clubs from Central America.
The two-legged first-round pairings will take place in the last two weeks of February, with quarterfinals scheduled in the windows of March 8-10 and March 15-17, semifinals April 5-7 and April 12-14 and the final April 26-28 and May 3-5.
Last week, I felt privileged to attend the first-ever MLS game on Thanksgiving. It was an odd event I couldn’t not attend. Turns out, a lot of people tuned in to watch on FOX — just not the massive MLS TV ratings being reported elsewhere.
On Thursday, the Colorado Rapids hosted the Portland Timbers in a Western Conference semifinal at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. It was the first-ever MLS Thanksgiving game — I really hope it’s not the last.
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is a time for American football. It’s the Lions and Cowboys; it’s a college football game or two. But let’s be honest, the Lions suck, everyone hates the Cowboys and college football has been garbage on Thanksgiving since Texas refused to continue its rivalry with Texas A&M.
One of the great Thanksgiving traditions — other than your annual Turkey Derby — is watching American football teams you don’t care about. Typically, you couldn’t pay someone to watch a Detroit Lions game, but on Turkey Day it just hits different. This year the Lions are so horrendous that we at The18 recommend these soccer games on Thanksgiving instead.
After a remarkable Decision Day that ended with Colorado atop the Western Conference and Salt Lake in the postseason at the expense of the LA Galaxy, it’s time to begin our countdown to the Cup final on Dec. 11 with some MLS playoff predictions.
Thankfully, this season’s action begins after the November international break so there’ll be no awkward space between the first round on Nov. 20 and the conference semifinals on Thanksgiving.
The year that was 2020 disrupted a lot of the financial models for Major League Soccer and resulted in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified back in February, but the 26th season of MLS is now underway while looking largely similar to previous editions, particularly with regards to the MLS Designated Players list 2021.