Culture

It’s not easy being a single mother. It’s even harder when you’re a professional athlete. But Sydney Leroux sure makes it look easy, or at least fun.

Preseason NWSL camps are less than a month away. With that in mind, Sydney Leroux was in the backyard getting in some training this week with her 5-year-old son, Cassius, who was sporting a full Tottenham kit. Leroux, a 31-year-old Orlando Pride forward and prime Mom of the Year candidate, did what any self-respecting parent would do upon seeing their offspring wearing Spurs colors: kick a ball straight at the kid’s head.

Big news out of Copiapó, Chile today where the illegitimate love child of French football superstars Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé was found after being born on New Year's Day at 9:09 p.m. local time. Three Wise Men followed a star to his birthplace, bearing gifts of a large buyout clause, CR7 fragrance and baby-sized adidas Copa Mundials.

While not quite as bad as 2020, 2021 was not exactly a great year. The Covid-19 pandemic still rages, providing daily disruptions to our lives, politics remained fucked as ever, preventing any real progress on issues of climate change or equity, and my favorite soccer teams all still suck. But an Instagram post featuring Christen Press and Tobin Heath may have just made the entire year worth it.

On Jan. 26, 2022, Amazon Prime Video Sport releases Simeone: Living Match by Match, a six-episode look at the "life, work and miracles" of Atlético Madrid manager Diego "El Cholo" Simeone.

The title derives from a famous bit of "Cholismo" (the idea behind Atlético success since Simeone's arrival) that the manager uttered over and over again during his side's run to the 2020-21 LaLiga title: "Partido a partido" (one match at a time or "game by game").

The best moments in rec league aren't often unbelievable goals or incredible displays of skill. They're things like batshit crazy tackles that aren't even whistled, own goals scored from the top of your own area and that 24 pack of beer in the cooler.

But all the hoofing, chasing and getting blasted in the face combine to make those rare moments of technique stick out all the clearer, like a Monet in a wastewater treatment plant. 

El Paso Locomotive FC beat out eight teams across three leagues to be crowned the best professional soccer club in Texas, winning the inaugural Copa Tejas Shield. Admittedly, that wasn’t too hard given how bad the MLS and NWSL clubs in Texas were in 2021, but we’re not here to discuss merits; we’re here to discuss ... chips and dip? No, that can’t be right.

Back in January, we reported on NBC’s surprise announcement it would shutter NBCSN, the home of the Premier League in the U.S. since 2013, at the end of the year. As we approach the final weeks of the network, NBC detailed how it plans to continue coverage of the Premier League without the channel Americans have long grown accustomed to tuning into on weekend mornings.