One of the great joys (unless you’re Juventus president Andrea Agnelli) of European competition is the annual group of overachievers that disrupts the established rule while playing some of the best football on the planet. In recent seasons, the leading examples have been Ajax (2018-19), Roma (2017-18) and Monaco (2016-17).
This year, that title belongs to Atalanta, the team with Italy's 12th-highest wage bill.
After a long time away from home, Mark Uth is thriving again in Cologne.
In the summer of 2018, Uth moved to Schalke from Hoffenheim, where a series of injuries saw him unable to maintain any sort of form. FC Köln manager Markus Gisdol, who worked with Uth for six months at Hoffenheim, decided to bring him to 15th-placed Köln on loan in January. Since his return to his boyhood club, no Schalke player has scored as many goals or provided as many assists as Uth (four apiece).
Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio has missed the entire season with a serious knee injury but the time away from the pitch paid unexpected dividends when he was crowned champion of LaLiga's FIFA 20 video game tournament on Sunday.
With Spanish soccer on hold along with most live sports while the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, players traded the pitch for PlayStation in an online tournament organized by eSports commentator Ibai Llanos and endorsed by LaLiga.
Due to EVENTS, there are things I miss about soccer — namely the performance, observance and existence of it. Alas, there’s not going to be any soccer for a while, and that’s for the best. The virus doesn’t move, we move it, so it’s time to stop moving.
Julie Ertz might just be the most dominant player in soccer right now — and the most magnanimous.
The two-time Women’s World Cup winner teamed up with her husband to donate $100,000 to Philabundance, a Philadelphia-area food bank, to provide meals to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ertz and her husband, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, announced the donation on Friday evening through their Ertz Family Foundation.
LONDON — Manchester United and Manchester City are the latest Premier League clubs to spring into action to help their communities during the coronavirus pandemic, joining forces to donate 100,000 pounds ($117,000) to support local food banks.
Responding to an initiative already run by fans of both clubs, City and United will donate 50,000 pounds each to the Trussell Trust, a support network of more than 1,200 food banks.
I’ll be honest, self-isolation has begun to take a toll on my body. I haven’t left my apartment except to take out the trash in over seven days now and there’s only so much you can do indoors. Unless, that is, you have a gym like the Lionel Messi home.
Beginning Friday, March 20, at 3:00 p.m. ET, you’ll be able to watch the premiere of FIFA’s 2018 World Cup Official Film on YouTube. Since 1954, FIFA has sanctioned an official documentary film for each World Cup, and although the 2018 edition has been available on Amazon Prime Video for some time, Friday will mark its free launch on YouTube.
The documentary features incredible footage of the event which only FIFA can provide, and it takes an in-depth look at tournament stars like Paul Pogba, Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo while the narration is provided by Damian Lewis.
Borussia Moenchengladbach's players and coaching staff became the first in Germany to accept pay cuts during the coronavirus crisis to support the club as revenues dry up due to halted matches, sports director Max Eberl said on Thursday.
The Bundesliga suspension is due to last until at least April 2 though few believe it will resume soon after that date. All continental competitions have also been suspended with the virus's current epicenter in Europe. Germany has recorded about 11,000 cases with 20 deaths.
Great news for people who love football and are bored senseless: Sega has announced Football Manager 2020 is now free to play on Steam until March 25 on PC/Mac. That gives you one week to take Gateshead from National League North to the Premier League and European glory.
And if you find yourself hooked come March 25, you’ll be able to continue with your saved file after purchasing the game.