Algeria secured qualification to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with a 4-1 victory over Togo in Lomé on Sunday, and although the Sparrowhawks of Togo could still qualify for the main event by defeating Benin on the final match day, the way they fell behind against Algeria was nothing short of calamitous.
There was, admittedly, very little footballing action on Wednesday. Qatar shocked Switzerland 1-0 in an international friendly and the U-17 Women’s World Cup continued in Uruguay (the U.S. beat nine-woman Cameroon 3-0), but that was about it.
Oh, and there were a couple of matches in Ascenso MX, Mexico’s second division — namely one involving Diego Cam.
I’m sure you already know this, but we should all aim to be more like Shakira. Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Vin Diesel, she’s among the only three people on the planet to have amassed over 100 million Facebook followers, but that doesn’t stop her from going absolutely mental during El Clásico like the rest of us plebeians.
We could make references to Samson and his hair or joke about awful World Cup hairdos of the past, but really, what’s even the point anymore. Almost a year to the day since Kyle Beckerman lost his dreads, the iconic Marouane Fellaini hair is no more.
On Monday, FC Cincinnati took the next step toward its inaugural 2019 MLS season by unveiling an overhaul to the crest it’s been using since the club’s 2016 debut in the United Soccer League.
The rebrand was headed by Interbrand, the same firm that accounted for the much-debated modernizing of Juventus’s crest.
Out with the old.
In with the new.
How well do you know Law 8, concerning “Kick-off” in particular? Did you know that it’s a real goddamn stickler for the rules, but it’s also a bit of a mischievous statute? Here’s the particular part of the particular subsection I speak of:
1. Kick-off
Procedure
While soccer fans around the globe were disappointed by the postponement of the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final on Saturday, fans were treated to a 3-2 thriller between rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in Germany.
And few of the Bayern board members got as wet as the Bombonera pitch after Paco Alcacer’s thrilling winner for Dortmund.
For the second straight year — after 19 straight seasons in the Champions League — Arsenal is plugging away on Thursday nights in the Europa League. As someone who enjoys watching the Gunners, I’m kind of loving it.
While I would probably prefer to watch Arsenal on Tuesdays or Wednesdays back in the Champions League, facing teams like PSG and Barcelona instead of Sporting and Qarabag, Arsenal in the Europa League is so much more fun this year for one reason and one reason alone: Univision Deportes.
The MLS Playoffs are a lot of fun. I watched last Sunday’s nine-hour marathon of Conference Semifinal first legs, so you’ll have to trust me on that point. I say trust me because you did not. Don’t even lie to me. How do I know that? The attendance numbers have been dirt nasty so far (including season-low gate numbers at Toyota Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Rio Tinto . . . and yes, we’re talking about the playoffs vs. the regular season).