If you’re an American, there’s absolutely every chance that you missed Wednesday’s Carabao Cup Round of 16 fixtures . . . unless you called in sick, which would be grounds for an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary starring you.
It’s been exactly 15 years to the day since Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini hopped off the bench in the 82nd minute of Barcelona’s 1-0 derby victory over Espanyol to mark his LaLiga debut. The 17-year-old replaced midfield maestro Deco and gave a tantalizing glimpse of what was to come.
What followed, in league play, is currently 453 more appearances, 420 goals, 164 assists and 10 titles. You could say that things have gone well.
There’s no real marquee matches in European Championship qualifying over the course of the next week, but after the country’s disastrous attempt to qualify for the last World Cup, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on Italy versus Greece on Oct. 12.
There’s no forgetting the original adidas F50 Tunit cleat: its super shiny, seaside color way; its kinda haphazard lace cover that was stuck firm with velcro. This was the boot that adidas went all in on for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and the commercial that aired constantly on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 is still up there with the best.
Although I’m not sure what that kid was thinking taking Djibril Cissé with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
In today’s world of inundating social media feeds, labyrinthine methods of escapism and banging SoundCloud profiles, it’s not enough to throw a jersey on your club’s star player and expect to move units. You gotta get all the world’s most innovative brand specialists together and hit the people with something so profound that it’d seduce your dad quicker than Billie Eilish working the register at a Bass Pro Shop.
It happens every year. Clubs release their new soccer jerseys and you’re faced with a dilemma — which one do you buy?
It’s a rite of passage, buying a new soccer jersey. When the new season arrives, the true fans always buy the newest kits. But it can be a bit daunting to choose from the plethora of options, no matter which team (or teams) you support.
Fortunately, we’ve sorted through the hundreds of new kits released for the 2019-20 season to find the very best — and compared them to vintage kits that may have inspired them.
Did the start of the new season catch you off guard? Did you find yourself out on the pitch last weekend without any shoes on? We’ve all been there. Not to worry, the adidas Input Code pack was launched on Tuesday, and you’re going to look resplendent in these, like a Christmas ham.
First up is the Predator, which is blue and solid goooold. Look at the chrome soleplate; you could bring that into Gringotts Wizarding Bank and be treated like royalty by all the goblin tellers.
When it comes to touchline fashion, the game runs a pretty wide gamut from the track suits favored by the likes of Maurizio Sarri to the beloved hooded cardigan of Pep Guardiola. I believe, however, that we’re on the verge of another major transformation in managerial style — one that would require André Villas-Boas to swap his preferred trench coat for a bean-bag onesie.
Everton fans hate Liverpool. They’re too flashy, they think they have a monopoly on bad singing and they just win too damn much.
The Merseyside Derby, unlike many of the world’s great soccer rivalries, is different because of the proximity of the two clubs — Anfield and Goodison Park are a literal stone’s throw from each other. This intimacy engenders deep resentment between the two clubs — Everton fans jealous of Liverpool’s money and success and Liverpool fans jealous of actually attracting fans from Liverpool instead of abroad.
In a market that's dominated by industry giants, it’s difficult for smaller cleat brands to make an impact. Many have tried to redefine the cleat by removing its laces, adding a special “strike zone” or using a unique stud pattern, but when you boil all those features down, Sam Garzon and his team at Unozero only see a collection of gimmicks.