Human Interest

What’s In A Name? The Giovanni In Gio Reyna

Names in and of themselves are not all that interesting. It’s the meaning behind a name, bestowed upon a child at birth, that makes it special. When Giovanni Alejandro Reyna was born in Sunderland, England, to a pair of U.S. soccer players in 2002, the future Borussia Dortmund star was given a name that proved prophetic for his footballing prowess. 

New USSF Deal Brings USMNT, USWNT Players Together — Will Fans Follow Suit?

It finally happened.

After decades of battling, the U.S. Soccer Federation has agreed to pay its men’s and women’s players equally, a landmark deal and the first of its kind in the soccer world. 

USWNT, USMNT Strike Equal Pay Deal, Including Split Of World Cup Bonuses

U.S soccer men's and women's national team players will receive equal pay and prize money, including at World Cups, after they came together to agree on landmark collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with the U.S Soccer Federation on Wednesday.

U.S. Soccer becomes the first federation in the world to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money awarded to both women's and men's teams for participation in their respective World Cups.

Don’t Say ‘Who Cares’ — Blackpool Player Coming Out Is A Big Deal

I can already see the responses on our Facebook page.

“Who cares?”

“Stop pushing your woke culture.”

“If you want to be gay, why do we have to hear about it?”

Here’s why you should care.

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels announced he is gay on Monday, becoming the first active male professional British footballer to do so since 1990. The last to do so? Justin Fashanu, who committed suicide eight years later. 

Calls For PSG Player To Be Punished Intensify After He Didn’t Play In Rainbow Colors

Idrissa Gana Gueye was a conspicuous absence during Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Montpellier on Saturday. The Senegalese midfielder was on the roster and traveled with the team, but when the match rolled around, he was nowhere to be found.

“Idrissa made the trip to Montpellier, but for personal reasons he had to leave the match sheet; but he wasn’t hurt,” PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said

Amid War Crime Accusations, UEFA Lets Russia Attend Its Congress

A Russian representative was allowed to attend UEFA's Congress in Vienna on Wednesday despite the country's national teams and clubs being barred from competitions.

Europe's governing body UEFA and world soccer governing body FIFA suspended Russian clubs and national teams from their competitions in February until further notice after the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." Russia has been accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine. 

With Taliban Abolishing Women’s Rights In Afghanistan, A Lucky Few Play Soccer In Australia

MELBOURNE — Eight months after fleeing Kabul as the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan, Farida trains at a suburban Melbourne pitch, dreaming of one day playing soccer for her country while lamenting the fate of fellow women players back home.

The 20-year-old striker was one of 77 Afghan athletes, family members and officials evacuated from Afghanistan last year by the Australian government after lobbying by prominent figures in the sporting world.

MLS Veteran Opens Up About Body Shaming, Eating Disorders

Chris Seitz played professional soccer for 15 years before retiring in January. Now the MLS Cup-winning goalkeeper is opening up about his issues with body shaming and eating disorders.

Seitz won an NCAA title with Maryland, an MLS Cup with Real Salt Lake and U.S. Open Cups with both FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo. The California native made more than 100 career MLS appearances and wore the No. 1 jersey for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics. 

He’s been around. He’s won. And he’s had struggles.

EA Sports Loses FIFA Licensing — Here’s What It Means For You

For decades, the word “FIFA” more often than not referred to the video game franchise as opposed to the eponymous soccer governing body. 

No more. FIFA and EA Sports are ending their nearly three-decade relationship, effective in 2023. 

In short: The game will change its name to EA Sports FC (I know, yuck) but not much else. As for the why: As usual, it’s greed (from both parties).

Gregg Berhalter Pays Tribute To Scott Van Pelt’s Dog With USMNT Jersey

Gregg Berhalter was invited on ESPN’s flagship SportsCenter show to talk about the U.S. men’s national team 200 days before the Americans open the World Cup in Qatar. The USMNT coach talked plenty of soccer and did his best to dumb it down for the average SportsCenter viewer. As the interview concluded, host Scott Van Pelt showed the USMNT jersey Berhalter had given him. It was far too small for the 6-6 anchor and not quite sized for any of his three children, either. It was for SVP’s beloved dog Otis.

Van Pelt was nearly brought to tears. 

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