Informational/Did You Know

From Alcorcón To Pordenone: The Biggest Cup Upsets In Footballing History

Soccer is one of the very few sports that boasts competitions where small, local sides are able to face off against the best teams in the country. These matchups capture the imagination while providing a sense of hope and magic to a small group of supporters.

Domestic cups have long provided smaller clubs with the opportunity to prove their mettle by facing nationally recognized sides, and while major upsets are rare, just the slightest hope of an improbable win is enough to cause local pandemonium and stir significant interest among neutral supporters.

Conoce A José Juan, El Arquero De 41 años Que Eliminó Al Real Madrid De La Copa Del Rey

Algo increíble ha pasado: el Alcoyano, equipo de Segunda B de España (la cuarta categoría del fútbol español) eliminó contra todo pronóstico al Real Madrid de la Copa del Rey en la prórroga.

El gran héroe fue el portero José Juan, un arquero de 41 años que tuvo su gran noche en el arco al parar absolutamente todo. 

As The Underdogs Fade Away, Can Non-League Chorley Yield One More Moment Of FA Cup Magic?

The FA Cup is one of football's most prominent cup competitions due to the tournament's proclivity for surprise upsets and underdog stories. Despite the absence of fan support, this season's FA Cup has still seen its share of upsets.

Four non-league clubs reached the FA Cup Third Round, but only one progressed to the next step in the competition 

Dwayne De Rosario Put Canadian Soccer On The Map, But His Journey Isn’t Complete

Back on Dec. 9, Major League Soccer unveiled its list of the 25 best players in the league’s 25-year history. One no-brainer was the inclusion of attacking midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who spent 14 hugely decorated seasons in the league. 

De Rosario was a four-time MLS Cup winner, six-time MLS Best XI selection and the 2011 MVP. His 104 career goals puts him ninth all time, and two of those strikes famously won MLS Goal of the Year Awards (2004 and 2005).  

All The New Soccer Movies And TV Shows Set To Be Released In 2021

Almost 365 days later and we’re still in quarantine — oh, the look on your face if I could’ve told you this last March. But don’t fear, good TV is still here! The best soccer movies and TV shows promised in 2021 are compiled below. We’ll update this list when we hear of more.

Best Soccer Movies 2021

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Definitely Maybe: Forecasting Breakout Teams For 2021

Few things in sports are as difficult as predicting results of future games. According to Chris Anderson and David Sally, authors of The Numbers Game, soccer is 50 percent luck and 50 percent skill. Add in an overwhelming number of professional leagues and players and the low-scoring nature of matches, soccer is one of the most unpredictable sports. 

New Podcast Explores The Music That Inspires The World’s Top Footballers

What inspires the world’s best footballers? What do World Cup legends Carli Lloyd and Ivan Rakitić listen to before the biggest games of their lives? That’s what a new FIFA music podcast hopes to explore.

The FIFA PlayOn podcast, which launched Wednesday, delves into the relationship between musician and footballer. Hosted by former One Direction member Liam Payne, each episode features one world-class soccer player and a musical artist to discuss the soundtrack to their lives. 

To Stretch Or Not To Stretch Before Playing Soccer

Over the past 20 years, static muscle stretching has gotten a bad rap. Once considered an essential part of any sport or exercise warm-up, static stretching has now been removed from the picture almost entirely.

This move followed extensive research showing that static stretching — where we stretch and then hold the muscle at an extended length for seconds or minutes — can reduce muscle strength (reflected in things like lifting weights), power (for example, jump height), running speed, balance and other capacities for a short time after the stretching.

Pulling Back The Iron Curtain: The Legacy Of Russia's Euro 2008 Semifinal Success

For a memorable few months in 2008, Russia was the talk of the soccer world. 

Zenit St. Petersburg captured the Europa League title, defeating Rangers in the final after dismantling Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate in the semis.

Just a month later, the national team also achieved unprecedented success, reaching the semifinals of Euro 2008 before bowing out to eventual champion Spain.

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