Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of my greatest hopes is that the collective joy at the beautiful game’s return forever silences the mind-numbingly pedantic “football vs. soccer” argument.
As an American media company, it’s inevitable that any piece of content we produce that takes off beyond these shores will eventually have the following top comment: “It’s football, not soccer.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber told ESPN that the league will explore alternative formats when it comes to completing the 2020 season. Garber said that MLS is "focused at getting in as many as games as possible" if play resumes following the coronavirus pandemic.
Los Angeles Galaxy assistant coach Dominic Kinnear and former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam are candidates for the FC Cincinnati coaching vacancy, The Athletic reported.
Kinnear, 52, previously served as head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo, leading the Dynamo to MLS Cup wins in 2006 and 2007. He has been with the Galaxy since 2017.
Stam, 47, has managed several clubs in Europe, including Reading in England and PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord in The Netherlands, his home country.
Donald Trump’s feud with women’s soccer players continued on Saturday as he spoke with the commissioners of every major sports league in the U.S. with one exception: the NWSL.
To no one’s surprise, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and PGA commissioners were all invited. Somewhat surprisingly, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, LPGA’s Michael Whan and MLS’s Don Garber also got invites. Also included were UFC and NASCAR, which probably speak to Trump’s base, and WWE, which is more akin to Broadway than sport.
But no National Women’s Soccer League.
These days, Alexi Lalas is known for his outlandishly stupid hot takes. But like most American soccer broadcasters on TV, Lalas had quite the playing career back in the day, including a stint in Serie A and two World Cups.
Aside from play-by-play men and women like John Strong and JP Dellacamera and studio hosts like Rob Stone and Max Bretos, most American soccer broadcasters were experienced players before they joined the world of television.
When you think of great left feet, you think of Gareth Bale golazos, Arjen Robben curlers, John Arne Riise smashers, Robin van Persie volleys or anything Lionel Messi does.
But the best left foot in the history of Major League Soccer doesn’t conjure images of spectacular goals. Heck, most people probably couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.
There have been a fair number of fantastic left-footers to grace MLS, perhaps none greater than Preki. Ashley Cole spent a few seasons with the LA Galaxy and more recently Carlos Vela obliterated the MLS single-season scoring record.
There will come a day when the USMNT boasts a world-class striker. I might not be around to see it, but that day is coming.
Alex Morgan is having a baby.
The global women’s soccer icon posted a baby announcement on social media on Oct. 23, confirming the two-time Women’s World Cup winner is pregnant and expecting to give birth in April. Morgan is married to former LA Galaxy midfielder Servando Carrasco.
According to the announcement post, the Carrascos are expecting a baby girl. This is the couple’s first child.
It’s crazy to think it has been two years now since MLS was graced with the first taste of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. March 31, 2018, was a day the LA Galaxy and the league may never forget with a classic El Trafico and the beginning of Ibrahimović’s short reign in MLS.
When North American sports leagues return to action after the coronavirus crisis, questions are sure to linger over whether the fans will be willing, or have the resources, to pack stadiums as they once did, sports analysts have said.