Outrageous

I take back every nice thing I said about CBS’s coverage of the Champions League. CBS All Access is still an utter mess and it’s clear the broadcasting giant doesn’t give any fucks about us soccer fans.

A viral video has surfaced of an absurd flop during a LaLiga match between Cádiz and Granada earlier in October. 

Cádiz forward Iván Alejo must have got cocky after scoring in the 48th minute and felt the need to try for an Oscar Award for Best Actor. Alejo pulled out all the stops.

Rangers isn’t playing around in this edition of the Europa League. After getting bounced out last season in the Round of 16, the Scottish giants returned to the tournament on Thursday with a bang.

Rangers opened up Europa League group stage play against Belgium’s Standard Liége. After converting a penalty kick in the 19th minute of the game, one would assume that the Scottish club would hold on to the 1-0 lead. The score line seemed all but certain until Rangers’ Kemar Roofe made everyone’s jaw drop with a terrific goal to double the lead in extra time.

If I had a nickel for every time I wrote about fish soccer I would have ten cents, which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. I tip my hat to any readers who understand that reference.

Obscure nods to TV shows aside, I once again bring you the joys of fish soccer. This time around the humans are pretending to be slippery salmons seeking scoring success. Carlisle United, in England’s League Two, must have a child orchestrating the team’s recovery sessions. The players engaged in the most ridiculous “recovery” exercise I have ever seen.

Manchester United produced its fair share of footballing legends during Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure in the north west of England, but few can lay claim to Ryan Giggs' idyllic exit in 2014.

(Paul Scholes did lift the Premier League trophy after his final United match, but after he was subbed on, United allowed West Brom to overcome a three-goal deficit and salvage a draw — not exactly flawless).

I’ve been watching the Champions League on U.S. television for more than 20 years and I’ve never seen anything quite like what CBS put on display on Tuesday, the first match day of the 2020-21 campaign. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. One thing’s for sure: CBS tried to steal one of Univision’s best ideas and it might prove to be an inspired decision in the long run at the risk of alienating the most hardcore fans.