Off the Pitch

Real Life Jamie Tartt — Footballer Leaves Club To Join ‘Love Island’

A month after signing a new contract, Jamie Allen is quitting on his soccer team to pursue his dream of appearing on the raunchy reality TV show “Love Island.” I’d say you can’t make this stuff up, but the “Ted Lasso” creators literally wrote it into Season 2.

Folks, we have a real-life Jamie Tartt.

3 Things Paramount+ Needs To Fix Before Airing Soccer Again

Paramount+ is one of soccer’s fastest growing streaming platforms. With the NWSL, Champions League, Serie A, Europa League and a slew of international Concacaf competitions, it’s becoming harder and harder to avoid paying for Paramount+. 

After watching the Concacaf W Championship on Paramount+ over the last couple of weeks, there are three major issues the streaming service and CBS must work out before it airs another minute of soccer and before you pay another dime for the service.

Adidas Gets Schwifty With ‘Rick And Morty’ On Next-Gen SPEEDPORTAL Cleats

Celebrating the release of the next-gen adidas X Speedportal cleats, the German brand has opted for something different — but entirely fitting — by showcasing the fastest boot "in all dimensions" with a little help from the portal hopping title characters of Rick and Morty. 

If you've seen a single episode of the TV show, you'll know where this is headed. As far as boot advertisements go, it's up there with the best of them.    

Alex Morgan Finds Out How Many Margaritas It Takes To Fill Concacaf W Championship Trophy

Alex Morgan is done sipping tea. She’s moved on to adult beverages. And she’s recreating all the summer’s best trophy celebrations while she’s at it.

Weston McKennie Is An Absolute Vibe Merchant

New videos have emerged confirming what we already knew to be true. Weston McKennie is him. Himothy, Himmy Neutron, to himfinity and beyond; Weston is simply that guy. 

Sam Kerr And Kylian Mbappé Grace The Cover Of FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition

FIFA 23 news has been slow-moving after EA decided not to host its annual Play Live event in June, which traditionally served as our first look at the new technologies and features that'll grace this year's iteration. However, on Monday we got our first look at the FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition cover, featuring PSG's Kylian Mbappé and Chelsea's Sam Kerr.

Police Say They Were Justified In Putting AC Milan Player At Gunpoint

Tiémoué Bakayoko is going viral for all the wrong reasons. 

The AC Milan player — on loan from Chelsea — was recently held at gunpoint by police in Milan. After video of the incident became public, the police said they were completely justified in the treatment of the professional footballer.

Bakayoko, a 27-year-old French international, was thrown up against a police car and searched by officers who had guns drawn. 

Robert Lewandowski Joins Barça Teammates In Miami After $50M Transfer From Bayern

Robert Lewandowski wasted no time linking up with his new Barcelona teammates following Saturday's confirmation of a $50 million transfer from Bayern Munich on a three-year contract. Lewandowski landed in Miami on Sunday, created some content for the social channels and said hello to the squad during dinner.

Hey Look, A Soccer Ball! Let's Go Play!

We've featured some talented bears on the hallowed pages of The18 in the past. Orlando City's Júnior Urso. Grant Conybear, who taught us how to rake a cross-field switch. Nika, the bear who predicted matches at the Confederations Cup.

NBA Star Ja Morant Claims He’s Confident He Could Beat Lionel Messi One-On-One

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant might be one of the most confident athletes on the planet. He believes in himself to the highest degree and so much so that he went on record to say that he could defeat Lionel Messi one-on-one in soccer.

The only caveat was that Morant wants to play goalkeeper when going up against Messi. 

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