I don’t care much for the NFL. As a Texan by birth, I’m required to at least have a team (hint: it’s not the Cowboys), but other than that the Super Bowl is nothing more than an excuse to eat guacamole and queso.
But one thing caught my eye in the NFL on Sunday night as the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-10 to clinch a playoff berth, just their second trip to the postseason this millennium.
Sports and politics have long been intertwined. For as long as athletes have had a platform, they’ve used it to speak up for their beliefs and ideals, from Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Tom Brady and LeBron James.
But when it comes to American politics, soccer players have long been on the periphery, too obscure for anyone to really notice come election day. That began to change somewhat in 2016, and based on an announcement on Friday, 2020 could be a big year for American soccer players in politics.
During Bayern Munich’s 3-1 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer recorded 66 touches, which was more than any Spurs player on the day (Kyle Walker-Peters was tops with 59). With 48 accurate passes, he also outperformed all Tottenham players in that category. Oh, and his pass success rate of 89 percent (48 of 54) was also better than Spurs' best (Moussa Sissoko hit on 85 percent).
Magnus Carlsen — a 29-year-old Norwegian chess grandmaster who’s now spent six years as the undisputed world champion — is a modern day Renaissance man. As detailed by The Guardian, Carlsen has climbed to sixth place in the worldwide Fantasy Premier League table. It’s a truly astounding feat given the fact that there are more than seven million players worldwide.
The 2010s has been a decade. I can’t say it was great nor will I say it was bad. It was 10 years and as I write this it’s almost over.
In 10 years, the soccer world saw Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo absolutely dominate the Ballon d’Or, winning all but one since 2008. Real Madrid won a bunch of big-eared trophies, Spain finally won a World Cup and few teams played more beautifully than Barcelona. Perhaps most shocking, England actually fielded a decent team at a World Cup, but Liverpool still hasn’t won a Premier League title.
The biggest news of the Major League Soccer offseason so far has been the Chicago Fire’s new logo. For many, it was a bigger shock to the system than seeing Giovani dos Santos score goals for Club América.
Named for the greatest story our city can tell - its own legend.
The 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup came to a close on Sunday with Portugal lifting the trophy following a 6-4 victory over Italy in the final. The Azzurri’s Gabriele Gori finished as top scorer for the second-straight tournament with 16 goals in six games, but it was Japan’s Ozu Moreira who received the Golden Ball award as the World Cup’s best player.
Last Thursday, the “Matchday — Inside FC Barcelona” documentary premiered in Barcelona with a variety of representatives, players and celebrities present. The series promised a “no-holds-barred view of the club” filmed throughout the 2018-19 season, which offered the high of a league title and the lows of a Copa del Rey final defeat and that cataclysmic 4-0 defeat to Liverpool in the semifinals of the Champions League.
Julie Ertz, the USWNT standout and two-time World Cup champion, and her husband Zach Ertz, an NFL player and Super Bowl Champion, are the epitome of a power couple.
As professional athletes they, like many other professional couples, are a tad bit more competitive than the average couple. They are always supportive of one another when they are competing on the biggest stage, but even when they are playing a friendly game of air hockey the winner (Julie) enjoys her bragging rights.
Sergiño Dest knows how to make an entrance. Dest became cap-tied to the USMNT as the Americans romped over Canada 4-1 on Friday night in Orlando, Florida. Despite the four goals, an electric Dest elastico was easily the highlight of the night for the U.S.