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Top 7 best ways to get away with watching the UEFA Champions League at work this year

This season the UEFA Champions League is bigger than ever before (literally) as a new format will see eight games per club and a total of 36 teams competing. 

American soccer fans know all too well the struggles of trying to watch games in the middle of the day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We at The18 are fortunate enough to spectate Champions League games, but we know others don’t have that privilege.

The best we can do is provide these seven excuses/hacks to watch the big games while on the clock in the office this season.

Fans irate with UEFA after listening to new Champions League anthem set to play before games

It turns out the tournament format wasn’t the only thing changing this season for the UEFA Champions League. A new Champions League anthem was revealed on Thursday and fans hate it.

The Champions League anthem has been a staple of the tournament and iconic when it rings out around the stadiums prior to kickoff. “Champions League” is the official name of the original anthem and has been in use for the past 32 years.

Now a slightly altered version has been released for the upcoming season with changes to the instrumental and vocals.

Watch: Kelley O’Hara returns to field for first time in five months after knee injury

Kelley O’Hara made her grand return to the pitch Sunday night for Gotham FC after missing the previous five months battling a knee injury. The home crowd gave the 36-year-old United States women’s national team icon a roaring ovation when she entered the game in the 85th minute during a friendly against Chelsea.

O’Hara is playing in her final NWSL season as she’s announced she will retire at the end of the year. Her last season with Gotham FC hasn’t been a dream final chapter of her career as she’s been sidelined since March.

Did Emily Fox snub Korbin Albert? Some USWNT fans believe Fox avoided high-fiving substitute

The United States women’s national team completed a sweep of their Olympic group stage on Wednesday with a 2-1 victory vs. Australia. One moment fans noticed was an Emily Fox Korbin Albert exchange, or lack thereof we should say.

In the 65th minute of the Australia game head coach Emma Hayes made a triple substitution with Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle and Fox coming off for Lynn Williams, Casey Krueger and Albert.

WTF! VAR disallows late Argentina equalizer two hours after fans invade field, Morocco win 2-1

PARIS — A fan invasion in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos, with Argentina eventually beaten 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2.

Watch: Korbin Albert still receives hefty number of boos during latest USWNT friendlies

Korbin Albert was given an unexpected start for Tuesday’s United States women’s national team Olympic send-off game vs. Costa Rica. Rose Lavelle was a late scratch due to muscle tightness and head coach Emma Hayes put Albert in the starting XI.

Videos: CONMEBOL’s horrendous organization leads to fan chaos prior to Copa America final

CONMEBOL’s 2024 Copa América in the United States has been nothing short of disastrous in terms of organization, with the tournament final between Argentina and Colombia being a logistical and safety horror movie.

Hours prior to the match to be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, an excessive amount of fans looking to get into the venue lead to thousands ‘bulldozing’ and forcing their way into a seat.

This forced organizers and stadium security to pause all fan entry into the stadium, delaying the match that was planned to start at 8 PM EST by 30 minutes.

Opinion: Having a hot USMNT head coach (Hervé Renard) will boost interest in national team

Yeah, you read the headline. Someone posted on social media that Hervé Renard taking over as United States men’s national team head coach would draw more interest to the team due to how objectively attractive he is. They’re probably right.

We can go on and on about Renard’s accolades leading Zambia and Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations titles, but we’ve had those discussions already.

Watch: Darwin Núñez throws punches with Colombian fans in stands after Copa América loss

Wednesday’s Copa América semifinal ended with Colombia defeating Uruguay 1-0 and Darwin Núñez punching fans in the stands of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The semifinal was another classic CONMEBOL clash that saw 24 fouls, six yellow cards and a red card. After the game tensions were high with the Colombians celebrating and Uruguay players and staff getting physical.

American Outlaws and USMNT supporter groups publicly call for Gregg Berhalter’s firing

The American Outlaws Gregg Berhalter statement released on Wednesday illustrated the United States men’s national team head coach’s loss of support from fans and media.

Several U.S. Soccer supporters’ groups have publicly called for a head coaching change. Barra 76 were one of the first groups to release a statement on Tuesday.

“We believe replacing Gregg Berhalter as head coach of the USMNT is essential to revitalizing our national team’s strategy and achieving the results our players and supporters deserve,” Barra 76 said.

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