Paul Pogba is an enigma wrapped repeatedly in a bunch of increasingly comical synonyms for enigma. And the puzzle that is Pogba will likely be solved during the 2018 World Cup.
The France midfielder has immense talent and potential. He’s dynamic, versatile, athletic, powerful and silky smooth. It’s why Manchester United paid a then-world-record $125 million for him after letting him go for free four years earlier.
Every World Cup, there seems to be the story of a nation that's given little to no chance of making any progress, but somehow ends up actually gaining fans along the way. For the 2018 tournament, we're here to tell you why Australia should be the team that you open your heart to.
The Socceroos are in Group C, alongside France, Denmark and Peru. A tough group, but the Aussies could shock plenty of people if they play with no fear.
Every once in a while it pops back into Omar Gonzalez’s head. A night of terror for all U.S. soccer players and fans.
Omar Gonzalez was on the field the night the USMNT shockingly lost 2-1 to Trinidad and Tobago and — thanks to results elsewhere — failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986. It was off his leg that the Soca Warriors scored their first goal, one of the flukiest own goals you’ll ever see.
When Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli announced his final 23-man roster for the World Cup, he didn't call on one of the hottest strikers on the planet. Inter Milan's Mauro Icardi tied Lazio's Ciro Immobile for golden boot honors in Serie A, scoring 29 goals in 34 games during the 2017-18 season. Instead of being rewarded for a stellar season, Icardi joined the unenviable list of World Cup snubs.
The World Cup is a global phenomenon, with almost the entire world paying attention to the beautiful game at some point over the month-long tournament. This is especially true on social media — the last World Cup final set a record for tweets per minute. So if you want to get involved, you need to know what Twitter handles to follow for the World Cup.
Meet Leon the Chameleon. Throughout the World Cup he will be predicting matches doing the thing he does best: eating crickets. His first match is a crucial Group B match up between Spain and Portugal.
LEON LIKES: SPAIN
Spain
GK: David de Gea
LB: Jordi Alba | CB: Sergio Ramos | CB: Gerard Pique | RB: Daniel Carvajal
CDM: Sergio Busquets | CM: Andres Iniesta | CM: Thiago Alcantara
LW: David Silva | ST: Diego Costa | RW: Isco
Joachim Low is a very well respected and accomplished manager who has had a lot of success, with winning the 2014 World Cup as his crowning achievement. He has been the manager of the German national team for 12 years, and managers lasting longer than two years at the same place isn’t something you see often today.