Ezequiel Barco, the 18-year-old Argentinian youth international who smashed the MLS transfer record back in January when Atlanta United paid $15 million for his services, scored his first goal for Atlanta Wednesday night in a friendly against Minnesota United.
Playing at the Carolina Challenge Cup preseason tournament in Charleston, Barco’s first goal for the club salvaged a 1-1 draw in the 85th minute for Tata Martino’s boys.
Back in 2003, NHL goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was unreal, but the following offseason, with Giguere’s infamously large gear the inspiration, the NHL implemented pad restrictions and a $25K fine for teams found guilty of ignoring the rule. In essence, Giguere could no longer resemble the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.
Watching David de Gea tend the net is like watching Giguere in the days of yore. He’s obviously cheating.
Seven matches into the 14-game Liga MX Femenil Clausura season, Monterrey find themselves top of the table and in good position to qualify for the playoffs after rolling off their fifth straight win on Monday, a 2-0 away victory over Tigres.
The opening goal was scored by Daniela Lizbeth Solís in the 9th minute, and Valeria Valdez added the second in the 41st with this sweetly struck effort from 25 yards out.
Valdez is a 24-year-old native of Baja California, and the defender scored the goal of match week seven with this effort.
“It’s like playing in f*cking Siberia,” said a Toronto FC player entering the pitch before Tuesday night’s CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 first leg against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. The coldest MLS game on record was last season’s “Snow Opener” between Minnesota United and Atlanta United in Minneapolis, which checked in at 19° F.
One thing you can always count on when it comes to African football is entertainment. Even in a reserve match for the South African Premier Division, players are not shy about turning on the style. Watching this reserve team for the Kaizer Chiefs showboat is pure love.
The Lionel Messi goal vs Chelsea gave Barcelona a vital away goal after the first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 as the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge. It was his first goal in nine career matches against the Blues. But it was all about that assist from Andres Iniesta, three seconds that perfectly summed up the Spaniard’s brilliance.
Although there’s no more difficult away trip in all of football than Besiktas’ Vodafone Park, Bayern Munich’s 5-0 first leg win over the Turkish giants has almost certainly given the Bavarian side a place in the Champions League quarterfinals, which would be the club's seventh consecutive appearance in the last eight.
For 16 minutes, a battle between first in Germany and fourth in Turkey figured to be an engaging affair, but then, Besiktas captain and Canadian legend Atiba Hutchinson played a dreadful back pass which was pounced on by Robert Lewandowski.
Lionel Messi's best goals are a feast for the eyes. He is not a force of nature; he is supernatural, mercurial...pure magic.
Fans of great soccer — even if they root for Real Madrid — are amazed and cannot get enough of Messi. Be it his goals, dribbles or out-of-this-world training routines, "La Pulga" is simply too good to miss.
If not for Brazilian international Lucas Moura — making his first start for Tottenham following a January transfer from PSG — Spurs would’ve been knocked out of the FA Cup by third-tier side Rochdale on Sunday. There were the late dramatics of Dele Alli winning a penalty and Harry Kane converting from the spot, only for Rochdale to deservedly earn a Wembley replay with a 92nd minute equalizer, but Lucas was the only real positive for Tottenham on the day.
Last October, Borussia Dortmund and German international Marco Reus delivered a heartbreaking statement when speaking with GQ, saying that he “would give all (his) money away” to be free of injuries and return to fitness after his latest setback, a devastating ruptured cruciate ligament in the 2017 DFB-Pokal Final.