The growth of soccer in the United States has been incredible over the past decade. Not only have we seen growth domestically within Major League Soccer, but just walking down the street you can pick out multiple different soccer jerseys being casually worn. It has become one of the most popular sports in the country.
Arlo White is the voice of NBC’s coverage of the Premier League, a fixture on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the U.S. as NBCSN brings American viewers one of the most exciting title races in recent memory to our living rooms.
And Arlo White isn’t going to let you forget that last fact.
Throughout 2019, White has felt compelled to exclaim that every goal scored by Liverpool or Manchester City could possibly be the title-deciding strike. It’s getting a little old and a bit condescending to soccer fans in the U.S.
This past week MLS announced that expansion was formally approved to hit 30 clubs over the coming years. In a country with a relatively young soccer community, interest continually growing, and a number of small to large sized untapped markets, expansion is a fundamental part of the soccer landscape. Not just for MLS but across all the leagues.
Here is a brief look at the new clubs set to debut in 2020. Expect this list to double by the time we reach November.
Major League Soccer held its annual Board of Governors meetings in Los Angeles this week. Along with allowing MLS clubs to collect solidarity payments in the future, one of the major outcomes of the meetings was the announcement that MLS expansion will increase the league to 30 teams in the near future.
MLS announces plans to expand to 30 teams in the coming years. More: https://t.co/P71gdJhogy pic.twitter.com/mlnLDNd7x1
This year has, by all respects, been a bit of an experiment for TNT and Turner Sports’ coverage of the Champions League. Having acquired the U.S. television rights to the world’s biggest club competition from FOX starting this season, the broadcaster has struggled to impress viewers from casuals to the most hardcore of fans.
Yesterday, I was one of the fortunate 19,796 to witness Minnesota United open Allianz Field in Saint Paul. Ultimately I was very blessed because I got to take part in a spectacular atmosphere, but more so because I got to watch NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson finesse one into his own net.
The match took place at 4:00 p.m. with the temperature hovering around 40 degrees and the sun appearing about as frequently as a Minnesota clean sheet.
Southampton coach Ralph Hasenhüttl isn’t a particularly old man. At 51, he had just turned 20 when the original NES was released in Europe.
But he’s acting like a curmudgeonly old man — and clearly has no idea how to deal with young people.
In a recent news conference, Hasenhüttl told reporters he blocks the Wi-Fi at the team hotel on the nights before matches.
What. A. Jerk.
While the statistics that attackers generate greatly lend themselves to the formulation of lists such as this, things get a little more ambiguous where defenders are concerned.
It’s a bit strange, but for the likes of Real Madrid, PSG, Atlético and Napoli, there’s not much to play for with two months remaining in the season. Maybe a Coupe de France here and a triggering of an Arsenal crisis there, but it’s really silly season time for the aforementioned giants of the European game.