Opinion

Landon Donovan is, for the most part, a cherished member of U.S. soccer history. He’s the MLS all-time leading scorer, MLS all-time leading assister, USMNT all-time leading scorer (tied with Clint Dempsey) and USMNT all-time leading assister. 

Aside from some fans who wish he had played longer or found more success abroad, U.S. soccer fans generally hold Donovan in high esteem for his accomplishments. 

Then there’s Chris Wondolowski. 

How do you best secure your legacy for as close to all eternity as humanly possible? Is it by practicing an inscrutably benevolent existence, and by leaving breadcrumbs of goodwill along this path we call life? Or is it by building a Great Pyramid in the style of Khufu?    

When you die, how do you want to be commemorated? With something solemn and dignified, or do you want your body to be trapezed around the room like a spectacular, moribund puppet?  

At the highest level of sport, how much does chemistry matter?

Do athletes need to have the full trust and respect of teammates to perform at the best of their abilities? Or can professionals put aside personal matters for the sake of the team?

Can you invite a player onto a team who has actively demonized players and coaches on said team?

These are the questions Jill Ellis must ask in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup this summer.

We’re now just a few months away from the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, and the hype is starting to build apace. Here at The18, we’ve already covered 18 players to watch at this summer’s tournament, but here are five coaches that are worth following come June. Some have served as pioneers of the women’s game, while others are taking their respective countries to new found heights.

The U.S. women’s national team is used to being the best team in the world. No one has won more Women’s World Cups or Olympic gold medals than the U.S. But three months before the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the USWNT players don’t look near good enough to win a record fourth championship. 

Real Madrid stayed at the top for 1,012 days. That’s probably at least 1,005 days more than any of us have managed (I’m not forgetting that week you found $20 in a rarely-worn coat pocket and someone brought bagels into the office). But now the great Real Madrid Crisis of 2019 is upon us, and HEADS WILL ROLL! 

The 2019 Major League Soccer season begins Saturday. As we outlined in our, uh, let's call it preview, it’s gonna be an exciting campaign. But who are the favorites to reach the playoffs and win it all? Let’s take a look at the 2019 MLS odds.

Atlanta United won the 2019 MLS Cup with an exciting team led by record goal scorer Josef Martinez. But it was the New York Red Bulls who actually won the Supporters’ Shield, setting a league record for points in a season. 

Everyone wants to be a rock star. 

We want to be Elvis, Prince, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Rami Malek, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield or, fuck it, even Adam Levine's nipples. 

No one really wants to be a country music star.

But someone’s gotta do it. 

The MLS season is quickly approaching. The buildup to the season has been full of interesting new kits and player signings.

The oddly obscure, yet important CONCACAF Champions League returns this week as 16 of North America's best clubs compete for a spot at the (potentially hugely revamped) 2019 FIFA Club World Cup. While the competition remains on the sidelines for U.S. soccer fans, access to watch the matches just got slightly easier.