Very rarely do you see European soccer teams playing on turf.
Still some teams that have played in the Champions and Europa Leagues this season play on turf, including Young Boys in Switzerland and Nordsjaelland in Denmark. Still, turf isn’t really a commonplace surface for professional matches in Europe.
It started with Atlanta United. It continues with the Seattle Sounders. Soon we hope to see MLS fan-friendly food prices at concession stands across the league.
Atlanta United broke the mold when Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017 with concession prices that were actually affordable, even lowering prices for the stadium's second season. The idea was simple: Cheaper prices for food and beverages mean more people in the seats and more people buying concessions.
The prices offered up are almost unheard of in the United States:
In his pre-Super Bowl interview with CBS this past week, Donald Trump said he would prefer his 12-year-old son Barron to not play American football, despite the NFL and college football’s status as a leader in highest sports attendance in the United States.
It’s too dangerous, the U.S. president said, referring to the concussion rate as well as the prevalence of other types of injuries.
Instead, Trump said he’s happy with Barron continuing to play soccer (he’s currently on a D.C. United youth team).
As is customary, FC Barcelona walked out to "El Cant del Barça" during Wednesday's Copa del Rey semifinal first leg against Real Madrid. But due to the significance of the occasion — what with it being an El Clásico semifinal — the accompanying music was turned off and the anthem was sung a cappella.
Wednesday night's announced attendance was 92,008, so the result was staggering.
The home of Seattle Reign FC since their first National Women’s Soccer League season in 2014 was Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center. But late 2017, the NWSL made it clear that due to the declining attendance and conditions inside the stadium, they had to find a more suitable home.
While making sure they remain in Washington, they have decided to move to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma for the upcoming 2019 season.
Last night, after 120 minutes of scoreless action on the field, the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams on penalty kicks in Super Bowl LIII. Jared Goff had the opportunity to bring his team level from the spot, but he blasted his effort over the crossbar, and New England’s Rex Burkhead stepped up and calmly buried his penalty to put the game away.
Being the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history, this is an apt metaphor. We’d just have to insert punters Ryan Allen and Johnny Hekker into the exercise as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, respectively.
Stadiums are part of a club's identity. They are the embodiment of the history, past and present of any club, contribute to the atmosphere of a match and add an aesthetic value to to the game.
The stadiums of top level teams are usually the most developed and have the highest capacity. They also get the most love. Stadiums like Old Trafford, the Santiago Bernabeu and the San Siro are world renowned, because some of the best teams play there.
Here is exhibit 1,503,340 on why soccer is the beautiful game.
Emiliano Sala left FC Nantes to become Cardiff City’s most expensive signing ever on Jan. 19. Sala never played for Cardiff City, as his plane disappeared on his way back to Cardiff after saying goodbye to his teammates in France.
The Old Firm Derby in Glasgow is arguably one of the best in the world. The Glasgow clubs have played each other 414 times. While Rangers have the better record with 159 wins, Celtic has been dominating the Old Firm Derby in the past few years.
While most of Texas was focused on national signing day for college football, another sport made big news in Austin, the largest U.S. city without a top-level professional sports team. The city of Austin and Precourt Sports Ventures announced a landmark $225 million Austin FC stadium deal on Wednesday morning.