Leave it to Sandecja Nowy Sacz coach Radoslaw Mroczkowski to produce one of the most damning statements of Freddy Adu’s absurd career.
“What is the point of having such a player?” Mroczkowski asked rhetorically.
Ouch.
Let’s face it: when it comes to Americans playing abroad, there’s Christian Pulisic and then there’s everybody else.
But who is everybody else? There are 18 other U.S. nationals who will be playing in Europe this upcoming season with a chance of making Bruce Arena’s World Cup squad next summer. Some are well-known, like defenders John Brooks and Geoff Cameron. Others not so much, like Caleb Stanko and Lynden Gooch.
A Sebastian Giovinco double helped Toronto FC to a 4-0 victory over Eastern Conference rivals New York City FC on Sunday. Giovinco skipped around an attempted tackle from Andrea Pirlo like he wasn’t even there (which is close to the truth) and curled in his first goal from distance.
Saturday’s El Clasico at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami gave over 66,000 spectators the opportunity to watch the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Gareth Bale, but the lasting legacy of this match will probably be the confrontation between Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic and American referee Jair Marrufo.
Rakitic’s goal in the 7th minute gave Barca an early 2-0 lead, but his 73 minutes on the pitch weren’t entirely enjoyable.
Jonathan dos Santos is officially an LA Galaxy player. The 28-year-old joins his brother Gio in California after sealing a move from Villarreal. He will immediately become either the best midfielder in MLS or very very close.
Welcome to Hollywood, @jona2santos! pic.twitter.com/kJQf3OydJl
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) July 28, 2017
The Australia women's soccer team made history in Seattle on Thursday night, pulling off the upset against the U.S. women in both teams' Tournament of Nations opener. In 27 meetings, the Matildas have never beaten the Americans who have been a perennial powerhouse on the women's stage. July 27, 2017 was a special day, however.
The United States is used to being the best at everything, from income to athletics. When it comes to the economy of sports, there are two areas where America lags far behind its overseas counterparts: soccer and eSports.
In soccer, European leagues attract the biggest stars with the biggest salaries. In eSports, South Korean and Chinese players earn more per capita than those in the U.S. and are treated like rock stars.
This begs the question: Who is better paid, players in Major League Soccer or eSports? The answer isn’t quite clear cut.
Los Angeles FC is cool. Los Angeles FC is hip. Los Angeles FC is new and here to vaccuum up social media audiences and youth attention spans. They are so ahead of the game. Their brand is just so goddamn strong, they are going to take over MLS and the internet and various apps.
Look at their announcement for new manager Bob Bradley and tell me their brand promise is not being fulfilled.
Chances are, if you’ve done soccer, you’ll know about goals. But what are they? How does a goal become a goal and not something else? When will you know if you’ve actually seen a goal?
These are all good, valid questions. You see, all goals are created equal, but not really. Goals come in all shapes and sizes, and you never really see the same goal twice.
At the most basic level, a goal is a goal when the ball crosses the goal line in its entirety. That’s really what a goal is. That’s really the science behind it in a nutshell, I guess.
The United States defeated Jamaica 2-1 in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final thanks to phenomenal goals from Jozy Altidore and Jordan Morris. Altidore struck a pinpoint free kick on the stroke of halftime, but Je-Vaughn Watson equalized for Jamaica shortly after the break. With extra time looming, Morris dispatched a blistering effort in the 88th to give America the Cup.
The return of Bruce Arena as manager of the USMNT has been close to perfection — he’s now unbeaten in 14 matches, and he’s managed to lift his country back to the top of CONCACAF.