One of the most annoying things in soccer is when you get subbed off, especially when you feel like you still have a lot left in the tank. However, in recent years we have seen managers haul off players before halftime, or even just after substituting them on the field (Emmanuel Eboue against Wigan in 2008, anyone?).
Do you think that a footballer’s birthday is important? Guess what, it is! The calendar month and year that a soccer player is born in may have a lot to do with whether or not they become a star someday. Here’s what developmental child psychologists have pieced together for us soccer-fact-crazed fanatics.
The best party is the one that sneaks up on you like a Jay Rodriguez goal in the 73rd minute. West Brom 1, Man United nil. Sheikh Mansour and the rest of Man City ownership were on cloud nine.
I was on my hands and knees inside a walk-in freezer 40,000 feet above sea level, searching for a cake that never had a good chance of being consumed.
Until Rodriguez struck, West Brom parked the bus and the stomach grumbles of UAE's dignitaries called for an ice cream cake frosted City blue.
Imagine walking side by side with nine of your closest friends on match day. Except you are not going to the stadium. You are going to meet 10 other men supporting the rival team in the forest and you are going to fight them.
While this may sound overly dramatic, it actually happened in Spain this weekend.
Ultras supporting Málaga (Costa Nostra) face Real Madrid hooligans (Ultras Sur) hours prior to the game.
Oh sure, the little Champions League was kinda entertaining this week, what with Roma beating Barcelona and Real Madrid holding off Juventus. But the 6-5 FC Salzburg comeback against Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday made all the drama from Tuesday and Wednesday look like child’s play.
Let’s be honest, no one really watches the Club World Cup. If your team is in it, you might try to figure out what obscure channel is televising its matches, but in reality you’ll probably just try to catch the highlights on some cool soccer website like The18.com.