Since the FIFA World Player of the Year merged with France Football’s Ballon d’Or ahead of the 2010 calendar year to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or, there has been a two man struggle for victory over the award. It should come as no surprise that this year was no different as Lionel Messi and Cristiano… Continue reading FIFA Ballon d’Or Shortlist Is No Surprise
Category: Soccer
Copa America Centenario: World’s Best Come to US
The Copa America—CONEMBOL’s tournament to crown the Champion of South America, and the world’s longest-running international football competition—will celebrate its 100th year in 2016, pairing with CONCACAF as the United States prepares to host next summer’s special Copa America Centenario. The century mark means that the tournament will be played in back-to-back seasons, as Chile… Continue reading Copa America Centenario: World’s Best Come to US
The Underrated Brilliance of David de Gea
David de Gea’s Manchester United currently occupy third place in the Barclay’s Premier League, with only one point separating them from current leaders and cross-town rivals, Manchester City. After a hard-fought tie with second-place Leicester City this past weekend (thanks to the incendiary Jamie Vardy, who’s running BPL defenders ragged this season), I took a… Continue reading The Underrated Brilliance of David de Gea
La Liga Has A Big Weekend Ahead
All eyes this weekend will be keenly focused on the crown jewel of the La Liga schedule, El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The game has plenty of storylines surrounding it. The possible return of Lionel Messi is the big one. Neymar’s scoring binge for Barca and Cristiano Ronaldo’s continued shouldering of all goal… Continue reading La Liga Has A Big Weekend Ahead
Euro 2016 Field Set
The attacks on Paris made UEFA officials reassess whether or not it was safe to host Euro 2016 in France next year. Now that they’ve reaffirmed that the tournament will go ahead as planned, we can get back to the more trivial parts of the world landscape such as who will actually be participating in… Continue reading Euro 2016 Field Set
Football and The Refutation of Terror
Under normal circumstances, a 2-0 victory over reigning World Champions Germany would be a major headline in the French media, a promising plot point in the narrative of France’s progression toward hosting Euro 2016. In the shadow of terror and tragedy, however, the play on the pitch is all but forgotten—Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac’s… Continue reading Football and The Refutation of Terror
European Football Gets Their Intro To Parity
Parity: a concept that American sports have tried to accomplish for years. The concept that all teams are created equal and that each has a chance to be champions. The NFL has made billions off the mantra that on any given Sunday any team could win. Salary caps have attempted to do the same in… Continue reading European Football Gets Their Intro To Parity
USMNT World Cup Qualifying Preview
The United States will take their first step on the road to the next World Cup this Friday, playing host to St. Vincent and the Grenadines at 7 PM Eastern in St. Louis. The USMNT may be heavy favorites, but the Americans come into the match on the back of a dismal three game losing… Continue reading USMNT World Cup Qualifying Preview
FIFA’s Presidential Candidates: The Good, The Bad and The Likely
In the realm of the garish and hyperbolic, nothing compares with the spectacular political theatre that is an American presidential election; yet with FIFA’s current crisis, this election will likely be the closest they’ve ever come. FIFA won’t elect its next president until well into the New Year—on February 26, 2016—but amid the seemingly incessant… Continue reading FIFA’s Presidential Candidates: The Good, The Bad and The Likely
Jamie Vardy Can’t Stop Scoring
If you are a fan of the game of football (or soccer for us Americans out there), you’d be hard pressed to find a more entertaining team across the European landscape than the English Premier League’s Leicester City. They play a style of football that would entice even the staunchest of detractors of the game… Continue reading Jamie Vardy Can’t Stop Scoring