MLS is perpetually trying to prove itself by signing star players, battling other American sports for media coverage and comparing itself against leagues around the world that've been around since the turn of the 20th century. This year’s MLS Cup brought together a near perfect matchup on paper, and the television numbers responded accordingly.
Rest in peace Carolina RailHawks. Rest in peace NASL (yet again). At a press conference on Tuesday, December 6th, RailHawks owner Steve Malik announced his vision for the club that has been building for nearly a year.
The Carolina RailHawks have been a staple in the North Carolina region for the past decade — they’ve provided the closest thing to top level soccer in the area along with a unique brand. The Raleigh-Durham region is a hotbed for youth development and collegiate soccer, continuously feeding the RailHawks roster and academies.
Cristiano Ronaldo just has to try to outdo Lionel Messi in everything, doesn't he?
The Real Madrid star is now under investigation for cheating on his taxes and could even face jail time. Like Messi, though, even if Ronaldo is convicted he will probably have his sentence suspended, as he would be a first-time offender.
Roberto Firmino's Liverpool contract reveals a level of saltiness that's not been seen in these parts for quite some time.
What follows is my favorite paragraph of soccer journalism so far in 2016.
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has lost the appeal against his six-year ban from soccer activity, and we would just like to say HA. WOOOOOO!!!!!
Blatter's ban is either for being very corrupt or very incompetent, depending on who you believe. It was originally for eight years but was reduced. Blatter's appeal was aimed at reducing it further.
It failed.
Mario Balotelli's bad reputation reportedly netted him one of the sweeter contract bonuses we've heard of.
Reportedly, a series of documents released by Football Leaks shows Balotelli had a clause in his contract that entitled him to a ￡1 million bonus each season if he was not sent off three or more times.
Balotelli was not sent off during his first season at Liverpool and spent the second season on loan at AC Milan.
Adidas unveiled a women's soccer cleat earlier this week, which is a weird thing to say because we kind of figured they already had those. That is no excuse for our ignorance, though. We should have asked somebody.
(Seriously though, it took y'all until now to figure out that maybe women should have cleats that are actually, like, FOR women?)
The point is, there is a soccer cleat specifically for women and the commercial for it is very good and cool, and it features USWNT defender Becky Sauerbrunn.
Jurgen Klinsmann is no longer the head coach of the United States Men's National Team. Most USMNT fans wanted Klinsmann out even before the debacle against Costa Rica, but most assumed Klinsmann's large buyout would keep him employed at least a little while longer.
Apparently the buyout wasn't big enough to keep Klinsmann around, but it was still a massive amount of money. No one seems to know the exact amount, but most, if not all, outlets feel safe in saying it was quite large.
A new study from Deloitte, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms in the world by revenue, has offered up some pretty obvious conclusions with regards to implementing a system of promotion and relegation in the American soccer pyramid, but it’s also provided one of the more realistic takes on the possible benefits and risks involved.
Nick Castellucci, Ricky Miller, Eaton Zveare and Anthony Clark, all 24, must’ve known things had gotten a little out of control when they began buying Audi A3s and Ford Explorers while their bank accounts showed that they’d become multi-millionaires.
One imagines the fright that Peter Gibbons, Samir Nagheenanajar and Michael Bolton felt in Office Space upon discovering a bug in their code that had inadvertently stolen way too much money from their company in only a few days.