Classic Players

A Brief History Of Americans In The Latter Stages Of The Champions League

Has an American player won the Champions League? Yes. (Come May 29, 2021.)

It hadn’t happened before (although Ali Krieger, Gina Lewandowski and Alex Morgan have won the UWCL), but with Christian Pulisic’s Chelsea playing Zack Steffen’s Manchester City in the 2020-21 Champions League Final, the answer to that question is now a foregone conclusion.

There will obviously be some hotshots among us who’ll question the contributions of the USMNT stars. Steffen is Ederson’s understudy and only started City’s final group match against Marseille, keeping a clean sheet.

Wes Hoolahan's Late-Career Revival Has Cambridge Nearing An Unexpected Promotion

When Wes Hoolahan was released by West Bromwich Albion at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, it appeared his career was as good as finished.

The Irish international had played just 114 minutes in the Championship for the Baggies that year, and did not make a single appearance in the final three months of the season.

During His Liverpool Prime, Luis Suárez Was The Best Player The Premier League Has Ever Seen

The rise of social media has been incredible for sports fans for a variety reasons, most notably the ability to stir up memories of obscure players randomly making exceptional plays.

This network of nostalgia is great for the soul, but the consequence is that players with a catalog that includes a couple of great goals suddenly become hyped beyond belief — which in turn often causes us to forget truly how great the top players were.

Adebayo Akinfenwa's Injury-Time Penalty Preserves Wycombe's Slim Hopes For Survival

When Wycombe earned promotion to the Championship for the first time in 2020, the Chairboys became instant favorites for relegation.

This was a side that finished 17th in League One in 2018/19 and was predicted to be near the bottom end of the table once again in 19/20. Manager Gareth Ainsworth's side finished eighth in a COVID-shortened season and only earned a playoff spot due to the points per game formula applied by the league.

Manuel Neuer's Second-Leg Master Class Shows Why He Is Still One Of Football's Elite Keepers

Not long ago, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer appeared to be entering the twilight of his career.

After missing nearly all of the 2017-18 season due to a fractured foot, Neuer returned the next season and played the worst football of his career. The German allowed 5.5 more goals than expected, ranking 32nd out of 37 qualified Bundesliga keepers.

Former Champions League Winner Djibril Cissé Rebuffs Retirement To Join NPSL Club

Somewhere in an alternate universe, Lionel Messi is the best player MLS has ever seen, Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani are both pushing for their third MLS Cup and the United States is the premier destination for global footballing talent. 

In the meantime, we'll have to settle for a new signing who, while not quite as well-known, is arguably more intriguing than any player to ever put on an MLS kit.

David Beckham Refuses To Work While Doing Doughnuts Beneath The Overpass

Sometimes I think about how little that vast majority of life and its hard-knock lessons pertain to David Beckham. Yes, he once gave Diego Simeone a love tap on the knee-pit, but that 23-year-old incident hardly caused Golden Balls to shrink from being fully alive for the rest of his days.

Cheer Up Portugal Fans! Reminisce About Ricardo's Barehanded Penalty Save At Euro 2004

Portuguese football fans will be understandably aggrieved following the goal-line controversy in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia. It's important to remember though that the Seleção is still tied for first in its qualifying group — a very easy group at that.

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