We could make references to Samson and his hair or joke about awful World Cup hairdos of the past, but really, what’s even the point anymore. Almost a year to the day since Kyle Beckerman lost his dreads, the iconic Marouane Fellaini hair is no more.
Former England, Chelsea and West Ham attacker Joe Cole has announced his retirement from football, bringing an end to a 20-year professional career that included three Premier League titles, two FA Cup triumphs and one banging goal against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup.
I can hear some of you claiming that you didn’t know the 37-year-old was still out here balling, but that’s a massive disservice to one of the cornerstones of Division II soccer in America, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
There’s an old saying in sports that if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas is certainly trying, but is he cheating?
Fàbregas was a 64th-minute substitute against Everton on Sunday as the two teams battled to a scoreless draw. The point kept Chelsea unbeaten in its Premier League campaign but the fourth draw of the season (only Southampton has more) means the Blues are now four points off the pace of Manchester City and two behind Liverpool heading into the international break.
The final few years of Arsene Wenger's reign over Arsenal were like a slow, painful breakup with the fans. After 20 straight seasons of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, the club ended the last two campaigns fifth and sixth. To make matters worse, their road form had become dreadful. During the 2017-18 season, Arsenal had four wins, four draws and 11 losses, with a -11 goal differential.
Sunday wasn’t Raheem Sterling’s greatest individual display as an attacker, but the 23-year-old again demonstrated why he’s such a vital part of Pep Guardiola’s side — and completely unmatched in his skill set within the England national team — by retaining possession in difficult areas and constantly pulling Manchester United’s well-organized, pressing defensive unit this way and that with his array of clever flicks, dribbles and one-touch passing.
Manchester City achieved what Juventus could not on Sunday, burying Manchester United when another Jose Mourinho smash and grab threatened. Sumptuous goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero had given City a 2-0 lead, but a needless foul by Ederson on Romelu Lukaku allowed Anthony Martial to halve the deficit in the 58th minute.
Newcastle United has finally figured out how to win a match.
After going 10 matches without a win to start the Premier League campaign, the Magpies have done it twice in the last week to jump out of the relegation zone. And DeAndre Yedlin’s offense was vital to Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday at St. James’ Park.
While Salomón Rondón will receive most of the plaudits for scoring both goals for the Magpies against Bournemouth, Yedlin was the spark to get the offense going.
For the second straight year — after 19 straight seasons in the Champions League — Arsenal is plugging away on Thursday nights in the Europa League. As someone who enjoys watching the Gunners, I’m kind of loving it.
While I would probably prefer to watch Arsenal on Tuesdays or Wednesdays back in the Champions League, facing teams like PSG and Barcelona instead of Sporting and Qarabag, Arsenal in the Europa League is so much more fun this year for one reason and one reason alone: Univision Deportes.
Try though he might, Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to score on his return to Old Trafford with Juventus a couple weeks ago, though he did record an assist . But with Manchester United coming to Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, the Portuguese star reminded his former club how great he’s become since leaving England in 2009 with a brilliant strike.
If everything goes according to plan — and, as the numbers to come show, it almost certainly will — the USWNT will reach the milestone of 500 wins with a victory over Portugal on Thursday. Having only begun play in 1985, the program has reached the mark at a fiendish pace by rolling off wins at a remarkable clip — the USWNT boasts a win percentage of 84. That certainly puts the USWNT in the discussion for the winningest team in sports history.