Highlights

Brazil, the land of Samba, is the birthplace of the football style known as "Joga Bonito." "Play beautiful." Brazil, supposedly, is where the beautiful game is at its most beautiful. It's where sport becomes art, where substance and style are one and the same, where the field is a canvass, and the feet are the paintbrushes.

There's also this.

Introducing the Brazilian Serie B pic.twitter.com/Zs1umuZZdy

Precocious 17-year-old American Christian Pulisic scored his first-ever first-team goal for Borussia Dortmund Sunday in a 3-0 win against Hamburg. This is a big deal, but just how bit a deal it is remains to be seen. 

"A star is born!" #USMNT's Christian Pulisic scores his first Bundesliga goal for Borussia Dortmund. #BVBHSV https://t.co/tPSnRgHJph

Portuguese club Porto is the largest outpost for Mexican internationals in Europe, with the likes of Miguel Layun, Hector Herrera and Jesus "Tecatito" Corona in the first team, and Diego Reyes on loan at Real Sociedad. 

Ostensibly, one of the reasons Porto employs so many Mexico internationals is those Mexico internationals are playing really well for them.

Just Look at their 4-0 win against Nacional Sunday, which featured this goal by Hector Herrera (assisted by Tecatito).

When you're a kid, you dream of scoring the big goal. The goal that wins the final. The goal that wins the league. The goal that grants you immortality. The goal that wins you promotion. You dream of an amazing goal, a goal that people will remember long after you're gone, a goal with skill, flair, magic. That is not how it went for Middlesbrough.

The final day of the Champions League quarterfinals kicked off today with Barcelona playing away at Atletico Madrid and Benfica hosting Bayern Munich. Barcelona were ahead 2-1 on aggregate heading into the match, but Madrid scored in the 36th minute to go ahead on aggregate due to the away goal tie-breaker.

Griezmann headed home a cross after Jordi Alba could not fully clear the ball. The Frenchman would add a penalty to take a 3-2 aggregate lead in the 88th minute after a handball by Andres Iniesta. The final score was 2-0. 

Portuguese powerhouse Benfica had a chance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, going into the second leg down only 1-0 on aggregate. They had even more of a chance after Mexican striker Raul Jimenez put the hosts up 1-0 to tie the contest on aggregate.

Holy Chit!!! Raul Jimenez gives Benfica the lead! Wow! Golazo! #PanchoVillasArmy

Soccer is not just about goals. Goals are the object, sure, and the prize and the, um, goal, but goals alone do not make the game. This Oceania Champions League match between Kiwi FC (Samoa) and Nadi FA (Fiji) had goals, seven of them in fact, but it had way more than that.

Who doesn't love a good sending off? Few would argue a red card situation is not entertaining. This Oceania Champions League match between Kiwi FC and Nadi FA had, in addition to the seven goals, six red cards. 

Just let that marinate for a second.

Six.

Red cards.

In one game.

You're a defender, and you're playing against the United States Women's National Team. This in and of itself would be nerve-wracking. The USWNT are the defending World Cup champions and they have a habit of beating up on opponents by scores of like, 7-0. 

You're a defender and you're facing the USWNT and you're already a little worried and then it happens: the Americans trot out the most terrifying, intimidating female player in the world.

We'll admit we don't know much about the Hyundai A-League, also known as the Australian A League. We know that Alessandro Del Piero played there once, that it's presumably in Australia, there's probably some sort of soccer involved and that the games are at two in the freaking morning here in the USA. However, the end of this year's title race has drawn our gaze to that wonderful land down under because it is possibly the most intense title race in the world right now.