Informational/Did You Know

Soccer is a never-ending sport. While club seasons around the globe typically dominate the fall-to-spring time, summer is for major international tournaments. This summer we’ve witnessed four such major tournaments around the world, all of which have thrilled in their own ways. 

Concacaf World Cup qualifying begins for the USMNT on Sept. 2 against El Salvador. After the match in El Salvador, the U.S. hosts Canada on Sept. 5 and then travels to Honduras to play on Sept. 8. The last game of this first WCQ window is the one that has me concerned.

I predict the USMNT to get seven points from these first three qualifying games in the form of victories against El Salvador and Canada, but a hard-fought draw in Honduras. Why is that? The Olímpico Metropolitano, and really anywhere in Honduras, is a fortress.

If you had to name the current Galácticos of women's club football, the answer is pretty easy: Olympique Lyon. The French side won a record 14 consecutive Ligue 1 titles and five Champions League titles in a row before both streaks were ended by PSG this year. 

But 20 years ago, there was an unexpected forerunner in women's soccer, a team full of Galácticos that spawned at a time when the original Galácticos side at Real Madrid was still in its infancy.

Football Manager, a game published by Sega, is the most underrated soccer video game that exists. In a world dominated by EA Sports' FIFA and Konami’s PES (soon to be eFootball), Football Manager is out there, offering a more complete soccer experience than these two games mentioned. Each year, the big soccer simulator adds extra features that are actually a great improvement from the previous editions.