With 19 league assists in 30 matches, no player in Europe’s big five leagues had more than RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg last season. The 25-year-old Swedish midfielder was one of the breakthrough players in Europe in 2016-17, firing his club to an unexpected second place finish in the Bundesliga.
For a bit of context, Luis Suarez provided the second most assists in Europe’s big five leagues last season. His total was 13.
The start of major European leagues looms and fans are anxious to see how their teams fare on opening weekend. But how much does the first match even matter? After all, it's a long season and teams have plenty of time to rebound from week one losses. Or do they?
Looking at the statistics, it appears that the first game can set the tone for an entire season. It can either give a burst of confidence or present an omen of troubles ahead.
The long-range specialist. No defensive tactic in the world can stop Johnny Howitzer from beaming up that special sauce and unleashing his fury from 30 yards out. Goalkeepers hate them, video editors love them and your parents wish you could be them.
Phoenix is strongly making its case as the best place for youth soccer in the United States. Although one should take many factors into consideration when evaluating a metro area for its ability to develop players, it's clear that the level of competition in and around the Phoenix area is as strong as any other place in the U.S.
Football is shocking. It’s so shocking that people have been known to literally lose their minds while doing football. I don’t have to prove that statement to you, it’s just a publicly acknowledged fact. Here are 25 football things that’ll have you looking like Phil Jones defending a lofted through ball by the time you’ve finished reading.
#1. Thomas Muller is only 27 years old. The six-time Bundesliga winner and 85-time German international is really just getting started.
During the World Cup next summer, United States supporters across the nation will attend watch parties in droves, frequent bars adorned in red, white and blue and flood sporting goods stores to buy new jerseys.
There's no denying that World Cup Fever is a nationwide phenomenon every four years, but the players responsible for the frenzy do not necessarily come from all corners of the country.
In order to get a better idea of what areas of the U.S. develop the best soccer talent, we looked at where current and past members of the USMNT spent the majoirty of their childhood.
I recently wrote about my newfound love for Mexico’s Liga MX and how MLS could be so much better if it took some ideas from its neighbor to the south. One of the key differences is that Mexico uses a system of promotion and relegation, albeit a somewhat complicated one, while the United States still refuses to do so.
The NWSL regular season is past the one-third mark, and the table is beginning to take shape. Here’s a look at the players and teams that are dominating the stat charts so far.
Goals
A strong week nine from Marta has pushed her into a three-way tie at the top of the scoring chart.
Marta (Orlando Pride) - 5
Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign) - 5
Michael Bradley grabbed the headlines with his sensational strike against Mexico on Sunday, but for many, the United States Man of the Match was Geoff Cameron, the 31-year-old defender placed at the heart of the USA's three-man back line.
With Mexico controlling nearly 75 percent of possession in the match, completing 177 passes in the final third (as compared to 75 for the U.S.) and launching 25 crosses, you immediately get an idea of how important Cameron was in repelling Mexico’s frequent forays forward and completely disrupting their attacking rhythm.