20-year-old Christian Pulisic has jumped onto the international soccer scene over the past few years, but after signing for Chelsea this past winter, the American is looking to use the Premier League to push himself even further.
@cpulisic_10 enjoying his first training session at Cobham! pic.twitter.com/e45LWY1IzW
When whoever’s in charge of the worst competition ever created sits down to look at their social media numbers, they’ll see that the most liked/shared/commented/engaged with post of the 2019 Leagues Cup was a cat. Hopefully they’ll then decide to make the 2020 edition strictly cats.
You see, it’s a helluva fine boi.
As countless think pieces have told us over the last couple years, Major League Soccer is shifting away from its “retirement league” stigma and embracing young, high potential talent with sell-on value. That’s all smart and good, but, in my opinion, not nearly as fun as the retirement league. Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but I’m still here for Zlatan Ibrahimović, Wayne Rooney and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The USWNT will begin mediation soon with the U.S. Soccer Federation regarding the team’s equal pay lawsuit. Hope Solo has filed a motion to the court that is managing the lawsuit requesting to join in on and aid in the mediation process, according to the Wall Street Journal.
(Editor’s Note: See update below on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s punishment.)
Mohamed El-Munir, LAFC’s left back, needs surgery after a love tap from Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday. After visiting a specialist on Monday, it was revealed the 27-year-old has a zygomatic fracture on his face.
After making his Chelsea debut as a 65th-minute substitute against Kawasaki Frontale on Friday, Christian Pulisic was handed his first-ever Chelsea start Tuesday as the Blues defeated Barcelona 2-1 in Saitama, Japan.
Last night in Bridgeview, Illinois, a crowd of 17,388 turned up at SeatGeek Stadium to watch the Chicago Red Stars defeat the North Carolina Courage 2-1 in NWSL play. For a bit of perspective, the Chicago Fire has averaged a gate of 11,209 throughout the 2019 MLS season. According to ESPN’s Sarah Spain, it was the first-ever sellout for a Chicago women’s professional soccer team.
As someone whose job is soccer all day, everyday, I like to think that I have a pretty good grip on what’s going on, why it’s going on and when it’s going on. In what I feel is a pretty damning indictment of the newfangled Leagues Cup competition, I haven't a goddamn clue on any of those fronts.
Let’s figure out what in the hell this thing is together.
Who Plays In The Leagues Cup?
Atlanta, The New MLS Hotbed
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is home to a team that played its part in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The only problem is that the Atlanta Falcons were on the wrong end of that comeback. However, the stadium is also home to the hottest property in MLS, Atlanta United.
It's come as a bit of a surprise to most around the country that Atlanta and its community has taken so well to the new club, although it sure helps that the team is performing incredibly.