Youth Soccer

It is really easy to overhype players in soccer, especially young, talented forwards who like to beat a man. It’s just so tempting to see a couple highlights, a couple good displays and label them the next great thing. But you know what? That’s exactly what we’re about to do, with a little qualifying. 

Jesus “Tecatito” Corona just won the CONCACAF Bright Future Award after helping Mexico win the Gold Cup, and there really is no arguing that he deserved it.

The roster for the MLS homegrown squad has been set, MLS announced.

The squad, coached by Landon Donovan, will take on Club America's U-20 team July 28 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. 

The roster:

Keepers:

Jesse Gonzalez, FC Dallas

Matt Lampson, Columbus Crew

Defenders:

Justen Glad, Real Salt Lake

Shane O'Neill, Colorado Rapids

Eric Palmer-Brown, Sporting Kansas City

Jalen Robinson, D.C. United

Oscar Sorto, LA Galaxy

Tyler Turner, Orlando City

Midfielders:

Looking at Cristiano Ronaldo, “insecure” is hardly the first word that comes to mind.

Ignoring all of the keyboard-psychologists out there, the man just doesn’t seem to have that much to be self conscious about. Success has been good to him. He is incredibly rich and one of the two best footballers in the world. If he wanted to, he could probably build a sun dial out of caviar and willing swimsuit models.  

There is Sunday League defending, and then there is Micronesian National Team defending. Their past three games against Tahiti, Fiji, and Vanuatu have had higher scores than a basketball game. 

What a final and what a surprise? After 120 hard-fought minutes and 10 penalties, Sweden kept the upper-hand against Portugal to claim their first ever victory in the UEFA Under 21 European Championship. For many, including me, this 4-3 victory after penalties comes as a huge surprise as nobody really had Sweden down to win the tournament.

Lionel Messi is 28 years old. 

Depending on when you became a fan of soccer, that will strike you in a certain way. If you fell in love with the game around 2005 or 2006, you will probably not be able to believe your ears. “I remember when he played with Ronaldinho!” you’ll say — as in back when Ronaldinho was good. Yeah, that long ago — he has aged quite a lot in that time. He’s a man now, not a boy, not even a young man.

What is America in a word?

Such is a question for poets and philosophers, kings and presidents. 

I have no idea what America is in one word, but I do know what America is in one video, or more accurately, ‘Murica. 

Look, this happened in a U-14 game, which puts us squarely on the fence between feeling bad for a child making a mistake and laughing at him for not knowing the rules for penalty shootouts.

So, your choices for reactions are: that cocky little bastard got what he deserved, or someone give that kid a hug and a teddy bear.

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

A Romanian child in a youth game scored a goal that reminded many of a certain diminutive Argentine.