Analysis

3 Reasons Why You Should Join Sebastian Giovinco At MLS Cup 2017

The Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC will contest MLS Cup 2017 on Saturday, December 9, at BMO Field in a rematch of last season’s final. In 2016 the Sounders won on penalties despite not registering a shot on target after 120 minutes of scoreless action. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei provided the highlights, but many left feeling like a goal or just a couple more shots would’ve done the showpiece event a world of good.

EPL Sets Record With 5 Teams In Champions League Knockout Rounds — Is That A Big Deal?

Since the Champions League went from using a second group stage to a 16-team knockout tournament in 2003-04, no league had ever qualified five teams for the knockout rounds — until now. With Liverpool’s 7-0 destruction of Spartak Moscow on Wednesday, the English Premier League officially placed five clubs into the Champions League Round of 16 in what is a remarkable turnaround for the league. Kind of. 

Not All Goals Are Created Equal: 3 Dramatic Strikes Change Complexion Of Serie A

Goals change games. That’s pretty much football 101. That’s how the game works. But not every goal is created equal. This week in Serie A, the true value of a goal was shown to be different on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So let’s take a look at the three goals that defined the weekend and why they differed so widely. 

How Russia Vs. Saudi Arabia Compares To Other World Cup Openers

The 2018 World Cup opening match will pit Russia vs. Saudi Arabia on June 14 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. It’s a matchup of the two worst teams (by FIFA ranking) in the entire tournament. The World Cup opening match in 2018 is going to unequivocally be the worst ever. But it’s not the end of the world.  

The World Cup opening match has only been a big deal for the past 13 World Cups (out of 20), with a mixture of previous champions and hosts taking part in the first kickoff. Five of the first seven World Cups began with simultaneous matches. 

5 Can’t-Miss Group Stage Matches At The 2018 FIFA World Cup

The World Cup draw was completed this morning at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow with the 32 finalist nations placed into eight groups of four. The 2018 FIFA World Cup will kick off on June 14 at Luzhniki Stadium with a match featuring hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia. Here are five can't-miss matches from the 2018 FIFA World Cup group stage. 

Why Group D Will Be The Most Fun Group In Russia

The World Cup draw took place this morning and, as usual, some groups are more exciting than other groups. Group D, for example. Group D is better than all the other groups. Group D is going to be the most entertaining group at Russia 2018 by a country mile (and that country is Russia, do you see what I did there?), but you don't have to take my word for it, even though you should.

Let's break it down:

Russia 2018 Group D

Argentina

Mauro Icardi’s Movement Is Next Level Now And Messi Must Be Loving It

Inter Milan can return to the top of the Serie A table on Saturday with a victory over Cagliari, an achievement heading into December that even the most impassioned of Nerazzurri supporters couldn’t have predicted. The hiring of Luciano Spalletti has been a masterstroke, and an absence of European competition has allowed the side to flourish domestically with largely unchanged personnel in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

These Two Stats Show Just How Bad Ronaldo Has Been This Season

Cristiano Ronaldo is having a no-good, very bad time in La Liga this season, and we have the stats to prove it. Never mind the one goal, this goes far deeper than that.

Revealed: The 5 Goalkeepers Dominating Europe's Top Leagues This Season

Scrutinizing the goalkeeper position, more so than any other, requires us to expand the metric of analysis to incorporate the one asset that’s valued above all others in a shot-stopper: consistency. That’s why, although a plethora of recent statistics might tell us otherwise, many would still pony for Gianluigi Buffon over, say, Marc-Andre ter Stegen as the world’s finest keeper. One’s been at the top of his craft for over 20 years, the other for just a few.

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