Chelsea, winner of the 2020 Premier League summer transfer window, was defeated by England’s actual champion Liverpool 2-0 on Sunday in a match that’ll probably force the Blues to dip back into the market in a bid to replace the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
On Thursday, we highlighted what was almost certainly the quickest trip to the monitor by any referee in the VAR era. It took the ref less than a second to make a decision. On Sunday, during Brighton’s comprehensive 3-0 win over Newcastle at St. James’ Park, referee Kevin Friend wanted to spend a bit more time watching Yves Bissouma crack Jamal Lewis in the face.
It’s been 157 years since the Rules of Association Football were codified at a tavern in London, but the game still remains full of innovation and progressive thinking. Some paradigm shifts are gradual, like the tactical change from an all out 1-1-8 formation to a stubborn 4-5-1, while others metaphorically approach, punch you in the teeth and depart as quickly as they’d arrived.
These are the best sorts of revolutions: the ones that nobody asked for.
The mask debate in this country is thankfully dying down. Despite lingering efforts to counteract mask-wearing, including an attempt from a USMNT player, the majority of people in the U.S. have agreed to cover their damn mouth.
If you ever plan on removing your shirt for a goal, then make sure you're not already on a yellow card folks. Here's a prime example of why.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the 69th minute, Atlanta United 2 (a real original name) had a free kick in a dangerous area against Miami FC (not Inter Miami). Miami then made the bold move of allowing Atlanta’s Jackson Conway to run completely unmarked across the face of goal.
In 2019, FC Cincinnati stunk up MLS with a negative-44 goal differential and tied for the fourth-most amount of losses in a single season in MLS history. This season didn’t show much promise either as the club had to hire a new head coach after former coach Ron Jans resigned in February following allegations of using a racial slur in front of players.
Apart from Zinedine Zidane’s masterful headbutt on Marco Materazzi, the most infamous foul in 21st century World Cup finals is certainly Nigel de Jong’s hatchet man kung fu kick into the chest of Xabi Alonso.
It should’ve been a straight red — even referee Howard Webb admitted as much later — but it takes some cojones to effectively end the World Cup final after only 28 minutes.
In a season already filled with insanity, it’s no surprise that there's also been a slew of hilarious and outrageous surprises on the pitch.
Now, most of us would agree that we put professional athletes on a pedestal where they can do no wrong and everything they do is perfect, but what if I told you the 2019-20 season — in all of its absurd glory — produced some of the best bloopers and open-goal misses? Comic relief might be something we all need.