English Clubs

The build-up to every major international tournament is the same: who has the best striker? Or, this is why x midfielder is going to dominate or why this winger is the key to this country getting out of its group. 

But no one ever talks about the goalkeepers. In such a short tournament, where three matches decide a team's fate, the importance of the goalkeeper becomes magnified. 

So let's give the goalkeepers the spotlight for a little bit, because often they're the ones that end up deciding the tournament.

Imagine you get to ask the first American male to win the UEFA Champions League one singular question. What would you ask? Christian Pulisic is sitting there on the other end of the Zoom call staring into your soul awaiting your question. The pressure is on.

This was the situation I found myself in on Wednesday. Concacaf was kind enough to give me — an aspiring 22-year-old sports media graduate who just finished college last month — media accreditation to attend Nations League press conferences and the semifinal matches.

On Saturday, Christian Pulisic became the first U.S. male to play in the Champions League final and lift the trophy. As expected, the 2021 Champions League Final TV ratings received a huge boost thanks to his inclusion (not to mention Zack Steffen on the opposing bench). But Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on CBS wasn’t the highest-rated soccer match on U.S. TV this past weekend.

If FIFA gave out an award each year for the least-hated player, then N’Golo Kanté would win every year. The Al-Ittihad midfielder simply has no haters due to how humble he is. With the man being so loved worldwide, it makes the Kanté birthday story even sadder.

Felipe Saad, one of Kanté’s former teammates on Ligue 2 side Caen, told Brazilian outlet Uol Sport a heart-tugging story about one of his interactions with the Frenchman.