Lists

There’s nothing wrong with spending your vacation time eating, drinking and seeing the sights. But if you want to make a vacation truly memorable, it’s always a good idea to throw a live event into the mix, and nothing beats going to a match abroad.

It’s a giant party/social event before and after the game and in between you get to watch an enthralling 90 minutes full of skill and drama. While the 2018 and 2022 World Cups are undoubtedly the biggest events on the footballing calendar in the near future, here are five more dream vacations that you could begin planning for now.

September 29, 2017 is the day. It's the day when no one is allowed to bother you, except for friends and family that treat this hallowed twenty-four-hour period with equal solemnity. It's FIFA 18 Day, and not only is this year's holiday eagerly anticipated because we'll finally be able to play as the mighty Minnesota United FC, but also because we know that we’ll be treated to over 50 relatively unknown jams from more than 15 different countries by way of the always tremendous FIFA Soundtrack.

The long-range specialist. No defensive tactic in the world can stop Johnny Howitzer from beaming up that special sauce and unleashing his fury from 30 yards out. Goalkeepers hate them, video editors love them and your parents wish you could be them.

A penalty shootout is a time when teams go head to head to see who can score the most and throw up the least. Generally the relationship between these two events is inverse, unless you tend to throw up when happy or excited. Then all bets are off.

Whether you’re a player, a coach or just a fan, you’ll feel the ups and downs and many emotions of a shootout. Just don't get any of the emotions on your feet.

The year 1997 saw many changes in the world. Bill Clinton was sworn in for a second term, the Teletubbies debuted in England and NASA landed its first space probe on Mars. 

The year was big in the soccer world too.

Here are 10 amazing things that happened in soccer in 1997. 

The United States women's national team has a relatively short history dating back to just 1986. Over the following three decades, the Americans had a tremendous amount of success, dominating opponents and picking up over 25 total championships. Arranged in a 4-3-3 for this best XI, here are the best eleven ladies (and one super sub for good measure) to ever dawn the red, white and blue. 

Soccer has fans in all the nations of the world, with countries as small as San Marino (population 33,000) and as big as China (1.38 billion) fighting for the World Cup trophy. 

Regardless of size, some countries, like Uruguay, are far more successful than others, say, Indonesia.

But what sets the following nations apart isn’t their success or failure, it’s their fans' relationship with the latter.

Bruce Arena has finalized his 23-man roster for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and it’s an interesting mix of veteran players that are desperate to impress and make one final World Cup squad while the next generation of talent aims to prove that their time has arrived.

While every player on the roster stands to either gain or lose a lot with regards to the ultimate goal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, here are five players that could use this tournament as a springboard to more important roles next summer.