Opinion

Europa League Might Actually Be Fun To Watch In 2018

Welcome to the second tier, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. Sure you’ve been a part of three of the last five Champions League finals, but sweet Thursday night road trips are in your future after finishing third in your respective UCL groups to earn the Europa League parachute. 

Atletico played in the Champions League final in 2014 and 2016, losing to crosstown rival Real Madrid both times. Los Colchoneros are ranked No. 2 in UEFA’s club coefficients, a rating score based on the previous five seasons of European play.

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

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.

Only A Dummy Would Think Sweden Is Better Off With Zlatan

The speculation began even before Sweden beat Italy to qualify for the 2018 World Cup and once that final whistle blew everyone wanted to know what was going through the mind of one Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

Why Loris Karius Should Be People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive Instead Of Blake Shelton

Surely you have seen the news by now. Everyone who's anyone has seen the news: Blake Shelton has been named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine. Many people have rightly noted that Shelton is and was a stupid choice, and I am here to offer up an alternative: Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Is This The Death Of Italian Football As We Know It?

People have started to write the obituaries for Italian football.

Italy is a young nation. It has old cities, even older cultures. But, as a country, it was only unified in 1861. That’s only slightly older than the form of codified football we know today. It should be no surprise that Italy has traditionally been so close to football: it’s simply a question of historical proximity.

Should Christian Pulisic Have Been Included In The USMNT's Roster For Portugal?

Christian Pulisic was not included in the U.S. Men's National Team roster for their friendly against Portugal next Tuesday. This is cause for debate, so let's have at it.

Don’t Look Now USMNT Fans, But Bobby Wood Is Playing The Worst Ball Of His Career

Bobby Wood spent an anonymous 56 minutes on the pitch last weekend in Hamburg’s 2-1 defeat to Hertha Berlin, consigning the club to 16th in the 18-team Bundesliga and opening Wood to fierce criticism from manager Markus Gisdol. Wood has started nine league matches for Hamburg this term, but he’s only managed a single goal. That was back in August.

Racism, Homophobia And Antisemitism Plague Serie A With Little Resistance

This should have been a fun article to write. This should have been an article in which Lazio were praised and evangelized; the remarkable rehabilitation of striker Ciro Immobile after years in the wilderness; the astounding performance of manager Simone Inzaghi, only appointed after Marcelo Biesla refused to show up for work on his first day; the way in which the entire team has blown away opposition this year, propelling themselves all the way up the table and sitting, right now, level with Juventus. It should have been a fantastically positive article. 

But it’s not.

Pages