Opinion

A controversial Harry Kane VAR decision in Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Southampton on Tuesday has social media bickering. Kane thought he had scored Spurs’ go-ahead goal in the 53rd minute but was denied after a razor-thin offside call from the video official.

You’re the video referee and you’ve been notified to review the play. The center referee awaits your decision on if the goal should stand or not.

What do you say?

The FIFA rankings are nonsensical 75% of the time and only truly matter for seeding of group stages at the World Cup. Three out of every four years these rankings mean squat, but in 2022 they matter a whole lot. The top seven teams and host get the most favorable seeds during the World Cup draw. FIFA has released the December rankings and the USMNT sits at its highest ranking to end a calendar year since 2005.

The U.S. is ranked No. 11. One spot above Germany.

If you would like to learn how to alienate a club’s fanbase, perhaps irrevocably, you would struggle to find a better case study than the NWSL’s N.C. Courage this week. On Sunday, the club announced the signing of a player, Jaelene Daniels, antithetical to the vast majority of the team’s and league’s fans. After two full days of silence, the club put out a shockingly meek “apology” late Wednesday night, only further upsetting the once devoted fanbase. 

Of all the years in the 2020s, 2021 was probably the least bad one. Maybe. But worry not; 2022 can’t possibly be as bad as the first two years of the decade, right? According to our 2022 soccer predictions, it’s going to be the best year ever, or at least the best of the last three. 

The 10th annual NWSL Draft was held on Saturday evening, and with the No. 1 overall pick, expansion side San Diego Wave FC selected Stanford defender Naomi Girma, who was U.S. Soccer's 2020 Young Female Player of the Year.

Girma joins a San Diego backline anchored by USWNT veteran Abby Dahlkemper and former Stanford teammate Tegan McGrady. The 21-year-old can also play in midfield, where she may be needed after the club selected a forward, German international Marleen Schimmer out of Grand Canyon University, with its ninth pick in the first round.  

The draw for the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League took place on Friday, but that wasn’t the biggest Nations League news by a longshot. A massive announcement was made that in 2024 we will see a Neymar and Lionel Messi Nations League crossover. That’s right, South America is joining the UEFA Nations League. All 10 South American members will be joining Europe's best.

NBC Sports and Peacock received the ratio on Thursday as its coverage of Liverpool vs. Newcastle United on the subscription-based service, despite saying contrary on the menu, didn't start at all as planned with users getting a multitude of different errors before taking to Twitter.

+1 for coverage not working. Shows me the “starting shortly” screen for five seconds and then kicks me back to main menu.

San Diego Wave FC can do no wrong. One month after the new NWSL club revealed its name, San Diego unveiled the club’s crest on Wednesday and hot damn is it a crest. I gave the name an 8/10 rating. This crest is a straight 10/10.

San Diego Wave Crest

San Diego, our crest has risen. pic.twitter.com/iSbmhMVOsx