Opinion

A slightly out-of-touch fan of the USMNT recently asked me who plays for the team these days. After all, U.S. soccer fans that only watch the team during the World Cup haven’t seen them play in six years. Besides knowing about Christian Pulisic, casual fans might be under the impression that Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Jermaine Jones and DaMarcus Beasley are all still on the squad. I pray that no one thinks Landon Donovan is still playing.

By all accounts, Bournemouth never should have made it to the Premier League. 

In February of 2008, the club entered administration due to $4 million in unpaid debts and was deducted ten points in the league standings. Bournemouth was relegated to League Two at the end of the season, and at the beginning of the following campaign the club was still very much on the brink of insolvency.

The NWSL recently announced an expansion team for Los Angeles, California, and fans are going absolutely bonkers. While players and kits have yet to be decided, the new club has dubbed its interim name as Angel City FC — that’s a pretty badass name, and so far, people are loving it.

The marketing video will give you chills.

The time has come to reshape expectations on & off the soccer field.

“Obsession is a young man's game, and my only excuse is that I never grew old.” — Michael Caine

There was a time when the absence of live sport in our lives was an unbearable gulf that could only be bridged by the athletic prowess of good boys Olive and Mabel. At The18, we spent hours crafting articles of Search Engine Optimization to answer “when will soccer return?” and we didn’t do it just for you — we did it for ourselves.

Jordan Henderson was named England’s Footballer of the Year for 2019-20 by the Football Writers’ Association on Friday. So, congratulations Hendo, on becoming the “Green Book” of footballers, honored while more deserving players are snubbed.

The hype and excitement around 17-year-old Jude Bellingham reached its apex when Borussia Dortmund made it official that the teenager was leaving Birmingham City to join the German giant. 

Bellingham is full of talent, especially his ability on the ball and propensity to evade players. His highlight reel emphasizes his skill with the ball at his feet. The midfielder caught the eye of several big teams with Dortmund snatching him up for a Birmingham City record fee of nearly $26 million.