When it comes to professional sports, there are players that can do things that leave even the most casual fans amazed. Two such examples: Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to take a penalty kick and Aroldis Chapman 's ability to throw a fastball.
Both acts are amazing to witness. Both leave opponents feeling helpless. But which is harder: stopping Ronaldo or getting a hit off Chapman?
It’s been more than two calendar years since the Chicago Fire last won an MLS road match. That’s 36 futile attempts at claiming three points dating back to their 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on July 12th, 2014.
For a bit of perspective, Chivas USA (the defunct MLS club which folded after the 2014 season) experienced their last road win on that same date. It’s a staggering statistic that’s unbelievably damning for the club that’s won an MLS Cup (1998), MLS Supporters’ Shield (2003) and has won the US Open Cup four times — more than any other MLS club.
France take on Portugal in the Euro 2016 final on Sunday in what promises to be a titanic battle.
Oh, who are we kidding?
Portugal are going to play the same blasé football that they have for the entire tournament, and we can only hope that France break their defense early enough to make them come out of their shell. Otherwise, get ready for a long battle of attrition, and possibly penalties.
Anyways, following that cheery outlook on proceedings, let's take a look at some of the interesting facts coming into this match.
As the final whistle blew on Saturday's 0-0 draw between the Brazil National Team and Ecuador, boos began to ring down from fans all around the Rose Bowl. Brazil had been largely unimpressive and ineffective, punctuated only by occasional moments of magic that failed to produce anything of substance. For anyone hoping that Brazil could shake off the shackles of the 2014 World Cup and regain their spot at the top of world football, it was a depressing dose of reality.
This weekend we were perusing the interwebs and thinking about the sudden ascendance of precocious 18-year-old Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford when we came across an interesting statistic:
Marcus Rashford has now scored with his first shot on his:
The San Siro in Milan will play host to the 2016 Champions League final as Atletico Madrid take on local rivals Real Madrid. It is a rematch of the final from two seasons ago, which Real won 4-1 in extra time, despite being down 1-0 for most of the match. This will be only the second time that a European Cup final will be contested by two clubs from the same city.
It's Shakhtar Donetsk vs Sevilla in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, and it is a matchup that Shakhtar don't have fond memories of. Nine years ago, the two teams faced each other in a UEFA Cup round of 16 clash that was one for the history books.
Atletico played the perfect match against Barcelona and kicked the reigning champions out of the UEFA Champions League. But the night was more than that for the rojiblanco side. They have become Barcelona’s bête noire, the only team that has eliminated the Spanish giants in a 2-leg tie in both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
It's sometimes difficult to tell what Silvio Berlusconi wants with AC Milan.
It seems anytime the Rossoneri gain a foothold, Berlusconi arrives right on time with a tiny rock hammer and chips it away. And thus, that familiar refrain has again been trundled out as Sinisa Mihajlovic found himself on the end of Berlusconi's perpetual restlessness.
Mexico captain Andres Guardado will be out for several weeks after he suffered a thigh muscle strain in training ahead of PSV Eindhoven's game against AZ Alkmaar.
Guardado's injury couldn't come at a more inconvenient time for PSV, as they are two points behind Ajax with five games to play in the Eredivisie. Andres Guardado has been one of PSV's star players, and his trademark box-to-box style has given the Dutch side a solid spine to build off of.