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17-Year-Old Orlando City Forward Scores Breathtaking Overhead Kick

Seventeen-year-old Orlando City SC U-17/18 forward Alejandro Pereira put the exclamation point on a year that’s had its fair share of incredibly acrobatic goals with this breathtaking overhead kick at the 2017 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs in Westfield, Indiana.

The Ovideo, Florida native put the finishing touches on a 2-0 victory for Orlando over Pateadores U-17/18, a club from Irvine, California. 

Christian Ramirez Scores Another Beauty, Gold Cup Omission Grows More Baffling

Approaching the halfway point of the 2017 Major League Soccer season, Minnesota United has already answered two questions that lingered around the expansion club throughout preseason: 1.) Is MNUFC the worst MLS side of all-time? No. Far from it. In fact, with five wins (which is what many predicted would be their grand total for the entire season), they’re only three points out of the playoff picture.

Zlatan Is Bringing His Clothing Brand To Los Angeles

Zlatan is without a team. For now. 

Fortunately, he has other things to keep him occupied, like rehabbing his knee and overseeing various business ventures. One such venture is his clothing brand, which is moving to Los Angeles.

Marta The Early Pacemaker As NWSL’s Stars Begin To Shine

The NWSL regular season is past the one-third mark, and the table is beginning to take shape. Here’s a look at the players and teams that are dominating the stat charts so far. 

2017 NWSL Player Stats

Goals

A strong week nine from Marta has pushed her into a three-way tie at the top of the scoring chart.

Marta (Orlando Pride) - 5

Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign) - 5

Americans Plot Sabotage On Torsten Frings Exactly 15 Years Later

Torsten Frings is finally getting his comeuppance, 15 years and 24 hours to the day. 

The former German international became head coach of SV Darmstadt in January, around the time American Terrence Boyd joined the team.

Darmstadt was promptly relegated to 2. Bundesliga.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Texan McKinze Gaines signed with the club. One can only assume he’s planning to help finish the job Boyd started.

Why might these young Yanks be plotting revenge on a new coach of high regard who spent a couple years in MLS before retiring?

The Best (And Worst) Soccer Fans

With the Russia World Cup less than a year away, we here at The18 asked ourselves who are the best (and worst) fans in the world.

We’ve compiled a list below of superlatives to break down what makes each country’s fans unique, for better or worse.

Note: We limited results to nations that are or have been regular World Cup qualifiers. Scroll to the bottom for the best and worst fans.

The Latest USMNT Gold Cup Kits Have Leaked

The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup kicks off in just a few weeks, and it looks like the United States Men’s National Team has a new kit on the way. The tournament will begin on July 7 with Canada taking on French Guiana at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. While we continue to speculate over who will make the final 23-man roster for the USMNT, there’s one thing we can all come to an agreement on: the new Nike kits are a huge upgrade. 

Your Complete Guide To The 2017 Summer Soccer Schedule

Here it is: your complete guide to the 2017 summer soccer schedule. 

For most sports, the offseason is a time of respite. Once the Super Bowl ends in February, NFL teams don’t suit up for another game, scrimmage or otherwise, for six months. Soccer, fortunately, doesn’t abide by such silly rules.

The European soccer season technically ends after the Champions League final around late May or early June, but preseason exhibitions pick up in early July. Then there are also international matches (friendlies and cups) to also fill the void. 

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