USA

Francis Jacobs Becomes Youngest Soccer Player To Sign U.S. Professional Contract

Francis Jacobs became the youngest soccer player to sign a professional contract with a U.S. club when he joined Orange County SC, the club announced Monday. Orange County competes in the USL Championship, the second division of U.S. soccer.

Taylor Swift Praises Alex Morgan And USWNT During Teen Choice Awards

There’s no more convenient way to earn a surfboard than by winning at the Teen Choice Awards, so Lionel Messi and Tobin Heath will be disappointed to have lost out on Choice Male Athlete and Choice Female Athlete, respectively, at the 2019 award show in Hermosa Beach, California, on Sunday night.

But soccer still got its moment in the spotlight when Taylor Swift was presented with the inaugural Icon Award at the show — presenting her surfboard was USWNT star Alex Morgan.

Pretty Sure Pogba Told Pulisic He’s The Best Player He’s Ever Played Against

With Chelsea trailing Manchester United 1-0 on an early penalty that was earned largely against the run of play, Frank Lampard subbed on Christian Pulisic for his Premier League debut in the 58th minute to turn the tide. Nine minutes later, United’s lead stood at 3-0. 

Report: USSF Lobbyist Tried To Convince Democratic Presidential Candidates USWNT Isn’t Underpaid

The U.S. Soccer Federation’s hiring of lobbyists is not going well.

The USSF lobbyists were ostensibly hired to try to convince politicians that the USWNT was in fact paid quite well and the USSF should not be punished for an inequality between the men’s and women’s national teams. 

But things appear to be going south for U.S. Soccer.

USSF Hires Two Lobbying Firms To Contest USWNT Equal Pay Suit

With the mediation between the USWNT and United States Soccer Federation on the horizon, it appears the USSF has sought out extra support when attempting to dispute the USWNT equal-pay suit.

Zlatan Trashes MLS Playoffs: ‘I Think The System Is Sh*t’

Americans love their playoffs, as much as apple pie, the Star-Spangled Banner and LaCroix. It’s why we put up with 162-game baseball seasons and the New England Patriots winning year after year.

Zlatan does not love the playoffs.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic channeled his inner Jim Mora on Thursday to trash the Major League Soccer playoff format, saying the “system is shit.”

What If The Democratic Presidential Primaries Were Decided By Soccer?

Anyone who has watched the first four nights of Democratic presidential primaries debates this summer can attest: There are too many candidates, too little time for real dialogue and too many old white dudes. 

But we here at The18 have an idea to fix all of this. Instead of deciding the Democratic presidential candidate based on boring things like debates and voting, the DNC’s nominee should be picked based on something we can all agree is great: soccer.

We have a feeling it would go something like this:

5 Americans In Europe You Need To Follow Not Named Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic may be the most successful American playing in Europe right now, but he is by no means the only one. There are a bunch of American players who will be looking to break out at their clubs in Europe this season like Pulisic did at Borussia Dortmund. Here are the five American players in Europe you should watch out for this upcoming season:

Wayne Rooney Ditching D.C. United For Derby County Player-Coach Gig

If you’ve enjoyed the entertaining Wayne Rooney MLS stint so far, savor these last few months of the season.

Rooney, the iconic Manchester United and Everton striker who joined D.C. United in 2018, will leave the club following the 2019 season. 

Wayne Rooney announced Tuesday morning he’ll become a player-coach of Derby County in January.

Alexi Lalas Still Makes Music And, Well, Just Listen

Alexi Lalas is a figure who has always gotten a lot of attention. From the massive hair and crazy playing style in the 90s to the increasingly debatable "hot-takes" as a commentator for Fox Sports, he's always found a way to be in the limelight.

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