It's now early January, which means the busy holiday fixture list gives way to the equally lively middle rounds of domestic cup competitions.
The early rounds of domestic cups are frenzied affairs, with obscurely named sides earning rare upsets but more frequently earning massive defeats. The later rounds are more sanitized, with top-flight sides dominating the proceedings.
Back on Dec. 28, news broke that Napoli captain and Italian international Lorenzo Insigne was seriously considering joining Toronto FC in the summer following the completion of the 2021-22 European season. The rumor had a lot of clout, especially the bit about Toronto making him Major League Soccer's highest-ever paid player.
Since the advent of the sport in the 1800s, England and football have been intrinsically linked. This bond started with schoolboys on muddy fields, with the objective to get the ball from one end of the field to the other by any means necessary — no rules, no limit on numbers, only brute force.
Football has now evolved into an organized game; manicured, well-lined pitches, tidy uniforms, and 11 players on each side. Kicking the opponent was outlawed and shinguards were installed should a stray boot make contact with the tibia.
Osasuna’s Chimy Ávila made himself public enemy No. 1 on Monday when he attempted one of the dirtiest tackles on Athletic Club’s Nico Williams. Nico’s older brother, Iñaki, didn’t take kindly to Chimy Ávila’s actions and gave him an earful for the disgraceful tackle.
Inaki Williams sticking up for his younger brother after a dangerous challenge pic.twitter.com/iY0ByX8T93
Scotland's Rangers FC reportedly are close to completing a loan deal for New York City FC standout James Sands.
According to The Athletic, it would be an 18-month loan with a purchase option for the 21-year-old defensive midfielder.
FC Dallas completed the transfer of striker Ricardo Pepi to FC Augsburg of the German Bundesliga on Monday.
Dallas received a reported $20 million fee, a club record that also makes the 18-year-old Pepi the most expensive outgoing homegrown player in MLS history.
Pepi, the 2021 MLS Young Player of the Year, signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at Augsburg that includes a club option to extend the deal until the summer of 2027.
Few footballers captivate the planet like Phil Jones.
It all began back in 2013, when, at the age of 21 and having recently arrived from Blackburn, Sir Alex Ferguson said that Jones had the potential to become the greatest player in Manchester United's history, and it continued over the years as the defender smashed his face into every orifice in which a face does not belong.
On Saturday, West Bromwich Albion and Orlando City confirmed that 21-year-old striker Daryl Dike was headed to the Championship side on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a transfer fee of $9.5 million.
Dike again joins forces with French manager Valérien Ismaël, who was Barnsley's boss last campaign when Dike scored nine goals in 19 second division appearances while on loan. Orlando is also in line to receive performance-based bonuses and 20% of any future sale.
Betis tropezó en su primer partido de 2022, perdiendo 0-2 en casa ante el Celta de Vigo. Y no es por andar acusando con el dedo, pero ambos goles tuvieron una cuota de culpa en los mexicanos Andrés Guardado y Diego Lainez.
En la previa del partido, los dos mediocampistas del Tri asomaron como titulares en la papeleta entregada por Manuel Pellegrini. Si bien Guardado es un regular en LaLiga, lesiones y Covid-19 abrían una puerta para que Lainez tratara de espantar la irregularidad del 2021 y comenzar a construir un 2022 más próspero.
Liverpool raced to a 2-0 lead after 26 minutes at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, only to watch Mateo Kovačić and Christian Pulisic bring Chelsea level before halftime in a match that finished 2-2 and gave Manchester City a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Such has been City's relentless pace that both Chelsea and Liverpool entered knowing that a draw was as good as a defeat, and the Reds had to navigate the match without Jürgen Klopp on the sideline because of COIVD-19.