Richard Ledezma might be the next big thing for U.S. Soccer — at least until Mexico swoops in and steals him for their own. Until then, we’ll placate ourselves with some Richard Ledezma highlights, particularly the second of two goals he scored on Friday.
For the world’s 130th-ranked side, the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo “Ronaldo Chopping” and “SIUUUU-ING” his way around a 5,000-seat stadium was simply too much to bear. So Lithuania decided to stand off and give him 57 touches, seven shots and four goals in exchange for a substitution in the 79th minute of a 5-1 loss to Portugal. That’s a good trade.
With a 4-2 victory over Russia on Sunday, Portugal captured a record sixth Euro Beach Soccer League championship. Incredibly, Europe’s 16th most-populated country has now unified all four male UEFA titles after winning Euro 2016, the 2018-19 Nations League, UEFA Futsal Euro 2018 and now the beach soccer crown.
With men’s club soccer on hiatus due to the international break, the women’s game took center stage in England this weekend with the opening of the new Women’s Super League season. The marquee matchup was a first-ever WSL Manchester derby between City and United at the Etihad Stadium.
The previous attendance record for a WSL match was set by Arsenal last year with a crowd of 5,265; the crowd on hand yesterday in Manchester smashed that with a total of 31,213 spectators.
And they left happy thanks to an incredible strike from Scotland international Caroline Weir.
An Olimpico goal is a sight to behold, especially at the highest level, where it’s nearly impossible to beat a goalkeeper with a shot straight off a corner kick. But this Leandro Carvalho Olimpico was something truly special.
Most Olimpicos are scored with the inside of the foot, where it’s easier to create the bend necessary to curl the ball into the goal from the corner. This Leandro Carvalho Olimpico is not like most Olimpicos.
Sergio Ramos picking up a yellow card is about as newsworthy as Zlatan Ibrahimovic being narcissistic. This Sergio Ramos yellow card, however, was a bit different.
After a stellar World Cup campaign in which she helped carry the Netherlands to a World Cup final, Dutch playmaker Danielle van de Donk continues to show that she’s world class. Tuesday night's 3-0 thrashing of Turkey was business as usual for the Netherlands women’s national team, but that didn’t keep Van de Donk from adding a little bit of magic.
It’s been over four months since we first caught wind of the Diego Maradona documentary that debuted in select cinemas worldwide back in June. Unfortunately, since America can be quite trash in the ways of appreciating soccer, the film hasn't been available to watch stateside. That’s all going to change on October 1.
Cristiano Ronaldo continued to make history earlier this week, being named Portuguese Player of the Year for the 10th time in his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won Portuguese Player Of The Year for a record 10th time! pic.twitter.com/dxldOfDDu0
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 3, 2019
The 2018-19 UEFA Champions League technical report was released today, and it’s got 51 pages of highly entertaining and valuable information that analyzes specific tactical and technical trends at the very top of the world’s game. The comprehensive overview of last season’s competition includes some fascinating insights.