What if the MetroStars still existed with their name and logo? What if the New York Red Bulls were as much a figment of our imagination as the U.S. winning a men’s World Cup? Such was the premise many members of The18 staff took and ran with, spending their most productive hours of the day creating New York/New Jersey MetroStars memes.
After a nerve-wracking 4-3 victory over Tokyo Verdy, Albirex Niigata reached 29 points last weekend and became one of the three leaders in the J2 League, the Japanese second division.
Despite there still being two-thirds of the tournament ahead, fans are already excited about a possible promotion, and players can't hide their joy either. In fact, once the game ended, the squad celebrated the victory and the chemistry created around in a sui generis way: becoming a human bowling alley and portraying a perfect strike.
On Tuesday morning we finally got "here we go" confirmation of Erling Haaland spurning the wandering eyes of Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid and electing to join Pep Guardiola's Manchester City with the Premier League side activating his $63 million release clause.
Haaland officially joins on July 1 on a five-year contract that pays him $462,000 per week ($24 million a year).
After miraculous comeback victories over PSG and Chelsea in previous rounds to reach the Champions League semifinals, you'd think Real Madrid supporters would wait around until the final whistle against Manchester City despite needing two goals as we entered the 90th minute.
For those that've experienced relegation, it forever stings like the lasting memories of a once passionate love affair that only serve to propel you through the final months of simply going through the motions.
You know it's ending, you refuse to accept it's ending, it ends. It crumbles into nothingness — just nightmares of a disinterested Michael Owen trodding around the halfway line of your heart and all your good intentions deflecting off Damien Duff and into your own goddamn net at a gleeful Villa Park.
What is a Xogg? Alternatively, what is a Zigg? The Xoggz and the Ziggx were the men's and women's semi-pro soccer clubs based out of Columbus, Ohio, in the mid-1990s.
According to fossilized internet forums (because there is no other discussion of the topic), these were made-up names that were going to be assigned meaning through a fan contest. Unfortunately, neither club survived long enough for that to happen.
While these clubs were short lived, their rise and fall illustrates the state of American soccer in the 1990s.
A clip of a Feyenoord fan vs Marseille fans during Thursday’s Europa Conference League semifinal has gotten over a million views, and it’s easy to see why.
Feyenoord and Marseille played a thrilling five-goal first leg that saw the Dutch hosts take a 3-2 lead in the tie. When Feyenoord took a 2-0 lead after goals in the 18th and 20th minutes, one fan next to the Marseille away section revealed the badge of the visitors’ bitter rival.
Our Champions League predictions arrive at the semifinal stage with Europe's premier club competition showcasing England's two best teams, Manchester City and Liverpool, Spain's top side, Real Madrid, and another Spanish representative, Villarreal, that's thoroughly deserving of its place having knocked out Bayern Munich, Juventus and Atalanta on its memorable journey.
Who will contest the final on May 28 at the Stade de France in Paris? Let's turn to our collective of Nostradamus-minded people.