Informational/Did You Know

Why Do Soccer Players Swap Jerseys?

The year is 1931. Ghandi has been released from prison. The Empire State Building has just been completed in New York City, and France has just earned its first-ever international victory over England.

The two nations faced off in Paris with England representing the big bully and France the underdog. Despite the odds, Les Bleus pulled off the upset, recording their first win against their rivals with a commanding 5-2 result. The French were jubilant after the win — they had literally beaten the Three Lions at their own game.

The Controversial And Confusing Career Of Antonio Cassano Reaches The Perfect Conclusion

As the first words were placed onto this page, Antonio Cassano had rethought his recent decision to retire. He was set to play another season at Hellas Verona, reuniting with Giampaolo Pazzini for a Serie A farewell tour. By the time we got to the final words of this very paragraph — barely the third sentence — he was going to retire again.

Watch Barcelona Transform Bougie NYC Hotel Room Into Stanky Equipment Locker

If you saw the bellboy wheeling a few of these metallic cases down the hall, each clearly denoted as hands off material with a dozen locks keeping its contents guarded, you’d probably react like Ludacis in “Rollout (My Business)”: what in the world is in that bag, what you got in that bag?

For the FC Barcelona roadies, it’s a pair of one of a kind adidas Nemeziz 17s handcrafted especially for Lionel Messi, the latest range of Blaugrana training gear and Andre Gomes under lock and key.

Unicorn Frappuccinos Are Out, The Messi Beverage Is In

The greatness of Lionel Messi may never be understood. If you’ve seen him run circles around defenders like they're cones or just taken a glance at the numbers that define his career, you're probably asking yourself “How does this man do it?”

Though we may never fully know the answer, when a specimen like Messi comes around, we want to analyze every aspect of his or her existence to figure out what makes them unstoppable. How do they train? What were their parents like? Do they like flipping their pillows onto the cold side before they go to bed?!

No Man Or Woman Alive Will Come Close To Kristine Lilly's Insane International Record

Kristine Lilly, a midfielder/forward for the USWNT for 23 years, holds the world record for most international appearances made by a man or woman. To give you some perspective on just how incredible the feat of 354 caps is, the male player with the most international appearances (Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan) has 184.

Kristine Lilly played on the national team over 4 different decades. She witnessed the permed and teased hair of the 1980s and the sidebangs of the early 2010s, the peak of the Michael Jackson era, the rise of Taylor Swift and everything in between. 

The Dark History Of El Salvador-USA

Right this minute, El Salvador and the USMNT are gearing up to play in a crucial Gold Cup quarterfinal match. The U.S. are clear favorites for this game, ranked the 35th best team in the world while El Salvador is 101st. In the 21 times the two have met, El Salvador have never beaten the U.S, losing 17 and drawing four. 

The CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinal Match-Ups, Explained

The CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal match-ups are set. Only eight teams remain. Let's check them out:

July 19: Costa Rica vs. Panama

Time: 6:00 p.m. EST

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: FOX Sports 1, Univision

Match-up: Costa Rica finished first in Group A, and Panama finished second in Group B. Costa Rica thrives on an organized defense and the creativity of Benfica midfielder Bryan Ruiz on offense. Panama's top players include Porto forward Ismail Diaz and NYCFC midfielder Miguel Camargo.

How Cigarettes Have Been Stubbed Out Of Professional Football

When Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti was caught smoking while on vacation in Ibiza, the same alarm bells were ringing in everyone’s heads. As a professional footballer, it’s unhealthy, unprofessional and detrimental to both your career and your club. 

As we all know, smoking is detrimental to footballers in every way imaginable, but it’s incredible to see how the perception of this habit has rapidly changed over the last three or four decades in the professional game.

The Best Clubs And Most Competitive Places For Youth Soccer In America

Phoenix is strongly making its case as the best place for youth soccer in the United States. Although one should take many factors into consideration when evaluating a metro area for its ability to develop players, it's clear that the level of competition in and around the Phoenix area is as strong as any other place in the U.S.

The Grueling Process Behind Becoming A World Cup Referee

They don’t get the credit the footballers do for their performance each game, but referees have to be just as prepared physically and mentally as those players they’re chasing all around the field.

It’s a varied and strenuous training process. The best refs have to be fitter than a world-class midfielder, have to possess an acute awareness for the type of teams, players and tactics they’ll be observing, and they need to be ready to handle all that might be thrown at them psychologically when it comes to high stakes and other maddening elements.

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