On Aug. 21, teenage goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu earned a shutout for League One leader Portsmouth against Doncaster Rovers. Just 11 days later, the Manchester City loanee was making his fifth international start for the Republic of Ireland.
Patterns of play dictate how an attack goes about breaking down a defense. Whether it’s neat passing triangles to keep possession, an overload to gain the numerical advantage or a cross-field switch to disrupt a static backline, these predetermined moves are all integral to match-winning play.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been at the top of the game so damn long that it’s impossible to remember it otherwise. His first Ballon d’Or was 13 years ago while he’d already claimed the Premier League Player of the Season the year before that, so for many millennials he’s been king for half a lifetime.
But there wasn’t always a consensus around what sort of footballer he’d become, mainly because of the singular uniqueness of his early stylings.
Warning: This story contains spoilers through Season 2, Episode 6 of “Ted Lasso.”
Season 2 of “Ted Lasso” has been a great ride. While not as much of a non-stop, feel-good joyride as Season 1, as character arcs progress, the season has provided a deeper narrative for all our favorite characters — and one character who, for a time, was one of the least favorite people on the show. And it turns out, the greatest on-field moment of the season thus far — the Jamie Tartt goal vs. Tottenham — may have actually been real.
The Burnaby’s soccer icon continues to be one of the best to play the game. Christine Sinclair captains her Canada squad and helped bring home the gold at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Canada made history by defeating Sweden in penalty kicks to be named Olympic champions for the first time. As this squad went home to celebrations and supportive greetings from their home towns, Sinclair is still receiving praise for her accomplishment.
As the fight for equal pay continues, more and more countries are pledging to give their female footballers the wages they deserve. And on Monday, the Republic of Ireland became the latest footballing association to implement equal pay for its men's and women's senior national sides.
EQUAL PAY AGREED
A historic day for Irish football as the FAI agrees equal pay deal with WNT & MNT squads ahead of their World Cup qualifiers
For whatever reason, little kids don’t seem to be too enthused over the idea of watching 22 people chase around a ball, largely fruitlessly, for an hour and a half. They’re still into being carefree, happy and imaginative rather than screaming at Federico Fernández to “f***ing get rid!” every weekend. They don’t know what they’re missing out on.
But one thing that unites all sons, daughters, nieces and nephews is their love for LEGO, and let’s be honest, that also unites all fathers, mothers, uncles and aunts.
There’s no disputing the fact that the game’s brightest young talent is heavily localized in South America. If you’re looking for the best young players in FIFA 22 Career Mode, chances are you’ll just send a scout off to Brazil to find a technically gifted phenom that’ll recreate Ronaldinho’s impact at PSG.
But thanks to a historic Copa Libertadores final four that includes three clubs from Brazil — Palmeiras, Atlético Mineiro, Flamengo — and Ecuador’s Barcelona SC, it’s an easy enough exercise to pinpoint the prodigies that’ve shone brightest in 2021.
Sometimes you question whether all this internet was really a good idea to begin with. The misinformation, the death of the Fourth Estate, the social media addiction, the rise in mental illness, the dumbing down of the entire global population, the monopolization of everything by the most uncaring corporations in the history of mankind… it really makes you think.
But then a video like this comes along and you remember why we made the internet in the first place: to occasionally connect the globe with one giant golden thread of joy.