Lists

We’re almost a third of the way through the 2019-20 European club season, giving us an ample enough sample size to analyze this year’s current statistics in a somewhat meaningful way. There’s one giant caveat to it all and that’s Lionel Messi’s restricted start to the campaign due to a calf strain followed by an abductor muscle injury. He’s only started three of Barcelona’s nine league games thus far, so he's yet to dominate every statistical category.

A new study has revealed the top earners on Instagram, and it’s time to drop everything and focus on becoming an influencer. We’ll also need to score 701 professional goals, get shredded, win five Ballon d’Ors and five Champions League crowns, but we’ll worry about that later. First, let’s just dream about taking home $975K for every sponsored post we throw out there.

If you’re curious what gameday might entail, we've got you covered. We put together four itineraries that start at different points in the city so fans from every neighborhood can get inspired. Or, try them all and experience everything the Windy City has to offer. No matter what, these gameday itineraries deliver a 100 percent Chicago-style soccer experience and end with your home team playing under the bright lights at Soldier Field.  

If you were busy and couldn't catch the last seven months of the MLS season, here’s what you missed: LAFC and NYCFC crushed it, Cincinnati did the opposite and everyone else was more or less the same, which is why 60 percent of teams make the playoffs. You also missed some fiendishly good goals and saves.

Not to worry: MLS released its nominees for both the AT&T Goal of the Year and the Allstate Save of the Year on Wednesday. 

Decision Day (or as some of the players call it, Judgment Day) is one of the best days of the year for MLS fans. Similar to Championship Sunday, every game kicks off at the same time while teams try to grab a playoff spot or jostle for home-field advantage in the postseason.

While some teams were already eliminated before Sunday's concluding matches, there was only one game that didn't affect playoff births and positionings across the league.

In today’s world of inundating social media feeds, labyrinthine methods of escapism and banging SoundCloud profiles, it’s not enough to throw a jersey on your club’s star player and expect to move units. You gotta get all the world’s most innovative brand specialists together and hit the people with something so profound that it’d seduce your dad quicker than Billie Eilish working the register at a Bass Pro Shop.

Despite the fact most everyone in the world has played soccer at some point in their lives, professional footballers — players and managers — possess knowledge far beyond that of the average Sunday leaguer. So it makes to take a football MasterClass from one of these experts, giants of their field. 

We’ve put together a list of the 18 football MasterClass courses we want to see from famous soccer players and coaches. 

Warning: It’s come to my attention that this goes hard, but that’s how three points are earned, right? With distorted basslines and hi-hats. So with the coming of a new fall season comes a new playlist to break the bricks off the locker room walls. This is the best soccer music playlist out there (according to me). Here’s the full track list and the Spotify playlist comes after that.

FIFA and PES may need to rethink their strategy.

While the EA and Konami games are focused on realistic portrayals of soccer both in terms of graphics and gameplay, these games take the joy of soccer to new arenas.

Here is The18’s list of soccer video games you need to play.

Editor's Note: This article originally ran in 2017 but has been updated to include a few more soccer video games you gotta try. Find the new ones at the bottom below Rocket League.