“Variety is the spice of life,” someone once said before doing something obviously stupid and dangerous. But with danger and stupidity comes ingenuity and joy, and that’s the common thread that connects the majority of these bastardized forms of soccer. Here are 10 variants of the beautiful game that are strangely captivating.
#1. Eisfussball
The 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup came to a close on Sunday with Portugal lifting the trophy following a 6-4 victory over Italy in the final. The Azzurri’s Gabriele Gori finished as top scorer for the second-straight tournament with 16 goals in six games, but it was Japan’s Ozu Moreira who received the Golden Ball award as the World Cup’s best player.
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.
From Nutmegs to Sitters, The18 brings you a fool-proof guide the the idioms of the British soccer announcer.
Rumors persist that Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez could yet transfer to Valencia this window — if the Spanish club is willing to pony up something like $15 million for the 30-year-old. However, with Marko Arnautovic unsettled at West Ham and Chicharito just returning from a back injury, the Mexican striker may yet have a massive role to play for Manuel Pellegrini’s side over the run-in.