Opinion

The soccer rivalry between Mexico and the United States is one of the fiercest and most entertaining in the world. As a USMNT supporter, I consider myself lucky to call Mexico a neighbor. If Mexico didn’t play in Concacaf, the region would be incredibly dull. 

All soccer fans in North America look forward to when El Tri and the Stars and Stripes meet, whether it’s a friendly, Gold Cup match or World Cup qualifier. The atmosphere at these games is one of the best in the world, but sometimes supporters get a little out of control. 

An incredible Portland Timbers bicycle kick goal from Dairon Asprilla rocked Providence Park on Wednesday night as his side defeated San Jose 2-0.

Asprilla’s goal instantly went viral. A bicycle kick from outside of the penalty box is a rarity in soccer and quickly was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.

Last week, Arsène Wenger — now FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development — told a refereeing convention in France that refs should give post-match press conferences.

“It would be a good way to avoid controversy and shut them down before they became a public debate,” Wenger said. “We would have to get the support of referees, and I don’t know what kind of state of mind they’re in after games to be able to give an opinion.”

On Thursday night, the USWNT bossed South Korea around the pitch but couldn’t find a way through to score. The 0-0 draw ended a 22-game home winning streak that dated back to another draw with South Korea in 2019. 

A video of English soccer fans chanting during a League One match has gone viral. Portsmouth fans didn’t have much to cheer about as they watched their side fall 4-0 to Ipswich Town on Tuesday. The Portsmouth fans’ chant during the game was clearly the highlight of the match.

To brighten the mood, the Portsmouth fans kept vocal note on if their team had the ball or if they lost the ball. Add a drum and a couple hundred English voices and you have yourself a legendary video.

MADRID - The first Barcelona v Real Madrid meeting after the departure of Lionel Messi to Paris St Germain will be headlined on Sunday by two youngsters as a game typically billed as a clash of superstars instead looks to the upcoming talent of Vinícius Jr and Ansu Fati.

The two players still have a lot to prove, but their talent has elevated them to a point where they are becoming the new faces of their clubs.

Juventus’ 2020-21 season, Andrea Pirlo’s first and only in charge, was a failure by the club’s own lofty standards. Pirlo delivered the Coppa and Supercoppa, but Juve’s nine-year grip on the Scudetto was ended by Inter Milan while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League dream was humiliatingly crushed by Porto in the Round of 16.

The fallout was immense with Pirlo sacked and Ronaldo sold, making the campaign one of Juve’s most dramatic — thankfully, Amazon Prime Video Sport was there filming it all.

Now that Season 2 of “Ted Lasso” has come to a close, fans of the series may be dismayed to learn Apple TV+ only plans to produce one more season of the beloved series. This time next year we could be mourning the end of Ted Lasso’s story at AFC Richmond. Given the success of the series — and the dearth of other programming on Apple TV+ — I wouldn’t be surprised if the series produces a Ted Lasso spinoff or two.