Major League Soccer delivered another Sunday matinee on Apple TV+, following last weekend's thrilling El Tráfico, with Atlanta United opening the roof on Mercedes-Benz Stadium to welcome the Chicago Fire in a match that finished 2-1 in favor of the Five Stripes.
If you only tuned into the last 10 minutes of the United States men’s national team's 1-1 draw vs. Mexico on Wednesday in the Continental Clásico friendly, then you saved yourself 80 minutes of suffering.
The USMNT made it five games in-a-row without a defeat to their archrivals thanks to a Jesús Ferreira equalizer in the 81st minute.
Before I tell you about how awful the rest of the game was, let’s enjoy the big highlight of the game.
El Tráfico was a blessing. Yes, it was thrilling to see Carlos Vela and Tyler Boyd exchange golazos before Raheem Edwards demonstrated why the LA Galaxy are truly "The Meme Team" by launching a throw-in into his own box, but what really highlighted the match was being able to watch it all unfold on a lazy Sunday afternoon — an entirely forgotten timeslot since MLS moved to Apple TV.
I've been watching Leeds United like a Marcelo Bielsa assistant stationed in a bush for over eight months now. And to everyone out in West Yorkshire who's been watching since closer to the club's foundation in 1919, I just want to apologize: I'm sorry we gave you the total American soccer experience of not being very good at this game.
Like the American in An American Werewolf in London, I feel like my spiritual presence here in England has only left a trail of destruction, blood and tears.
Premier League relegation is a simple concept: Your team was not good enough this season so they, and two other teams, have to drop down to the tier below (the Championship) and will play their games there next season. Conversely, the Championship will promote three teams to the Premier League to take their places (let’s not get into the playoffs). This toing and froing happens all the way down the league structure.
Major League Soccer is bound by parity and married to the chaos that comes with it. With late goals, monumental upsets and high-scoring affairs, Matchday 8 was one for the books.
(S3E5 spoilers below)
As writers on the series, Jason Sudeikis (Ted), Brett Goldstein (Roy) and Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) have always stressed that Ted Lasso isn't a show about soccer, it's a show about these characters who just so happen to be involved in the running of a professional soccer club.
There was a standout moment during Crystal Palace's incredible 5-1 victory over Leeds United on Sunday that I failed to notice — I think I was too busy trying to comprehend Leeds' total capitulation — but now register as one of the best goal celebrations of the 2022-23 season.
With many experts having predicted that the winner of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League will emerge from the blockbuster quarterfinal tie between Manchester City and Bayern Munich, City's 3-0 beatdown of Bayern in Tuesday's first leg at the Etihad is quite the statement from the Sky Blues.
There's still a lot of thinking yet to come from Pep Guardiola, but this City team can kill you a myriad of ways (unlike Chelsea and Real Madrid), is UCL battle hardened (unlike Benfica, Inter, Milan and Napoli) and has Erling Haaland (unlike Bayern).
MLS Matchweek 7 proved severely dichotomous to the league’s image. Fans were treated to the best that MLS offers with individual brilliance, age-defying heroes, local rivalries and close games. However, it was an alleged incident that occurred between San Jose and New York that left an extremely sour taste in fans' mouths.