The last time I rolled out this USMNT striker depth chart/power rankings article was seven months ago. Despite including nine center forwards, Ricardo Pepi wasn't even on the list — the 18-year-old was still a week away from receiving his first senior call-up, and things really escalated quickly from there.
Ever listen to a pundit or so-called football expert talk about goalkeepers? It's usually pretty evident with their first few sentences that they have no clue what they are talking about.
Their understanding of technique is minimal, and if you hear any mention of saves made, save percentage or any similar stat, you might as well stop listening (or reading).
The tweet below is a perfect example of a stat that seems useful but doesn't reveal much about the quality of a goalkeeper:
Age is a myth for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar netted the 805th goal of his career on Saturday vs Tottenham. At 37 years old he’s still scoring goals that simply make your draw drop. This Ronaldo goal vs Tottenham in the 12th minute was no exception.
A handful of times during the season, there are results that can only cause one reaction among neutral fans: laughter. Such matches are rare because they usually involve a larger club losing in embarrassing fashion. Arsenal's 5-0 loss to Manchester City in August certainly falls in this category, as does Manchester United's 5-0 defeat to Liverpool and 4-1 loss against Watford.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel's decision to bring on Kepa Arrizbalaga late in the 2022 EFL Cup Final was not unprecedented — both for Chelsea and the footballing world. Kepa had replaced Mendy in the waning moments of extra time in the UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal earlier in the year, saving two penalties in Chelsea's shootout victory.
In fact, the Spaniard is an above-average keeper in his career when it comes to saving penalties.
Mirar la tabla de posiciones es algo que los aficionados del América se niegan a hacer por estos días. Tras la última derrota ante el Pachuca, los azulcrema quedaron en el puesto 16 con apenas cuatro unidades, superando solo a Atlético de San Luis (3) y Santos Laguna (2). El equipo tiene problemas en todas sus líneas, pero la crisis parece concentrarse en la zon defensiva. De hecho, con 13 goles en contra, Las Águilas comparten con Santos Laguna el honor de ser los equipos más goleados del Clausura 2022.
Paris Saint-Germain’s penalty kick woes continued Saturday during the team’s 3-1 loss to Nantes in Ligue 1. Lionel Messi saw his penalty kick against Real Madrid in the Champions League saved on Tuesday. Four days later Neymar has topped Messi’s penalty fail with one of his own. This Neymar penalty vs Nantes is about as dismal as they come.
Thinking back over the first six months of the Premier League season, it has seemed like an unusually poor year for goalkeepers. This has been evident from the opening weekend, when a plethora of minor goalkeeping errors led to a forgettable start to the season.
David de Gea has been sensational, but aside from the Man United keeper, who has stood out between the posts this year?
The knockout stages of the Champions League begin Tuesday with what's arguably the most eagerly anticipated Round of 16 matchup ever — a clash between the club that never settles for anything less than lifting the trophy, record 13-time winner Real Madrid, and the club whose entire apparatus is hellbent on making that happen for the first time, PSG.
USMNT star Brenden Aaronson scored his second Austrian Bundesliga goal of the season on Friday in a 2-1 comeback victory vs. Rapid Wien. After his team went behind in The18th minute (see what I did there), Aaronson led the charge in the second half.
In the 64th minute the “Medford Messi” equalized for Red Bull Salzburg with a well-placed finish. I must say I’m a big fan of the broadcast having a “Medford Messi” lower third graphic ready to go.