When The18 launched back in the summer of 2014, we were essentially codependent on the life and times of Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. Our business was Chichagols, and business was damn good.
First David Beckham. Then Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Now Chicharito.
With Ibrahimovic gone, LAFC looking stacked ahead of 2020 and no global stars on the current squad, the LA Galaxy needed to do something to maintain their status as the MLS glamor club. So they did.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski announced his 20-woman USWNT Olympic qualifying roster on Friday with a few surprises.
Mal Pugh, who competed at the 2016 Olympics as an 18-year-old and helped the U.S. win the 2019 Women’s World Cup, was left off the roster. Pugh was one of five players on Jill Ellis’ squad last summer omitted from the USWNT Olympic qualifying roster.
Ahh soccer. Yes, soccer. Not football, but soccer. American soccer.
Americans who follow the world’s game have it tougher than footie fans just about anywhere else on the planet. In the U.S., soccer isn’t the most popular sport — it’s not even in the top four — providing unique challenges to those who love the beautiful game.
But American soccer fans persist, because our love for the game is greater than any annoyance.
Here are 11 most annoying things about being an American soccer fan:
NBCUniversal unveiled the plan for its upcoming streaming service Peacock on Thursday. Comcast’s answer to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ and Apple TV Plus is coming this year, featuring all the reruns of The Office and Law & Order you could ever want.
And there’s soccer.
Mal Pugh is Sky Blue.
The USWNT starlet who skipped college at UCLA to join the Washington Spirit in 2017 was traded to Sky Blue FC for four — yes, four — draft picks during a blockbuster draft-day move on Thursday.
The Portland Thorns selected Sophia Smith with the first pick of the 2020 NWSL Draft, making her the first teenager ever selected in any NWSL draft, but the focus quickly shifted to what Sky Blue was doing.
The NWSL Draft 2020, the eighth such draft for the league, featured a first. Sophia Smith, taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Portland Thorns, became the first teenager selected in the draft on Thursday morning.
Smith, a 19-year-old forward who just finished her sophomore season with Stanford, won a national title and scored 24 goals in 33 games with the Cardinal.
I’ll never forget the buildup to Chipotle’s first restaurant in London. I was studying there at the time and the “COMING SOON” signage on Charing Cross Road would hit hard around lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon. A cohort of Americans would stand outside the scaffolding and strain to see inside the darkened edifice for any signs of that spar, industrial interior design coming together. It’s hard to tell how much progress is being made when the piping is always exposed.
The SheBelieves Cup is an invitational women’s football tournament held in the United States. It began its campaign in 2016 after the 2015 Women’s World Cup to continue the hype for women’s soccer. Inspired by the USWNT players, the #SheBelieves campaign brings together the world’s most talented female football players to encourage both athletes and non-athletes to follow their dreams and accomplish all of their goals both on and off the field. This week, the SheBelieves Cup 2020 schedule was announced.
While the majority of MLS teams will report for preseason training on Monday, Jan. 20, clubs that qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League have now begun their preparations for the new campaign with that competition commencing in only 36 days time. (The MLS season kicks off in 47 days with Nashville hosting Atlanta on Feb. 29.)