Vintage

Shortly before the United States entered World War II and sports were put on the back burner, directors and executives were looking for the next big revenue-generating events. 

In 1941 — years before the New York Knicks were even founded — Madison Square Garden decided that hosting indoor soccer was a worthwhile adventure, and the promoters weren’t wrong with nearly 10,000 paying customers showing up to watch teams from the American Soccer League literally do battle.

With each kit released for the 2020-21 season, I find myself shaking my head; it has become abundantly clear that kit designers have simply run out of ideas.

"He was what I called a ball-playing defender," long-time friend Dave Bassett said of Sam Allardyce, "If he wasn't playing with the ball he was playing with your balls."

Allardyce was a feared center back during his 20-plus years in English football due to his propensity to clatter opposing strikers and leave them moaning in pain on the turf. He was even given the nickname "Super Sam Bionic Man" for his ability to quickly ascend from these tackles and continue playing. 

Soccer players from the United States playing in Europe’s top leagues are a rarity. For those wondering how many Americans have played in Serie A, the number is miniscule. 

Leeds United was 90 minutes away from the 2001 Champions League Final. 

A lively first leg in the semifinal ended goalless. Leeds had plenty of opportunities in the second half, but the club was happy to earn a home shutout against Valencia in an evenly contested match.

The task ahead was formidable, though. Valencia was unbeaten in its last 17 European Cup matches at the Estadio Mestalla, and the Spanish side was Champions League runner-up the previous season.  

Following Zinedine Zidane’s success at Real Madrid, the appointment of the legendary cerebral midfielder has become the status quo at Europe’s super clubs: Plucky underdogs Chelsea turned to Frank Lampard, Barcelona recently gave Xavi the eyes and Juventus — moments after dismissing manager’s manager Maurizio Sarri — turned to the enigmatic merlot that is Andrea Pirlo.

It feels like ages ago now, but not long ago Stoke City tried to be the next Barcelona. 

The year was 2013. Manager Tony Pulis left the club at the end of the 2012-13 campaign, failing to achieve better than an 11th-place finish in five Premier League seasons. On paper this seems mediocre. But considering Stoke lacked the funds and footballing quality of other Premier League outfits, consistent middle-table finishes were infinitely better than relegation.