Coaching

Relegation Battle 101 always finds managers stressing two key elements for teams facing the drop: (1) Don't play with fear; fear leads to mistakes and (2) Don't play with wild abandon, because you'll be punished for it.  

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch said as much in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's trip to Arsenal: "It's important to eliminate the emotion and continue to focus on our ability and discipline to have concentration for what's important to us."

To say 2021 was a bad year for women’s soccer in the U.S. would be an understatement of epic proportions. In October, The Athletic detailed horrifying allegations of verbal abuse and sexual coercion by N.C. Courage coach Paul Riley, sending shockwaves through the NWSL.

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes said Jesse Lingard described the Old Trafford club's dressing room as "a disaster."

United's bid of finishing in the Premier League's top four suffered a blow after they lost 3-1 away to Arsenal on Saturday, with the team slipping to the sixth spot in the standings on 54 points, six points outside the top four with four games left.

MANCHESTER, England - Manchester United appointed a new manager in Dutchman Erik ten Hag on Thursday with some very familiar language used to announce his arrival from Ajax.

"During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth," said United's football director John Murtough.

In September, the USWNT crushed Paraguay in back-to-back friendlies by a 17-0 aggregate score. This past week, the USWNT crushed Uzbekistan in back-to-back friendlies by an 18-1 aggregate score. While the September matches felt mostly a waste of time, the April matches felt instructive and useful, for both Vlatko Andonovski’s plans moving forward and U.S. fans trying to figure out those plans.

U.S. Soccer released the eighth (and final?) episode of the Gregg Berhalter Podcast (hosted by former FC Dallas midfielder Bobby Warshaw) on Tuesday. The USMNT manager spent a lot of time discussing the intense final window of qualification, reflecting on "The Ocho" as a whole and how all that shapes his decision making going toward the World Cup.

Rafael Soriano has entered the Douchebag Hall Of Fame for assaulting a referee then claiming the ref was milking it “because she’s a woman.” The Desportiva Ferrovíaria coach was red carded then fired after the match.

Soriano came onto the pitch to argue a call at the start of halftime during a fifth-tier Campeonato Capixava match against Nova Venecia on Sunday in Espirito Santo, Brazil. He left as a reviled asshole, headbutting assistant referee Marcielly Netto in the nose. 

After Sunday's barnstorming 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad, it was clear that managers Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, as disciples of attacking football, were spiritually lifted by what they'd seen out on the pitch.