In the pantheon of American consumption of professional sport and spectacle, the world of monster truck rallies is perhaps as far as possible from the expat pub culture of supporters for European football clubs. But with rivalry fixtures throughout Europe, this weekend at the very least, the oft-lampooned hyperbole of Sunday-Sunday-SUNDAY seems perfectly apt. From Munich… Continue reading Sunday, Oct. 4th: Massive Matchups Across Europe
Author: Elliott Niblock
Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal’s Exemplar
“Alexis Sanchez BABY—Alexis Sanchez, OHHohhhhhhh!” chanted the traveling Arsenal supporters at the King Power Stadium this weekend. For good reason. Arsenal defeated Leicester City 2-5, as the Gunners’ fiery Chilean finally opened his goalscoring account in the 2015 – 2016 season—and did so with no less than a hat-trick, each goal more savory than the… Continue reading Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal’s Exemplar
Diego Costa and the FA: A Dirty Player, A Broken System
In the past four days, Diego Costa has ruined a potentially fantastic game of football, been labeled a cheat by his own teammate, and received a charge from the FA for violent conduct. Just another week in the life. Anyone who witnessed Saturday’s London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal—well, anyone who isn’t entirely blinded by… Continue reading Diego Costa and the FA: A Dirty Player, A Broken System
2015-2016 UEFA Champions League Preview
With the final qualifiers behind us, and with all of the European leagues in full swing, we are finally on the eve of the world’s most star-studded club competition: the UEFA Champions League. With Real Madrid fresh off a 6-0 victory over Espanyol in La Liga, Los Blancos look to be in fine form for… Continue reading 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League Preview
Wayne Rooney: A Legend’s Last Chapter
The international break has come and gone, with club football poised to resume around the world this weekend, but for fans of England, that international break came with a very special break of its own: the all-time goalscoring record. Last Saturday, as England faced San Marino, Wayne Rooney tied Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring mark with… Continue reading Wayne Rooney: A Legend’s Last Chapter
European Soccer on American Shores
If you’re a longtime, diehard fan of European soccer living in the United States, the following scenarios are likely familiar: Battling a legion of pop-ups and viruses on illegal, ad-cluttered video streaming websites while trying to access an untelevised match. Fits of rage and threats to destroy your computer as the stream freezes in the… Continue reading European Soccer on American Shores
Lionel Messi: At the Breaking Point?
At this point in his illustrious career, seeing Lionel Messi making international headlines is a rather routine affair. The four time Ballon d’Or winner is widely regarded as the world’s best soccer player, helping his team to lift three trophies last season; La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, and perhaps most coveted of all, the… Continue reading Lionel Messi: At the Breaking Point?
Premier League in 2016: Predicting the Top Four
Few other professional sports have an offseason as short as the English Premier League, and yet, every August, I nonetheless find myself thinking “Thank God. It is about bloody time.” And time it is. This weekend, we see the return of Premier League soccer, and if the league is overhyped (it is), and if the mountains… Continue reading Premier League in 2016: Predicting the Top Four
USMNT, Gold Cup, CONCACAF: All in Shambles
Mexico defeated Jamaica 3-1 in the Gold Cup Final on Sunday, bringing the shambolic tournament, finally, to a close. Despite putting in a dominating performance for 90 minutes against Jamaica, few but the most blindly partisan supporters of El Tri will claim Mexico stood out as this tournament’s clear victor. In fact, some might argue,… Continue reading USMNT, Gold Cup, CONCACAF: All in Shambles
We Believed That She Would Win: A World Cup Retrospective
The afternoon of July 5, 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia was unusual in a couple of ways. A spate of wildfires in Pemberton combined with an atypical lack of wind coming in off the ocean to leave the city shrouded in a thickening cloud of smoke. By the time the sun was skirting the horizon, the… Continue reading We Believed That She Would Win: A World Cup Retrospective