All About The Beautiful Game
In recent years, many English clubs have turned to their academies less and less. Brentford closed their academy altogether, deciding that the cost wasn’t worth it — although they are being forced to reopen it. A big reason for this is that many of the country’s top talents are being poached by bigger clubs at … Read more
For the first time ever, the MLS Next Pro regular season has been completed. The league, designed to promote the development of young players across the country, is already being considered a success in its first year. It’s allowed the MLS to recruit increasingly talented stars and give them time to improve before being brought … Read more
Peru is a nation with a history of talented forwards. Claudio Pizarro, for example, scored nearly 200 times in the Bundesliga with Bremen and Bayern. Jefferson Farfan made over 200 appearances for Schalke and picked up a lot of silverware in the Netherlands with PSV. Peru’s all-time leading goalscorer, Paulo Guerrero, has had a prolific … Read more
Historically, Finland has not been a country that focuses on soccer. Due to the country’s long and unforgiving winters, many of Finland’s elite athletes focus on indoor sports. Ice hockey is the major sport, while NBA fans will recognize Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen. Motorsport is another big sport for Finland, while other sports remain … Read more
For years, the Argentine Primera Division has been dominated by a handful of elite clubs. Boca Juniors, one of the world’s most successful clubs, have won three of the league’s last five titles, with rivals River Plate also getting their hands on the trophy. Both clubs are located in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, as are … Read more
Three years ago, I labeled Curaçao as a dark horse candidate for the World Cup. At the time, the Caribbean island was in just their second-ever Gold Cup (as Curaçao — they had previously played as Netherlands Antilles). Against all odds, they reached the knockout stages of the tournament and were looking better than ever. … Read more
South Korea is, without a doubt, one of Asia’s best footballing nations. In fact, they are one of the world’s most consistent footballing nations. South Korea has been to every World Cup since 1986 and will be in Qatar this year, too. That will be their tenth consecutive appearance at the tournament, giving them the … Read more
Across the world, new leagues and seasons are beginning. Recently, the Premier League kicked off, joined by many of Europe’s most elite leagues. In the United States, however, professional leagues are nearing the end; most of the USA’s leagues start in the spring and end in the fall/winter. That’s not the case for all of … Read more
Not long ago, Hamburger SV was one of Germany’s top teams. In 1983, they won the European Cup, the precursor to the Champions League. In 1987, they won the DFB Pokal for the third time, the last time they’ve won it up to date. They’ve won the league a further six times, but not since … Read more
Soccer has officially restarted in most of Europe after the summer break. Many of the continent’s top leagues, including the Premier League and Serie A, have returned to action, with some players shining early on—specifically, Serbian players. In England, Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrović scored a brace against Liverpool. In Italy, Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović also … Read more