The World Cup is close. So close, it’s not even just around the corner anymore. It’s turned the corner, accelerated recklessly, and about to smash you in the face with a Mack truck’s worth of soccer-worshiping awesome. So for my last contribution before the World Cup starts, I’m letting the optimism flow, and giving you my reasons why this World Cup will be unforgettable. 5. The Underdogs There’s always a few minnows who manage to sneak into the World… Read more
If you weren’t aware, readers (Okay, Dan, Neil, and my mom), I’m 21 years old. I was born on April 16, 1989, the day after the Hillsborough disaster. Coincidentally, 1989 is the year to which a lot of people trace back the modern history of American Soccer. In November of that year, Paul Caligiuri scored his “shot heard round the world” against Trinidad and Tobago to put the US in the World Cup for the first time in forty years. It was a seminal moment for… Read more
The United States is known, for good reason, as a nation of immigrants. That reality is reflected in the makeup of our national team. Plenty of American players could have represented another country, like that despicable Judas traitor Giuseppe Rossi did. And conversely, plenty of players playing for foreign national teams could have suited up for the Yanks, like that despicable Judas traitor Giuseppe Rossi could have. So many players, in fact, you could make… Read more
In a few short weeks, 11 of our boys will step out onto a field in South Africa to take on the England national team. The country that invented the sport, and never lets anyone forget it. The country we won our independence from. The country against who our greatest soccer triumph was won. The country that looks down their noses at our national team, and laughs at us. All I have to say is this: Let’s beat ‘em. Let’s beat England. For every… Read more
There’s a lot of pressure on South Africa this summer. The most obvious issue is the sheer logistical nightmare of hosting a World Cup. A World Cup involves 32 teams, their vast entourages of support staff, coaches, and officials, hundreds upon hundreds of media persons, and hundreds of thousands of fans from a multitude of nations. These throngs of humanity require transportation, accommodations, medical services, police presence, and myriad of other… Read more
The World Cup usually boasts the greatest players in the World, but occasionally, circumstances conspire to keep some of the World’s greatest from strutting their stuff on the biggest stage. It might seem like an unforgivable crime against football, but here is part two of the best players who never played in the World Cup. Ryan Giggs Ryan Giggs is quite possibly the most successful club player of the television era. In a professional career entering its… Read more
The World Cup usually boasts the greatest players in the world, but occasionally, circumstances conspire to keep some of the world’s greatest from strutting their stuff on the biggest stage. It might seem like an unforgivable crime against football, but here is part one of the best players who never played in the World Cup. Duncan Edwards He was described by Bobby Charlton as “the only player that made me feel inferior.” Stanley Matthews said he was “like a… Read more
Over the years, the World Cup has seen many great players, and many great performances. Sometimes, great players achieve immortality by picking up the biggest prize of all, a World Championship. But there are other legends who never quite got there, and were left to ponder, “what if?” These are the best players who never won the World Cup. Johan Cruijff His name is synonymous with beautiful football. As a player and manager, he won an incredible 38… Read more
The United States and Mexico are, undoubtedly, the giants of North American football. In the ten times the Gold Cup has been contested, only once has another country, Canada in 2000, managed to claim the top prize in CONCACAF. They’re the most populous countries, with the biggest economies, the highest profile domestic leagues, and the most famous national team players. Internationally, they’re the most successful and highest ranked of all CONCACAF nations. The… Read more
Back in the sepia-toned days of the 2002 World Cup, much of the American team that reached the quarterfinals was based in the US. Integral contributors like Cobi Jones, Brian McBride, and Eddie Pope hailed from MLS teams. Now, the 15-year-old league seems marginal, at best. Out of the established core of starters, only Landon Donovan currently plays for an MLS club, and his future in the US is in doubt, thanks to his recent successful loan stint at Everton…. Read more
The World Cup gives players a chance to represent their country, but not everyone represents the country they were born in. Sometimes through parentage, other times through naturalization, there are plenty of players who don’t play for their birth nation. Here are some of the players who might play in the World Cup for their adopted nations, and the three general categories most ex-patriot players fall into. The Immigrant The immigrants are players who born… Read more
He’s the headliner of the World Cup, grabbing the glory and filling the highlight reels. He sells jerseys, he sells tickets, and every kid wants to be him. His picture is on one million posters and 100 million TV sets. He’s the top scorer, that fabled figure who is half-myth, half-superman, and 100 percent legend. Here are some of the top scorers of past World Cups, and some of the men who will be trying to emulate them this summer. The One-Man Team The… Read more
Spain. Brazil. Italy. Everyone knows them, the favorites. The big boys of international soccer. In all likelihood, one of the big teams will go home with a nice shiny World Cup trophy this summer. But nothing is set in stone. Thirty-two teams have their eyes on the ultimate prize, and if the top dogs stumble, there’ll always be someone ready to strike. Here are four countries looking for an unlikely fairytale in South Africa. At the very least, these are the… Read more
Before every World Cup, nations dare to dream. Plucky minnows relish the prospect of taking a big scalp. More established countries seek to bring honor to their flags. And some nations dream of taking home the trophy itself. That optimism though, carries with it the weight of expectation, a weight that can be a burden. Some teams thrive under pressure, but others buckle. Here are four teams who disastrously underperformed at the World Cup England -… Read more
