Sport

The USMNT is crafty in the middle but dangerous at both ends… to themselves

Being panicky and reactionary about the USMNT is now part of the deal. Perhaps it’s a sign we’re growing up. Fuck, three weeks ago, the US qualified for next fall’s World Cup (and got something of a favorable draw), Christian Pulisic was starting regularly for Chelsea — looking good doing it, too — and Gio […]

Sport

Is the USMNT midfield better off without Weston McKennie?

On the surface, it’s a patently ridiculous question. Of course the US can’t go without a player who regularly plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, where his manager loves him , and comes up with goals for a national team that still struggles to find them. And to ask this question […]

Sport

Kylian Mbappé passes the audition but PSG spectacularly fail another test

While the word “narrative” has become something of a cinder block sitting in the intestines of sports, sometimes you just can’t avoid how much it’s beating you over the head. Kylian Mbappé lining up against Real Madrid in the round of 16 in the Champions League was one of those times. Mbappé is still widely […]

Sport

With Weston McKennie done for the season… now what?

For as much excitement as this batch of the USMNT has generated, most of that has been tempered by the fact that A) they’ve rarely actually played all that well together and B) they’ve rarely all been together and in anything near top form. There will be those, the most rose-colored glasses-adorned amongst us, who… […]

Sport

Odell Beckham Jr. is rewriting his narrative with the Rams

The last time Joe Burrow played in a title game, fellow LSU alumnus and current Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was within attendance. Burrow (or Burreaux) helped the Bayou Bengals complete the undefeated season by lifting a national championship over Clemson inside Jan. 2020 in New Orleans, about four months before being… Read more…

Sport

Man City is running away with the Premier League title, so what can the rest of the EPL teams still win?

Slow starts, midseason swoons, and collapses are ways soccer clubs can blow a title race, but if you’re Man City, those don’t happen. Pep Guardiola’s team beat Chelsea for the second time Saturday, 1-0, plus are now 13 points clear of the second place Blues in addition to 14 points clear of third place Liverpool. […]

Sport

Divock Origi, the club legend who never plays

Every fandom has their cult heroes who seemingly drop in out of the sky and provide a lifelong memory. Phillies fans have Matt Stairs. Bulls fans have Steve Kerr, to an extent (Kerr was a fine player but he does seem an odd choice from the gods to hit a title-clinching shot, no? Then again, […]

Sport

It’s fine, this is fine. No really, it’s fine

In the euphoria of the US’s latest “Dos a Cero” triumph over Mexico, most US fans probably joked with their friends that they would follow this up with a turgid and flat performance in Jamaica. Joke to mask the pain, because we all suspected it, just at differing levels. Maybe some thought they might still […]