Ardalan Pourvali

Despite the joint bid from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the proposal by Spain-Portugal appears to have an edge to host the world's most significant sports event. The governing body of soccer in Europe, known as UEFA, maintains a confident stance that Spain and Portugal will provide the […]

Paul Pogba's management team announced Monday that the France midfielder would undergo surgery, putting his chances of playing in the World Cup in doubt. In August during pre-season training with Juventus, Pogba tore a lesion in his lateral meniscus. More recently, lab results did not see improvement on his right knee. At first, the Guinean […]

Newly promoted Monza, owned by former Milan politician Silvio Berlusconi, hoped to gain their first victory of the season on Monday. However, they faced an Atalanta side who were undefeated. In the 2022/23 Serie A season to date, Atalanta had not conceded defeat, sitting in third with three wins and two draws. A draw against […]

Paris Saint-Germain can't win. Even after defeating Nantes 3-0 in Ligue 1 on Sunday, the French club was criticized by railway officials for leaving a carbon footprint. The criticism came from the director of a French railway company. After the away game in Nantes, PSG players flew back home to Paris. The city of Nantes […]

After penning a contract with FC Sion, former Italian forward Mario Balotelli made his debut in the Swiss Super League on Saturday. The two-year deal is worth €2.6 million. Balotelli's arrival on the field at Tourbillon Stadium in Switzerland was the match highlight. Roars from the home crowd welcomed the Ghanian Italian. Balotelli came on […]

AS Roma suffered their first loss of the season against Udinese on Sunday. However, the most shocking aspect of the defeat was the scoreline, losing 4-0 to the club nicknamed The Little Zebras. Going into the match, Roma were on impressive run for the first few weeks of the 2022/23 Serie A season. Prior to […]

Nineteen-year-old phenom Yunus Musah assisted Samuel Lino's second goal for Valencia, and Hugo Duro's fifth, with a remarkable performance at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday, in front of the onlooking USMNT Coach Gregg Berhalter who was in the crowd to watch the American midfielder. Valencia scored three goals in the first 16 minutes of play against […]

Due to controversial officiating calls in gameweek six, the Premier League has requested that the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) in England reevaluate decisions made during in-game VAR reviews that occurred on Saturday. The two matches in question involve West Ham United, and Newcastle United. The two clubs scored goals that were disallowed after […]

Two English powerhouses faced off on matchday six in a marquee match at Old Trafford. Before the match, Manchester United was on a hot streak against an undefeated Arsenal. In the end, Erik ten Hag's Red Devils proved to be too much for Mikel Arteta's Gunners, who have only beat Manchester United at Old Trafford […]

On Thursday, September 1st, the Jules Rimet trophy stopped at Milad Tower in Tehran during the global tour ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite Qatar 2022 being Iran’s sixth appearance in the World Cup, this is the first time the World Cup trophy has made its presence in its nation. Former Iranian goalkeeper […]

Veteran USMNT defender John Brooks has signed with Benfica, a club that competes in the top flight of Portuguese soccer. After four matchdays in the Primeira Liga, Benfica sits in first place, undefeated with four wins. John Brooks’ move to the Portuguese outfit comes at an integral time, as Gregg Berhalter announces his 26-man roster […]

Wednesday night's Toronto FC vs. LA Galaxy game in Major League Soccer ended in a 2-2 draw. The game was bombarded with end-to-end action. World Cup veterans Michael Bradley and Javier Hernández were both pounding the hybrid grass at BMO Field in Canada. The two clubs’ mainstays were joined by their newly acquired, high-profile teammates: […]

Earlier this week, LaLiga club Valencia picked up legendary Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani on a two-year deal. The 35-year-old striker has been a free agent since his two-year stint with Manchester United ended in the Premier League. El Matador struck 12 goals in 41 appearances for The Red Devils.   The highlight of Cavani's career came […]

On July 3, 1990, defending World Cup champions Argentina played against hosts Italy in the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup. The two entered the 1990 World Cup among the favorites, and the fixture remains a part of soccer's lore. Yet, it was more than a semifinal. It shined a light upon the divided nation […]

The World Cup comes to the Middle East for the first time in 2022. In doing so, FIFA took on a number of controversies, complaints and criticisms for the selection of Qatar. Accusations and instances of human rights violations and otherworldly counts of death to bring the tournament cast a grim shadow over the competition. […]

In the 2022 MLS season, LAFC plays a game of two halves, both of which eventually lead to success. After a scoreless first half, the club always finds the back of the net in the second 45. For the black & gold, it is not about possession, more so than creating opportunities when it counts. […]

The triumph of Paolo Rossi and Enzo Bearzot at the 1982 World Cup is underrated amongst the competition's lore. The late Italian manager Enzo Bearzot pioneered 'total football' from Ajax. He steered Italians away from the Catenaccio, or 'door-bolt,' defensive strategy. That tactic led to the emergence of Italian soccer during the 1960s. This defensive […]

Denmark is the most common underdog pick at World Cup 2022. With the success of Croatia reaching the Final in 2018, the feeling among the Denmark camp evolves from wishful thinking to realism. Ironically, Croatia eliminated Denmark in the round of 16 in Russia. The eventual runner-up overturned Denmark's early advantage after a defensive mishap […]

Historically, foreign-born managers find little success of major value at the World Cup. Only two countries with foreign-adopted coaches reached the final. In 1958, Englishman George Raynor managed to take Sweden to the final as hosts in 1958. Austrian Ernst Happel led the the Netherlands to a second-lace finish in Argentina 1978. At the 2022 […]

Argentina avoids vulnerability on defense by holding a relentless attack. The 'White & Sky Blues' attacks their opponents' weaknesses while relying on the strengths of players like Lionel Messi or Paulo Dybala. Yet, La Albiceleste does not exhaust energies. Instead, the two-time World Cup champions cause their opponents to succumb to counterattacks. In the Finalissima, […]