Abeasher

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 21 of the 2016 MLS season. Schmid’s Farewell to Seattle Sigi Schmid’s firing on Tuesday may have been seen as a necessity by a number of fans, but it certainly wasn’t greeted with any cheers in Seattle. Schmid was, until Sunday, the only MLS coach the […]

Sigi Schmid finally met his end on Tuesday, fired after seven-and-a-half seasons in Seattle with his Sounders 21 points behind Western Conference-leading FC Dallas, ten points below the red line, and just one point out of last place. It was a position that even a manager of Schmid’s stature couldn’t survive – especially not after […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 20 of the 2016 MLS season. 1. Seattle Hits Rock Bottom It might go down as the week that brought the curtain down on the Seattle Sounders’ remarkable first MLS era. On Wednesday night, the Sounders were 2-1 up in Carson against the LA Galaxy with […]

When Jason Kreis announced that he was leaving Real Salt Lake to become the first manager of New York City FC after the 2013 MLS season, he said part of him wanted to take the type of risk he never got around to taking during his playing career. It was an admirable and perfectly understanding […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 19 of the 2016 MLS season. 1. Timbers Crush Seattle The best rivalry in American soccer took its 2016 bow at a deafeningly loud Providence Park on Sunday, where the Portland Timbers dismantled the Seattle Sounders by a score of three goals to one. It’s a […]

It was almost fitting that Cristiano Ronaldo, the last vestige of Portugal’s great attacking tradition, only lasted twenty-five minutes before coming off – injured and in tears – at the Euro 2016 final on Sunday. If Portugal were going to win their first major tournament championship at the Stade de France – which they somehow […]

Both semifinals at Euro 2016 were games of a few isolated moments. There was Cristiano Ronaldo’s header, and Bastian Schweinsteiger’s inexplicable handball, along with flashes of fortune and industry from Nani and Antoine Griezmann. Neither Portugal nor France truly dominated against Wales and Germany, but at this level, total domination is rare. The margins are […]

We’re down to the last four at Euro 2016. France and Germany vie for a spot in the July 10 final at the Stade de France on Thursday. Here's the preview and prediction for Thursday's semi-final. France vs. Germany The heavyweight clash of the semifinals: The hosts against the World Champions at the incomparable Stade […]

We’re down to the last four at Euro 2016. Wales and Portugal vie for a spot in the July 10 final at the Stade de France on Wednesday, and then its France and Germany for the same prize on Thursday. Here's the preview and prediction for Tuesday's match: Wales vs. Portugal Bill it as Cristiano Ronaldo […]

Wednesday’s match between France and Iceland in Saint-Denis, the fourth and last quarterfinal of Euro 2016, figured to set up very nicely for an Iceland team that had already captured the hearts of the watching soccer world. Iceland’s qualities – organized, hard working, dangerous in isolated moments – were well established. Somehow able to name an […]

Wales’ absolutely thrilling 3-1 victory over Belgium on Friday night at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille had everything. It had Hal Robson-Kanu, a winger recently released by lowly English championship club Reading, scoring a game-winning goal fit for the greats – imagined with astonishing chutzpah and executed with imperious skill. Before that, it had […]

Here are previews and projections for the four quarterfinals at Euro 2016 in France. Poland v. Portugal Poland didn’t exactly set the world alight in their Round of 16 shootout win over Switzerland, but Portugal and Croatia combined to put it to sleep. Four games into their Euro 2016 campaign, Fernando Santos’ side still doesn’t […]

It was at the end of the first half between Italy and Spain when aging midfield hard-man Daniele De Rossi, just 50-minutes fit, nutmegged Andres Iniesta and made it clear that this wasn't going to be any ordinary day at the European Championships. Several hours later, we’d have the full picture: In Italy’s thundering triumph […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 16 of the 2016 MLS season. 1. California Clasico Delivers Again For intensity, drama, and sheer entertainment value, this fixture – the California Clasico hosted by San Jose against LA at Stanford Stadium – is the most reliable game on the MLS calendar. It never fails […]

The first two weeks of the newly expanded 24-team European Championship from France, outside of a handful of truly memorable moments, failed to consistently spark. Now, though, the real fun begins. The knockout stages, beginning with the first Round of 16 in this competition’s history, are here. Below are previews and predictions for all eight […]