Matt Jones

There have been a plethora of occurrences in recent weeks when players have reacted in bad to minor provocation. Christian Benteke and Gaston Ramirez were both sent off in games against Tottenham Hotspur for needless, erratic lapses in concentration. Both of their teams were 1-0 up at the time before going on to lose 2-1 […]

Signing players in the twilight of their career who have sampled illustrious glories always comes with a measure of risk. Having achieved all of their major ambitions, does the desire still linger? Do they still have the class to cut it at the top level? Can they help inspire a supposed lesser side to bigger […]

As players fully establish themselves, they’re typically filed under a certain criteria. At extreme ends of this spectrum you’ve got the superstars—Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and the likes—and you’ve got the parody figures, like Nicklas Bendtner, Kolo Toure, and Marouane Fellaini. But there are a few categories in-between too. James Milner is a player that […]

Soccer has become a game that's very much needs must if you’re looking to compete at the sharp end of the spectrum. So at this relatively early stage of the season, if it becomes apparent that a top side needs a forward, the January window presents a fine opportunity to bolster ranks. Typically, they'll splash […]

Domestic soccer makes its return this weekend, and as is often the case on the back of an international break, some intriguing results will be anticipated when various teams take to the field for a host of enticing matches. We've got two ties from the Premier League involving teams looking to settle scores from last season, one […]

Derby matches capture the essence of all that’s wonderful about soccer, and while there are magnificent examples of these clashes across the globe, there are few more passionate, colorful and hostile than when Boca Juniors and River Plate meet in El Superclasico. And with the two sides set to add another raucous chapter in their illustrious history […]

Rewind 12 months and there are few who will have branded Steven Naismith as a key man for neither club nor country. But on the cusp of Scotland’s friendly clash with England—a match that is ”more than a friendly” as we’re so often told (live today on ESPN3.com in the US)—from a Three Lions perspective, […]

When Wayne Rooney earns his 100th cap for England against Slovenia in the Three Lions’ upcoming European Championships qualifier on Saturday (live at Noon ET on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.com in the US), it will be another wonderful achievement for the Croxteth-born forward in what's been a magnificently decorated career. During his time on the international […]

FIFA’s latest revelations regarding the bidding processes for the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 have done little to shift the air of corruption that has emanated from the organization for an uncomfortably long stretch. It was a process that was supposed to provide closure, but instead, has merely dirtied the waters further. Their own […]

Are we a little too harsh on international soccer? While it’s typically been perceived as a mere blemish on the domestic landscape, some revamps to the various competitions seem to have given teams an edge, thus facilitating a much more entertaining product. That’s certainly been the case as nations look to qualify for Euro 2016, […]

After an ill-fated spell at Manchester United, David Moyes went from one of the most revered and respected managers in the English game to a commodity not too far short of a laughing stock. His reputation sullied, the 51-year-old went from the man who galvanized Everton into perennial over-achievement to a failure of a coach who […]

Traditionally, soccer’s great rivalries are founded and fed by political and geographical demographics. It's those age-old guidelines that make the rivalry between Liverpool and Chelsea a peculiar one. There’s a clear, longstanding needle between the two teams, but the classic stimulants for a rivalry don’t really exist when it comes to the Blues and the Reds. […]

The current campaign was always going to be a season of firsts for Everton. For Roberto Martinez, that was the case on a number of fronts, with the Catalonian having to deal with European football and all the accompanying connotations for the first time in his career. The players too had to get into an […]

Just over 13 months ago, Bayern Munich produced the kind of performance that makes soccer supporters revere in awe at what they're witnessing. The Bavarians dismantled Manchester City 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium, taking the English outfit apart with a display that was bristling with supreme quality. It seemed that Pep Guardiola, just a few months […]

There are moments that typically come to define an entire season, and in the Premier League this weekend, the fixture computer has churned out a pair of matches that stir memories of unhinged drama from campaigns gone by. Those two fixtures feature prominently in our list as does an enticing clash from Germany, which will […]