World Soccer Talk writer Juan Arango will be answering questions live from Brazil via Twitter today beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT. Juan will be taking over the @worldsoccertalk Twitter account live from Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the past two weeks, Juan has traveled throughout South America to watch World Cup matches […]

Yellow shirts, enthralling attacking play and rhythmic celebrations; for so long that’s been the narrative for Brazilian teams that have dazzled us all at the World Cup. But in their own backyard, there’s another team stealing the show. While seven of the eight quarter-finalists in the 2014 World Cup were made to battle exceptionally hard […]

The Internet has created its newest meme — Things Tim Howard Could Save, which includes pictures of USA goalkeeper Tim Howard in some classic situations "saving" different people and places. For example, even saving the Titanic. The meme is a reaction to Tim Howard's record breaking performance against Belgium in the United States's Round of […]

Most newspapers flooded their front pages with pictures from the many joyous public gatherings that turned massive scenes of disappointment. None did it better than the Las Vegas Review-Journal (see above). The juxtaposition between the fan looking left while the glasses fan looks right in utter agony is absolutely brilliant. The Oakland Tribune was one of the […]

The praise for the USA World Cup team has been unanimous across the world. They have won the hearts and minds of so many soccer fans globally, as well as the respect of the soccer critics and media. This mixed bag of a few German-Americans, one Icelandic-American, a guy from small Texas town, a man […]

Angel Di Maria's game-winning goal against Switzerland symbolized more than helping Argentina advance to the quarterfinals. It also highlighted his year long campaign of becoming a world class player. Before the 2013-14 season started, the 26-year-old was heavily linked with several clubs in a transfer deal to leave Real Madrid so that the club could […]

ESPN mouthpiece Keith Olbermann went on a rant last night discussing his seven ideas of how to make soccer work in America. Here's my response to his tirade. Soccer already works in America. We don't need someone from mainstream media to fix anything. The sport is fine as it is, and continues to grow at an […]

A quick glance at the last-16 ties and the subsequent quarter-finals paints a deceptively predictable set of results from the first round of knockout matches at the 2014 World Cup. All eight group winners progressed at the expense of the group runners-up, but as any of us who have been indulging in this fine World […]

After a year and a half of penny pinching by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, it appears the Magpies are finally willing to spend in the transfer market. The signing of Siem de Jong from Ajax was completed Tuesday for an undisclosed fee and the player was signed to a six-year contract. The 25 year-old […]

The host nation Brazil has been sweating on the fitness of Neymar whose delivered the winning penalty in the shootout versus Chile on Saturday. In that match, Neymar suffered thigh and knee injuries that have been under close evaluation by Brazilian team doctors. But it appears Neymar is winning his race for match fitness. Brazilian National […]

The match may not have ranked as a classic but it still delivered drama at the death as a disciplined Swiss side succumbed to a late, late Argentine effort from the otherwise disappointing Ángel di María. The Swiss will be ruing what might have been after squandering a number of golden opportunities. Then again they […]

The World Cup never let the USA breathe. From the moment they were drawn into the Group of Death and handed the World Tour travel plan, the American national soccer team couldn’t come up for air. There was the bombshell team selection, the smash and siege against Ghana, ultimate triumph snatched away with an afterthought […]

It's official. Chelsea announced today that the club has reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid to sign striker Diego Costa after meeting the buyout clause, which is believed to be £32million. Costa and Atletico Madrid had been in talks to move the player to Stamford Bridge since the end of the Premier League season, which […]

The US exited the 2014 FIFA World Cup with their heads held high after a 2-1 extra time loss to Belgium. Here are the player ratings. Tim Howard, 10: He covered himself in all kinds of glory with one of the greatest goalkeeping performances in recent memory. DeMarcus Beasley, 8: While he was twisted into […]

In the end, the United States can only blame themselves for their elimination from the World Cup. Although Belgium on paper were a more talented team, this game showed the United States was actually presented with a good match-up that gave them a chance to advance. Belgium’s defense was exposed before the U.S.’s speed and […]