The free-kick in the dying moments of extra time saw Lionel Messi in a position where he could etch himself into immortality. He was not going to win the match at that point, but if he had scored, Argentina could have flirted with victory at least. The problem was Messi blasted the ball over Manuel […]

Now that the World Cup is over, it appears the Manchester United commercial machine is moving full steam ahead in order to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the global event before it dies down. That means football fans can expect more news to be come out of Old Trafford in the following days, as Manchester […]

Edinson Cavani is prepared to leave Paris Saint-Germain in favor of a move to a Premier League club after reports have emerged that the Uruguayan forward has informed his agent to find him a move to the Premier League. Stories surfaced last season Cavani had become frustrated with his use and position on the pitch […]

Manchester United have secured a new shirt deal with adidas, where the Old Trafford club will net $1.2 billion over the next 10 years. The £75million-a-year deal begins with the 2015/16 season when Manchester United will wear adidas shirts instead of Nike. The last time United wore adidas was 1992. The German manufacturer had a […]

The 2014 World Cup final was not a classic but it would be hard to argue that the Germans were not deserving winners. They were the best collective unit, achieved the outstanding result in the World Cup demolishing the hosts, Brazil, 7-1 in the semifinals and were by far the most consistent team in the […]

After losing two home games consecutively for the first time since 1940, Luiz Scolari resigned from his position of head coach of the Brazilian National Football Team. The 2014 World Cup host nation had a promising build up to the World Cup after defeating reigning World and European champions, Spain in the Confederations Cup Final […]

Mesut Özil was heavily criticized during this World Cup from just about every corner of the soccer world. Arsenal’s record signing endured a stop-start campaign at the Emirates and his indifferent form spilled over into the German side. In the buildup towards the World Cup speculation was rife that Özil would be dropped by Manager […]

When Italy won the World Cup in 2006, my father took me, then aged ten, to the Little Italy section of Manhattan to witness the celebrations. I thought it was the most electrifying experience, as I had never been to a celebratory parade before, but at the time I was too young to truly understand […]

André Schürrle proved to be the most critical player in this World Cup that virtually nobody is talking about. His pace and high-energy play helped change the trajectory of Germany’s matches against Algeria and Argentina. The Chelsea midfielder, who spent a season in and out of Jose Mourinho’s doghouse, ended the Premier League campaign as […]

The inevitable question of Leo Messi's greatness will surely start after Argentina's 1-0 loss in extra time to Germany. Despite a few flashes of greatness during the final game in the 2014 World Cup, Messi was a shadow of himself in the second half, and was caught on camera showing a lack of respect for […]

Dave O'Brien, ESPN's lead soccer commentator for World Cup 2006, says that the USA games in the 2014 World Cup should have been announced by an American voice, and that he's envious of what FOX Sports is doing with Gus Johnson. O'Brien, who was a trainwreck when he announced World Cup games in 2006, had […]

Jurgen Klinsmann is a legend of German football, as a player. As a coach, his reputation may be more notable for the 3rd place finish in Germany’s own World Cup 8 years ago, and the spectacular flameout at Bayern Munich 3 years later. Now his reputation may have been rehabilitated by his former assistant Joachim […]

And so it finally happened! 120 minutes on the 13th of July 2014; 120 minutes in the famous Maracana Stadium; 120 minutes to determine the World Champions; 120 minutes to change soccer players into legends. ...and what a tense 120 minutes it turned out to be as a total of 36 fouls were made. With […]

In 2005, ABC/ESPN paid just $100 million for the English-language rights to the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups (as well as 2007 and 2011 Women's World Cups). That fee was dwarfed in 2011 when FOX paid $425 million to win the rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. Based on what ABC/ESPN got […]

Germany won the World Cup late in extra time with a wonderful goal from Mario Gotze to deny Argentina. Here are the player ratings for both teams from the final. Germany Manuel Neuer, 8: Neuer didn’t have too much to do, but he played with an air of confidence that doesn’t come about unless […]