El Clasico is a frequent occurrence over the next 35 days with the latest coverage details from ESPN. Over a monthlong span, Real Madrid and Barcelona battle as the two top teams in Spain. Two of those meetings are in the Copa del Rey semifinals, a two-legged affair. In between those two is the second […]

The biggest game in Spanish soccer, El Clásico, is returning to the Copa del Rey. Monday's draw for the semifinal of the Spanish cup competition pits Real Madrid and Barcelona in a two-legged tie. The first of those games is tentatively scheduled for March 1. Then, the return leg at Camp Nou is tentatively scheduled […]

Real Madrid came back to beat Atletico Madrid, 3-1, in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Thursday. The Madrid derby is historically one of the fiercest rivals in club soccer. Thursday's game didn't disappoint. The match featured three brilliant goals, as well as a red card. The pre-match hype for the massive match was marred […]

Athletic Club and Basque nationalism are intertwined. As in the case with other groups in Spain, independence and nationalism take root in people's lives. Take, for example, Catalonia. The northeast portion of Spain is an autonomous government. This means that, more or less, they own relative independence from Spain. Granted, the area is still inside the […]

ESPN+ has acquired the US rights to the Copa del Rey tournament, the annual knockout competition run by the Spanish football federation. With plans to stream up to 65 games a year including the final, the multi-year agreement will kick off this Saturday with ESPN+ streaming the Second Round of the prestigious tournament. According to […]

The 2014/15 Real Madrid third kit, to be officially released on August 26, is eye-catching to say the least. This new alternate uniform was created specially by award-winning Japanese fashion designer, Yohji Yamamoto, and unsurprisingly, it looks nothing like your average football kit. The jersey, all black with white details, features two intertwined dragons sprawled […]

The summer transfer of Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid to AS Monaco has been well documented. The world class striker was sold to the French club for £52.8 million ($85.4 million). Over the course of two seasons with the Spanish club, Falcao had scored 52 goals in 67 appearances and helped the club win the […]

The U.S. Soccer Federation yesterday announced an expanded Open Cup format and schedule, one that will incorporate all MLS and lower division teams in a newly and hopefully more condensed way.  In essence, the changes allow the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to mirror the English FA Cup, where lower division and semi-pro teams have […]

With the league title slipping away from Real Madrid's hands, their two cup competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the Copa del Rey, could be the tournaments that they can realistically expect to win.  Real can stamp its name in the final of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night if they can navigate a […]

For the past several seasons, Real Madrid treated the Copa del Rey as a nuisance and a burden rather than a competition worth winning.  José Mourinho has changed that mentality.  One Taça de Portgual with FC Porto, two Carling Cups and an FA Cup with Chelsea, and a Coppa Italia with Inter Milan signals Mourinho's […]

With the reinstitution of the Galáctico policy following Florentino Pérez's return as President of Real Madrid last summer, Pérez wasted no time in the second construction of his universe-beating side.  Lost in the shuffle of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Xabi Alonso joining the club, Karim Benzema quietly transferred from Olympique Lyonnais to Real Madrid, if […]

Depending on the results of the final round in La Liga this upcoming weekend, Atlético Madrid can finish as high as ninth and as low as eleventh in Spain.  Fulham completed their 2009-10 in the Barclays Premier League in twelfth position.  All mattered not as they both navigated through massive European obstacles to arrive at […]

A ridiculous question with what should be a simple answer.  First, a cursory investigation.  Is Barcelona on top of the standings in La Liga?  Yes.  Has Barcelona obtained sixty-one points from twenty-four matches, one more point than it had at the same point last season?  Check.  Does Barcelona have the edge in its UEFA Champions […]

This weekend, the focus will be on those teams who will play in European competition in the following midweek.  The question of domestic vs. European responsibilities remains an individual club decision, but for some teams, choices become more plentiful than others. Real Madrid faces Xerez at El Chapín, but Los Blancos have the capability to […]

As La Liga heads into the midway point of the season, these next few rounds are some of the hardest of the campaign because the toil of playing for five consecutive months begins to wear on the players and the coaching staff both physically and mentally.  Motivation is a hard concept to renew during these […]