England has a long history of tournament misery with some notorious exits. Since their sole victory at the 1966 World Cup, theirs has been a far different story. Near misses, key injuries and notable penalty defeats are too familiar a story for Three Lions supporters. It is partly why, despite having a wealth of talent […]

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal's star player, is writhing on the ground, gripping his left knee. A French crowd of 76,000 looks stunned as he limps off the field, returns with his knee wrapped, but signals for a sub. Ronaldo, arguably the best soccer player of all time, will have to leave the biggest game of his […]

Euro 2024 in Germany is upon us, and there is an air of optimism and excitement surrounding the Croatia national team. Croatia has exhibited international success of late. Most recently, it was a third-place finish at the World Cup in Qatar. The quest for European success starts with the side's opening match on Saturday against […]

When Germany hosts the European Championship in 2024, the tournament atmosphere may sap away a true home advantage. With millions of immigrants from across Europe now calling Germany home, the stands will be filled with passionate fans cheering on their home countries despite the games taking place on German soil. Germany is home to a […]

Luciano Spalletti has high expectations for Italy at Euro 2024. That promises to be a thrilling spectacle, primarily because most of the squad is experiencing their first time playing together. While this unique situation poses some challenges with finding cohesion on the field, it also presents an exciting advantage of unpredictability that could work in […]

Jesse Marsch and Gregg Berhalter traded discourse recently as the two American coaches vied for the USMNT job. Gregg Berhalter eventually won that post back with a contract that runs through the 2026 World Cup. Marsch admitted he was not happy with the way the process went regarding his chances. However, he landed a spot […]

It feels like Belgium's golden generation is somewhat fading. There was a time when the gloom of the 2000s turned to consistent deep runs under the leadership of manager Roberto Martinez. Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany, and more all dominated the global scene. It was best shown by their […]

On June 13, the European Championship kicks off in Munich. Each nation competing, and fans around the globe, have a rising sense of anticipation. A significant number of the world’s greatest sides are featured in Germany. Four of the past five World Cup winners and eight of the top-10 clubs in FIFA's World Rankings are […]

At around this time, Veronique Rabiot was yelling at Wilfried Mbappé. Yelling. And yes, it was that Rabiot, mother of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot. And yes again, it was that Mbappé, mother of then-PSG winger Kylian Mbappé. The argument came in the backdrop of France's shocking loss to Switzerland, where Switzerland came back from two […]

With the tournament only two weeks away, Copa America preparations begin in earnest for the USMNT. To get ready for such a massive event, the Americans will play a pair of big-time friendlies. Next Wednesday they will be down in Orlando to take on mighty Brazil. But before they do that, they first have a […]

It is no surprise that Group B at UEFA Euro 2024 is called the Group of Death, a term used to describe a tough group in a tournament due to the high quality of the teams involved. With three teams in the group in the FIFA rankings, it will be tough competition. To prepare appropriately, Luciano […]

Soccer can often follow patterns. Long-term observers of the sport notice a cyclical nature to teams’ dominance. This leads to waves of success followed by years of struggle. Elsewhere, traits will appear among teams that arise years apart yet contain all the signs of previous glories and failures. One team currently in the stages of […]

Since the 1960s, Italian defenders have been known for their selfless demeanor, often sacrificing their bodies for the team. Their fearless attitude involves trailing, shadowing, and committing fierce tackles against opponents in dangerous situations. Italy has consistently produced a plethora of world-class fullbacks, renowned for their refusal to concede a goal. However, the true essence […]

FIFA is advertising the 2025 Club World Cup as the greatest club competition with 32 teams from each of the six confederations. However, the main draw remains clubs from Europe, with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea among the sides competing. Yet, those English and Spanish teams may not be […]

For Scotland, the last six years have been something of a renaissance period. The Scots qualified for their first international tournament in 22 years at the 2020 European Championships. Two years later, Scotland narrowly missed out on qualification for the World Cup in Qatar. That culminated in qualification to a second consecutive European Championship at […]