In the Premier League, a select few clubs can spend the GDP of small Pacific Island nations in order to improve their squad, and with every signing it can feel like the magic of the English game keeps being sucked away. Watching Jamie Vardy and Leicester does bring back a bit of that essential essence […]

Rarely in the book world does a tome come around that fundamentally alters the way we look at the subject for the better or worse. One such book is The Ugly Game by Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert, two members of The Sunday Times Insight Team. In the most important soccer book since the last exposé […]

Anyone who has played soccer at any level will be familiar with certain truisms entrenched in the fabric of the game. At the highest levels of the game, though, the basic traits we're taught as we learn the game — closing down opponents, working as a unit, springing into shape — haven't always applied in […]

Chelsea take the short trip to North London where they face high-flying Tottenham Hotspur in what is a crucial fixture for both sides (live on Sunday at 7am ET on the USA Network in the USA). With only four points separating Spurs from league leaders Leicester City, Sunday’s fixture represents a great opportunity for Mauricio […]

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy deserves the accolade of "great," Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said on Friday. And Van Gaal, who has worked with some great strikers over the years, went as far as to say he would not discount the possibility that Vardy could keep his side in contention for the Premier League […]

There are stories, and then there are stories we will always remember. Leicester City's rise from the bottom on the Premier League is becoming the latter. From the start of the 2014-15 season to this point, 13 rounds into the campaign, the Foxes have played as title contenders do. It should be no surprise to […]

Mathieu Valbuena said Friday that France international teammate Karim Benzema "indirectly" told him he had to pay a ransom to get back a sex tape of him with his girlfriend. In his first public comments on the scandal that has torn apart the French national team, Valbuena told Le Monde newspaper he was "very, very, […]

Jose Mourinho has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur are potential title challengers ahead of their clash with Chelsea on Sunday and refuses to rule out moves for Harry Kane and James Vardy. The Portuguese also denied that his Chelsea side have an advantage over Spurs, despite an extra two days' rest due to their European commitments. […]

This Sunday at 2pm ET, NBCSN will debut a brand-new Premier League Download episode. This time the subject is Crystal Palace, the south London club who have been in the headlines recently after potential investment from NBA and NHL investors in the United States. To give Crystal Palace full credit, there's a lot of positive […]

Since Jürgen Klopp arrived to manage Liverpool, a feeling of positivity and progression has reverberated around Anfield. Even during the sequence of draws before his first win, the squad showed encouraging signs of believing in his tactics, specifically the all-important gegenpressing. And while it is taking longer to mirror his old Dortmund team with the […]

From a position of strength at the top of the Premier League a week ago, Manchester City suddenly face a test of their staying power against Southampton on Saturday. City's shock 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool last Saturday saw them surrender the lead in the title race, with manager Manuel Pellegrini admitting the performance […]

1. SOCCER BOOKS Soccer fans love books especially when they're from some of the best authors in the business and on topics that only hardcore soccer fans could love. This year, there are several wonderful titles to choose from such as: — DAS REBOOT by Rafa Honigstein Raphael Honigstein charts the return of German soccer from […]

A Premier League record could be broken on Saturday afternoon, in a repeat of a fixture last season that produced one of the most thrilling games the competition has ever seen. That match is one of two from English football’s top flight, which feature on our list this week. The second also produced a storming […]

Things are heating up in North London between Arsenal and Tottenham, with last weekend's results leaving Spurs only two points behind the rival Gunners, who sit in fourth place in the English Premier League. But it is not just on the pitch where the competition is picking up. Both teams reportedly tracking the same Roma […]

Determining the surest path to Major League Soccer success is tricky business; A league in ongoing evolution makes it so. It’s like raising children. What works in creating the most precious little kindergartener won’t work as that kid turns 11 or 12. What compels best behavior for pre-teens probably won’t do the job when they […]