Promotion and relegation is simply the way soccer works, and always has, in most nations. But when it comes to pro/rel in the United States, it's largely a non-starter. The US league structure that emerged in the early 1900s was one of fractured, competing league entities. This was party due to a large geographic area, […]

This episode of the World Soccer Talk podcast, featuring Jon Arnold's preview of the Gold Cup, is presented by Sling. Jon Arnold, a freelance journalist and the author of the popular newsletter "Getting CONCACAFed," joins the World Soccer Talk Podcast to give a preview of the upcoming Gold Cup. Fresh off winning the CONCACAF Nations […]

Wrexham makes its return to League Two, and it opens the schedule against MK Dons. That is one of several stiff tests Wrexham faces in its return to the English Football League, with opposition coming from League One or the Championship in recent seasons. Of course, it also features games against Notts County, which delivered […]

Fz Sports, the parent company of Fanatiz, announced growth funding of $74 million. All of that is dedicated to expanding its TV rights to Latin American sports. A handful of partners contributed to this $74 million influx for sports rights. For example, 777 Partners, MEP Capital, Torneos, Serengeti Asset Management and Magma Partners contributed to […]

The Championship schedule for the 2023/24 campaign highlights some major teams. With Leicester City, Leeds and Southampton all dipping back down into the second-tier league after extended stays, there is elevated interest even for those that do not regularly follow the league. On Thursday, it announced the entirety of the 552-game schedule across the 24 […]

Aston Villa has announced an official partnership with betting company BK8. The three-year deal will include having the betting firm's logo on the front of Villa's jerseys. However, the agreement has not gone over well with the club's supporters. BK8 previously found themselves in hot water after using sexually provocative advertisements in 2021. The firm's […]

Newcastle is reportedly close to agreeing a deal with AC Milan for Sandro Tonali. The defensive midfielder is regarded as a top player in his position and would cost the Magpies around $75 million. He would become just the sixth Italian to play for the club. The Athletic is reporting that the two teams are […]

Gareth Bale has claimed the more relaxed atmosphere in MLS comes down to the fact that it is a closed league. The former Los Angeles FC winger made the comments during a recent interview with BT Sport. Fellow retired players Peter Crouch and Jermaine Jenas conducted the interview. Crouch asked Bale if he had any […]

The Premier League Summer Series is bringing EPL clubs to US cities this summer. And now we know who will be calling the games for NBC Sports. Rebecca Lowe will host the pre- and post-match coverage for each game, with pitch-side coverage that will also feature Robbie Earle, Tim Howard and Stephen Warnock. Joe Speight […]

Former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has reportedly agreed to a contract with Barcelona. The Germany international now departs the Premier League champions after seven years with the club. City had hoped to convince Gundogan to stay, but he is now set to join the Spanish giants instead. Sky Sports is reporting that City's contract […]

Reigning Premier League title winners Manchester City are in on the sweepstakes for West Ham's Declan Rice. This is despite heavy links to Arsenal in the last several weeks. The Gunners have even had two bids rejected by the Hammers so far but will return for a third offer soon. According to Fabrizio Romano, City […]

The equation for the overall global soccer structure goes like something like this. FIFA is greater than Continental Confederations, which are greater than the National Federations, thus greater than Domestic Professional Leagues. That's on paper, anyway. But in the United States of America, there's a question of who's really driving the sport. Does the USSF, […]

Cable subscribers to services like Comcast often pay exorbitant fees. It is one of the driving forces of the cord-cutting era. Not only are the cable contracts long and binding, but the fees pile up. Subscribers may not even know where some of those fees come from. Worse off, the providers might not even know […]

Former Germany international Lothar Matthaus has criticized the team's decision to fly to the USA this fall. The Germans are set to play two friendly matches Stateside in October. They will first face the USMNT on October 14 in Connecticut. Four days later, the Germans will be in Chicago to take on Mexico. However, Matthaus […]

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) has become one of the more contentious topics of discussion for soccer fans. While it was introduced to help limit controversy, it has, instead, practically fueled debates regarding refereeing decisions. Now, a survey led by fans in England shows that VAR is currently as unpopular as ever. The BBC published a […]