Up, Up, Up the Town!: Wrexham secured their place in The Championship with a historic third consecutive promotion by beating Charlton Athletic 3-0 in front of another frenzied crowd at STōK Cae Ras. Oliver Rathbone opened the scoring with a long-range effort through a crowded penalty area 15 minutes from the start. Sam Smith scored an amazing no-look, over-the-shoulder, volley 3 mins later to cushion the lead, and completed the scoring with a thumping header in the second half to guarantee the Red Dragons promotion. Highlights video. Celebrity owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were on-hand to wildly celebrate the victory and used their on-air time after the win to deflect attention from themselves and commend the staff, players, and supporters. At this point another season of Welcome to Wrexham seems inevitable.

posted by scully to soccer at 08:09 AM - 2 comments

Play SportsFilter's Fantasy Premier League: The Premier League season returns Friday, so it's time to pick your squad for the Fantasy Premier League. Click the link on this post to join or use the code e0tyua.

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:33 PM - 6 comments

Gregg Berhalter Fired After USMNT Copa Flop: Just two years before the United States is one of the hosts of the 2026 World Cup, the U.S. Men's National Team has invited Gregg Berhalter to succeed elsewhere. Despite a favorable group the U.S. did not make the knockout round as the Copa America host, making U.S. hopes for a quarterfinal or better finish in 2026 look bleak. Berhalter had a record of 44-17-13 and one long-ago domestic violence investigation.

posted by rcade to soccer at 11:43 AM - 2 comments

Remembering Torino FC 75 Years Later: On May 4, 1949, nearly the entire Torino FC team and staff died in a plane crash returning from a match in bad weather. Eleven days later, Umberto Motto took the field when their entire youth team was promoted. Now 92, Motto remembers the team president telling him in the locker room that day, "Boys, your masters are watching you." "Grande Torino" had won four straight championships and was awarded a fifth after the tragedy. Torino has only one championship since.

posted by rcade to soccer at 04:53 PM - 0 comments

Jurgen Klopp Leaving Liverpool: Liverpool FC released a video from Jurgen Klopp this morning announcing his departure from the club at the end of the current season. "I'm running out of energy," he said. "I cannot do the job again and again and again and again."

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:50 AM - 5 comments

Der Kaiser ist tot: Franz Beckenbauer, one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and manager, has died at the age of 78.

posted by scully to soccer at 01:16 PM - 4 comments

Worst Thing That Ever Happened is Good for Women's Soccer, Says Nancy Armour: "For much of the game’s infancy – and, make no mistake, with the first World Cup not played until 1991, infancy still applies – the USWNT has been soccer’s equivalent of an eclipse blocking out the sun," writes USA Today columnist Nancy Armour. "It's one thing to aspire to greatness, and invest accordingly, and quite another to know it's within your reach. Countries that might have been reluctant to increase their spending or devote resources to a domestic professional league, feeling the World Cup or Olympics was going to end the same way, anyway, might reconsider when they know the USWNT is no longer keeping the keys to the trophy case."

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:49 PM - 3 comments

Harry Kane Agrees to Bayern Munich Move: England captain Harry Kane has agreed to a move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich in a transfer for $130 million. Kane, 30, will reportedly sign a four-year deal after passing a physical. It ends his 19-year association with Spurs.

posted by rcade to soccer at 01:36 PM - 2 comments

The SportsFilter Fantasy Premier League is Back: Anyone who plays Fantasy Premier League is welcome to join using the link or the code "9zha9n", even if you're in other leagues at the same time. Don't want to give away too much here, but I'm not going through another year of not having Erling Haaland.

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:13 PM - 6 comments

USWNT Makes Earliest World Cup Exit in Team History: The USWNT looked better in their round of 16 match than they had all tournament, but it wasn't enough to avoid a goalless draw and defeat on penalties that sent the favorites to win the whole thing home in disgrace. The U.S. goes home having scored only four goals in four games. Longtime stars Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz have announced their retirements.

posted by rcade to soccer at 11:14 AM - 5 comments

Wayne Rooney: Lionel Messi 'Won't Find it Easy' in MLS: "It's huge, especially with what's going on in Saudi, for the MLS to attract Messi. He won't find it easy here. It sounds mad, but players who come in find it's a tough league. The travelling, the different conditions in different cities, and there's a lot of energy and intensity on the pitch." -- Wayne Rooney

posted by rcade to soccer at 01:30 PM - 1 comment

Declan Rice Joins Arsenal: Arsenal has paid its highest transfer fee ever of $137 million to acquire midfielder Declan Rice from West Ham. Rice, 24, helped the Hammers win the Europa League this summer and was expected to leave with just one year left on his contract. Man City and Man United also made efforts to snag him.

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:13 PM - 0 comments

Team Guides to the FIFA Women's World Cup: The Guardian are publishing these guides in the lead up to the opening matches on 20 July. One new national team is added each day. (And yes, I have tickets). :-)

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 01:08 AM - 4 comments

Spend money on this or that?: Should you spend your 75 pounds on a Liverpool football jersey or a fraction of that at a 5th tier English football match? Well, a Liverpool jersey sure as hell won't be lobbing its small child onto the pitch, that's for sure.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 12:22 PM - 1 comment

Gareth Bale: American Fans 'Accept Losing a Lot Better': Gareth Bale on Lionel Messi coming to America: "There is no consequence. You can't get relegated over there. When you lose a game you go on to the next one. They accept losing a lot better over there. They know how to lose but they celebrate every win like you have won the championship. He will definitely enjoy it."

posted by rcade to soccer at 06:46 AM - 0 comments

Inter Miami Now Outranks All NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS Teams on Social Media: Inter Miami had 1 million followers on Instagram before the news of Lionel Messi's signing. It now has 7.8 million -- more than the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees or any other team in the MLB, MLS, NFL or NHL. Only the NBA has a team with a larger following, where the Los Angeles Lakers have 22.8 million.

posted by rcade to soccer at 11:17 AM - 3 comments

Lionel Messi is Coming to Major League Soccer: In a move so monumental to the league that he'll get a cut of Apple+ subscriptions, Lionel Messi announced that he's signing with Inter Miami of Major League Soccer. He'll join sometime after July 5. His deal is less than the $400 million offered by Saudi Arabia but reportedly over $100 million and includes an option to become a co-owner of the club.

posted by rcade to soccer at 08:45 PM - 2 comments

Zlatan Retires from Football: After 405 goals for club and 62 for country, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has retired from football at age 41, telling fans of his final club Milan, "I say goodbye to football but not to you. It's too difficult, there are too many emotions. I'll see you around if you are lucky." In his career he played for Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, LA Galaxy and AC Milan again.

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:31 PM - 1 comment

City Defeats United in FA Cup: For the first time in the 152-year history of the FA Cup, storied sides Manchester United and Manchester City met in the final. Ilkay Gundogan scored for City only 12 seconds into the match, Bruno Fernandez equalized for Man U on a penalty after a Jack Grealish handball that only would've been called in the VAR era, and then Gundogan snuck the winner through a crowd and past a struggling David de Gea for the win. City now goes for the treble in the Champions League final next Saturday.

posted by rcade to soccer at 08:10 PM - 0 comments

Attention Kmart Shoppers: Chelsea is Selling Christian Pulisic: With Chelsea looking to cut salaries, six teams are looking for a Blues-light special to acquire Christian Pulisic: AC Milan, Galatasaray, Juventus, Manchester United, Napoli and Newcastle. La Vecchia Signora is the frontrunner, reports Mark Ogden of ESPN. Chelsea paid a £58 million transfer fee for Pulisic in 2019 and may sell for £20 million.

posted by rcade to soccer at 11:00 AM - 1 comment

Everton, Leicester City and Leeds Fighting to Stay Up: The Premier League season ends on Sunday with three clubs scrambling to avoid being the two that will be relegated: Everton, Leicester City and Leeds. At 33 points, Everton survives with a win over Bournemouth or a draw if Leicester City and Leeds don't win. At 31, Leicester needs a win over West Ham and an Everton loss or draw and Leeds needs a win over Tottenham, an Everton loss, and a Leicester loss or draw. If Leeds beats Tottenham by 3 goals, an Everton draw also keeps them up.

posted by rcade to soccer at 03:48 PM - 1 comment

Luton Town is a Better Story Than Wrexham: Nine years ago Luton Town was in the sixth tier of English football. If they beat Coventry City on Saturday, they'll be in the Premier League. "We've come a long way from a training ground with dog walkers cutting across our pitches and getting changed in portable cabins," said midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, who has been with the club all the way up from the National League to League 2 to League 1 to the Championship.

posted by rcade to soccer at 02:22 PM - 8 comments

Does St. Louis City Know It's an Expansion Team?: Expansion club St. Louis City has begun in Major League Soccer with 18 points in its first eight games and sits atop the table in the Western Conference. The team is scoring 2.5 goals a game. "We haven't just opened up checkbooks and signed five $12 million players,” said manager Bradley Carnell. "I feel we've got a pretty good roster together without going into the market deeply."

posted by rcade to soccer at 10:33 AM - 3 comments

RIP Pelé: "I told myself before the game, ‘he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else,’” Italian defender Tarcisio Burgnich said after the 1970 final. “But I was wrong."

posted by NoMich to soccer at 02:10 PM - 5 comments

Update on Grant Wahl's Death: An autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office. Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium. The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms. No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to COVID. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 08:13 PM - 4 comments

Soccer journalist Grant Wahl dies: US soccer journalist Grant Wahl has died after suffering an apparent heart attack at Lusail Stadium, where he was covering the World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands on Friday night.

This is the same Grant Wahl that was initially barred entry to a World Cup game for wearing a rainbow t-shirt.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 09:02 AM - 6 comments

US World Cup Covfefe: "Fox’s coverage of the World Cup is so bad it’s become unmissable."

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 07:12 PM - 5 comments

Matt Haughey Previews the NWSL Championship Game: The Portland Thorns are playing the Kansas City Current Saturday for the NWSL Championship. SportsFilter primogenitor mathowie offers his preview of the game. He's a Thorns season ticket holder but I'm not entirely sure he wants them to win.

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:56 PM - 1 comment

England captain Harry Kane to wear ‘OneLove’ armband at Qatar World Cup: England football captain Harry Kane will make a stand against discrimination by wearing an armband for the OneLove campaign during matches...Kane and captains from several other qualifying nations will wear the armbands during their matches in the region.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 10:28 AM - 0 comments

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 8: The Premier League resumes play Friday and the FPL deadline is 1:30 p.m. Eastern (7:30 p.m. Croyden). Billsaysthis has gone maximum Liverpool and is leading our league. I am mired in mid-table obscurity.

posted by rcade to soccer at 08:18 PM - 1 comment

Premier League Suspends Matches After Queen's Death: The Premier League has suspended all matches from Saturday through Monday after the death Thursday of Queen Elizabeth II. The same move was made across all levels of the English Football League.

posted by rcade to soccer at 10:28 AM - 3 comments

Fantasy Premier League Week 4: The deadline for gameweek 4 of the FPL is Saturday at 6 a.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Hartlepool) The Cheeky Backheels lead with 193 points. I wasn't expecting Alisson to produce only four points in three matches as the Liverpool netminder.

posted by rcade to soccer at 03:08 PM - 0 comments

Fantasy Premier League Week 2: Everybody Grab Erling Edition: The Fantasy Premier League week 2 deadline is early morning Saturday. Over 1 million players picked up Erling Haaland after his two-goal performance against West Ham in week 1, with 800,000 likely dropping Harry Kane to afford the move. I couldn't abandon you, Harry.

posted by rcade to soccer at 06:27 PM - 0 comments

Enter SportsFilter's Fantasy Premier League: I've renewed our league in the official Fantasy Premier League. Use the link or the code "rqd3cy" to join. It's free to play and easy to participate. Pick the players you can afford within a budget and make adds and drops throughout the season before each gameweek begins. The season begins Friday.

posted by rcade to soccer at 06:28 PM - 3 comments

Nottingham Forest Fan Attacks Sheffield United Captain: After Nottingham Forest won a first-round playoff on penalties, fans stormed the pitch and one bull-rushed Sheffield United captain Billy Sharp and headbutted him. What a way to ruin Forest needing just one more win to reach the Premiership.

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:08 PM - 0 comments

World Cup 2022 Draw: Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal Group B: England, Iran, USA, Scotland/Wales/Ukraine Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland Group D: France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

posted by bender to soccer at 01:56 PM - 8 comments

What the USMNT Need to Qualify: The U.S. men have three more qualifying matches in late March: at Mexico, Panama (in Orlando) and at Costa Rica. They're in second place with 21 points and either three or four teams will get in. Here's a rundown on what they need to avoid another colossal national heartbreak.

posted by rcade to soccer at 02:34 PM - 4 comments

Arbroath: Can Dick Campbell's high-flying part-time side really reach the top flight?: Keeping the Angus outfit in the second tier for back-to-back campaigns is a remarkable achievement in itself, but last Saturday's win over Morton - with Campbell stuck at home with Covid - saw Arbroath top the division at the halfway point.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 01:27 PM - 1 comment

The Craziest Sports Story of 2021 Is FC Sheriff: Real Madrid-Slaying Champions League Underdog. Money-Laundering Front for Arms Smugglers. Pride of a Soviet-Style Country that Doesn't Exist.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 01:49 PM - 2 comments

Pitch Invader Joins Brawl at San Jose-Cruz Azul Friendly: An on-field brawl between players for MLS San Jose and Liga MX Cruz Azul was interrupted by a pitch invader in a Cruz Azul shirt and luchador mask who punched San Jose player Jack Skahan. His teammate Chris Wondolowski put the fan in a headlock. The match was further marred by fan violence and shots fired around the stadium. Eight people were arrested. FANS ARE BACK!

posted by rcade to soccer at 08:05 PM - 3 comments