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

NWSL postpones weekend matches over misconduct accusations: The National Women's Soccer League will not play the games scheduled for this weekend as it deals with the fallout from allegations of sexual misconduct against a (now) former coach.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 02:26 PM - 0 comments

Charlie Davies Remembers the Night That Ended His USMNT Career: In the pregame of US-Honduras, Charlie Davies offered a personal perspective on Weston McKennie's USMNT suspension, remembering the 2009 incident that ended his international career and nearly his life. Watch the video. "I never had the opportunity to put on the shirt again, and I would’ve killed for it," Davies said.

posted by rcade to soccer at 11:05 PM - 1 comment

Join SportsFilter's Fantasy Premier League: The EPL season returns Friday afternoon when Brentford faces Arsenal. Use the link to join SportsFilter's group in the official Fantasy Premier League and match wits against the owners of the Cheeky Backheels, Bees are Friends, Maplewood Town and the Walford Sudsers.

posted by rcade to soccer at 12:24 PM - 1 comment

Jack Grealish to Man City for £100m: Manchester City found enough coins under the sofa cushions to get Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a British record £100m ($139m US) transfer fee.

posted by jjzucal to soccer at 10:03 PM - 3 comments

England Reaches First Final Since 1966: England defeated Denmark 2-1 after going ahead in extra time following a controversial penalty when Harry Kane missed the kick but scored the rebound. The Three Lions last advanced this far in international competition when they won the 1966 World Cup. They play Italy in the Euro 2020 Final.

posted by rcade to soccer at 05:55 PM - 3 comments

Cadenhead Tied for Lead in Euro 2020 Soccer Pickem: With 210 points, Chad Cadenhead is tied with Billsaysthis for the lead in the Euro 2020 Soccer Pickem. The first picks for the quarterfinals lock at 3 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday when Italy/Spain kicks off.

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:11 PM - 0 comments

Euro Soccer Pickem Leader: Billsaysthis: As games resume today in Euro 2020, Billsaysthis is holding onto first by 10 points ahead of three players. I'm in the relegation zone.

posted by rcade to soccer at 10:56 AM - 1 comment

Billsaysthis Crushed the Euro 2020 Pickem in Round 1: The European Soccer Pickem is taking picks now for the knockout stage games that begin Saturday at noon Eastern. Billsaysthis got 11 of 12 picks correct to lead our group and is ranked 570th out of all players in the world. I'm ranked 34,251st after only getting 5.

posted by rcade to soccer at 06:43 PM - 2 comments

UEFA Drops Away Goals as Knockout Tiebreaker: After 56 years, UEFA club competitions will stop using away goals as the tiebreaker when teams are level on aggregate after the home and away matches. There will now be extra time and penalties.

posted by rcade to soccer at 10:55 AM - 9 comments

‘The Silicon Valley of Turf’: They used to look like quagmires, ice rinks or dustbowls, depending on the time of year. But as big money entered football, pristine pitches became crucial to the sport’s image – and groundskeepers became stars. How the UK’s pursuit of the perfect pitch changed football

posted by rumple to soccer at 09:17 PM - 4 comments

Putting the Journey in Journeyman: Former Defensor, San Lorenzo, Deportivo La Coruńa, Grêmio, Tecos, Nacional, Cruz Azul, América, Sinaloa, Monterrey, San Luis, UANL, River Plate, Beitar Jerusalem, Real Sociedad, Aris, Botafogo, Figueirense, Rosario Central, Aucas, Sol de América, Santa Tecla, Bangu, Central Espańol, Puerto Montt, Audax Italiano, Magallanes, Rio Branco, Boston River, Athletic Club-MG, Sud América striker Sebastián Abreu has retired from football at age 44.

posted by rcade to soccer at 12:28 PM - 3 comments

Enter the European Soccer Pick'em on SportsFilter: ESPN is running a European Soccer Pick'em for Euro 2020, which kicks off at 3 p.m. Eastern Friday when Turkey plays Italy. To join SportsFilter's group and compete against the sharpest football minds of the weblog era, click the link and use the passcode sprockets.

posted by rcade to soccer at 11:01 AM - 12 comments

Leicester City Wins FA Cup Over Chelsea: A fantastic Youri Tielemans goal, a disallowed Ben Chilwell equalizer and two otherworldly Kasper Schmeichel saves led to the first FA Cup championship for Leicester City. The 1-0 victory over Chelsea is manager Brendan Rodgers' first major trophy.

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:32 PM - 8 comments

Will a 'Super League' blow up global soccer? Here's what we know after bombshell announcement: The games would be played on weekday nights, essentially replacing the current Champions League, and allowing clubs to remain in their domestic leagues — the Premier League, Serie A, etc. But that, for several reasons, seems unfeasible. Commentary with some inside info.

posted by NoMich to soccer at 09:55 AM - 16 comments

The story behind Barcelona's disastrous rejection of Luis Suárez: Hands up everyone who saw this going well.

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

The Annual : and it's wonderful.

If this last terrible year could do one good thing it would be to move the definition of the word community away from its more recent meaning – online interest group – back towards its older, more challenging meaning – the people who live near you with whom you have to learn to get along with.

posted by yerfatma to soccer at 07:59 AM - 5 comments

Diego Maradona has died: The Guardian's Jonathan Wilson on the man and the legends.

posted by yerfatma to soccer at 01:29 PM - 7 comments

St. Louis City SC Sells 50,000 Season Ticket Deposits in 24 Hours: MLS expansion club St. Louis City SC sold 30,000 season ticket deposits within 15 minutes of making them available and 50,000 over the first 24 hours, the biggest haul in league history. The club begins play in 2023 and is building a $250-million soccer stadium downtown. The "SC" in the name stands for both Soccer Club and Soccer Capital, a reference to the city's long history in the sport going back to 1875.

posted by rcade to soccer at 09:19 AM - 2 comments

Join SportsFilter's Fantasy Premier League: The Premier League begins Saturday after the shortest off-season ever when Fulham visits Arsenal in the 7:30 a.m. Eastern match. Our Fantasy Premier League has returned. Use the link to join or enter the code "qp1a3j" when prompted. If you've never played, this is a non-draft league where you pick any EPL players within a set budget and add and remove players all season long based on a cost determined by how many other owners are adding or dropping them.

posted by rcade to soccer at 02:27 PM - 3 comments

Women's World Cup 2023: You're all welcome to join us down under in three years' time. Note that I only have a couple of spare rooms so book early. :-)

posted by owlhouse to soccer at 11:04 PM - 5 comments

Liverpool win Premier League: Reds' 30-year wait for top-flight title ends: Klopp's side have produced one of the most memorable campaigns in Premier League history, amassing 86 points already, with a record of 28 victories, two draws and a single defeat from their 31 games. Their title win this season is the earliest on record, at least with regard to games remaining. And Manchester City's 100-point total for a season is one of numerous records Liverpool can still break.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 06:00 PM - 6 comments

Premier League Returns Today: After three months, the Premier League resumes Wednesday when Aston Villa plays Sheffield United (12:55 p.m. Eastern) and Man City plays Arsenal (3:15 pm). The 92 matches left in the season will be crowdless.

posted by rcade to soccer at 10:58 AM - 7 comments

Coronavirus: No professional sport in England until 1 June at earliest: 'Project Restart': Premier League facing decisive week over season resumption with rumors suggesting a June 12 date, which is also what La Liga hopes for. This is despite Dynamo Dresden's entire squad in isolation just a week before restart, a week ahead of football restarting in Germany.

posted by billsaysthis to soccer at 11:46 AM - 1 comment