Spain: Breaking Down the World Cup Holders’ Chances of Repeating

Only twice, and not since 1962, has football’s world champion successfully defended its crown. The first great Italian side of Giuseppe Meazza and Giovanni Ferrari, champions at home in 1934, became the first to accomplish the feat when they triumphed four years later in Paris, and Brazil’s title of 1962 followed up its 1958 win, where a 17-year-old Pele announced himself on the world stage... 

Maradona: What If “El Diego” Had Never Had a Substance Abuse Problem?

Earlier this week, Diego Maradona arrived in Buenos Aires to meet his son for the first time. Diego Fernando had been born in February to Veronica Ojeda—Maradona’s ex-girlfriend—and on Tuesday the former Argentina international flew into the capitol from his home in Dubai, accompanied by current girlfriend Rocio Oliva, a 22-year-old River Plate ladies player. Upon deplaning, all hell... 

Are World Cup Hopes in Tatters for Ronaldinho and Kaka?

It was never very likely that either Ronaldinho or Kaka would be representing Brazil at next month’s Confederations Cup. Although both had been part of the squad Luiz Felipe Scolari brought to Korea and Japan in 2002, where they won the World Cup, neither had done enough to impress the returning manager in his second stint in charge of the Selecao. And so, when Scolari revealed his roster for... 

Pele: Recalling the Moments That Defined His Career

“However long we live, we never forget the time when we were young.” Pele opens his self-titled autobiography with those words, and while they are true about all athletes, indeed all people, they seem rather more appropriate when spoken by Edison Arantes do Nascimento—the Brazilian icon commonly regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. So rarely has one so young made as much... 

John Terry: 5 Reasons Why He Shouldn’t Return to the England Setup

Last September, three days before the FA was to fine him £220,000 and suspend him four matches for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, John Terry announced his retirement from international football. “I am making this statement today in advance of the FA disciplinary charge because I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared... 

Beckham and the 5 Most Important Players to MLS Growth so Far

It is an arguable, albeit defensible, position that the most important date in Major League Soccer history to this point was July 13, 2007. It was on that day that more than 700 accredited media members arrived at Home Depot Centre to witness David Beckham’s official unveiling as a Los Angeles Galaxy player. An agreement between the then 32-year-old and the MLS club had already been reached in... 

7 Nations That Could Make Their World Cup Debuts in Brazil

Three years ago, Slovakia participated in a World Cup finals for the first time in its history. Four years before that, Trinidad and Tobago, Ivory Coast, Angola, Ghana, Togo and Ukraine made their World Cup debuts, and 2002 saw the introductions of China, Ecuador, Senegal and Slovenia. New blood is one of the things that makes the World Cup so fascinating, and a handful of nations are looking to get... 

Jurgen Klinsmann Is Right to Not Guarantee a USMNT Return for Landon Donovan

Heading into last month’s World Cup qualifiers, Jurgen Klinsmann was a man fighting for his job. Under his guidance, the United States men’s national team had stumbled through the third round of CONCACAF qualifying match and in their opening match of The Hex, were beaten 2-1 by Honduras—a result more one-sided than the score suggests. And ahead of their second appointment in the six-team... 

The Anatomy of a World Cup-Winning Team

What makes a World Cup winner? Are there commonalities between the 19 teams who have lifted the trophy? And, if so, could those common characteristics be used to predict the winner of the 2014 installment of the world’s biggest sporting event with any accuracy? Given that the next World Cup will be held in Brazil, it wouldn’t be all that unreasonable to suggest that the teams from the Americas... 

5 Big Football Nations That Could Miss the 2014 World Cup

The nature of World Cup qualifying means that there are always a number of high-profile casualties when the tournament proper rolls around. Russia and Egypt, for example, were both expected to be among the dark horses in South Africa three years ago, but neither ended up getting out of its qualification competitions. In 2002, The Netherlands were a notable absentee, and the 1994 World Cup was played... 

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Latest News

• Former England Manager Graham Taylor Dies at Age 72
• Bruce Arena Names USMNT January Camp Invitees
• Karamoko Dembele Makes England U15s Debut After Playing for Scotland in November
• USMNT Watch: Bobby Wood Nets 1st Bundesliga Goal Since September
• Rugby Player Bruno Andres Doglioli Banned 3 Years for Tackling Female Referee