Soccer Page 321 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

That World Cup Trophy You Bought In Chinatown Might Be Fake
Counterfeiting the World Cup trophy seems kind of pointless. A Cup-winning team receives only a single gold-plated replica. It's not as if anyone's going to believe that you, Joe Soccer Fan, have one of these lying around the house to impress company. Yet thousands of counterfeit trophies ready for ...

The <em>New York Times</em> Turns Soccer Fandom Into A Trend
Goddammit. You just want to enjoy a perfectly fine sport, and here comes the Times' style section, bent on fetishizing pseudo-intellectual soccer fandom to the point where you're forced to reconsider your choice of fellow travelers. Read this and recoil....

Gareth Bale Is The Fastest Man Alive, Scores Late To Win Copa del Rey
The final el clásico of the year. A one-off match for the Copa del Rey trophy. A trophy-starved Barça's last legitimate shot for silverware. Star man Cristiano Ronaldo out with an injury. And in the middle of all this, newcomer Gareth Bale decided he'd just outrun everyone. ...

Atlanta Burned Again
Later on today, MLS will officially announce Atlanta as its latest expansion franchise. Massive City FFC, a Columbus Crew supporters group, did not wait to extend a friendly welcome, with the help of Ohio's native son, General William Tecumseh Sherman:...

Andres Iniesta Unwillingly Hugged By Small Barça Fan During Interview
Barcelona's Andres Iniesta was the recipient of an unwanted hug by a little fan—who managed to get on the pitch—in the middle of his interview after his side lost 1-0 to Granada. What the hell?...

This Soccer Star Is <em>Probably</em> Not A Jihadist Fighting In Syria
Yesterday, the Daily Mail published a piece about former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Lassana Diarra. The 29-year-old French international is under contract at Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow, but rumors abound that Lass moonlights as a warrior for Islam. ...

Atlético Madrid Beat Barça In Champions League, Dream Season Continues
It's all fun and games cheering on plucky upstarts Atlético Madrid, right up until the point they tear out your heart and play keepy-uppy with it. So excuse me if I'm not appropriately excited about Atlético's thoroughly deserved and enjoyable-for-neutrals 1-0 Champions League win over Barcelona....

Typical José: Chelsea's Champions League Win Was Right On Schedule
José Mourinho's teams are some goddamn cockroaches, man. Just when you think you've got them squashed, their viscous innards seeping from their corrugated underbelly—as PSG could've justifiably believed, leading Chelsea 3-1 after the first leg of their Champions League tie—they somehow keep right on...

Hey Look, Real Madrid Might Choke The Champions League Away
Last week, Real Madrid played German side Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. The result was a smackdown, and Madrid beat Dortmund 3-0 to more or less lay this tie to rest. Right? Nah....

Brazilian Soccer Match Devolves Into Flying-Kickpalooza
This is just a brief clip of a game played in Brazil on Sunday. There are approximately 157 attempted flying kicks....

Run The Jules: Your Guide To The USMNT's Newest (Maybe?) Star
During last night's USA-Mexico friendly, USMNT fans finally got a glimpse of Julian Green, the 18-year-old superstar-in-the-making(?) who spurned Germany to play for the US. The massive excitement at his arrival is matched only by the massive amount we don't know about him. Who is this guy? Is he re...

We Can't Say We Disagree
Send stories, photos, and anything else you might have to [email protected]....

Barcelona Slammed With Enormous Transfer Ban For FIFA Rules Violations
Today, FIFA announced unparalleled sanctions against Barcelona for repeated and systemic violations of the international body's youth transfer rules. Barcelona has been banned from any transfer activity for the entirety of next season. This is the coup de grâce in what already has been a monumentall...

U.S. Fans Buy Three Times As Many World Cup Tickets As Any Other Nation
The World Cup kicks off in—holy crap—71 days, and other than host nation Brazil, no side will have as many supporters as the U.S. Recently released FIFA numbers show that Americans have purchased the most tickets of any visiting country, and it's not even close....

Wayne Rooney Dives, Draws A Red, Smirks
Here's Rooney's 90th minute dive that earned Bastian Schweinsteiger a second yellow, and a suspension for next week's Champions League second leg....

Watch The Stunning Champions League Strike That Put Atléti Up On Barça
Barcelona welcomed Atlético Madrid to the Camp Nou today in what is becoming a regular rivalry of increasingly large stakes. It was a Champions League matchup this time, as tense and cagey as you'd expect—that is, until Diego decided he'd had enough and straight flattened a ball into the net from ab...

Here's The USMNT Away Jersey
Please be an April Fools' joke....

Mexican Club Tries To Dick Over USMNT For USA-Mexico Friendly
The World Cup is—holy crap—just 10 weeks away. With the U.S.'s starting XI still in flux, every international friendly matters—especially for players on the cusp, like left back DaMarcus Beasley. Unfortunately for Beasley and Jurgen Klinsmann, one stubborn Mexican club is refusing to release its two...

Fast-Acting Soccer Player Saves Opponent's Life During Match
A player's injury in a Ukrainian Premier League match today could have ended in a much worse way if his opponent didn't act as quickly as he did....

Defender Kicks In Own Goal Off Goalkeeper's Face
Own goals are, by definition, bad, but this own goal in a Bundesliga matchup between Mainz and Augsburg is really, really bad. Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz made a glancing save on the initial shot from Mainz, but the ball hit off the post and trickled back in front of the net. So, trying to clear...