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Can Defending World Cup Champions Japan Shock The World Again?
It’s been a heady time to be a fan of reigning world champions Japan these past few years. After starting the World Cup era as an international fixture, usually present but never too threatening at the major tournaments, Japan are now recognized as one of the sport’s dominant greats, thanks to a his...

Switzerland: World Cup Prodigies, Or Untested Posers?
Usually, you’d think you’d know about a team after a long World Cup qualifying campaign, especially one that traversed the oft-difficult UEFA gauntlet. But one question still engulfs Switzerland as they head to Canada: are they any good?...

Women's World Cup Group B Preview: Germany Are Going To Hang Some Goals
Here are our Group B previews, full schedule, and predictions....

Women's World Cup Group A Preview: Canada Got This (This Is Not A Jinx)
Here’s a roundup of all our Group A previews of the day. You can check those and our group prediction out below, and talk about how you see things shaping up in the comments....

Can Thailand Take Advantage Of Their Lucky Break?
Thailand’s journey to the World Cup was a strange one, and they had to take advantage of a unique set of circumstances to get here. In 2009, FIFA decided to bump up the number of teams in the 2015 World Cup from 16 to 24, which increased the amount of bids for Asian teams from three to five. And in ...

World Cup Debutantes Côte d'Ivoire Will Be Here For Years To Come
When Côte d’Ivoire take the field against Germany on June 7, how they will play will be a mystery. Not because they have ginned up some tactics in secret—though maybe they have!—but because they have only played a single match in the past seven months. While the Côte d’Ivoire men’s team is known for...

Miami Grad Receives Stone Cold Stunner At Commencement
The future is in good hands:...

Norway's Brute Force Past Meets Soccer's Future
Two decades ago Norway were a soccer power, finishing second at the 1991 World Cup and winning it all in 1995. But recent years have seen a tactically naïve Norway surpassed, or at least equaled, by nations that got a later jump on women’s soccer, like France, England, and Spain. While they should h...

Germany Are A Steamroller, And They Expect To Win It All
Germany have historically been one of the best teams in women’s soccer, and they go into the 2015 World Cup like they go into every tournament: with the expectation of winning. They won the World Cup in 2003 and 2007, finished runner-up in 1995, and have won every Women’s Euro since 1995. They went ...

The Once Great, Now Unknown China Women's National Team
There was once a time when China were one of the biggest names in women’s soccer. A time when, come a World Cup, you could pencil the then-giants of Asia into the knockout rounds and rightly expect them to make a run. That time has passed. Now, no one really knows what to expect from this team....

How New Zealand Will Go From Beating Up Bad Teams To Being The Bad Team
If ever there was a poster child for the dangers of weak competition, it’s New Zealand. Here are the results of their three most recent competitive matches, coming in the OFC Women’s Nations Cup:...

Finally, A Netherlands Women's Team That Lives Up To The Name
One of the most enjoyable things about international soccer is the way you can notice various stylistic through-lines. Each nation has its particular soccer heritage—sometimes a broad affinity for a certain type of athlete, other times a specific formation or tactical ideology—and how this in turn m...

Will Canada Earn The Right To Get Knocked Out By The USWNT Again?
The stage is set. Fresh off of their best-ever result in a major tournament (a bronze in the 2012 London Olympics) that climaxed with probably the sport’s greatest-ever game, Canada enter this summer’s World Cup on home soil turf with, as Beatrix Kiddo would say, some unfinished business. Unfortunat...
![Leicester City Stars Film "Depraved" Orgy Featuring Racial Slurs [NSFW]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/b9sl4h0xmpo1iulf7ejl.jpg)
Leicester City Stars Film "Depraved" Orgy Featuring Racial Slurs [NSFW]
Leicester City players James Pearson, Tom Hopper, and Adam Smith are under fire after video of a strange orgy during the team’s recent end-of-season trip to Thailand has made its way public....

Missouri TV Station Airs <i>Branson Country USA</i> Instead Of Game 7
Hockey fans in Joplin, Mo. hoping to see an exciting Game 7 between Chicago and Anaheim tonight aren’t getting live Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey on NBC. No, their affiliate KSNF has the most redneckian of redneck shows on instead: Branson Country USA. The channel helpfully advises viewers looking for...

We Should All Be Watching More Pro Bowling
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![Falcons LB Prince Shembo Accused Of Killing Girlfriend's Dog [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/1274076245603662404.jpg)
Falcons LB Prince Shembo Accused Of Killing Girlfriend's Dog [Update]
Second-year Atlanta Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony, according to WSB-TV reporter Tony Thomas. Shembo is accused of kicking and killing his girlfriend’s dog....

Prince Fielder Foul Ball Leaves Woman Covered In Nacho Cheese
This happened during yesterday’s game between the Red Sox and Rangers, and it is further proof that hot dogs should always be the food of choice at baseball games....

Nintendo-Inspired "Bolts Of Steel" 3-D Projection Game Is Outstanding
For the past few playoff games at Amalie Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning have used their now-ubiquitous 3-D ice projection system to display a simulation of the classic Nintendo Blades of Steel game onto the playing surface—using the actual goals and everything. It’s the best usage of the technology ...

This Butt's Name Is Patrick
Hmmm, you might want to consider catching this butt’s name before you jam your hand up inside of it. It’s Patrick, by the way, and next time, the least you can do is, I dunno, take the ass out for a slice or something....