As I watch Levante crash to a 4-0 defeat at home to Real Sociedad, a performance described by the Revista podcast as the worst by any team in La Liga so far this season, a kid sits in front of my wearing a coat bearing the slogan “Never EVER give up.” He left before the … More Is Levante’s Pretty-Ugly Fairy Tale Finally Over?
Why should Mexico be worried? Because there’s a complex balancing act to be struck between the established international stars who stuttered through qualifying and the home-based squad which have done better since the identity of the coach changed? Because they were unrecognisably bad in CONCACAF qualifying zone they usually boss?Or simply because they most senior … More Rafa Márquez: Mexico’s Leader and Burden
Here’s something I wrote for Soccerlens Their remaining time on the pitch is running out: some bewitched us and are embarking on a final lap of honour; others won’t be missed until they’re gone. It’s time to raise our hats to the players who won’t be around forever. Last night Juan Carlos Valerón watched his … More Last Chance To See: Juan Carlos Valerón
Scouting isn’t rocket science! Every time a Premier League side signs a good foreign player the nation goes crazy. Who is this mystery guy? Where did he come from? Anyone with a decent knowledge of the game outside the UK would have known that the likes of Santi Cazorla, Oscar and Papisse Demba Cissé were … More Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City)
These days there are no surprises in football. Unexpected discoveries are rare in the World Cup because we’ve been watching most of the players week-in week-out on the sports channels. But it wasn’t always like that: players used to come from left field to grab our attantion, and one of the most obscure was came … More The USA’s Unlikely World Cup Hero
Peripheral Vision 