Maybe Aritz Aduriz was never going to be what he became without a decade of struggle and study. And maybe his career unfolded exactly as it should have. Read more »

The Bundesliga may have been the perfect league to restart without supporters. Its frenetic, pressing energy translating through our televisions displays the players' commitment despite a lack of noise. Read more »

It is appropriate that the Bundesliga would be the first major league to return due to its forward-thinking, innovative reputation. How German soccer unfolds over the next several weeks could influence the sports schedule for the rest of this summer at the very least. Read more »

The immediate financial implications are obvious, yet spiteful, behind-the-scenes memories may last even longer. Read more »

If there was any athlete who needed to tell their own story considering the gap between how they're perceived and how good they actually are, it was Sergio Ramos. Read more »

Though much of Sunderland's financial situation was self-inflicted, thus one could raise a question of why certain clubs should be saved if they were so unsustainable in the first place. This also raises discussions about the meaning of lower league football in a country's footballing ecosystem. Read more »

Has the global nature of the league, with its billion dollar television rights and record-breaking branding campaigns, changed something fundamental in the relationship between players and club? Read more »

One consequence of this lockdown, and life without sport, could be a re-examination of our relationship with athletes. Javier Tebas played up the unity by saying "there are no first-class and second-class citizens" despite examples that the pandemic could further economic inequality. Read more »

Soccer wasn't always just about the result, was it? The background, interconnected cycle between matches, television, and revenue has also been made explicit as leagues scramble for solutions. Read more »

The silence and emptiness could reset, or remind us of the relationship between players, teams, and its supporters. The players provide the goals and the three points; the supporters add the context and meaning that turns players into stories that live on for years. Read more »

The latest Clasico highlighted how Real Madrid are investing heavily into developing young players, while Barcelona are the ones buying established, superstar names that may or may not fit into the larger team. Read more »

There is no better symbol for the state of MLS than David Beckham, branding power, and Liga MX's influence. The superstars will arrive one day. But in the meantime, Inter Miami have quietly built a foundation tested and honed for success in the Americas. Read more »

Nashville SC has a chance to embody their high-pressing philosophy in its purest form, showing the soccer world what it could look like when starting from the very foundation. Read more »

Those demanding Diego Simeone leave Atleti must be careful. It's not just the role that must be replaced, but also the meaning. Read more »

Represented by superagent Mino Raiola, every beat of his career, from Salzburg, to Dortmund, to the eventual big money transfer, has been carefully planned in advance. All Erling Haaland has to do is score goals. Read more »

Kobe Bryant never forgot his soccer roots even as he became a generation-defining athlete in his new sport. And as evidenced by the tributes following his passing, the soccer world also never forgot about Bryant. Read more »

Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez represent a throwback from a tactical perspective. And leave it to Antonio Conte to walk his own path at the expense of modernity and trends. Read more »

The result was important, but most of all, the play reflected a nostalgia and familiarity of past sides. Can Barcelona play like this against Napoli in the Champions League? That question is beside the main point, for now. Read more »

Barcelona managers must speak two languages, one of exterior results and the other of upholding an interior identity. Ernesto Valverde could never shake that ambivalent feeling, coming to embody the stasis of a club that had lost its academy-driven innovations within a possession-based framework. Read more »

Athletic feats aside, Adama Traore's potential is being actualized in real time. The mixtape dribbles and bursts of pace are turning into real assists and goals. Read more »