Real Madrid have some healing to do, Barcelona are hard up for cash, and Atleti simply need to prep for the season. Read more »
Soccer Analysis
La Liga's Big Three Enter Season In Varying Degrees Of Chaos
Poets, Heavy Metal & Suffering: The Journey To Find A Different Way
There is always a search for a new way, new ideas to reconcile Platonic playing ideals with the pragmatism of an everyday budget. The compromise leads to a larger discussion of what football actually means. Read more »
Kylian Mbappe Enters His Redemption Arc
Going through a penalty miss trauma in front of the world is part of a soccer hero's journey. We always knew Kylian Mbappe was world class, but now he has a familiar narrative that invites us along with him. Read more »
The Euros As A More Generous Reading Of The Game And Its Players
Tournaments like the Euros function as an exploration of what the gifted but not quite great are capable of, when they're asked to do everything. Read more »
Spain Fill Sergio Ramos' Absence With Missed Penalties, Goals
As Spain struggled for goals and a definitive penalty taker through the group stages, Sergio Ramos was giving his final goodbye at Real Madrid as he was also left off the Euro roster. Read more »
Italy & Roberto Mancini Reap The Rewards Of Modern Serie A
Roberto Mancini reaping the benefits of Serie A's emphasis towards versatile, direct players adds another wrinkle to what a national team should represent. Read more »
Portrait Of A Manager Over 15 Years: Joachim Low's Final Tournament
Joachim Low's character arc, from World Cup winner to wanderer, is portrayed as a tragedy. There are even questions as to whether 2014 was a byproduct of a country-wide development program as widely venerated throughout the football world, or just a lucky Golden Age of players. Read more »
Luis Campos, Christophe Galtier, And Lille Paint Another Masterpiece
The constraints of the modern game make it almost impossible for midtable sides to build long-lasting dynasties. But Lille present a blueprint for what can happen when smart player recruitment and a manager ready to take the next step peak together for one season. Read more »
Pep Guardiola Vs. Thomas Tuchel: A UCL Final Years In The Making
Tactically, this Champions League Final represents a reunion of a mid-2010s philosophy, which is even more poignant now considering how far we are from that style. Read more »
La Liga Ain't What It Used To Be
As ever, Real Madrid and Barcelona will decide which direction this whole enterprise goes. And Atleti will have their days, knowing that they don't run the show but do occasionally get to star in it. Read more »
With Or Without Lionel Messi, Barcelona Embark On A New Era
All beginnings need to start somewhere. A new era of Barcelona was overdue whether it was structured by Laporta, forced by debt, and with or without Messi. Read more »
Roma Aim For Realism Under Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho's personality, the mind games and doublespeak, are now features. His understanding of the pushes, pulls, and politics may end up setting Roma free. Read more »
Inter & Antonio Conte's Modern, Rehearsed Football Unlock Serie A
There are openings for challengers to become the incumbent, however scarce. All you need is Antonio Conte to transform a vulnerable moment into its own dominant era. Read more »
Graham Potter, The Limitations Of Expected Goals, The Brighton Paradox
Brighton's gap between xG and goals isn't an outcome of luck, but rather of design. And with such a difference between underlying analytics and table place, who is Graham Potter performing for exactly? Read more »
Future Fans, Legacy Supporters, An Eventual Return To The Status Quo
In an age of hyperbole, we immediately recognized the significance of the potential Super League. But the day of truth was still surreal even considering the years of rumors that prepared our reactions for when theory turned reality. Read more »
The Super League Died But They're Not Through Tearing Things Down
The richest clubs in Europe were ready to detonate the sport as we know it: bleaching identities, cheapening domestic leagues, starving a great many clubs that are rich in history if not in funds. Read more »
Building A Modern Club From Scratch, Part 3: Austin FC
In MLS terms, Austin is firmly in the "move the needle" group based on being the first major sports team in a city that has been part of the national story for decades, whose relevance will only increase throughout the technological age. Read more »
West Ham's Pressing Antidote: Moyes Builds A Brutal, Efficient Squad
West Ham have built an efficient roster in their own way. The emphasis isn't running or pressures, but in winning aerial battles, intercepting passes, and controlling the uncontrollable elements that define the Premier League. Read more »
Spain & Luis Enrique Turn To New Pipelines During La Liga's Struggles
In examining the relationship between a domestic league and its national team, you could even argue an inverse strength with exported players able to bring back different experiences to international play. Read more »
A Modern Badge Is A Corporation's Face
What's happening at Inter is happening all over the sport. Some new badges and kits and color schemes are better than others and some old badges and kits and color schemes were pretty lousy in the first place, but everything smells strongly of disinfectant and money. Read more »