Thoughts on the game
Debutant Van Bommel Outshines New Managers in Netherlands-Germany draw
As Germany and the Netherlands met in Amsterdam to start their Nations League campaign, all attention was supposed to be on the two countries’ debuting managers. Jürgen Klopp and Xavi Hernández have been appointed to carry out a hard reboot of their squads and lead their teams back to the top ranks of global soccer,…
A New Era Beckons as Netherlands and Germany Seek Return to Soccer Elite
As alarm clocks rang on the morning of June 30th, Germany and the Netherlands awoke with a painful realization: their countries were no longer members of European soccer’s elite. Both national teams had exited the World Cup on penalties as the bulk of their inhabitants slept through the European night, Germany’s defeat against Paraguay in…
Hadj Moussa Leads Feyenoord to Thrashing of Utrecht
Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Gjivai Zechiël will have different opinions on whether now is an optimal time for a three-week international break. While Zechiël is set to join up with the Dutch national team tomorrow after receiving his first senior call-up, Feyenoord manager Van Bronckhorst will lament that his squad is flying off after bludgeoning…
San Francisco Has Always Been a Soccer Town. This Amateur League Proves It.
Less than forty miles separate Levi’s Stadium from the Crocker-Amazon Soccer Fields, but on a chilly Sunday morning in late June, the World Cup felt like a very distant spectacle. A damp fog had settled over San Francisco’s southern edge, insulating it from the global mega-event and allowing attention to settle on the mid-table clash…
Jordan Eliminated as Algerian Comeback Breaks Debutant’s Hearts
Like so many before them, Jordan had come to California to chase a dream. And for nearly an hour on Monday evening, that fantasy of a maiden World Cup victory looked like becoming reality. A deft finish from Nizar Al-Rashwan had put Al-Nashama (the Chivalrous Ones) into a first-half lead against Algeria at the Bay…
Arnautović Seals Points for Austria Over Plucky Jordan in World Cup Opener
It might be an old cliche, but for Marko Arnautović, the third time really was the charm. Having first had a goal ruled out after VAR intervention and then failing to convert a chance when through on goal, Arnautović, Austria’s all-time leading scorer, struck from the penalty spot to secure his country a 3-1 win…
World Cup Buzz Hits Bay Area, But Some Fans Feel Left Out
After years of anticipation, the World Cup’s traveling circus has finally rolled into the Bay Area. As the tournament, being hosted in North America for the first time in 32 years, entered its first weekend, the region’s streets were awash with the hues of soccer jerseys. Red-shirted Swiss supporters, in town for their match against…
SF City Claim Derby Bragging Rights as Pair of Penalties Sink Glens
Might a lower-division soccer club be San Francisco’s best sports team right now? With the NBA’s Warriors having missed out on the postseason as their dynasty fades, and baseball’s Giants currently a study in ineptitude, the city is not exactly a hotbed for big-league sporting success. Yet the San Francisco Glens traveled to face their…
Amidst Summer Fog and a Stadium Battle, Supporter-Owned SF City Are Quietly Thriving
Author’s Note: This is the first entry in the series “The World Cup in Sun and Shadow,” my attempt to document soccer’s progress across the Bay Area– and the U.S. more broadly– as the sport’s greatest spectacle gets ready to kick off one week from today. Stay tuned for more articles over the next six…
At this Summer’s World Cup, the Majority of Dutch Players Won’t Be Wearing Orange
It was around eight in the evening when the car horns started blaring on the west side of Rotterdam. As the referee’s final whistle sounded and qualification for the World Cup was secured, crowds began to throng around the Heemraadsplein in the Netherlands’ second city, climbing into trees and setting off firecrackers in delight. But…
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