Soccer

Miguel Almiron is not “undersized.” Almiron is downright little — a 5’9 attacking midfielder for Atlanta United so slight and unassuming, and lacking marquee soccer star hair, that he can be easily lost in a crowd. If I had to tell someone to find him, I’d only be able to suggest looking for the dude with: a.) a truly awe-inspiring set of eyebrows, and b.) the dark-haired guy who looks like the world’s oldest fourteen-year-old. Almiron is almost sheepish in profile. This might explain why he was so hard to see in the postgame commotion Saturday night. Atlanta United had just defeated the Portland Timbers 2-0 to win the MLS Cup, marking the first championship by any team in the city since the Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 1995. There was Arthur Blank, the Home Depot baron and team owner, hoisting the championship trophy over his head with some effort. (It was touch-and-go for a minute, but he got it there.) There was shock-blonde Josef … [Read more...] about Atlanta United were flashy champions in a fickle sports city

Chris Burton Published on Dec. 10, 2018 Dec. 10, 2018 Ashley Young would “love to stay” at Manchester United and is hoping to play himself into contention for a new contract. As things stand, the 33-year-old is due to drop into the free agent pool at the end of the season. Watch Champions League | Soccer Live Streaming | DAZN CA He found himself in a similar situation during the 2017-18 campaign and did enough to earn a 12-month extension. Young hopes history will repeat itself in 2019, although he concedes that the tabling of fresh terms lies out of his hand. Quizzed on his future and the likelihood of remaining at Old Trafford, the England international said: “That's up to the club. “I feel as fit as when I was 21 years old. As long as my legs can keep taking me up and down the pitch, I'd love to stay here.” Young has been with United since 2011 and taken in over 200 … [Read more...] about Young hoping to land new contract and more trophies at Man Utd

The morning before Atlanta United beat the Portland Timbers in the 2018 MLS Cup, I was invited to play in a pick-up game with some members of Timbers media and a few friends at a field by the Five Points MARTA station, four minutes away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game was set up through Soccer in the Streets, an Atlanta organization that has partnerships and connections with Atlanta United, Atlanta United Foundation, US Soccer Foundation, MARTA, MLS Works, and others sponsors. The organization is trying to use soccer to affect social change by “reaching kids on the field, in small-group classroom sessions, through hands-on experiences and activities, and participation in youth leadership councils.” One of Soccer in the Streets’ most prominent efforts has been creating safe spaces: small-sided fields all over the city where children can play soccer. It’s a simple but radical idea to make the game as accessible as possible to underprivileged kids. … [Read more...] about Atlanta is now a soccer city at every level

By The Canadian Press Mon., Dec. 10, 2018 VANCOUVER— The Vancouver Whitecaps have added midfielder Andy Rose to their growing roster. The club says Rose has agreed to a Major League Soccer contract through 2020, and the club will have an option to extend through 2021. The 28-year-old started his professional career with the Seattle Sounders, where he played from 2012 to 2015. He spent the past three seasons in the United Kingdom, playing most recently with Motherwell FC of the Scottish Premiership, where he scored two goals in 53 appearances. Rose is an English national but is listed as a domestic player because he has a U.S. green card. Article Continued Below The Whitecaps also acquired ‘keeper Maxime Crepeau from the Montreal Impact, goalie Zac MacMath from the Colorado Rapids, and winger Victor (PC) Giro from Orlando City SC during the league’s half-day trade window on Sunday. Report an error Journalistic Standards About The … [Read more...] about Vancouver Whitecaps sign English midfielder Andy Rose to one-year deal

By Jerome Pugmire The Associated Press Mon., Dec. 10, 2018 PARIS—The Anfield roar will be thunderous when Liverpool hosts Napoli, and the crowd will likely be just as loud in Belgrade when Red Star takes on Paris Saint-Germain. Group C has lived up to its billing as the toughest in the Champions League and any one of the three big teams can still go through — or out — on Tuesday. Napoli leads the group with nine points, one more than PSG. Liverpool has six points. To exit at this stage would be a big backward step for Liverpool after reaching last year’s final, but much worse for PSG. Desperate to prove it belongs among Europe’s elite, PSG has not reached the semifinals since its lone appearance there in 1995. After successive eliminations in the round of 16, PSG faces the potential humiliation of falling at the group stage for the first time since cash-rich Qatari investors QSI took over in 2011. Article Continued Below Things … [Read more...] about Crunch time for PSG, Napoli and Liverpool in Champions League