Aston Villa plays Derby County on Monday for a spot in the Premier League. They meet at Wembley Stadium in a game worth many millions no matter how you run the numbers. The winner gets the economic rewards of England's topflight. Broadcast money domestic and international is the prime mover for why the Premier League can offer so much to its teams. That doesn't exist at anywhere near the same . . .
FIFA opts against 2022 World Cup expansion
We start the soccer news with FIFA not bringing their proposed World Cup expansion for 2022 to a vote. Amid several questions about how expansion would work with the limited number of stadiums in Qatar and their relationship with other Gulf countries, FIFA had expansion on the agenda for the June 5 Congress in Paris. That is now off, with FIFA opting against trying to start expansion a cycle . . .
Pulisic makes his Chelsea move
The soccer news starts with Christian Pulisic at Chelsea. After Borussia Dortmund agreed to the reportedly $71m transfer in January, Pulisic remained with Dortmund on loan. Now with the Bundesliga season over, he's in London making plans for the upcoming season. Pulisic made it clear that England's topflight was his target. "I was 15 when I moved to Dortmund," he said. "It was something I always . . .
DaMarcus Beasley’s last season
The soccer news starts with DaMarcus Beasley announcing that 2019 will be his last season in pro soccer. Beasley turns 37 on Friday and has been playing professionally since 1999 when he joined MLS as a member of the LA Galaxy. Traded to Chicago the following season, he quickly became a key component of one of the best teams in MLS and the USMNT. By 2004 he was in Europe with stops at PSV, . . .
Europe’s elite and the Champions League
The soccer news starts with Bayern Munich winning the 2018-19 Bundesliga title. It's not lost on anybody that this is the season for defending champions retaining their status, with Bayern joining Manchester City, Juventus, PSG, and Barcelona in successful defenses. It's an interesting situation for Europe, where none of those teams are playing for the Champions League title later this month. All . . .
Arena’s Revolution plan
Friday's soccer news starts with Bruce Arena talking to the media after taking over as New England's sporting director and head coach. Arena made it clear that the only thing he has to prove is that he can turn the team around over the longterm. New England is currently in last place in the Eastern Conference. “It’s not going to happen in the next two weeks, but I’m confident over the next couple . . .
Midweek MLS sees Toronto and DC draw
The soccer news starts with midweek MLS games. Toronto and DC United finished 0-0 at BMO Field. Toronto put 13 shots on target to DC's 2 with United goalkeeper Bill Hamid credited with 12 saves. Given the amount of offense, it's no surprise that Toronto was proud of their performance even without it ending up with goals and three points. "Putting the game on our terms, being aggressive, playing . . .
Manchester City and UEFA’s Champions League
Wednesday's soccer news starts with the latest issue for UEFA and its Champions League. The NY Times has spent two days reporting on Manchester City's financial compliance issues, with the potential for UEFA to ban the Premier League champions from the Champions League. This comes at a time when the format of the Champions League itself is in question, with Europe's super clubs pushing for what . . .
Arena takes over in New England
A day after the New England Revolution announced that they were "parting ways" with longtime general manager Mike Burns, the club announced the hiring of Bruce Arena as coach and sporting director. The move was hinted at shortly after the club fired Burns, with that following last week's dismissal of head coach Brad Friedel. “Bruce is one of the most successful coaches in American soccer . . .
The Premier League’s expected result
Monday's soccer news starts with Manchester City doing as expected and winning yet another Premier League game to take the title. City put together a 14-game winning streak to make Liverpool's unlikely title challenge impossible. Losing three out of seven games in December was the only time City looked vulnerable. A final day slip at Brighton never seemed like the end to their 2018-19 Premier . . .
