A couple of months back, on August 21, there was an “incident’ during the MLS game between the Chicago Fire and New York City FC. The sort of “incident” that is often quickly re-identified as an “accident,” and therefore nothing to get too excited about. Chicago’s Kacper Przybyko and NYC’s Malte Amundsen jumped to head […]
SoccerTalk with Paul Gardner
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Part 2: Soccer in the Balance
Last time, I explained my reasons for criticizing soccer as a sport that has failed to instill a balance between attacking and defensive play. The result of that neglect is that soccer has become a sport with a decided tilt toward defensive dominance. I dealt only with what I called the strategic level of the […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Soccer in the Balance (Part 1)
Balance. Not a word that crops up too often when soccer affairs get discussed. Which is rather odd. After all, soccer must be one of the most frequent topics of discussions throughout the entire world — discussions that involve arguments, disagreements, and, of course, a billion varying opinions. During those countless discussions, balance ought to […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
An extraordinary refereeing oversight
A rather unpleasant article popped up recently on the website run by PRO — the group that represents the referees engaged in professional soccer in the USA. It is the official voice of the MLS referees, and the article I refer to deals with four incidents from MLS games. Not only unpleasant, but more ominously, […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
LAFC's moves cast the shadow of the dreaded elephants graveyard
Total bafflement. That pretty much sums up my response to LAFC’s recent activities in the transfer market. Signing the Italian stalwart Giorgio Chiellini. He’s (gulp) 37-years-old, and a defender. What ever can be the attraction here? None that I can see. Seems that my bafflement was shared by the man himself. Chiellini had the audacity […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
The tragedy of Scott Vermillion must not be ignored or allowed to fade away
The early end to Scott Vermillion’s life, the agonies he went through, the wretched suffering of his loved ones, are now all a matter of record. An MLS player has died and his death is clearly connected with the activity he chose for his career … playing soccer. What will the sport do about that? […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
More subs means better soccer? Don't bet on it.
You will remember the famous Anatoliy Puzach … No? … Ukrainian-born forward for Dynamo Kiev and the USSR? Still no? Oh come on, it’s not that long ago. Just 52 years ago when Puzach was in all the soccer headlines for doing something that had never been done before in soccer. And will never be […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
MLS goes wildly off the rails for 90 disgraceful seconds
I have been enjoying MLS games so far this season: plenty of good, varied attacking play, plenty of individual brilliance … and not much evidence of turgid defending, even among the teams that are struggling. Take a look at the San Jose Earthquakes, for instance. They have only 15 points, which puts them next to […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois: goalkeeping as it should be
Real Madrid was certainly not the team fancied to win the UEFA Champions League final. But look who they beat on the way to their 14th European title (twice as many as AC Milan, the next most frequent winner): three teams that were definitely considered likely winners: Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea (the current Champion), then that […]
Posted inSoccerTalk with Paul Gardner, Story
Another new World Cup ball means more ballderdash
Here they come, just what we’ve all been waiting for … the astounding, amazing, unprecedented, truly wondrous details of the new astounding, amazing etc Al Rihla, the new WORLD CUP BALL. The brand new version that adidas has come up with for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Well, for a start, that’s highly dismissive of […]