It has been my opinion for some 20 years or more that what American soccer needs is a hefty infusion of Latino talent and Latino ideas.

The long and tedious wait for the crowning of a new U.S. men's national team coach must surely be approaching its climax.

You may have noticed that a new record has been established in the art world. Whatever kind of record could that be?

The distinction between Latin and European playing styles is of vital importance to American soccer.

The same old question keeps coming up: what style of soccer should the USA be playing?

It was a busy Sunday for me, so I limited my soccer gazing. Just one TV game: Liverpool-Manchester City.

The English Premier League certainly displayed its diversity credentials this past weekend.

Reading the English press, listening to the British commentators, it's quite impossible to escape the topic of diving.

I have been trying for quite a few years now to persuade referees to let me listen in on what they say to players during a game. Not live, a tape will do nicely.

Ron Newman, without any doubt, was the Bill Veeck, or maybe it was the Casey Stengel - of pro soccer, a mischievous spirit who understood that if soccer was to be popular in the USA,

If referees are reluctant to penalize goalkeepers (obviously, they are), now we have the option of VAR replay scanning to set matters aright.

From Atlanta, there was -- almost -- nothing but good news. A glittering evening, a huge, record crowd, lots of good players, and some pretty good soccer.

So George Orwell was right? Words, it seems, are losing their meaning.

How about VAR -- a revolutionary development in refereeing -- how did that fare? Pretty well, I'd say. As it ought to have done -- I mean, who is going to argue with VAR's basic job?

The signs that the 2018 World Cup was not going to be business as usual came early.