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If this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup proved anything — besides the value of a diverse, young player pool — it’s that we’ve inexorably entered a new era of professional soccer, driven by technology. The inclusion of goal-line tech and Video Assisted Referee (“VAR”) brought the minutia of the...
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With 20 minutes left in their World Cup round of 16 match against Mexico, Brazil’s star forward, Neymar, dashed towards the touchline in an effort to retain possession and improve Brazil’s fragile 1-0 advantage. Reaching the touchline a moment too late, Neymar broke his stride and tumbled to the...
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It’s all over now. After a month of excitement, Russia 2018 reached its end with many surprises: the early elimination of Germany during the group stage — something that never happened before in the World Cups — and the failures of Argentina and Spain during the knockout round. But...
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The 2018 FIFA World Cup came to an end Sunday with France topping Croatia 4-2 in the final to hoist the title. On Saturday, Belgium bested England 2-0 to capture third place. Shortly after Sunday’s final, the winners of the tournament’s individual awards were announced: GOLDEN BALL Luka Modric,...
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The French Revolution had another transformation in Russia. I would say that Didier Deschamps adopted egalité et fraternité to embrace his squad’s performance. These words are part of the tripartite motto that illustrates the French spirit; it is the official ideology of France as a country, and also the...
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Now I get it. Since the beginning of the World Cup, my expectation of the French aesthetic was incredibly high. “An ensemble of delightful players will bring a combination of talent and joy to the tournament,” I thought. However, the vast majority of the talented and joyful didn’t even...
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Video review has made its way to the 2018 World Cup and brought with it the same sort of controversy we’ve seen in league play. The system is still only used for four key events: goals, penalty kicks, red cards and mistaken identity. We often hear the defining criteria...
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There were several questions involving the Frenchmen during the group stage. The potential of France was not in question, but the performance as a squad left some doubts. Argentina was a wounded giant; the group stage for Messi and friends made them suffer in great magnitude. And in the quest...
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Co-hosts KJ and Nipun recall all the finest moments from the Group Phase before looking ahead to the Round of 16. The two also answer some Twitter questions and gush over the best goals of the tournament so far. Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content...
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An NPSL team has an alumnus playing a huge role in this summer’s 2018 World Cup. That’s right, Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio played for the storied NPSL franchise Brooklyn Italians between 1993-94. Osorio has risen to international fame after Mexico’s shocking defeat of defending world champions Germany. The...
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Group C play wrapped up Tuesday with France and Denmark advancing to the Round of 16. What were some of the most compelling Group C storylines during the Group Phase? A Goal Makes a Difference On the afternoon of June 22, 1982, Guillermo La Rosa scored the only goal...
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The German Myth The fame of Germany in soccer is well known, so well known that there’s conventional wisdom around the German mysticism. Carlos Salvador Bilardo, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1986 as a manager, provided today’s quote: “You need to see the Germans showered and on...
If this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup proved anything — besides the value of a diverse, young player pool — it’s that we’ve inexorably entered a new era of professional soccer, driven by technology. The inclusion of goal-line tech and Video Assisted Referee (“VAR”) brought the minutia of the...
With 20 minutes left in their World Cup round of 16 match against Mexico, Brazil’s star forward, Neymar, dashed towards the touchline in an effort to retain possession and improve Brazil’s fragile 1-0 advantage. Reaching the touchline a moment too late, Neymar broke his stride and tumbled to the...
It’s all over now. After a month of excitement, Russia 2018 reached its end with many surprises: the early elimination of Germany during the group stage — something that never happened before in the World Cups — and the failures of Argentina and Spain during the knockout round. But...
The 2018 FIFA World Cup came to an end Sunday with France topping Croatia 4-2 in the final to hoist the title. On Saturday, Belgium bested England 2-0 to capture third place. Shortly after Sunday’s final, the winners of the tournament’s individual awards were announced: GOLDEN BALL Luka Modric,...
The French Revolution had another transformation in Russia. I would say that Didier Deschamps adopted egalité et fraternité to embrace his squad’s performance. These words are part of the tripartite motto that illustrates the French spirit; it is the official ideology of France as a country, and also the...
Now I get it. Since the beginning of the World Cup, my expectation of the French aesthetic was incredibly high. “An ensemble of delightful players will bring a combination of talent and joy to the tournament,” I thought. However, the vast majority of the talented and joyful didn’t even...
Video review has made its way to the 2018 World Cup and brought with it the same sort of controversy we’ve seen in league play. The system is still only used for four key events: goals, penalty kicks, red cards and mistaken identity. We often hear the defining criteria...
There were several questions involving the Frenchmen during the group stage. The potential of France was not in question, but the performance as a squad left some doubts. Argentina was a wounded giant; the group stage for Messi and friends made them suffer in great magnitude. And in the quest...
Co-hosts KJ and Nipun recall all the finest moments from the Group Phase before looking ahead to the Round of 16. The two also answer some Twitter questions and gush over the best goals of the tournament so far. Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content...
An NPSL team has an alumnus playing a huge role in this summer’s 2018 World Cup. That’s right, Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio played for the storied NPSL franchise Brooklyn Italians between 1993-94. Osorio has risen to international fame after Mexico’s shocking defeat of defending world champions Germany. The...
Group C play wrapped up Tuesday with France and Denmark advancing to the Round of 16. What were some of the most compelling Group C storylines during the Group Phase? A Goal Makes a Difference On the afternoon of June 22, 1982, Guillermo La Rosa scored the only goal...
The German Myth The fame of Germany in soccer is well known, so well known that there’s conventional wisdom around the German mysticism. Carlos Salvador Bilardo, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 1986 as a manager, provided today’s quote: “You need to see the Germans showered and on...