Sam's Army

HEADLINES: FA and Premier League agree to scrap FA Cup replays -- much to the chagrin of the EFL which was not even consulted; England looks unlikely to get extra (automatic) Champions League spot after no good very bad week in continental cups and Vitesse's "blast from the past" naughtiness WHAT IF: the Big 7 decided to leave the Premier League to join a Super Duper League... would a new "Big 4/5/6/7" emerge (if so, who) or would it usher in a period of parity? PREMIER LEAGUE: postmortems of FA Cup semis f/t Chelsea's missed opportunity vs City and the United vs Coventry City craziness; we break down the controversies from the Deduction Dærby (Everton vs Nottingham Forest) and preview this weekend's North London Dærby ROUND THE WORLD: Champions League recap and some flowers for Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Bologna STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: MLS unveils yet another ultra-conservative update to roster rules and EFL has a "heartwarming" welcome home gift waiting for Sheffield Utd WHAT IF: you had to vote for the Premier League's POY right now... who's getting your vote? PREMIER LEAGUE: Mitch and Tyler struggle vociferously to accept the new (but not entirely unexpected) reality after Arsenal and Liverpool both stumble at home putting Pep's Petrostars in the driver's seat; plus Nuno grows a brain and plays Gio Reyna and do we have a (Cole Palmer-driven) FA Cupset brewing? ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute; we wax semi-poetic about one of the best week's of Champions League knockouts in recent memory and look ahead to this week's return legs STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: why a Premier League (fresh off deducting two more points from not-Man City) "Luxury Tax" is problematic, more incredible Turkish Super Lig drama and Luis Rubiales is back in the news for more (alleged) bad deeds committed as president of Spain's soccer federation WHAT IF: you were named all-powerful USL commissioners tomorrow... what changes would you implement to better compete with MLS? PREMIER LEAGUE: big talking points from United holding Liverpool to a 2-2 draw, coming around on Luton Town and the Tweedles' anxiety levels of about Arsenal facing Villa on Sunday ROUND THE WORLD: Tommy's take on the Korbin Albert situation and positives from USWNT beating Japan plus preview of this week's Champions League quarterfinals (1st legs) STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: Fenerbahce voting this week on whether to withdraw from Turkish Super Lig in response to postgame attack by Trabzonspor fans plus Korbin Albert finds herself at the center of USWNT drama after some ill-advised social media-ing POP QUIZ: MLS undefeateds PREMIER LEAGUE: blame is assigned for the City vs Arsenal shmershmortion and start missing Klopp before he is even gone; plus wildly different vibes after close saves by Tottenham and United; Power Rankings plus weekend preview f/t Liverpool visiting Old Trafford ROUND THE WORLD: brief observations from MLS, US Open Cup and NWSL plus who is to blame for Bayern Munich's looming capitulation for Bayer Leverkusen STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: IFAB approves further testing of major change to offside rule championed by Arsene Wenger; FIFA quietly loosens restrictions on multi-club ownership groups participating in European competitions and Biden administration backs Relevant Sports' in bid to host official La Liga matches in the US WHAT IF: an MLS Best XI competed in the Premier League... where would they finish? ROUND THE WORLD: reaction to USMNT's rollercoaster week featuring dogcrap "win" over Jamaica's B-team followed by domination of LLL Triste's A-team (for what that's worth at the moment); MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute PREMIER LEAGUE: preview of Sunday's big huge massive City vs Arsenal game STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: Nottingham Forest handed 4-point deduction; what to expect from MLS's midseason roster changes and NWSL valuations are skyrocketing WHAT IF: Man City is found guilty of all/many of the more serious rule violations... how would it affect Pep's legacy (if at all)? PREMIER LEAGUE: incredible weekend of FA Cup games featuring United's epic comeback against Liverpool (causing Tyler to say some things I did not see coming) and Coventry City stunning Wolves; plus the real reason that Fulham drank Tottenham's milkshake ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute; LigaMX makes a statement in Concacaf Champions Cup and USMNT vs Jamaica preview including thoughts on Gregg's roster and a debate on our starting striker is STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: Cameroonian age fraud and Lester's painful reward if/when they return to the Premier League POP QUIZ: League Cup winners PREMIER LEAGUE: Liverpool vs City postmortem, Gio Reyna panic button, Power Rankings and preview of some quality FA Cup quarterfinals ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute, takeaways from USWNT's successful Gold Cup campaign; USMNT weekend stars and preview of this week's Champions League games STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: USSF announced that eight (of 29) MLS clubs will participate in US Open Cup; FIFA pulls U-turn on blue cards; Paul Pogba's legacy in light of 4-year PED suspension and Quincy Promes makes history as Prison FC's dumbest ever acquisition WHAT IF: Premier League clubs settled things in the streets and back alleys as hooligans rather than on the field... who are the title favorites? PREMIER LEAGUE: rare three-team title race taking shape as City and Liverpool finagle wins while Arsenal puts a hurting on Sheffield Utd; how badly did Nottingham Forest get jobbed and weekend preview featuring the big one on Sunday as City visit Anfield ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute; fallout from referee decision to blow final whistle just as Real Madrid was scoring a game-winner versus Valencia; Champions League preview plus thots on where the USWNT stands after shock loss to Mexico followed by solid win over Colombia STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: German fans force Bundesliga owners to backtrack on plans for private equity deal; Everton's unprecedented 5-point weekend and Neymar gets roped into the sad Dani Alves situation WHAT IF: in honor of Patrick Kane returning to Chicago and beating the Blackhawks with the Detroit Red Wings, what current player on your favorite team would it hurt the most to see play for your archenemy (a la Sol Campbell moving from Tottenham to Arsenal)? PREMIER LEAGUE: takeaways from (and butthurtedness about) Carabao Cup final; Sam's unfortunate Arsenal epiphany; whether it is too soon to call Gio Reyna's move to Forest a bust and preview of Sunday's Manchester Dærby ROUND THE WORLD: MLS Hit-It-N-Quit-It Minute is BACK plus some 2024 season predictions and hot takes STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: making sense of MLS and US Soccer's high-profile pissing match over US Open Cup plus the best and worst of MLS's 2024 jerseys WHAT IF: Matt Turner picks up a blue card in the 80th minute up 2-1 against Brazil in the WC26 final at MetLife... which USMNT field player are you putting in net? PREMIER LEAGUE: thots on Chelsea holding City; what happens when you play AngeBall without AngeBall players; confusion about United continues and Carabao Cup final preview ROUND THE WORLD: USMNT striker depth chart; singing Pulisic's praises and LOLing at the downfall of Pulisic hater-in-chief Terrorist Tommy Tuchel STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: pros/cons of FIFA's plan to test blue cards giving players a 10-minute timeout; Duncan McGuire's star-crossed move from Orlando City to Blackburn; China stays butthurt over Messi and US Soccer's decision to grant USL (Women's) Super League D1 status WHAT IF: USMNT played in AFCON or Asian Cup... Which would we do better in? What would be the bar for success? PREMIER LEAGUE: West Ham gets COOKED and other weekend observations; definitive midseason Power Rankings and games to watch this weekend f/t City hosting Chelsea ROUND THE WORLD: Ivory Coast and Qatar earn their flowers and preview of this week's Champions League first leg R16 knockouts STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: FIFA unveils the where's and when's of World Cup 2026; Inter Miami's preseason tour is off to a hot start (not) and Bay FC making some early splashes ahead of first NWSL season POP QUIZ: Euro 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE: thoughts on Arsenal's convincing win over Liverpool and a rebuke of Jamie Carragher and his fun police; flowers for Wolves and Luton Town; will Chelsea stick with Pochettino and coming around on Gio Reyna to Nottingham Forest ROUND THE WORLD: AFCON and Asian Cup updates STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: the good, bad and ugly of Jurgen Klopp's extended farewell; why Xavi's decision to leave is a harbinger of more problems for Barcelona; Belgium sets a horrible precedent for (mis)use of VAR; and where oh where will Victor Osimhen be playing next season? WHAT IF: you were in charge of making the next Bond movie... which Premier League manager would you pick as the Bond Villain? (Bonus : who would be the worst Bond villain?) PREMIER LEAGUE: an unusual amount of craziness on and off the field in last week's FA Cup (where Cinderella lives on!) plus a look ahead to the not one but TWO full slates of league action coming up over the next week, culminating with Arsenal hosting Liverpool on Sunday ROUND THE WORLD: some of the wildest narratives and storylines emerging from AFCON and Asian Cup STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: Sir Radcliffe makes an interesting (perhaps even shrewd) first move with United; Saudi imports having second thoughts; combatting racism in Serie A (and elsewhere); even more bad news for Everton plus why Mitch might go back to ref school WHAT IF: quick housekeeping announcement PREMIER LEAGUE: waxing poetic about Sheffield Utd vs West Ham; is Arsenal or Liverpool better placed to disrupt City's dominance and a look at this week's FA Cup matchups ROUND THE WORLD: winners and losers from USMNT's January Camp (and highly forgettable Slovenia game) STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: Premier League is back knocking on Everton (and Nottingham Forest's) door about alleged Financial Fair Play allegations while simultaneously refusing to disclose a timeline for a decision on Man City's 115 charges; Newcastle owner gets hit with some HEAVY accusations; Messi beats out Haaland (and Mbappe) for FIFA POY; trash bag behavior by Reading's owner and level-headed discussion about Miles Robinson's decision to sign with FC Cincinnati over PSV WHAT IF: the rumors are true and Gio Reyna leaves Dortmund this month... what is his ideal landing spot? PREMIER LEAGUE: abbreviated weekly review focusing on United/Tottenham draw and City squeaks past a surprisingly game Newcastle plus an even more abbreviated weekend preview ROUND THE WORLD: Saudi-Spanish Super Cup beatdown highlights the directions that Real Madrid and Barcelona seem to be headed plus earlier thots on AFCON and Asian Cup STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: thots on January transfer moves including a glut of USMNT-related moves and Timo to Tottenham, along with an under-the-radar but potentially serious concern for Serie A fans WHAT IF: you had the opportunity to produce a Netflix documentary like the one in the works on Dear Leader Jozay... what player or coach you picking? PREMIER LEAGUE: what to make of Arsenal's inability to score plus a preview of a weekend slate that is low on quantity but high on quality ROUND THE WORLD: what clubs will be affected most by Afcon/Asia Cup and reaction to USMNT roster for January camp STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: Fuck Soccer Get Money European Super League is back but is anyone actually buying it; is it fair for United fans to get a little excited now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has finally bought in; pluses and minuses of MLS following Japan's J-League by realigning the schedule with Europe WHAT IF: Pulisic leads the USMNT to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2026 and 2030 cementing his name in soccer lore... should the USSF retire his #10 jersey? PREMIER LEAGUE: making sense of a busy holiday period including what to makes of the recent risers (eg West Ham and Wolves) and fallers (eg, Arsenal and Newcastle), plus some FA Cup games to watch this weekend ROUND THE WORLD: fallout from the last minute cancellation of Turkish Super Cup due to 11th hour demands by Saudi hosts plus some transfer chatter involving Johnny Cardoso to Betis, Hugo Lloris to LAFC (!?) and Antonee Robinson to Liverpool STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets where the Over Train is cooking with thermonuclear gas again and GOAWs

HEADLINES: MLS (disappointing) roster rule changes and (frustrating) decision to drop US Open Cup; USMNT/WNT players of the year; debating how big FIFA's Club World Cup could become; Boehly leaves his mark on Premier League and do we care about this winter's Messi vs Ronny matchup? WHAT IF: college football implements some form of promotion and relegation... would that sneakily be the best/surest way for it to happen for soccer in the US? PREMIER LEAGUE: Tyler is #notmad about United holding Liverpool to 0-0; Everton deserve some flowers; Mikey wakes up with a new most-hated team (apart from Spurs) and we get some shocking predictions for this weekend's massive Arsenal vs Liverpool game ROUND THE WORLD: Champions League R16 matchups; Girona: La Liga contender or pretender and America's latest strategy for keeping up with the European (women's soccer) Joneses STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: US and Mexico confirm joint bid for 2027 Women's World Cup and Bundesliga votes in favor of exploring sale of future broadcast revenues to private equity to better compete with Premier League WHAT IF: Ted Lasso was flipped on it's head and you had to pick a Premier League coach to come to the US and coach an American sport (eg NFL, NBA or MLB)? PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa burnishes title contender qualifications by beating City and Arsenal in a matter of days; should Pochettino and/or Ten Hag be on the hot seat; if Newcastle should be hitting the panic button and wtf has gotten into Everton? ROUND THE WORLD: giving Columbus Crew their deserved flowers and how much (if any) grief does MLS deserve for punishing LAFC supporter's group shenanigans and what to watch in Champions League this week STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: UEFA announces changes to women's Champions League, best- and worst-case groups for USMNT from Copa America 2024 draw (on December 7) and high/lowlights from this week's UEFA 2024 group draw WHAT IF: you could change one rule/thing about soccer? PREMIER LEAGUE: Spurs walked away winners from 3-3 draw at City, Tyler waxes poetic about Liverpool after beating... Fullham, abbreviated Power Rankings and what to watch from full slates this midweek and weekend (f/t Chelsea vs United and big week for Aston Villa) ROUND THE WORLD: Preview of Columbus vs LAFC in MLS Cup, what to watch in this week's final Champions League group stage games and shoutouts for Brazil's Serie A title race finale and MASL is back STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs