In football, as in life, sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good. And if you were a decent French-speaking footballer in the first half of the 2010s, there was a chance that Newcastle United's bulging pocket book and obsession with Ligue 1 players would make you a very rich man.

The "French Revolution" began after Newcastle's Premier League promotion in 2010, as the club signed French winger Hatem Ben Arfa and Ivorian holding midfielder Cheick Tioté. Ben Arfa and Tioté were just two of the 20+ French-speaking players Newcastle signed over the next half-decade.

The U.S. men's national team defeated Mexico in a highly contested match on Sunday to win the CONCACAF Nations League, marking the country’s first competitive victory over its rivals since September 10th, 2013.

The fruitless streak continued so long that I personally graduated middle school, high school and was just one year away from graduating college before the U.S. was victorious again. Christian Pulisic, the American captain who scored the go-ahead goal, was just 14 years old when the U.S. last claimed victory. 

The U.S. National team defeated Mexico in a highly contested match to win the CONCACAF Nations League Championship, marking the country’s first competitive victory over their rivals since September 10th, 2013.

The defeated streak continued so long I personally graduated through middle school and high school, and was just one year away from graduating college before the team was victorious again. Christain Pulisic, the American captain who scored the game winning goal on June 6th would be just around 15 years old when the U.S. last claimed victory. 

As the world heals from the pandemic, pick-up matches are on their way back as well. Pick-up matches exemplify all the best parts of soccer: intense rivalries, healthy competition and the opportunity to sharpen your skills.

As nature heals from the pandemic, pick-up matches have come out of the shadows alongside it. After not being able to go out and get a match going for so long we don’t know who isn’t dying to get out on the pitch. Pick-up matches always bring a special type of competition to the match which amplifies all the best parts of soccer.