Carson Pickett isn’t exactly a household name. But in a year in which the USWNT won the Women’s World Cup, a picture of the Orlando Pride defender might be the most indelible soccer image of 2019.
Atlanta, The New MLS Hotbed
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is home to a team that played its part in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The only problem is that the Atlanta Falcons were on the wrong end of that comeback. However, the stadium is also home to the hottest property in MLS, Atlanta United.
It's come as a bit of a surprise to most around the country that Atlanta and its community has taken so well to the new club, although it sure helps that the team is performing incredibly.
Throughout the 2019 Women's World Cup, starting from the first whistle of the opener against Thailand until the last whistle in the final, the USWNT was out in full force with its celebrations. Every one of the 13 goals in the first game were celebrated and every goal after that as well. This drew some scrutiny from pundits and fans around the world.
So, the question is: Was the USWNT doing too much with its celebrations and attitude throughout the World Cup?
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is, on the whole, unfathomable. The mind boggles at an expenditure of $200 billion, while a current reported death toll of over 1,400 migrants is like combining the casualties of the Falklands War and 2011 Egyptian revolution. All this to kick that ball around.
Fresh off scoring his 100th career goal during France’s 4-0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Andorra, 20-year-old French sensation Kylian Mbappé boarded a plane for the United States, where he’s since been spotted at Nike’s World Headquarters, chilling with LeBron James, at game six of the NBA Finals and throwing out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.
Liverpool FC returned home on Sunday to present its sixth European Cup on an open-top bus parade through the city’s streets. It’s the club’s first major title since the 2006 FA Cup (no, we don’t count the 2012 League Cup), and a massive crowd turned out to greet the players and staff as they made their way around the city before finishing near Strand Street, where the River Mersey empties into Liverpool Bay.
If you build it, they will come. That comes as no surprise given the approximate season ticket waitlist of 13,000, but the Portland Timbers finally put on their 2019 home opener — 13 matches into the MLS season — in front of a sellout crowd of 25,218 at Providence Park on Saturday night.
The stadium, located in southwest Portland, underwent an $85 million expansion that added roughly 4,000 seats to the eastern side of the stadium, accounting for the Timbers’ historic 12-game road trip to begin the season.
The USWNT is more than ready to compete and defend its World Cup title, so much so that they even made sure to mark their territory. Literally.
First stop is the hometown of Rose Lavelle: Cincinnati, Ohio. Lavelle has been a crucial part of this World Cup cycle and has been a dynamic and impactful midfielder. Her craftiness and vision on the field helped the U.S. defeat both South Africa and New Zealand in its Send-Off Series matches.
Europe has a rich history of football and so too is the case with its stadiums. Sadly, the old and classic stadiums that we know and love are becoming outdated.
We all know what it would mean to Liverpool if the club could capture its first league title since 1989-90, but something similar has gone down in Greece where PAOK has just been crowned Super League champions for the first time since 1984-85.
Based in Thessaloniki — the most populous city in Greece outside of Athens — PAOK had suffered heartbreak after heartbreak following that 1985 title, including finishing runners-up in both 2015-16 and 2017-18.