History

The look of surprise, nay, disbelief, is what I remember most. A towering 6-4 frame had just headed in his first career international goal, and it couldn’t have come at a more important moment. On the eighth anniversary of his goal against Ghana, we have to wonder if John Brooks will ever get another chance on the world stage.

It's a little unsettling and depressing to think that, were things running as usual on the international calendar, we'd be at the start of the month-long carnival that is the World Cup. 

June 13 has marked some unforgettable World Cup moments in the past, but none more so than what transpired eight years ago on this day at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil.

The greatest Romanian footballer of all-time, Gheorghe Hagi, has still got it — the "it" in his case being all-seeing assists that are weighted like californium and the ability to absolutely crack one at the age of 57.

On Sunday at Cluj Arena, a large crowd gathered to salute the career of the country's other favored footballing son, Adrian Mutu, as a Romania Stars team took on a World Stars side coached by Cesare Prandelli.

To look at the history of American soccer is to look at a series of poor investments, aging player, and over-ambitious owners. They all had a vision of what soccer could be in the states, but most ended up in the graveyard that we currently stand on.

First came the NASL. Founded in 1968, it spent like a major league, and attendances occasionally reflected that, but its ambitions were not sustainable compared to its actual growth.