History

"He was what I called a ball-playing defender," long-time friend Dave Bassett said of Sam Allardyce, "If he wasn't playing with the ball he was playing with your balls."

Allardyce was a feared center back during his 20-plus years in English football due to his propensity to clatter opposing strikers and leave them moaning in pain on the turf. He was even given the nickname "Super Sam Bionic Man" for his ability to quickly ascend from these tackles and continue playing. 

With all of the attention surrounding Lionel Messi's future, you may have missed that Irish fullback Matt Doherty is likely on his way to Tottenham after more than a decade with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a fee reportedly in the range of $18-21 million.

Ordinarily, a transfer like this would not raise too many eyebrows, but it could have a massive impact on one Irish club. 

Women’s soccer has come a long way in the U.S. — and across the globe. In the U.S., the women’s game started out as barely a blip on the radar.

Did you know that on this day in 1985 the United States Women’s National team played their first-ever match? The team played their inaugural match against Italy’s national team in Jesolo, Italy.