Bastian Schweinsteiger

When the 2006 World Cup was over, eight of The Guardian’s 12 correspondents in Germany named it the match of the tournament. That sentiment has lasted 14 years as a recent poll on FIFA’s Twitter — with nearly 45K votes cast — declared it the one game from the 2006 competition that fans wanted to rewatch most. 

And all this fervent nostalgia for a match that remained 0-0 over the course of the first 118 minutes of action in Dortmund.

The Designated Player Rule, also known as the Beckham Rule, remains in effect as the league enters its 24th season. The rule allows teams to sign up to three players that are considered outside the team’s salary cap ($4.035M in 2018). 

In essence, this allows teams to compete for star players in the international market (like how the LA Galaxy started this whole rigamarole by signing David Beckham to a five-year contract worth $6.5M annually back in 2007). 

The MLS season is quickly approaching. The buildup to the season has been full of interesting new kits and player signings.

August is one of the hottest months of the year, and for professional footballers, it's hot with birthdays! We've put together a list of some of the most important soccer players born in August. Get ready to celebrate every single day of the month!

Soccer Players Born In August

*If nationality is listed, they're not on their country's national team

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled weeping about the U.S. Men's National Team failing to qualify for the World Cup with a startling bit of information that could turn out to be good news.

Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanovic are about to have a baby in Chicago, and that kid will be USA-eligible 

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) February 23, 2018