Although Wednesday's MLS All-Star Game from the nation's capital will feature all the league's must-watch talent (minus Lionel Messi) and Arsenal's flourishing squad, the biggest cheer of the night might be reserved for a Gunners player who spent last season in France and who might not even be on the roster come September: instant USMNT hero Folarin Balogun.
On the one hand, Alexandre Pato isn't old — he's only 33. On the other, memories of his footballing career belong to the wizened generations. It's been a decade since his last appearance for Brazil and 12 years since that unforgettable goal against Barcelona.
Sorry, Panama. I know the Gold Cup final is later Sunday night, but the tournament has already been won by Mexico after members of the national team met the child who wanted to be Mexican — so he could spend his days eating quesadillas — and presented him with that delicacy and an El Tri jersey.
It was revealed in the original video that the four-year-old boy has Ethiopian roots, but that's all over now — just look at how content he is to be wearing La Verde and eating that delicious cheesiness melted inside a warm tortilla.
Harry Kane has won a trophy — a trophy in the game of life by successfully eating 10 increasingly spicy wings on "Hot Ones" and living to tell the tale.
His people missed a pretty big opportunity to announce a transfer to Bayern Munich while sweating profusely and with tears in his eyes after eating wing #10, so if you're a Tottenham supporter you've got nothing to worry about.
For the rest of you, I know what you've come to see: Harry Kane's facial reactions.
Wing #1: Classic hot sauce
Major League Soccer is preparing to enter a new era following the arrival of the Greatest Of All Time, but the wall-to-wall coverage of Lionel Messi's movements in Miami has been momentarily broken by a seismic shift from America's second division, the USL.
The Messi clan has arrived in the United States. Disembarking from their $15.5 million private jet, Lionel, Antonela, Thiago, Ciro and Mateo were recorded at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after the official Lionel Messi presentation date and time was confirmed by Inter Miami.
This travel experience is nothing new for the Messi family as they've frequented Miami during the offseason. It hasn't been confirmed where they'll be living permanently, but for now the Messis will reside at the Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach.
The Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals are upon us Wednesday night, and although it's easy to pencil the United States and Mexico into the final for a third straight time, we shouldn't be so quick to write off Panama or Jamaica.
This feels like a particularly open final four. You could probably make just as convincing of an argument about why the U.S. is the best team remaining as you could one about why they're the worst, and the same goes for El Tri.
EA SPORTS FC 24 is only a couple months away from its rumored release date, and this week offers our first major glimpse at the franchise formerly known as FIFA — beginning with Monday's release of an official announce trailer (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya).
I'm also just now realizing that EA SPORTS is attempting to get us to transition from saying "FIFA" to "FC," which is pretty smart marketing. So here's our first look at FC 24.
The USMNT is through to the Gold Cup semifinals after a dramatic, back-and-forth penalty shootout victory over rivals Canada.
The U.S. thought they'd won it in the 88th minute, only for Canada to equalize at 90+3'. Then the dramatics were reversed in extra time as the Canucks went up 2-1 in the 109th-minute before the Americans found a leveler in the 114th.
In the shootout Matt Turner prevailed as Canada could only convert two of five attempts, and up next for the States is a semifinal against Panama on Wednesday night in San Diego.
Rose Lavelle said she is more comfortable taking on the responsibilities of leadership and is ready to step up as a senior member of the U.S. squad when she heads to her second Women's World Cup, even as questions remain around her fitness.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who scored in the 2019 final as the Americans won their fourth title, has been nursing a knee injury and last played on April 8 in a friendly against Ireland.