James Tyler – Football Scout

FIFA 20 kickstarts the franchise by taking soccer back to where it began: the street

Virgil van Dijk is just as intimidating in FIFA 20 as he is on the real-life pitch.

It’s finally here! Just in time for an international break, the new FIFA game arrives to fill all your free time and keep you indoors during the bitter winter months.

But how does this game stack up to past editions? We’ve got you covered.

The basics: FIFA 20 is a good game

If you’ve enjoyed past FIFA games, you’ll love this. It’s that simple. The realism has been increased and player movements inch even closer to reality: it’s fun seeing players sprint at top speed down the wing only to lose…

FIFA 20 kick-starts the franchise by taking soccer back to where it began: the street

Virgil van Dijk is just as intimidating in FIFA 20 as he is on the real-life pitch.

It’s finally here! Just in time for an international break, the new FIFA game arrives to fill all your free time and keep you indoors during the bitter winter months.

But how does this game stack up to past editions? We’ve got you covered.

The basics: FIFA 20 is a good game

ESPN’s Ultimate XI: We pick our dream team that could win anything

If money was no object, which 11 players would you sign to form the ultimate team? This is the question we put to ESPN FC’s experts ahead of the Champions League group stage, which begins Sept. 17.

We asked our experts to pick the XI they felt would be both indispensable and unbeatable in the pursuit of long-term glory. There were some basic rules:

– no more than two players from the same club
– use the 4-3-3 formation, a base template for so many top teams
– remain true to each player’s position:…

U.S. ratings vs. Mexico: Pulisic 7/10, plenty of subpar performances in heavy loss

The U.S. always hates losing to Mexico, but even the most ardent of supporters could find little fault with Friday night’s 3-0 defeat at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez opened the scoring with a sharp, predatory effort following Jesus “Tecatito” Corona’s cheeky nutmeg of U.S. debutant Sergino Dest to set up room for a well-weighted cross. The U.S. struggled to get back into the game, but well and truly folded after the second-half substitutes began…

U.S. ratings vs. Mexico: Pulisic 7/10, plenty of sub-par performances in heavy loss

Christian Pulisic was, again, the lone bright spot for a U.S. side that got humbled by their big rivals, Mexico.

The U.S. always hate losing to Mexico but even the most ardent of supporters could find little fault with Friday night’s 3-0 defeat at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez opened the scoring with a sharp, predatory effort following Jesus “Tecatito” Corona’s cheeky nutmeg of U.S. debutant Sergino Dest to set up room for a well-weighted cross. The U.S. struggled to get back into the game but well and truly folded after the second-half substitutes began coming on….

“Two’s company, three’s a crowd” is the age-old cliche but when it comes to football, three might be the magic number. We look at the game’s most potent trios and what makes each of them so brilliant.

Liverpool: The kings of open space

This terrific threesome thrives on open space, at their peak when afforded room to run and attack in behind a hastily retreating defence. They fit the high-press ideals of their boss, Jurgen Klopp, and are equipped to exploit even the most innocuous change…

Julen Lopetegui addresses the futures of Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois

Gareth Bale provided a goal and an assist in the first half as Real Madrid cruised to a 2-1 victory over Roma.

Thibaut Courtois is linked to Real Madrid, but Shaka Hislop thinks Los Blancos’ current keeper Keylor Navas isn’t getting the respect he deserves.
Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that while Mateo Kovacic wants to leave the club, he is reluctant to see such an “important player” exit the Bernabeu.
Speaking after Real Madrid’s final preseason friendly — a 2-1 International Champions Cup win over Roma in New Jersey — Lopetegui addressed the rumours surrounding the 24-year-old, as well as his compatriot and Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric.
“There’s nothing 100 percent certain,” Lopetegui said. “Mateo has said he wants to leave,…

Next generation has shown the U.S. should trust in youth

Kylian Mbappe scored a late equalizer for France to offset a goal from Julian Green and deny an inexperienced USMNT side a win in Lyon.

Taylor Twellman explains why the experience mattered more than the result for the United States in their draw at France.

Zack Steffen explains the impact of the United States’ draw at France and how he overcame early nerves and a disappointing warm-up.

Julian Green breaks down his first United States goal in nearly two years and the USMNT’s overall performance in their draw with France.
For the first time in a while — eight months, at least — the future looks brighter for the U.S. men’s national team. For that reason, the service given by the old guard should remain exactly where it is: in the past. Now is the time for the next generation, several of whom wrestled France’s stars to a creditable 1-1 draw in Lyon on Saturday.
If U.S. Soccer is to take a meaningful step forward, following the gut-punching misery of October’s defeat to Trinidad and Tobago and failure to reach the…

The wildest night in CONCACAF history? How the U.S. exit played out

Taylor Twellman vents his frustrations after the U.S. failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

ESPN FC’s Jeff Carlisle and Sebastian Salazar assess where it all went wrong for the U.S. and look ahead to what comes next.

ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap tries to put the U.S.’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup into perspective.

Max and Herc are joined by special guest Shaka Hislop to evaluate the United States’ failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Max Bretos, Herculez Gomez and Shaka Hislop discuss what needs to change within U.S. Soccer after their qualifying failure.

Over the years, to go “full CONCACAF” has been an inside joke in some corners of soccer social media due to the region’s seemingly constant periods of farce and sheer drama. From curious refereeing decisions to uniquely challenging travel, it’s part of what makes World Cup qualifying in North and Central America so much fun. (Well, fun depending on your rooting interest.)

And yet, the events of Oct. 10 might go down in the annals as the confederation’s wildest evening yet. Over the course of 90…

FIFA 18’s realism is jaw-dropping but doesn’t always hit the mark

The Exploding Heads take to their bedrooms to embark on the life of a FIFA YouTuber ahead of FIFA 18.
Just in time for the grueling drudgery of a two-week international break comes FIFA 18, EA’s latest iteration of the blockbuster, all-conquering soccer video game franchise. Every game mode you enjoyed is back and beefed up. All the kits and squad lists are updated. And there’s an added focus on making the game look so good that it might fool you into thinking it’s not a game. But how does it stack up to previous editions? 
For a start, realism is the buzzword this year, and that’s a good thing….

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