Dest finds himself in the middle of a tug of war between Netherlands and the U.S. for his services.
October 2 was quite a day for Sergino Dest. First, Ajax’s 18-year-old Dutch-American right-back was unexpectedly missing from the U.S. men’s roster announced for the upcoming games against Cuba and Canada. These are competitive matches, in the CONCACAF Nations League, so if Dest had played, he would have been bound to the USMNT rather than the Netherlands for his career. That evening, he played all 90 minutes in Ajax’s 0-3 triumph at Valencia in the Champions League. After the game, he appeared…
In 1977, Johan Cruijff’s Dutch team came to Wembley and England fielded five players whose natural position was center-back. Oranje fooled them by playing without a center-forward: Cruijff dropped into midfield and set up both goals in a 0-2 victory. Times change, but England doesn’t, at least not very much. Early in Thursday’s Nations League semifinal, Memphis Depay retreated from center-forward to midfield. He and his teammates found space between the rigid lines of England’s defense and midfield,…
Follow the journey of the UEFA Nations League semifinalists as they prepare battle it out to reach the final at the Estádio do Dragão.
Tottenham’s new stadium, in a drab part of outer/north London, is a thing of wonder. Automatic taps that fill the glasses from beneath can deliver 10,000 pints a minute, everything is cash-free and the South Stand alone can seat 17,500 people: more than Bournemouth’s entire stadium. The new White Hart Lane also symbolizes a shift in soccer power: for the first time ever, the British capital is becoming a capital of the European game.
Stewart Robson shares his thoughts on the best young players under 21 years of age, identifying the ones he believes will become superstars. 
Sometimes Thomas Tuchel concentrates so hard that he can’t see a person standing a yard beside him. He must feel like that this week.
All the grumbling about Neymar’s diving obscures an important fact: he’s the fulcrum of probably the most glittering attack in soccer today. Paris Saint-Germain’s front three usually features him and Kylian Mbappe just behind the Uruguayan Edinson Cavani.
From the ‘Most Time Spent Horizontal’ to ‘Nutritionist of the Year’, the Exploding Heads present their quirky alternative Ballon d’Or awards.
Gab Marcotti and the FC crew break down Dutch duo Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, a pair of Ajax stars catching the eyes of Europe’s elite.