Mauricio Pochettino continues to say the things American soccer needs to hear. His latest comments go beyond talent and performance. Pochettino addresses mentality, professionalism, humility, and the danger of hyping young players before they’ve actually proven themselves at the highest levels. That brings us to Cavan Sullivan. He’s talented and playing well, but American soccer […]

Lionel Messi has retired from the Argentina national team, closing an extraordinary chapter in the history of the sport. We start by looking back at what Messi has meant to Argentina and to football more broadly before getting into the debates that inevitably follow a moment like this: Messi or Maradona? Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? […]

For generations of players, pickup soccer wasn’t a development program. Nobody had to manufacture it. You found a park, put two shoes down for goals, picked teams, and played. And you figured things out. There was no coach stopping the game. No parent protecting you. No age bracket ensuring everyone was at the same stage […]