Could a Catalan Team Win A World Cup?

The recent Catalan referendum has seen incredible amounts of political intrigue for months now, which has only been intensified after the result, with the vast majority of those who voted wanting to secede from Spain and form their own independent nation. It’s an incredibly complex situation spanning politics, economics and the whole of society.

But on this blog, we’re going to examine an aspect that doesn’t really matter at all. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has said that he would retire from the Spanish team if his teammates and fans did not want him there, which brings up a mildly interesting point on the possibility of him playing for Catalonia, along with various other Spanish players and internationals. But how good would a Catalonia side really be? Would they be capable of winning an international tournament? Let’s examine the potential players and find out!

Failure to Qualify a Blow To US Soccer

With a 2-1 loss to group whipping boys Trinidad & Tobago, the USA are officially not going to next year’s World Cup in Russia. Finishing a disastrous fifth in their group, below Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras, it’s the first time they’ve failed to qualify since 1986, ending a pretty good run for a nation in which football is arguably the fourth biggest sport. But this defeat spells an extremely low point, especially considering the USA only needed to avoid defeat to at least seal a playoff place. Instead, there will be no United States presence next summer, with Honduras instead going on to a playoff against Australia.

De Boer Deserved Better Despite Dreadful Beginning

After less than three months and only four competitive matches as Crystal Palace manager, Frank De Boer has been removed from his position at the club. Now the shortest Premier League managerial spell of all time, De Boer leaves with the unwanted record of four losses and zero goals in the league during his spell. It appears that the 1-0 loss at Burnley was enough for chairman Steve Parish to sack the Dutchman, after rumours had been swirling that he had one game left to save his Palace career. However, despite the poor performances, there has been significant outcry from both Palace fans and the general footballing community, with some seeing the decision as far too hasty and another casualty of the results-driven modern football. But did the performances justify the club’s decision?

Match Report: Orlando City SC vs New York City FC

Major League Soccer, or MLS as it’s commonly known, is back with a bang! Two new expansion teams in Atlanta and Minnesota have shaken up the league dynamic once again, while the league has been attracting players in their prime more and more. The likes of Alexander Ring, Jonathan Spector, and Romain Alessandrini are all proven players in Europe and will complement the more well-known names like Sebastian Giovinco, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa. The quality seems to improve every year as the teams all become better at acquiring talent, and so I’ve decided to jump on the MLS bandwagon!

I’m A Football Manager Addict

And the worst thing is probably that I’m not even that good at it.

Just in case you don’t know, Football Manager is a simulation game that puts you in the shoes of a manager of pretty much any football team in the world. You plug in your tactics, talk to the press, fight with your players and, in my case anyway, lose 1-0 to whichever Sunday League team you organised a friendly with that week.

It’s bloody brilliant.