The First Soccer Specific stadium in New York City is being built in Queens

I first saw Red Bull Arena soon after it opened in 2010. It was the only soccer specific stadium in the metropolitan area. Before the opening of the venue the New York MetroStars called Giants Stadium home. To say that watching soccer played on an American Football field is terrible is an understatement.

 The Austrian beverage company Red Bull GmbH owns the New York Red Bulls. Red Bull purchased the team in 2006 and changed its name from MetroStars to the New York Red Bulls. They also had plans to build the team its own stadium. (Of course, corporate sponsorship has arrived, and the Red Bulls’ home is now known as Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Other teams owned by Red Bull include RB Leipzig of Germany’s Bundesliga and FC Red Bull Salzburg from Austria.

New York City FC began play in Major League Soccer in 2015. They have called Yankee Stadium home since then. Yankee Stadium is a historic ballpark but is not set up to host soccer matches.

Like Red Bull, New York City FC is part of a conglomerate with a lot of money. In September 2008, Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group purchased Manchester City from Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, for £200 million.

Other teams that are a part of what’s known as the City Football Group include Melbourne City in Australia, NYCFC and a majority stake in Serie A’s Palermo Football Club. The City Football Group is also involved with many smaller clubs around the globe. The entire group of clubs is sponsored by Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. (On a side note, I can’t support NYCFC as I am an Arsenal fan in the UK and don’t support Manchester City. Plus with the Yankees having a ten percent stake in NYCFC. The Yankees’ involvement doesn’t sit well with me as a Mets fan.)

NYCFC announced in 2022 that the New York City Council had approved the construction of a new soccer stadium in Willets Point. The area is directly across the street from Citi Field where the New York Mets play. In addition to the stadium, the building plan includes redevelopment to include 2,500 housing units, a new public school, a hotel, and retail stores. The planned opening isn’t until 2027, but the club is already taking deposits for season tickets.

Click on this link for more information and to learn more about NYCFC’s future home in Queens.

FIFA continues to show how corrupt they are after awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia

We’ve been through this before. If this headline from the Guardian looks familiar, that’s because once again it paints a picture or FIFA’s corruption.

Migrant workers face ‘cycle of abuse’ in Saudi Arabia before World Cup, UN told

Leading up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, most soccer fans believed that Qatar couldn’t have been less deserving. First, the country is in the desert, has very little soccer history and it’s tiny. Qatar is slightly smaller than Connecticut and almost twice the size of Delaware.  To accommodate Qatar’s extreme heat, FIFA actually moved the once-every-four-year summer tournament to the winter. This disrupted many countries’ regular league schedules.

Migrants in Qatar

The worst part of this was that Qatar used migrant workers from southeast Asia and treated them terribly. There is no definitive number but according to the Guardian, approximately 6500 migrants died while working on World Cup projects.

Back in 2019, I wrote a blog post about the Qatar World Cup. It pretty much repeats the reasons why Saudi Arabia should not be the World Cup host. It’s called Qatartroversy.

There have already been many complaints over FIFA’s decision to hold the games in Saudi Arabia.

Stay tuned. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this controversy.

The Best Friend that I've ever had and how her loss has left me feeling empty and alone

Shea the boston terrier was a fan of Arsenal and the New York Mets and the best friend anyone could ask for

It’s been almost three weeks since I was faced with the reality that my beloved companion Shea was dying and the only humane choice was to put her to sleep. It will forever be one of the most agonizing and painful experiences of my life. Shea had been battling cancer for about five months and had already gone through four rounds of chemotherapy. She seemed to be doing well and acted as if she hadn’t had any treatment at all. I had read all about the type of cancer that Shea had and how deadly it was, but I tried to look at the positive results which explained that dogs could live an additional 12-24 months after diagnosis. So, when I first got the news and fell apart, I decided to think positively and look at it as if Shea was LIVING with cancer rather than dying of cancer. Unfortunately, my deceptive positive thinking didn’t pan out.

Shea used to jump up on my bed and couch with no problem. In recent months, she needed help to get up on the bed. I would pick her up and lift her up to the bed. She was still able to jump onto the couch.

I did start to see subtle changes, but tried to convince myself that they were nothing. She seemed to have trouble pooping, she didn’t like to go for walks anymore and she appeared to be much more lethargic. When she stopped taking some of the treats that she regularly loved, I had to accept the fact that something was wrong.

My wonderful neighbors would help me out with Shea when I was out of town or at work. I received a call on Tuesday, May 3rd late in the afternoon at work and was told that Shea had collapsed while out for a walk. In fact, a total stranger gave my neighbor and Shea a ride back to our building. I left work immediately to see what was going on. It was obvious that Shea had taken a turn for the worse. She got up to greet me, but collapsed along the way. It killed me to admit it, but I knew that we had to take Shea to the Emergency Department at the Animal Medical Center. One of the workers in my building, George, held her in his arms as we loaded Shea into my neighbor’s car for the short ride to AMC. Upon our arrival, an attendant at the hospital carried Shea inside and we went up to the Emergency Room on the second floor.

I was a complete mess. I couldn’t stop crying and was pretty much in a state of shock. They took Shea into an examination room while myself and my neighbor Marcia waited in the waiting room. It was agonizing. Eventually, we were called in to a room where a doctor told us just how sick Shea was and that her cancer had spread to the point that there was nothing more that could be done for her. He was a very kind doctor, but told us that Shea was very sick and very tired. When I asked about putting her to sleep, he sadly told me that that would be the most humane thing to do. I couldn’t believe the reality that I was facing. Of course, I had to do what was best for Shea, but to say it sucked would be an understatement. I couldn’t and still can’t imagine what my life would be like without my best friend. I held her in my arms, gave her some kisses and they administered the drugs to peacefully put her to sleep. She literally died in my arms and I still can’t get that image out of my mind. It’s the worst thing that I have ever experienced in my life.

I have been crying, numb and in denial ever since that moment. I feel guilty, sad, angry and many other emotions all mixed together. I seriously couldn’t and still can’t imagine a life without my Shea. 

My apartment seems empty without her and everything here reminds me of her. I literally find myself unable to breathe at times. I just feel so alone and as if a part of me is missing.

Shea was the one being that I could count on through thick and thin. If I had a bad day at work or was treated badly by someone, when I opened that door and Shea saw me, I was met with excitement, love and joy. I’ve never experienced that from any other living thing.

Shea was truly my best friend. We did everything together. She constantly made me laugh and had a wonderful disposition. She was totally chilled out. She barely barked, she wouldn’t run away if off the leash and she loved to play. Of course, as she got older she spent more time on the benches at the dog park rather than playing with the other dogs, but she would mingle and enjoy checking out the scene.

I had always wanted a dog as a kid, but my requests for a dog went unanswered and my love for animals had to take place in other people’s homes.

My first dog came to me by accident. Sorcha was a five-year-old Boston Terrier whose owners were moving to Ireland and couldn’t go with them due to quarantine rules. I said I would watch her and in the end, she never left. I had her for five more years and when she passed at the age of ten I experienced the pain of loss like I never had before. To say I was distraught at the loss of Sorcha would be an understatement. I truly thought that I would have to be hospitalized as my pain was so strong and I could barely function without crying.

While not ideal timing, a friend of mine saw my grief and without me knowing it sought out a breeder for me that had puppies ready for adoption.

Two weeks after Sorcha had passed, on June 26th, 2011 my friend drove me up to Dutchess County and that’s where I met the best friend I’ve ever had in my life. All I can remember about this place is that there were dogs everywhere. Most of them were Frenchies and the place was a bit strange.

There were two Boston Terrier puppies enclosed in a little plastic fence. One of them caught my eye and then proceeded to pee on the pavement. That was it, I knew that this adorable puppy was meant for me.

Being a huge New York Mets fan and wanting a name that began with an S (in memory of Sorcha) Shea was a no-brainer. (For those that don’t know, the Mets’ original home was Shea Stadium).

Shea was the coolest.

I had never had a puppy before. I tried crate training, but I gave in right away and just let her be. I was so lucky that she was so cool and easy as I let her have the run of the place.

When she was young, we would go to puppy playgroups at Biscuits and Bath as well as Boston Terrier meetups at different locations throughout New York.

She had so many friends, play dates, and sleepovers. She loved going to the dog park and running through the leaves off the leash in the fall.

Shea even received cards from her Boston Terrier friends on Instagram.

Shea loved posing in front of flowers and trees, or at least she put up with me making her do so.

Shea enjoyed going on trips and drove with me from New York to Charleston and down to Cape May during the pandemic.

Shea shared a birthday with her best friend Lexie. They were both born on April 10, 2011 and lived in the same building.

Shea also had a boyfriend in our building named Gavin. They would often have chaperoned overnight visits when Gavin’s family would go away.

Sorcha had been ball obsessed. Shea could care less about chasing balls but LOVED squeaky toys and pulling the stuffing out of them. She also enjoyed a good bully stick.

Shea was cultured and would wait online in Central Park for free tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. Unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed to attend.

One of Shea’s favorite things to do was lay in the warm laundry once it came out of the dryer.

I used to call Shea Miss Daisy as she hated the rain, water, wearing coats and cold weather. It was a struggle to get her out for a walk when the weather conditions were not up to her standard.

Shea lived along the New York Marathon route on First Avenue and loved to cheer on the runners every year.

I learned early on that I had to make sure that the garbage was secured as there were many times that I would come home to find garbage strewn all over the apartment as Shea had gone looking for goodies among the trash.

Of course, Shea was always looking for snacks and treats and enjoyed dining al fresco.

I was lucky as Shea was not a barker. She did, however, make the funniest noises when she wanted to get my attention. It was as if she was talking to me.

Shea was a true “blue state” dog. She despised Donald Trump and had no problem making her feelings known.

While the pandemic was horrible, one of the benefits was getting to spend so much time with Shea as my work had shut down for 15 months. She truly got me through the COVID crisis.

Shea also believed in social issues and participated in several area Black Lives Matter protests.

She loved the Mets and Arsenal. She would watch me scream and yell at the TV when losing and cheer when we were winning. While I'm not sure if she was as into the games as I was, (I'd like to believe that she was a hardcore Arsenal and NY Mets supporter) Shea watched many, many Arsenal matches and sat through tons of New York Mets games. Being the cute dog that she was, I subjected her to many humiliating photos of her in Arsenal gear and posing with Mets paraphernalia and a Mr. Met stuffed toy. When Arsenal would score and I would go nuts, she would look at me with that puzzled look as if to say, "You are insane". On the other hand, when the Mets would blow a game and I'd be cursing at the TV, Shea would just come over and demand to play. She was a definite calming influence and always brought me back down to reality.

Losing Shea has made me realize the importance of true love as opposed to the love of a fan. I am a huge fan of both Arsenal and the New York Mets. Both of the teams that I support have given me plenty of joy and heartache over the years.

Arsenal just blew the chance to finish in a position that would have benefited the team greatly next season. I was bummed big time when they failed to achieve their goal. Normally I would brood over it and it would ruin my mood.

Of course the Mets have failed me so many times over the years that their failures would feel like torture.

Losing Shea has made me realize that the relationship I have with the teams that I follow is completely one sided. While I might profess to "love" my teams, Arsenal and the Mets are not reaching back to me with gifts and tokens of affection. While I root for Pete Alonso to hit home runs, he isn't worrying about my day to day. Likewise, my admiration for Arsenal runs deep. However, the Arsenal team is totally unaware of my everyday life and the problems with which I am faced. So while I support my teams and stick with them through thick and thin, I realize that love is a bit of a misguided word to express my connection to them. I am a fan; they offer me a diversion and enjoyment and perhaps a sense of belonging.

Shea’s loss makes these sports failures seem totally inconsequential and irrelevant. Shea was my best friend and greatest companion. She gave me the greatest gift anyone can ever receive, unconditional love. No matter what the day would bring or if I came home feeling as if the world had beaten me up, there was Shea rushing to greet me, kiss me, and jumping around with crazy excitement at my arrival. The love and companionship that I got from Shea were the greatest gifts I have ever received. Her passing has left me devastated, lost, and completely broken-hearted.

I am having difficulty coming to grips with the loss of Shea. However, the memories that I have of the time that I spent with her and the unconditional love that she gave to me are comforting me at this time of sorrow.

I will always remember you Shea and love you forever. I know that you are in doggy heaven cheering on Arsenal and the New York Mets and being the cool dog that you are.

How Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected the soccer world

This is not Russia’s first time invading Ukraine. Eight years ago Putin’s regime annexed Crimea. It appears now that Putin is going back in to try and finish what he started back in 2014.

It had an effect on Ukrainian soccer back then when Crimea-based football clubs PFC Sevastopol and FC Tavriya were cut from the Ukrainian Premier League.

This week Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy suspended play in the country’s domestic league.

Back in 2012, Ukraine co-hosted the European Championships along with neighboring Poland. It was meant to herald a new era, not only for Ukrainian football but for the nation itself, as it prepared to join the European Union.

A great example of how much Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has affected the game is the fate of the Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. Due to Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the club has been displaced from its home base for eight years.

In 2014 the club was forced to move to Lviv which is 750 miles from the team’s hometown of Donetsk. They then moved their base to Kharkiv from 2017–2020. While closer to Donetsk, the club was still 187 miles from home. Since 2020, Shakhtar has played its home matches at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv; 450 miles from Donetsk. Despite all the upheaval, Shaktar Donetsk has continued to be one of Ukraine’s most successful clubs.

Since Russia’s new invasion of Ukraine, the world of football has been affected in many ways. Here are some of the events that have happened due to Putin’s aggression.

• FIFA and UEFA announced that the Russian national and club teams have been banned from all competitions “until further notice.” Russia had been scheduled to take part in World Cup qualifying playoffs in three weeks (FIFA and UEFA are both corrupt and probably did this because they had to. Keep in mind FIFA and Sep Blatter controversially awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia. They should also be investigated for Qatar’s hosting of this year’s World Cup as the tiny gulf nation has been using modern slavery to build its stadiums.)

• Spartak Moscow was scheduled to meet Leipzig in a two-leg playoff beginning next week, but the Russian club has been disqualified and Leipzig will automatically advance to the quarterfinals.

• Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic declared they would not play Russia, possibly forfeiting a World Cup berth since they’re all matched in the same four-team playoff pool with Russia.’

Polish Bayern Munich player Robert Lewandowski put it best, “I can’t imagine playing a match with the Russian national team in a situation when armed aggression in Ukraine continues. Russian footballers and fans are not responsible for this, but we can’t pretend that nothing is happening.”

• The soccer federations in the U.S., Ireland, England, and Wales announced they would not play Russia as long as it remains in Ukraine.

• German soccer club Schalke removed the logo of Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, from the front of its jersey while Manchester United canceled a sponsorship deal with Aeroflot, Russia’s state airline.

• MLS sides LAGalaxy and LAFC held a moment of silence for the people of Ukraine while displaying the country’s blue-and-yellow flag on the scoreboard before their season openers.

• In Lisbon, Benfica player Roman Yaremchuk came on as a second-half sub and the crowd of 39,846 rose to its feet, some waving signs or Ukrainian flags.

• Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is facing sanctions due to his close ties to Putin. He announced this week that he is putting Chelsea up for sale. (I personally hope a really cheap owner comes along and Chelsea will no longer be fueled by Russian billions.)

• Ahead of a recent match between Everton and Manchester City Ukrainian players Vitaliy Mykolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko embraced on the pitch.

Of course sport is not as important as human lives. However, soccer does bring in a lot of revenue and national pride which Russia will now not be a part of.

Soccer has become one of the top four most popular sports in the USA

I’ve been predicting that this day would come for a while now, and finally, it has. Its official soccer has overtaken hockey to become the fourth most popular sport in the US. The top four are now American football, basketball, baseball, and soccer.

There are a number of reasons such as:

• Participation in soccer has grown in the states and young fans are now growing up playing the sport. Last year, 17.8m Americans played soccer indoors or outdoors, according to the US Sports and Industry Fitness Association, compared to the 2.3m, who played ice hockey.

• Since Tim Howard became a folk hero in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil (the US made it to the round of 16 where Howard set a record for saves in a single World Cup game with 15 - the US lost to Belgium 2-1) the US national team has become more popular.

• Meanwhile, the US Women’s national team has inspired an entire generation of young players; both girls and boys.

• A number of talented American players have played in some of Europe’s top leagues and proven that they can play at the highest level. This list includes former players such as Brian McBride, Clint Dempsey and Brad Friedel. Currently Christian Pulisic from none other than Hershey, Pennsylvania is a regular in Chelsea’s lineup.

Victor Matheson, a professor of sports economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, put it best. “Christian Pulisic is a huge influence. Finally, to have an American on a 'real team' is massive. It is easier to cheer for an American. It gives people more interest.”

• Major League Soccer continues to grow and expand in to markets without other professional teams. New York City FC just celebrated its MLS Championship with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan.

• The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the USA, along with Canada and Mexico.

  American football remains the most popular sport for broadcasters in the United States. Let’s be honest, part of what can help make a sport popular is access to it both live and on television.

  Prior to 2013 it was difficult to see soccer leagues throughout the world on television. Then NBC came along and saw the potential in showing matches from the English Premier League. In 2013 NBC Sports signed a three year deal with the Premier League worth $250 million for broadcast rights. The coverage has been so lucrative that NBC outbid other networks and recently signed a new six year deal worth $2.7 billion.

  It’s not just the Premier League that is proving lucrative for American broadcasters. It’s been suggested that the combined value of media rights for club football in the US, including the MLS, Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga and UEFA competitions will be worth more than $1billion.

Good morning and good news!

In case you missed it, @NBCUniversal reached an agreement with the @PremierLeague on a six-year deal to continue to show all 380 @PLInUSA games each season to you. pic.twitter.com/kQyWreawJo

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 20, 2021

The average age of the typical soccer fan is younger than for the other major US sports. A younger fanbase guarantees the sport will continue to grow in popularity. Almost one million kids now play soccer in High School

When asked about the growing popularity of soccer, Matheson said, “Forty years ago, people would turn on a soccer game and not know the rules' he added. That is a hard sell. Now everyone has played when they were a kid. That is helpful.”

As Qatar 2022 approaches, it's been referred to as the Human Rights World Cup

The German national team

Two years ago, we at Soccer Walks NYC wrote a blog post entitled, Why the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a disgrace - Qatartroversy. The tournament is still scheduled to be held in the tiny Middle East country just over a year from now. The only certainty surroundings the event is the controversy that has followed it since FIFA selected Qatar to host the World Cup back in 2010.

To recap, some of the problems that have arisen about Qatar 2022 include:

How did a country with no soccer history and a population of just 2.7 million people get the right to host the world’s largest sporting event? Keep in mind that Qatar won the bid over the US, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Accusations of vote-buying continue to this day.

The World Cup has been held in the summer since the inaugural tournament in 1930. However, due to the intense heat in Qatar, the entire soccer world is being asked to come to a mid-season stop in order to hold the tournament in Qatar’s “cooler months” or November and December.

The treatment of migrant workers has surrounded Qatar 2022 for over a decade. A 2013 exposé in The Guardian revealed widespread exploitation of laborers helping to build the World Cup infrastructure.

The Norwegian national team

A Human Rights Watch report in March 2021 exposed Qatar’s treatment of women along with the country’s attitude towards homosexuality.

Amnesty International has also investigated the Qatar 2022 tournament in an expose entitled, Qatar World Cup of Shame.

For fans contemplating traveling to Qatar for the tournament, they should take into account the fact that public displays of affection is prohibited and modest clothing is expected to be worn outside. Alcohol is prohibited except at restaurants inside upscale hotels.

The idea of a boycott has been mentioned but the reality of that taking place is not realistic.

Denmark is one country that has expressed its concern over Qatar’s human rights record. Both fans and players for the national team have made their voices heard.

Denmark national team

Earlier this year, the Danish national team wore T-shirts with the slogan “football supports CHANGE” prior to a match against Moldova.

Denmark captain Simon Kjær even put out the following statement:

As captain, I must say that we players have not chosen the [Human Rights] World Cup 2022 to be played in Qatar and we are very critical of the conditions we see in the country. Of course, we continue to fully and firmly support the DBU’s critical line towards Qatar. We players have several times publicly shown our position in relation to the [HRWC] in Qatar, but now we have to keep the focus on the game on the field.

The national sides of Norway, Germany and Holland have also raised concerns over human rights.

Despite the protests and outrage, it appears that FIFA’s Qatar 2022 tournament will kick off in November 2022.

The whole world will be watching the matches, as well as how Qatar deals with its human rights issues.

Dutch national team

The Rebranding of the Rochester Rhinos

Many years ago I had the opportunity to see a Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer game. While the play on the field was nothing special, I fell in love with their logo of a Rhino with a soccer ball on his horn.

Over the years the team has had a lot of success. They won three A-League titles and in 1999 they defeated the Colorado Rapids of MLS in the US Open Cup. They became the only non MLS team to win the national cup since the beginning of MLS in 1996.

The club went on hiatus in 2017 to rebrand. Further complications and then the COVID pandemic led to a longer pause than had initially been expected.

A major announcement came this past June when it was revealed that Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy had joined the club as a co-owner and that the team would begin play in 2022.

Vardy’s own personal story inspired the founding of his V9 Academy with a goal of giving opportunities to non-league players to become professionals. Vardy’s project leader at his UK academy, Lee Tucker, will be the new Rochester Sporting Director.

Further changes were announced earlier this month. The club rebranded itself Rochester New York FC and Introduced a new logo.

When asked about the rebranding of the club, Vardy said:

I’ve been written off so many times in my career, nearly as many times as the Rochester Rhinos. The rebrand and slogan ‘Believe Impossible’ is what we are all about. We believe we can win trophies again and prove people wrong. This is what inspires me on and off the pitch. When we get knockbacks, we come back stronger.  We will never forget the legacy of the Rhinos and the great things the team did, but now it’s time to build on that and look forward as Rochester New York FC.

Co-owner David Dworkin added:

We needed to evolve and become a modern-day football club with global appeal. With Jamie coming on board as a co-owner, now is the best time to do that. The Rhinos will always be part of our DNA and we will always celebrate the club’s successes. This is a new beginning and a journey that we are excited to embark upon.

It’s also been announced that the club will be producing a series entitled Rhino Reboot. It will showcase the rebuilding of the team.

New Jersey native and USWNT player Carli Lloyd announces her retirement

Carli Lloyd has done more for the growth of soccer in the United States than probably any other player. The 39-year-old New Jersey native recently announced her retirement from the US Women’s National team after having made 312 appearances and being a part of two World Cup and two Olympic gold-winning teams. She has accumulated 128 goals with the national team. Lloyd will play in four more international friendlies this fall before putting an end to her illustrious career.

Lloyd will also finish out the rest of the National Women's Soccer League season with Gotham FC after her twelve-year career with six different clubs.

The striker is one of just two Americans to win the FIFA Women's Player of the Year Award twice; in 2015 and 2016. (The other was Mia Hamm who received the honor in 2001 and 2002.) Like Hamm, Lloyd has eight tricks as part of the USWNT.

Lloyd began playing soccer as a child growing up in southern New Jersey and showed natural ability from an early age.

Following High School she played for Rutgers University from 2001-2004.

Lloyd made her first appearance for the USWNT on July 10, 2005, against Ukraine. She scored her first international goal on October 1, 2006, against Taiwan.

Upon announcing her retirement Lloyd said:

I would like to thank U.S. Soccer for helping to provide the opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime. I am forever grateful to have represented the crest and to be able to play for my country for the last 17 years. I will continue to support and cheer this team on and continue to find ways to help grow the game and inspire the next generation.

Lloyd joins an impressive list of women who have left their mark on the sport and helped to raise the profile of women’s soccer in the US and around the world. She ranks among one of the best along with Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, Alex Morgan, and Briana Scurry.

Why the summer transfer window is called the "Silly Season"

It’s been less than two weeks since Italy defeated England in EURO 2020 (taking place in 2021). For European soccer fans that doesn’t mean it’s time to take a break from the game. Instead, it means the “Silly Season” as teams throughout the continent get ready for the 2021-2022 season. (Yes it appears that the soccer “season” is really just one continuous cycle of play).

The Silly Season refers to the summer transfer window. It’s the period of time where clubs make new signings, tie-down players to contracts, and rumors of who’s going where continue until the transfer window officially closes on August 31st.

For those not familiar with the transfer window, it can be both confusing and infuriating. The reason is, that in the age of social media and sports outlets competing for ‘Clicks”, it’s impossible to decipher fact from fiction. Take for example the following headlines:

Every player linked with Manchester United in the summer transfer window the list includes Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Erling Haaland, Tom Heaton, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Jack Grealish, Raphinha, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jules Kounde, Ben White, Pau Torres, Ousmane Dembele, Kingsley Coman and Eduardo Camavinga.

Arsenal news and transfers live: £34.5m Locatelli bid, Lyon want to sell Aouar, Xhaka update this lists players expected to leave such as Granit Xhaka, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Lucas Torreira, Eddie Nketiah and more. Those coming in include Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ben White and Nuno Tavares. Then there are those that Arsenal has been “linked” with: Miralem Pjanic, Renato Sanches, Manuel Locatelli, Houssem Aouar, Nahitan Nandez, Sam Johnstone, Neto, Yves Bissouma, Martin Odegaard and Philippe Coutinho.

As you can see this is complicated, full of rumors (true or false who knows) and can leave fans with a headache and confusion.

It’s not just the press, however. The “know it alls” and “experts” on social media are constantly fueling stories that may or may not have any validity.

Some big breaking Arsenal transfer news coming up on @PurelyFootball 🔴

Make sure you’re following!📲

— Arsenal News (@ArsenalGoaIs) July 20, 2021

Southampton star waiting for Manchester United or Manchester City interest

Southampton striker Danny Ings is reportedly waiting for transfer interest from Manchester United or Manchester City.

from Eyefootball: Football News

— yamini Bangde (@BangdeYamini) July 19, 2021

🚨JUST IN: Manchester City are considering the departure of Sterling, Mahrez, Silva and Laporte to accommodate new signings.

Via [🎖️]: @rsalmurri #FCB #MNC #Transfers

— Arpan Banerjee (@Arsenio_FCB) July 20, 2021

The definition of the Silly Season according to Wikipedia is as follows:

In the United Kingdom and in some other places, the silly season is the period lasting for a few summer months typified by the emergence of frivolous news stories in the media.

The bottom line is nothing is official until it is actually announced. If you want to follow along, all deals must be completed by August 31st.

Don’t worry though, come January it’s time for the Silly Season part 2 when the Winter Transfer Window opens.

When the game becomes secondary

Soccer fans watching last weekend’s European Championship were witness to an awful event. In the 43rd minute of the first half, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch. Players from both teams quickly summoned the medics as it was obvious that this was serious.

Luckily the medical staff and the players realized the severity of the situation and Eriksen was given CPR and oxygen on the field before being taken to the hospital. It was later revealed that the 29-year-old had suffered a cardiac arrest and could have died if he had not received immediate attention. The good news is that Eriksen survived. However, it’s unclear what would cause a young athlete in great physical shape to suddenly experience an attack such as this.

Unfortunately, the soccer world has seen this happen before. Lessons from the past may be the reason that Eriksen was saved.

A message from @ChrisEriksen8.
♥️🤍 pic.twitter.com/WDTHjqE94w

— DBU - En Del Af Noget Større (@DBUfodbold) June 15, 2021

• In a 2003 Confederations Cup match Cameroonian midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed in the second half. The medical staff tried to revive him and he was carried off on a stretcher to receive further treatment, Doctors tried for 45 minutes to resuscitate the 28-year-old with no success. He later died. His cause of death was determined to be hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

• During a 2007 match in La Liga, 22-year-old Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta collapsed on the pitch. He was able to walk off with the help of medical staff but collapsed again in the team’s dressing room. He was rushed to the hospital and died three days later from multiple organ failure after a prolonged cardiac arrest.

• In March 2012, midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during the first half of an FA Cup quarter-final match between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Muamba received immediate attention from medical personnel, including a fan in the stands who happened to be a cardiologist. He was later taken to the hospital where he survived and it was later revealed that he had been technically "dead" for 78 minutes before he was revived. He had to abandon his football career, but more importantly, his life was saved.

• Near the end of his football career, 30-year-old Cheik Tiote moved overseas to play in China’s League One. In June 2017, the Ivorian midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session. He was rushed to the hospital where he died.

• One of the saddest cases involved 20-year-old Dutch player Abdelhak Nouri. During a 2017 pre-season match, the Ajax player collapsed on the pitch in Austria. He was attended to by team doctors. Seven minutes later local medics arrived and connected a defibrillator. Nouri was taken to the hospital by a trauma helicopter, and his condition was announced as stable. Nouri was put in an induced coma and the first signs were positive. A few days later, however, further tests showed he had suffered serious brain damage. Nouri’s team, Ajax, later admitted that their medical treatment of Nouri was "inadequate".

  What all these incidents illustrate is that life is more valuable and important than a football match. Of course, we want our teams to win, but we also don’t want to see a life lost due to a game. It certainly puts things in perspective.