Naked Truth
Boom or Bust: Gareth Bale and LAFC’s Desperate Moment of Truth
Gareth Bale's relationship with Real Madrid and its fans may have been doomed from the start. While his €100 million ($132 million) transfer from Tottenham in 2013 made him...
Naked Truth
FC Barcelona Ditching Luis Suarez is a Disastrous Repeat of the Tom Brady Situation
Luis Suarez’s acrimonious departure from FC Barcelona to Atlético Madrid this past September is eerily reminiscent to what happened with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. While Brady’s move resulted...
Naked Truth
Why I Don’t Think The European Super League Did Anything Patently Wrong
On April 18, 2021 the football world's foundations shook as 12 of the most famous football clubs announced that they were breaking away from UEFA competitions in order to...
Naked Truth
A 40-Year-Old Feud, a $5 Million Sports Rooster, and How the Unpredictable Diego Maradona Tied Them All Together
It’s serendipitously fitting in so many ways that as Diego Maradona’s infamous "Hand of God" World Cup kit goes to auction, it is accompanied by claims of falsehood and...
Naked Truth
Why Promotion and Relegation is Overrated and a Closed System is Far Superior
The sentimental idea behind promotion and relegation seems fair, good-natured, and based upon a system of meritocracy. In practice, this is a complete fallacy and the stark reality is...
Naked Truth
Started From The Wire Now We’re Creed: Is MLS Finally Past Being “Corny?”
While making an appearance for the premiere of Creed III, actor-director Michael B. Jordan had a rather interesting interaction on the red carpet with The Morning Hustle host Lore'l....
Naked Truth
LA Galaxy Supporters Are United in Their Boycott — But Will It Ultimately Work?
The news that Chris Klein would return for an 11th season as president of the LA Galaxy was quietly announced on a Thursday evening in a two-sentence statement to...
Naked Truth
Inter Miami Brazenly Cheated MLS Rules…But Was It So Wrong?
MLS first introduced the designated player rule in 2007 in order to give clubs more flexibility to sign lucrative deals with marquee players. It was informally called the David...
Naked Truth
Allowing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Leave Has Been MLS’ Worst Mistake
Prior to his arrival there were months of tabloid speculation. Although the league had moved away from the practice of signing aging stars past their prime, rumors of Zlatan...
Naked Truth
With a Triumphant World Cup Victory at Last, Lionel Messi Makes a Convincing Case for Being the GOAT
The otherworldy achievements by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been so effective in surpassing everyone else that throughout their careers, for better or worse, their names have been...
Naked Truth
The Hidden, Ugly Side of Youth Soccer, Part 2: Nightmare Parents, Feeble Leadership, and Dirty Politics
The fast-paced world of club soccer isn’t just about shuttling kids to practices, cheering them on at games, and traveling to high profile tournaments on weekends. Spurred on by...
Naked Truth
Will Kyrie Irving’s COVID-19 Vaccine Stance Affect MLS and Other Major Sports?
Kyrie Irving, NBA star of the Brooklyn Nets, has been indefinitely barred from playing or practicing with the team as a result of his decision to not get the...
Naked Truth
The Murky Partnership Between US Soccer and MLS is Finally Coming to an End
The United States Soccer Federation announced that it would be parting ways with MLS-owned Soccer United Marketing (SUM) and not renewing their commercial rights agreement. The nearly 20-year partnership...
Anonymous Mailbag
Anonymous Mailbag: The Pay-to-Play Debate
We had a lot of comments come in from readers in regards to my most recent article Pay-to-Play is Good for Soccer and the Harshest Critics are Hypocrites. There...
Naked Truth
Transforming Sky Blue FC into Gotham FC: An Insider’s Deep Dive Into the Rebrand
What motivates a sports franchise to rebrand and essentially perform a complete identity overhaul? Making radical changes to its name, logo, and image is a major undertaking, but one...
Naked Truth
How Nike Used LeBron James, Serena Williams and Drake to Snatch Liverpool Away from New Balance
Liverpool F.C. made international headlines when they announced in January 2020 that they were moving on from New Balance to sign a new partnership deal with Nike beginning in...
Anonymous Mailbag
Anonymous Mailbag No. 2: Twitter Wars and Youth Soccer Ethics
Welcome to the Urban Pitch Anonymous Mailbag, where we answer your unfiltered questions and replies to our stories or any particular issues and topics in soccer and culture today.
These...
Naked Truth
Pay-to-Play is Good for Soccer and the Harshest Critics are Hypocrites
The pay-to-play model is probably one of the most maligned and yet vastly misunderstood and mischaracterized topics regarding soccer in America today. It is often described as being detrimental...
Naked Truth
The Key Takeaways From the Kylian Mbappe Saga
It's Officially the Kylian Mbappe Era
We've known for quite a while now that Mbappe was the heir apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. There was a brief moment...
Naked Truth
Why 2022 is a Make-or-Break Year for Both LAFC and Carlos Vela
In February, LAFC unveiled their "Five Years Strong" slogan to kick off their 2022 MLS season. While intended to signify a milestone in their short history, a five-year mark...
