washington spirit ownership

How The Embarrassing Feud Within the Washington Spirit Organization is Actually a Huge Win For All NWSL Players

There’s been a long and publicly drawn out battle occurring within the Washington Spirit organization. Amidst accusations of abusive behavior and a toxic club culture, this is a situation the National Women's...

The Biggest Hurdle in This Year’s World Cup for the USMNT ‘Golden Generation’ is Their Youth

The level of excitement around the United States men's national team has reached a fever pitch now that it is going back to the World Cup for the first...
carlos vela mls dp rule

LAFC’s Carlos Vela is a Prime Example of Why the Designated Player Rule is Broken

The MLS Designated Player Rule allows clubs the ability to sign expensive players without exceeding the team salary budget. First introduced in 2007, the same year as the original...
columbus crew rebrand

The Columbus Crew Rebrand Fiasco Exposes the Disconnect Between MLS Owners and the Common Fan

After unveiling a new crest and changing its name from “Columbus Crew SC” to “Columbus SC,” there was an outpouring of negative reaction from the club's vocal supporters. A...

Corruption, Exploitation, and Death: The Dark Road to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

The controversy began from the onset when Qatar was announced as winning the right to host the 2022 World Cup. In December 2010, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter made the...
diego maradona hand of god kit

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...
pay to play

Pay-to-Play Critics Have No Defense For These Undeniable Truths

The pay-to-play model is the commonly accepted punching bag that is usually cited as the primary reason for what is wrong with U.S. Soccer. But is that really the...
la galaxy boycott

The LA Galaxy Boycott Has Begun to Unravel and Fold — What Happens Next?

After enduring a decade of on-field failures and tumultuous leadership under Chris Klein's presidency, five LA Galaxy supporters’ groups released a joint statement of their intention to boycott matches...

Racial Abuse is Still Prevalent in Football, But Public Outrage is Lacking When Perpetrated Against Asian Footballers

Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Hwang Hee-chan is one of two South Korean players in the Premier League, along with Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur. Last year in August, the Wanderers...
anonymous mailbag

Anonymous Mailbag No. 5: The Suarez-Brady Connection and Zlatan vs. LeBron

Here is our latest 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...
messi goat

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...
usl cba

USL Players Are Set to Receive Higher Pay, But How Does it Compare Against the Underground Scene of Latino Leagues?

The USL and its players association reached an agreement in principle on a collective bargaining agreement for the second-division USL Championship. It is being touted as a landmark achievement...

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Virtue Signaling Cost Coca-Cola $4 Billion While Exposing His Own Hypocrisy

During a Euro 2020 press conference on Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo purposefully moved two strategically placed Coca-Cola bottles out of view. He then picked up a water bottle and set...
lionel messi ballon dor

Lionel Messi’s Eighth Ballon d’Or Will Finally Catapult MLS Onto the World Stage

There have been a few defining moments during the 29-year history of MLS. Development of soccer-specific stadiums, implementation of the designated player rule to facilitate the signing of David...
crypto.com arena

The Crypto.com Arena Deal Shows How Much the Business of Soccer Still Lags in the US

It was recently announced that LA's iconic Staples Center would be getting a new name in time for Christmas: Crypto.com Arena. The 20-year agreement, thought to be the biggest naming...
pay to play

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...
chris klein la galaxy

Klein is Finally Out – So What Now for LA Galaxy?

The LA Galaxy finally announced the firing of president Chris Klein on Tuesday. Amid a disastrous 2-9-3 start that had them sitting in last place in the MLS table,...

Championship-or-Bust Expectations Led to the Downfall of Bob Bradley

In a big city like Los Angeles, with its siren-like call of glitzy Hollywood and seductive promises that seem just within reach, it has always been championship or bust...
lionel messi barcelona

Lionel Messi’s Historic Run at Barcelona is Over…But Who is to Blame and Where Can He Go?

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta made the shock announcement that negotiations to keep Lionel Messi at the club had ended. Expressing that...
mls usl

Are the USL and MLS Headed Towards an Ugly Divorce?

Major League Soccer recently announced the official launch of its third division league, MLS Next Pro. Set to begin play with 21 teams in March of 2022, 20 of...