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Rory Smith
Posts
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A Premier League Love Story Has Heartbreak Ahead
Luton Town’s rise to the world’s richest soccer league proves England’s fabled merit system still works. What happens next may show that it does not.
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Spain Beats Netherlands to Reach First World Cup Semifinal
Salma Paralluelo’s goal in extra time delivered a victory over the Netherlands and a date with the Japan-Sweden winner.
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A Tiny Gap Reveals a Yawning One for the U.S. Women’s Team
The idea that the United States was eliminated from the Women’s World Cup by a millimeter is an illusion. Denying that will only guarantee more...
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At the World Cup, the Field Thins and the Contenders Expand
After 48 games, half of the teams have been sent home. And yet it feels as if the field of potential winners is bigger than...
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Spain’s Team Went to War. At the World Cup, It Has to Win the Peace.
A failed rebellion against Coach Jorge Vilda ended with a dozen players dropped for the Women’s World Cup. Those who remain might be good enough...
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The Gaps Get Smaller as the World Cup Gets Larger
Expanding the Women’s World Cup was a good idea. Just not for the reasons FIFA thinks.
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Lionel Messi
The Argentine star’s signing is seen as a way to push soccer into the American mainstream. But it’s already there.
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ACL Injuries Are Hurting Women’s Soccer
The World Cup is missing some of the sport’s biggest stars because of a knee injury epidemic. No one can say for sure why it’s...
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Women’s World Cup Contenders
As the Women’s World Cup has expanded, so, too, has the group of nations with the firm belief that they can win it.
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Andriy Shevchenko and Ukraine Wait for a Tomorrow They Can’t See
Soccer is not a priority in Ukraine, nor should it be. But the country’s greatest player says it still has a vital role to play...