The Black Hole at Left Back

That’s not a badass nickname for the our newest defender. It’s the USMNT’s biggest biggest problem, and we’ve been trying to solve it for decades.

Soft-Core Soccer

The World at Their Feet: Official Film of the 1970 World Cup

World Cup Across America: Seattle

The city celebrates an unofficial civic holiday when the U.S. plays in the World Cup

Story and Photograph by Phil West

What FIFA Gets Right

In a tournament filled with dual-national players, FIFA’s lax guidelines provide the proper framework

World Cup Across America: Chicago

Portugal’s equalizer killed the party suddenly and absolutely — as though the power had gone out in the middle of the headliner’s biggest hit

A Technicolor Dream

GOAL! documents the world cup that brought England out of black and white

Spectacle and Counter-Spectacle

Watching the shadow World Cup

Dear Mrs. Suárez

A note from little Luis Suárez’s kindergarten teacher

How to Beat Portugal: A Blueprint from 2002

In 2002, an upstart American team shocked a dominant Portuguese side with a transcendent star. Sound familiar?

Our Dreaded Midfield

Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones once seemed mutually exclusive, but their partnership might be the key for the U.S. in Brazil