MLS's Identity Crisis Has a Trophy Case Now
Toluca now holds both continental trophies MLS clubs used to win, the same week a joke about MLS teams larping as Euro clubs or NFL teams went viral.
Lionel Messi
Inter Miami
43articles·Soccer, NBA, Culture
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Messi Retires From Argentina. He'd Already Won.
Messi is done with Argentina at 125 goals and six World Cups -- and the numbers already settled the argument before he ever wrote the letter.
Messi Just Scored Four Goals in One MLS Game
Lionel Messi scored four goals in one MLS match for the first time ever, turning a slim halftime lead into a 7-1 rout of CF Montreal that was over by the break.
MLS's New Playoff Plan Sounds Like Aussie Rules
MLS is reportedly weighing a 20-team single table with an Aussie-rules-style double-chance bracket for 2027-28, and the league won't say it's not happening.
Messi Pointed to the Sky. Then Clipped a Teenager.
Messi scored his first goal since his father died and pointed to the sky. Then he clipped a 16-year-old in the head, and MLS has to rule on it.
Messi's Own Words Said More Than the Scoreline Did
Messi buried his father this week, then sat on Inter Miami's bench days later. His Instagram post about 'serious doubts' matters more than the loss.
Messi's Leagues Cup Scoring Record Took One Half
Messi hadn't scored since Argentina's World Cup final. He needed just one half to fix that and become the Leagues Cup's all-time leading scorer.
Rodri Won the Golden Ball With Zero Goals
Rodri won the World Cup Golden Ball with zero goals and zero assists. Messi had 8 goals and 4 assists and still lost. Fans are not okay with this.
Messi's Last World Cup Ended in Near-Silence
Messi finished his likely last World Cup with 54 touches and one shot in over two hours. It wasn't a last stand. It was silence, and that's the real story.
Watch Messi. It Might Be the Last Time.
Messi said he's 'really very tired.' Adidas named his boots 'The Last Tango.' The kid he bathed in 2007 is now guarding him. Watch this one.
Mbappe Took the Record. Messi Plays Tonight.
Mbappe broke Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record Saturday with his 22nd goal. Now Messi gets to answer — tonight, in the Final, in New Jersey, at 39.
KD Is Incapable of Letting Anything Go
Kevin Durant walked past Messi at Fanatics Fest, the internet lost its mind, and KD did the most KD thing possible. This man cannot let anything go.
The Photo That Predicted the World Cup Final
In 2007, a 20-year-old Messi bathed a 6-month-old baby in a UNICEF photoshoot. That baby was Lamine Yamal. They play for the World Cup on Sunday. I can't.
Argentina's Four-Comeback Pattern: Clutch or Structure?
Argentina won four straight knockout games from behind. That isn't luck — it's a structural late-game advantage Scaloni spent years building.
Messi at 39 Is Playing His Last World Cup Chapter
Messi at 39 has eight goals, four comeback wins, and one shot at MetLife on Sunday. Win or lose, we're watching the end of something that won't come again.
The World Cup Final Is Two Theories of Winning
Half of Argentina's goals at this World Cup have come after the 75th minute. Spain conceded once in seven games. Sunday's final is a philosophy fight.
The Baby in the Bathtub Is Playing in the World Cup Final
In December 2007, a 20-year-old Lionel Messi held a 5-month-old Lamine Yamal at a charity shoot. On July 19, they meet in the World Cup Final.
Argentina Has Been Here Before. England Hasn't.
England is the structured favorite. Argentina has won ugly three times already. Before the 3PM ET kickoff in Atlanta, here's why the odds might be wrong.
The Golden Boot Number Nobody's Talking About
Messi and Mbappé are tied on 8 goals. Mbappé leads the Golden Boot by one assist. Here's what the data says about the race going into the semis.
Argentina Beat Switzerland. The Score Lies.
Argentina needed extra time to beat a 10-man Switzerland side. The 3-1 scoreline looks clean. The match was not. What the quarterfinal actually revealed.
England vs. Argentina Is the Most Mythologically Loaded Semifinal in History
England haven't been to a World Cup Final since 1966. No team has won back-to-back since 1962 — Messi is trying to be the first. Wednesday in Atlanta.
Argentina vs Switzerland World Cup 2026: Can Lautaro Finally Show Up?
Argentina faces Switzerland tonight at 9 PM ET and I'm not confident. Messi has 8 goals. Lautaro has 1. Switzerland doesn't give away cheap wins. Something has to give.
Haaland and Messi: The World Cup Handoff Is Now
Haaland, 25, outscored Messi, Mbappe, and Ronaldo combined in debut World Cups. Messi is 39 and still leading the Golden Boot. This semifinal writes itself.
Egypt's Coach Said Argentina's Win Was Rigged
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan called Argentina's World Cup win rigged, and honestly? The VAR call was bad enough that I kind of want to hear him out.
The 2026 World Cup Golden Boot Race Is Breaking My Brain
Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland just created the most insane Golden Boot race in World Cup history — and the quarterfinals are about to destroy at least one of them.
Messi Missed Two Penalties. Argentina Still Won.
Messi missed two penalties at the same World Cup — no player has ever done that. Argentina still beat Egypt. Both things are true and neither cancels the other.
Messi Trolled His Own Affair Rumors on Camera
After Argentina beat Cape Verde, Messi found Sofi Martinez in the mixed zone and joked about the affair rumors. Antonela had already texted her.
Mbappé, Messi, and the Most Loaded Number in Soccer
Kylian Mbappé has 18 World Cup goals, one behind Lionel Messi's all-time record of 19. Tonight vs. Paraguay, the most loaded number in soccer is on the line.
Haaland Is Chasing Messi for the Golden Boot
Haaland scored in the 86th minute to send Norway through. He now trails Messi by one goal in the Golden Boot race. The best subplot at this World Cup.
The World Cup's Parallel Media Empire
Georgina Rodriguez has 73 million Instagram followers. Antonela Roccuzzo has 40 million. Both are at the World Cup, and neither needs the score to matter.
Messi Scores 6 World Cup Goals at 39. I've Watched the Free Kick Eleven Times.
Messi came off the bench at 39 and scored his 6th World Cup goal of 2026 — a free kick that made history. Nick DeLuca has watched it eleven times and counting.
The World Cup WAGs Are Running Their Own Tournament
Georgina Rodriguez and Antonela Roccuzzo turned the 2026 World Cup into a content empire of their own. That's not a criticism — that's the WAG economy at work.
Messi Just Broke Both World Cup Records
Eighteen goals. Klose gone. Marta gone. The data on what Messi is doing at 38 doesn't fit any frame built for this tournament — so I built one.
The Golden Boot Race Is the Best Story at the 2026 World Cup
Haaland has 4 World Cup goals in 2 games. Messi has 5. The 2026 Golden Boot race is at a historic pace — and Haaland meets Mbappe on Friday.
Messi Missed a Penalty. Then He Rewrote History.
Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the 9th minute. Then he scored twice and broke Klose's 12-year record. I've watched sports my whole life. I've never watched anything like this.
The 2026 World Cup WAG Power Rankings You Didn't Ask For
Antonela got 4.4M likes poolside while Messi tied Klose. Georgina has a cathedral wedding. The 2026 World Cup WAG power rankings you didn't know you needed.
Ronaldo Nazario Just Ended the GOAT Debate
Messi tied the all-time World Cup goals record with a hat trick at 38. Then the original Ronaldo said it's time to accept Messi is the greatest ever.
The Messi-Ronaldo Quarterfinal Is Real and the World Is Not Ready
Messi hat-trick tied Klose's all-time record on his 200th cap. Portugal is still alive. The Messi-Ronaldo World Cup quarterfinal 2026 debate is no longer a what-if.
Messi Tied the Record. The Framework Is Broken.
Messi's World Cup hat trick at 38 doesn't just tie Klose's record — it exposes every aging model that said he'd be fading by now. The framework was always wrong.
Haaland Scores Twice, Calls Messi a Madman
Haaland scored twice on Norway's first World Cup appearance since 1998, then watched Messi drop a hat trick and had exactly four words to say about it.
At 38, Messi Just Tied the Most Sacred Record in Soccer
Messi scored a hat-trick in his 200th cap to tie Klose's all-time World Cup goals record at 16. And he's still got four matches to break it.
Messi vs. Ronaldo 2026 World Cup: Argentina and Portugal Are on a Collision Course
Argentina and Portugal are on opposite sides of a World Cup bracket that could deliver the most anticipated match in 15 years. The math is there. So is the dread.
Georgina and Antonela Are the Real World Cup Stars
Georgina Rodriguez has 73M followers and a Netflix series. Antonela has stood beside Messi for his entire career. The World Cup starts tomorrow.