Soccer

Soccer

The 90-Minute Breakdown: Entering the home stretch

By Antonia Toro | April 16

Last week’s UCL quarter-final first-legs were full of surprises. Arsenal stunned Real Madrid 3–0 at home, with two incredible free-kick goals from Declan Rice (more on him later). Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa 3–1 in Paris, whileInter Milan edged Bayern Munich with an 88th-minute winner from Frattesi. Barcelona smashed Dortmund 4–0, and even with the second leg at Signal Iduna Park, a comeback was unlikely. Even though Dortmund triumphed 3–1 on Wednesday, Barcelona still progressed.

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Soccer

The 90-Minute Breakdown: Tournament competition intensifies

By Antonia Toro | April 2

Welcome back to the 90 Minute Breakdown! We’re entering the last stretch of the season, and the intensity is certainly present. GamesLast week ended with the highlight of the break: the South American clásico, Brazil vs. Argentina. Playing in Argentina without Messi, the reigning world champions delivered a masterclass, winning 4–1. Argentina’s goals came from Julián Álvarez (4’), Enzo Fernández (12’), Mac Allister (37’), and Giuliano Simeone (71’). Brazil's lone moment came with Cunha’s goal in the 26th minute. Rodrygo and Vinicius? Barely touched the ball. With the next World Cup just 435 days away, Argentina looks more dangerous than ever.

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Soccer

The 90-Minute Breakdown: International break blockbusters

By Antonia Toro | March 26

This week was all about the international break, as players left their club teams to represent their countries. In North America, the CONCACAF Nations League took center stage. Panama stunned the U.S. in the semifinal with a 90+4’ strike from Cecilio Waterman. The whole Panamanian squad celebrated on the sidelines—right next to an unsuspecting Thierry Henry. Easily the coolest moment of the tournament. In the final, Panama faced Mexico and fell 2–1 after a class performance from Raúl Jiménez and the rest of the Mexican squad.

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Soccer

The 90-Minute Breakdown: Standout performances and controversy

By Antonia Toro | March 5

Barcelona is reaping the rewards of La Masia once again. In their win over Real Sociedad, two of the four goals were assisted and scored by academy graduates. Dani Olmo provided two assists, while Gerard Martín and Marc Casadó netted their first-ever Barcelona goals. Instead of flashy celebrations, the team opted for a full-squad embrace — pure joy.

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Soccer

The 90-Minute Breakdown: The Champions League heats up

By Antonia Toro | February 26

Kylian Mbappé has officially arrived at Real Madrid. After a sluggish start, the Frenchman silenced any doubts with ahat-trick in Madrid’s emphatic 6–3 aggregate win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League playoffs. Greatness calls. Elsewhere in Europe, Paulo Dybala delivered a stunning strike in Roma’s tense 3–2 Europa League win over Porto, proving class is permanent. Meanwhile, Luka Modrić reminded the world why he’s still a magician, curling in a beauty against Girona — his first goal in what feels like forever.

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Soccer

The beautiful game of 1980

By Bharat Singh | February 25

If the modern football fan took a time machine to the year 1980, they’d notice a few similarities but a lot more differences. Arsenal, just as they did last weekend, lost to West Ham 1–0, only in a game with higher stakes, the FA CupFinal. Nottingham Forest won their second consecutive UEFA Champions League, then known as the European Cup, against Hamburger SV –– two finalists with contrasting current situations. Forest is third in the Premier League and dreaming of returning to Europe, whilst Hamburg is first in the 2. Bundesliga, Germany’s second division.

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Soccer

Tufts men’s soccer claims regular season NESCAC title

By Spencer Rosenbaum | November 1

The year was 2018, back when current Harvard Head Coach Josh Shapiro was at the helm for the Tufts. That season, program legends Ian Daly and Calvin Aroh were merely in their first and sophomore years, respectively. That was the last time the Jumbos were NESCAC regular season champions and the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC playoffs tournament. Now, a full six years later, on the backs of an undefeated regular season that saw the squad finish at 11–0–4 overall, the Jumbos will seek redemption and hope to make it beyond the tournament’s first weekend.

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Columns

The Final Whistle: David De Gea’s golden gloves

By Bharat Singh | October 18

A collective wave of groans echoed throughout the Stadio Artemio Franchi as the referee pointed to the spot. A quick passing combination had released Christian Pulisic into space as he darted towards goal. Despite losing his balance, the American was able to swiftly direct the ball towards Tijjani Reijnders before he was fouled by Luca Ranieri — penalty to A.C Milan. Fiorentina’s early graft for a 1–0 lead now seemed pointless as Theo Hernandez steadied himself at the spot.

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Soccer

Women’s soccer triumphant against the Bobcats

By Jack Chapleski | October 16

The Jumbos returned from a trip to Lewiston, Maine with a 3–1 win, improving their NESCAC record to 4–2–1. Tufts junior forward Elsi Aires and junior defender Lena Sugrue each scored a goal in the first half. First-year midfielder Sarah Hauck scored her second goal of the 2024 season late in the 79th minute.

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Columns

The Final Whistle: Karim Adeyemi, Dortmund’s latest wunderkind

By Bharat Singh | October 3

A combination of neat triangle passes deep into the Dortmund half was broken by the Celtic press, as Gregor Kobel launched a long ball forward. Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy was the first to react, steadying himself before gently caressing the soccer ball towards Julian Brandt with a deft touch. With runners on each side and a scrambling Celtic backline, Brandt threaded a pass into the path of Karim Adeyemi. Signal Iduna Park roared their star on as Adeyemi buried the ball beyond veteran goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. 2–1.

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Soccer

Women’s soccer falls to Wesleyan on the road

By Eliza Warren | October 2

Tufts women’s soccer stepped onto Jackson Field in Connecticut last weekend ready to take on Wesleyan University in their fifth NESCAC game of the season. Tufts came into the weekend with a 4–1–1 record, but, after a 2–0 win against No. 7 nationally ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday, they were feeling good about their upcoming games.

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Soccer

Merseyside welcomes Federico Chiesa

By Bharat Singh | September 19

The last noteworthy Italian to grace Anfield was Mario Balotelli. Enigmatic to say the least, widely remembered for his title-winning assist to Sergio Aguero for Manchester City Football Club and a scintillating 2012 UEFA European Football Championship campaign, Balotelli was a breath of fresh air for a stale Liverpool Football Club.

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Soccer

Tufts men’s soccer beats Williams with last-minute goal

By Tara Wirtschoreck | September 13

Tufts men’s soccer started NESCAC play with a 1–0 win against Williams College last weekend. The teams battled for nearly 87 minutes without a goal, but the scoreless streak was eventually broken by sophomore forward Xavier Canfin. While the Jumbos had many good shots on goal throughout the game, Canfin’s shot, assisted by graduate student midfielder Liam Gerkin and junior midfielder James Gunn, was the only one that found the back of the net.

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Soccer

The pride of Cúcuta: James Rodríguez

By Bharat Singh | July 14

La Maracanã is bouncing in full force. Pockets of blue are roaring in a sea of yellow and red as the flickering lights from a thousand lenses capture a duel for the ages. The Round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup. A South American classic: Uruguay vs. Colombia. Twenty-eight minutes in, a wayward clearance from the Uruguayan box was headed back toward 22-year-old James Rodríguez, who in one motion gently caressed the ball from his left shoulder onto his left foot before striking it toward goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. A shot that swallowed a stadium for a few seconds, a collective gasp as the ball kissed the underside of the crossbar. The net rattled, Muslera was beaten and a star was born. If the dictionary had pictures, the word “volley” would have this image next to it. Rodríguez had just scored the goal of the tournament. He went on to win theGolden Boot as the World Cup’s top scorer with six goals, despite Colombia falling short to host Brazil in the quarterfinals. For context, he had outscored Lionel Messi, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. and the two previous winners, Spain and Italy. Ten years after that magical Maracanã moment, James Rodríguez is one game away from lifting the Copa América.

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Features

Computer scientists take to the field in soccer league

By Arielle Flaherty | May 17

Cheers erupted from the teams lining the sides of the field. The Files of Kicks had just scored an equalizing goal, propelling their team into contention for the final game. It was April 30, 4:30 p.m. and there was an important soccer semifinal game taking place.

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Soccer

Football’s sickening reality of racism

By Bharat Singh | April 10

As 17-year-old Endrick danced under the picturesque Wembley floodlights, the world was given a taste of Brazil’s post-Neymar era. It was an exhibition of finesse and skill as the youngster broke the deadlock against a Bellingham-inspired England side. A historic friendly in a historic venue. For much of that weekend, Brazil’s script wrote itself with the help of its young stars until it was once again deeply scarred by football’s age-old, sickening reality of racism.

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Soccer

Danke Jürgen: The Liverpool love story

By Bharat Singh | February 8

“Messi mashed on Merseyside.” If Anfield had ever dreamt of hearing a sweeter line, that dream was unfolding tenfold. A corner of traveling Catalan fans were left speechless as a sea of red chanted on. Although Peter Drury is often lauded as the master of modern commentary, it was Darren Fletcher who uttered those words. And he hadn’t planned it.

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Soccer

The ‘Special One’ no more?

By Bharat Singh | January 26

From sprinting through the sprinklers at Camp Nou during the 2010 Champions League semifinals to conquering Pep Guardiola’s Messi-inspired Barcelona dynasty, José Mourinho has nearly done it all. The self-proclaimed “Special One,” who once entered his dressing room hidden in a laundry basket due to a stadium ban has come a long way from translating in press conferences and is regarded as one of the greatest managers ever.

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Soccer

Sixteen dreams for European glory

By Bharat Singh | December 11

Alejandro Garnacho might have scored the goal of the season against Everton, but the jitters from Argentina’s magical strike would soon fade on the back of a potentially season-defining draw in Turkey. Before Manchester United’s trip to Istanbul on Nov. 29, qualification for the knockout stage was in their hands.

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Soccer

Men’s soccer outlasts Colby, maintains strong conference positioning

By Spencer Rosenbaum | October 6

A squad as talented as the Tufts men’s soccer team naturally sets out to win its conference at the beginning of the season, and in the NESCAC, the best way to do that is to earn a high seed heading into the postseason. By doing this, a team optimizes its hopes of reaping a home field advantage during the playoffs since quarterfinals matches are hosted by the higher seed in each game and the semifinals and finals are hosted by the highest seed remaining in the tournament. 

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