World Cup Wrap: 19-year-old French star Kylian Mbappe revealed this week that he played the last two games of the World Cup with three displaced vertebrae. “It was essential not to alert our opponents, otherwise they could have taken advantage of that and targeted this sensitive area,” he told France Football magazine. He scored a goal in the final, was named young player of the tournament, and largely ran circles around defenders throughout both games; too bad we couldn’t see him at his best.
Just a couple of weeks after the World Cup ended, the European leagues are already deep into their preseasons (and even early rounds of Champions League play). There’s a decent number of games on TV most days, both the U.S.-based International Champions Cup, and regular friendlies in Europe.
Like baseball, U.S. soccer has passed the halfway point in the long seasons: In MLS, Austin’s own(?) Columbus Crew is in good position to host a playoff game, but they’re bottom of the league in average attendance, down 27% from last year. In USL, San Antonio FC lies just outside the playoff zone with a few games in hand; attendance is seventh in the 33-team league; MLS-bound Cincinnati and Nashville rank 1-3.
This article appears in July 27 • 2018.