New England Revolution, it was announced on Tuesday, Sept. 19 that the club was relieving Jay Heaps of his managerial duties.

This was mainly due to the poor performance of the team for the majority of the season.

Assistant Coach Tom Soehn will take over as interim head coach for the last five games of the 2017 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.

After an abysmal away trip to play Atlanta United and Sporting Kansas City respectively, the New England Revolution decided to part ways with Heaps after the team was outscored 10-1 in both games.

The Revolution lost 7-0 against Atlanta United and 3-1 against Sporting Kansas City.

The General Manager of the New England Revolution Mike Burns said in a MLS club statement, “Jay has done a great deal for the club over the years and had considerable achievements. I have great respect for him and wish him well in the next steps of his career. This decision has not been taken lightly, however, we need to do better than the results have shown from the last couple of seasons and this season left us convinced we need to go in a different direction.”

Despite the team looking great on paper, with superstars like Lee Nguyen, Kei Kamara, Juan Agudelo, and recently acquired Krisztián Németh, the team just did not perform as well as they were expected to.

Perhaps Heap’s most memorable moment was when he guided the team to a MLS Cup final in 2014, where the Revolution unfortunately lost 2-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Ever since then, the team has not been able to replicate that form.

The fans were skeptical at first when the Revolution hired Jay Heaps back in 2011, considering he was a former Revolution player and he had little managerial experience.

Even though fans have not been too happy with the way he has conducted the team this season, it’s hard to deny that he did great things for the club.

As for Tom Soehn, it will be interesting to see how he conducts the team during these last five games of the 2017 MLS Season.

They won’t be able to make the playoffs, as they currently sit in eighth place with 32 points in the Eastern Conference.

But things are starting to look up as they defeated Eastern Conference leaders Toronto FC 2-1.

The Revolution do have a tough schedule, as they face Orlando City FC away on Sept. 27, then play Atlanta United three days later at home.

We will just have to wait and see how Stoehn carries this team through the last games of the 2017 MLS season.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

Why You Should Care About Qarabağ FK

On Sept. 12, Chelsea FC played their first Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champion’s League group match of the 2017-18 season against Qarabağ FK.

Many Chelsea fans like myself had never heard of this team before, but as fans, we were excited to see our club back in the Champion’s League.

Chelsea defeated the Azerbaijani team 6-0, with new boys Davide Zappacosta and Tiemoue Bakayoko both scoring.

After missing out on Champion’s League football last season, Chelsea is looking to make a comeback this year.

Even though Chelsea won comfortably, that was not the biggest story coming out of Stamford Bridge that night.

Qarabağ FK are the first team from Azerbaijan to ever qualify for the Champion’s League.

They were founded in 1956, and were founding members of the Premyer Liqa, or the Azerbaijan Premier League when it was founded in 1992.

The club is originally from the city of Agdam, however the area was heavily bombarded during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, forcing the residents of Agdam to evacuate.

Unfortunately, the city of Agdam became a ghost town shortly after.

Armenia occupied the city of Agdam and seized their stadium, forcing Qarabağ FK to move east to the capital of Azerbaijan: Baku.

Even before they moved to Baku, Qarabağ FK still played in their home stadium despite the war going on.

Qualifying for the Champion’s League group stages is a huge deal for not only the club, but the fans as well.

Despite the loss on Tuesday, Qarabag fans consider this a win, as these games allow them to tell the story of their club from a war-torn country.

Even their manager Gurban Gurbanov, a legend of the Azerbaijan National team and a three time winner of the Azerbaijani league, was quoted saying in the post match conference, “Unfortunately Qarabağ’s land is occupied by Armenian forces. This makes us stronger and inspires me to lead for Azerbaijan.”

Compared to the other clubs in Group C (Chelsea FC, Atlético Madrid and AS Roma), Qarabağ FK are a significantly smaller club than the rest.

So it’s very unlikely that they will progress past the group stage.

But with that being said, progressing past the group stage does not seem to be their primary goal.

It seems that the goal of Qarabağ FK fans is to tell the incredible and positive story of a small club from Azerbaijan.

Qualifying for the Champion’s League group stages for the first time in the club’s history is the crowning achievement.

Despite the tough loss against Chelsea, this team is a good example of how smaller clubs use tournaments like these to share their story.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

With the World Cup 2018 qualifiers in full swing, the 2018 World Cup is getting closer and closer.

Eight teams have already qualified: Mexico, Belgium, Russia, Brazil, Iran, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. With several teams still looking to qualify, one country in particular is gaining media attention with their potential Cinderella story.

After a 2-2 draw with Iran on Sept. 5, Syria is nearing closer and closer to qualifying for their first ever World Cup.

This is a very big deal for Syria, as this could potentially mean their first appearance ever in a World Cup. Before the 2-2 draw against Iran, Syria beat Qatar 3-1, ensuring that Qatar would not qualify and that Syria got the crucial three points they needed.

Even though Iran has already qualified, Syria is playing with everything they have for their country.

But even before this, Syria almost did not have a full roster.

The team is forced to play their games away from home due to conflicts, and political divisions almost stopped some players from participating at all.

Some players refused to play as protest to the awful action of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime.

Stadiums in Malaysia have graciously offered the team a place to play while a small group of loyal fans do what they can to travel and support the team.

Despite these odds, the team has prevailed and are so close to clenching World Cup qualification.

This team has overcome six years of civil war and political unrest, so qualifying for this tournament could help resolve problems and help promote peace in the country. The team is currently third in the Asia qualifying group A and is tied on 13 points with Uzbekistan.

This now means that Syria will have to play Australia in a playoff match in order to qualify for next year’s tournament in Russia, and then play a Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONFACAF) side in a two-legged tie to solidify a place at the World Cup.

Knowing what the beautiful game can do for people if Syria does qualify, I hope it helps end or at least cease some of the political unrest that is happening in the country.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

With the summer transfer window coming to a close, teams all across Europe have strengthened their squads, bought new players and offloaded players to other teams as well.

This transfer window was gained much attention when French club Paris Saint Germain bought Brazilian winger Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior for a record 222 million euros, which prompted UEFA (The Union of European Football Association) to investigate the club for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

The FFP was enacted in 2011 to control how much teams could spend on players.

Basically, teams with bigger budgets were limited in what they could spend as it was unfair to smaller teams with smaller budgets.

That way, smaller teams could have a better chance to bring in the same players even though they didn’t have as big of a spending budget.

It was also put in place to help clubs to not accumulate debt and/or help pay off debts.

Paris Saint Germain have been known to be big spenders, but after spending a record breaking 222 million euros on Neymar, it raised a lot of controversy.

This move broke the previous record for the most amount paid for any player, which previously was held by English club Manchester United when they paid 105 million euros for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

Shortly after this, the French Club then secured Monaco wonder kid Kylian Mbappé on loan for 180 million euros.

This poses a huge problem for teams and the transfer market as it makes it harder for other teams in the league to compete with them.

This price tag also changes the way teams value players too.

If Neymar is worth 222 million euros and Mbappé is supposedly worth 180 million euros, how much is someone such as Philippe Coutinho, Eden Hazard or Marco Asensio worth? Because of this, transfer bigger clubs will put bigger price tags on players even if they’re not necessarily worth that amount.

But Paris Saint Germain aren’t the only clubs to be under investigation by UEFA.

Italian club AC Milan have come under investigation after spending 210 million euros on new players this transfer window.

AC Milan have struggled in the past years to replicate the form the had about 10 years back, and now under new ownership, they could spend the money they needed to bring in new players to strengthen the squad.

The Italian club brought in the likes of defender Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus, midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu from Bayer Leverkusen, defender Ricardo Rodríguez from VFL Wolfsburg, and many more.

Even though they have strengthened their squad, UEFA is investigating the club as this spending could be breaching FFP guidelines.

Paris Saint Germain and AC Milan are not the only clubs to have been investigated by UEFA for breaching FFP guidelines.

In the past, teams like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid of Spain and Manchester City FC of England have been punished for overspending and breaking UEFA and FFP guidelines.

UEFA needs to crack down and make sure that these clubs, backed by wealthy owners from Qatar to China, don’t overspend and ruin the transfer market.

This makes it so smaller teams have a harder time competing with the bigger clubs, and it sometimes makes it more difficult for clubs with debts to pay it off.

The more rich clubs like Paris Saint Germain and Manchester City overspend, it shows that UEFA are okay with clubs breaking guidelines and changing how clubs value players.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

Preparing to study away causes a roller coaster of emotions.

When you get accepted, you’re on cloud nine and absolutely can’t wait to arrive at your destination.

But then it comes to down to planning the entire trip, and that’s where it becomes exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.

It’s an absolute privilege to be able to study away in Australia this summer, as I’m incredibly excited to learn everything I can in a place that I never thought I would be able to go to.

I will be studying photography at the University of La Trobe in Mildura, Victoria.

But preparing to study away is not as easy as it seems. It requires filling out lots of paperwork, applying for visas, booking flights, budgeting, etc.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

There’s so much more that goes into the preparation for the trip, and ironically, I’ll only be there for three weeks.

There comes a point where your excitement slowly starts to turn into nervousness, as I want to make sure I have everything figured out.

And even for a short trip, preparation can be a little stressful.

Things like budget, living accommodations, food and other things are a bit worrying to me.

Even things like the vast time difference and travel are very worrying.

I’ve never flown alone or traveled alone before, so this is going to be a massive learning experience for me.

This will also be the longest I’ve ever been on my own and I’m obviously very excited, but also a little nervous.

Overall, I’m incredibly excited for this trip and I can’t wait to experience something new and different every day.

I feel so humbled that I get to have this experience and I know it’s going to be amazing.

But for now, it’s just a matter of sitting down and making sure I’m prepared for everything.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

TSG Hoffenheim have made club history as they have secured a place in the Champion’s League qualifier for the first time ever.

James Wichert/ Contributed photo

What’s even more incredible is that they have the youngest ever manager in the Bundesliga (Germany’s top flight division), Julien Nagelsmann, who is only 29 years old.

With only three games left to play in this season, Hoffenheim are coming off their best season ever in the history of the club.

On Sunday, they played Eintracht Frankfurt, winning 1-0 after a last minute goal by Benjamin Huebner.

This win propelled them to 3rd place, placing them one point above Borussia Dortmund who were held to a 0-0 draw to Cologne.

If Hoffenheim secure 3rd place in the Bundesliga table, they will secure a spot in the Champion’s league group stage.

If they end up in 4th place, they will have to play a series of qualifiers to secure a spot in the Champion’s league.

What Julian Nagelsmann has done for Hoffenheim in such a short amount of time is incredible.

The appointment of Nagelsmann has proven to be the club’s best decision so far. Nagelsmann took over as manager in February 2016 when then manager Huub Stevens stepped down for health reasons.

At that point, at the age of 28, Nagelsmann had not even earned his coaching credentials from the German Football Federation (DFB).

But in the last few months of the 2015-2016 Bundesliga season, he saved the side from relegation.

Now, with three games left in the 2016-2017 Bundesliga season, Hoffenheim are enjoying their best season ever. The win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday means their unbeaten streak is now up to 16 games.

This also meant that they would earn more than 55 points in one season, beating a previous club record from the 2008-2009 Bundesliga season. Earlier this year, Julian Nagelsmann was rightfully named the DFB manager of the year for 2016.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

On April 24th, the Boston Breakers played their first home game of the 2017 NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) season.

After a 3-0 loss to FC Kansas City away, the Breakers were looking to looking to win on their home turf against Sky Blue FC. This was not going to be an easy game, as Sky Blue FC had players like Kelly O’Hara and Christie Pearce.

So on sunny day at Jordan Field, the Breakers won 1-0 against Sky Blue FC, with the team fighting until the 90th minute.

Several players stepped up, including Rose Lavelle, Natasha Dowie, and goalkeeper Abby Smith. The first and only goal came in the 37th minute of the game when Lavelle delivered a pass through the Sky Blue defence to find Natasha Dowie, who calmly put it past Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan. This was Dowie’s first goal of the season and Lavelle’s first career assist.

Rose Lavelle caused the Sky Blue midfield and defence with her technicality on the ball, making her almost impossible to be stopped. Lavelle is hoping to make a good first impression in the NWSL, and so far it looks like she is living up to expectations.

Rookie Margaret Purce almost made it 2-0 in the 66th minute of the game, getting the ball past veteran defender Christie Pearce, but her shot rattled off the crossbar.

This game showed a glimpse of what the Breaker’s season could look like, with plenty of young players who are eager to prove their talent. And with plenty of determined strikers in the squad, the team looks to terrorize NWSL defences this year.

Goalkeeper Abby Smith had a great game as well. She earned a shutout by making 4 saves throughout the game, with her best save coming in the 23rd minute, denying a point-blank header by Sky Blue FC and U.S. Women’s National Team forward Kelly O’Hara.

Even though the team conceded 3 goals against FC Kansas City, the Breaker’s defence looks to be tidying up things in the back.

Overall, it was a great performance from the Breakers.

The team looks to accomplish big things this season, as they have not had a lot of success in the past. With many young, eager players like Rose Lavelle and Morgan Andrews, the Breakers look to make a run for the NWSL title this year and put the unmemorable years behind them.

As long as their strike force keeps scoring and their defence remains solid, the Boston Breakers could have a really good chance of doing very well in the 2017 NWSL season.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

On Monday, April 10, the United States Soccer Federation, along with Canada and Mexico, made the historic announcement that they would make a joint bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. If accepted, this would be the first time that a World Cup would be joint-hosted since Korea/Japan 2002. It would be the first time three nations would host the World Cup and the first time the United States would host the World Cup since 1994.

This is a huge moment for not only for the United States, but Mexico and Canada too. If the bid is accepted, it would be the first time since 1986 that Mexico has hosted World Cup  matches and the first time that Canada would host a men’s World cup since hosting the women’s World Cup back in 2015. This would also mean that Canada would participate in a World Cup for the first time since 1986. U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati even tweeted that he has the full support from President Trump on this bid, despite his past relationship’s with Mexico.

Both Mexico and Canada were both very supportive of this decision. During the reveal event, the president of the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (Mexican Football Federation) said, “For the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, and the entire Mexican soccer family, it is a source of pride to be candidates, along with the United States and Canada, to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026,” according to the Major League Soccer website. President of the Canadian Soccer Federation Victor Montagliani added, “We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration with fellow CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) member associations, U.S. Soccer and Federación Mexicana de Fútbol under the FIFA Council principles for joint bids and to continue our tradition of hosting record-breaking international events.”

If the bid is accepted, these three nations plan on bringing the world cup back to North America with big spectacle. It would help strengthen the legitimacy of American soccer and even help put Canadian soccer on the map. This news received tremendous reactions, with the majority of people in North America rejoicing. Most fans are happy that a World Cup might be in North America again and close to home. Other fans were concerned about the amount of travel and FIFA’s corrupt past. But to that, I say you have to travel for every World Cup, no matter where you are and I don’t blame people for being skeptical of FIFA.

Overall, if this bid is accepted, it will be a monumental decision for North America and CONCACAF. It could help these countries economically and help legitimize these countries as legitimate soccer countries. In my opinion, I’m in full support of this bid. I hope this bid can be accepted and I can experience a World Cup in my home country.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

The United States women’s national team ended their two-leg series against Russia this past week with two wins and a very strong glimpse of the future.

The U.S. won the first game 4-0 and the second game 5-1, showing their dominance.

It seems as if the team’s subpar performance in the She Believes Cup last month has really invigorated and motivated the players to produce better results.

But from these two games arose the main talking point: the future of the United States women’s national team looks incredibly strong.

Rose Lavelle was one of the few players that really stood out. She dominated the attack and played phenomenally in both games, even scoring her first international goal against Russia.

The team’s second game against Russia on Sunday was Lavelle’s third straight start for the team and it looks like she has cemented her place in the starting line up for the United States women’s national team. Since Lavelle’s debut against England in the She Believes Cup, she looks like one of the best young prospects of the team.

Another young player who’s been gaining positive notoriety is 18-year-old attacker Mal Pugh. The University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) striker has seriously impressed and shown incredible talent since her debut on Jan. 23 against the Republic of Ireland.

She also made history when she became the youngest player to ever make her debut at 17 years, eight months and 25 days, breaking Heather O’Reilly’s debut in 2002. In 20 appearances for the United States women’s national team, Pugh has four goals and nine assists, which shows her incredible ability even at such a young age.

Another player to make her international debut was Megan Oyster. After impressing with the Washington Spirit and the Boston Breakers, Oyster finally got a call up to the national team and made her debut on April 6 against Russia, coming on as a substitute for Kelley O’Hara in the 68th minute. With the addition of Oyster to the national team squad, USA’s defense looks incredibly solid.

Oyster provides yet another option for the back line and her performances over the past few years show it.

Overall, the future of the United States women’s national team looks very exciting. With several young and upcoming players making their debuts, the team looks to make a huge statement in the World Cup in 2019.

For fans, all these players bring more excitement to the game and more role models to look up to.

And with the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) starting in a week, fans are looking forward to these player’s performances at the club level.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com