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Defector

Ray Ratto

Soccer

Portugal Belongs To Cristiano Ronaldo For A Little Bit Longer

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump on the red carpet prior the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw

Border Security Theatrics Are Rising At History’s Stupidest World Cup

Billy Haisley

Bilal El Khannouss of Morocco celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammate Achraf Hakimi during the international friendly match between Morocco and Paraguay.

Forget A Generation, Morocco Is Simply Golden

Luis Paez-Pumar

Teammates of Netherland celebrate the teams own goal from Mert Müldür of Türkiye to the 2:1 on the top of the grape Virgil van Dijk of Netherlands during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between Netherlands and Türkiye at Olympiastadion on July 6, 2024 in Berlin, Germany

The Netherlands Has To Get Over The Hump At Some Point, Right?

Aaron Timms

A big inflatable soccer ball fills with air at the houston world cup fan zone.

The World Cup For Nobody Is Almost Here

David Roth

Senegal Men's Soccer Team centre-forward Nicolas Jackson (11) defends as United States Men's National Soccer Team defender Tyler Adams (4) works the ball during a FIFA soccer match between Senegal and the USA on May 31, 2026.

Podcasts

The Dutch Style Of Pickup Soccer And A Dog Named Jeff, With Leander Schaerlaeckens

Patrick Redford

Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne pictured during a training session of Belgian national soccer team.

Belgium’s Old Dogs Are Back For One Last Trick

Florian Wirtz of Germany runs with the ball during the international friendly match between Germany and Ghana at MHP Arena on March 30, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Germany Just Wants To Be Germany Again

Tom Ley

FIFA Will No Longer Allow Fans To Bring Water Into World Cup Stadiums

Luka Modric of Croatia controls the ball during the international friendly match between Brazil and Croatia at Camping World Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.

Croatia Is Ready To Keep The Good Times Rolling

Raul Jimenez of Mexico celebrates after scoring a penalti during an international friendly match between Mexico and Paraguay.

Mexico Can’t Let This Chance Slip By

Colombia's forward #07 Luis Diaz shoots during a friendly football match between Colombia and France at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on March 29, 2026.

Colombia’s Almost Too Old For This Shit

Sadio Mane and Pape Thiaw hold the AFCON trophy

Senegal’s Bringing A Good Team And Some Nasty Vibes To The World Cup

The USMNT Is Still Stuck In The Middle

Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected after missing the team's fifth penalty in the penalty shoot out, as players of Paris Saint-Germain celebrate victory in the UEFA Champions League Final 2026 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal FC at Puskas Arena on May 30, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary.

Well, That Stunk

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<div>Abigail Segel is a contributing writer at Defector. She is also an editor for The IX Soccer and the Equalizer. Her work has been published in the Guardian and the Montreal Gazette.</div>
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Abigail Segel

Janine Sonis of the Denver Summit FC celebrateds her second goal of the second half against the Orlando Pride with teammates Kaleigh Kurtz and Eva Gaetino.

The Denver Summit May Not Be Good, But They Sure Are Fun

FC Barcelona players toss Alexia Putellas in the air at the end of the match between FC Barcelona Femeni and Real Sociedad Femenino.

Barcelona Wins The Crown But Loses The Queen

LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - MAY 19: (L-R) William Saliba and Riccardo celebrate Arsenal winning the Premier League after watching AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City at Sobha Realty Training Centre on May 19, 2026 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Winning Justifies Itself

Mocking Southampton fans in camouflage ghillie suits after their side was accused of spying on a Middlesbrough training session before the Sky Bet Championship Play Off Semi Final Second Leg match between Southampton and Middlesbrough at St Mary's Stadium on May 12, 2026 in Southampton, England.

Saints Frog-Marched Out Of Playoff Final As Punishment For Spying

A bookie at the Brighton races studies the field.

Southampton In Hot Water Over World’s Most Conspicuous Spygate


<p>Leander Schaerlaeckens is a long-time soccer writer, currently contributing to <i>The Guardian </i>and elsewhere. He is the author of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/722130/the-long-game-by-leander-schaerlaeckens/"><i>The Long Game: U.S. Men&#8217;s Soccer and its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts</i></a>. He teaches journalism and sports communication at Marist University. He will cover his fourth World Cup in 2026.</p>


A photo of the author Leander Schaerlaeckens taken by Asha Fuller.

Leander Schaerlaeckens

USA COACH VELIBOR MILUTINOVIC SALUTES THE CROWD AFTER THEIR 2-1 VICTORY OVER COLOMBIA.

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

When Team USA Needed To Get World Cup Ready, It Needed Boraball

Federico Valverde #8 and Aurelien Tchouameni #14 of Real Madrid C.F. react following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semi-final match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid CF at MetLife Stadium on July 09, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The ONLY Thing More BROKEN Than Real Madrid’s TEAM SPIRIT Is News Aggregators’ CAPS LOCK BUTTON

Gianni Infantino: We’re Just Here To Extract Wealth From You American Hogs

World Cup Tallies Another Human Rights Abuse

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Semi Final Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Atletico de Madrid at Arsenal Stadium on May 05, 2026 in London, England.