For Spain, a World Cup Title Built on Talent, Not Harmony
To win a World Cup, everything usually has to be perfect. The manager and the players have to exist in…
Author: Rory Smith
For Spain and England, a Swift Rise Is Also a Warning
Not long after he had taken up his post as president of the Spanish soccer federation, Luis Rubiales called a…
Wanted: Female Athletes. Multiple Vacancies.
Brooke Walker spent that first night watching as much Australian rules football as she could. She did the same the…
A Dream Ending for England, a Dream Denied for Australia
The noise was giddy, and gleeful, and just a little bit wild, as if the 75,000 fans who had packed…
Australia’s Matildas Unite a Nation and Crack the Code Wars
That figure does not include those who streamed it online or the vast crowds that gathered in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide…
Spain, Getting Last Word, Reaches First World Cup Final
The clock started ticking as soon as Rebecka Blomqvist’s shot, crafted with considerable calm and poise given the circumstances, swept…
For Sweden, the Right Way to Play Is the One That Wins
Peter Gerhardsson’s plans for Monday evening sounded blissful. He had set some time aside for a swim. He would have…
Australia Outlasts France on Penalties, and the Host Nation Exhales
By the time it was over — three frazzling, agonizing, exhausting hours later — the feeling around the Brisbane Stadium…
A Premier League Love Story Has Heartbreak Ahead
Within a few days of Luton Town’s promotion to the Premier League in May, the construction crews were moving in…
Spain Goes the Distance to Reach Its First Women’s World Cup Semifinal
Salma Paralluelo might not have chosen soccer. It was not her only option, certainly. A 19-year-old Spain striker, Paralluelo was…
A Tiny Gap Reveals a Yawning One for the U.S. Women’s Team
Even in the highest-resolution image, examined up close, there was not so much as a discernible sliver of daylight. The…
Spain’s Team Went to War. Now It Has to Win the Peace.
A couple of days before Spain’s first genuine test of this World Cup — an encounter with Japan in Wellington,…
At the World Cup, the Field Thins and the Contenders Expand
There are a few things that can be known for certain. Canada, the Olympic champion, will not add a Women’s…
The Gaps Get Smaller as the World Cup Gets Larger
Given where the journey had started and where it had led, it was no wonder that watching the Philippines win…