Jezebel: Soccer

I Get Thigh With a Little Help From My Friends

Doug Barry — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:30:00 EST

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie of Arsenal celebrate after scoring their second goal of the match during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers at Emirates Stadium on February 4, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images) More »

Yoga Saves US Women's Soccer Team From Shooting Rampage and Starbucks Trip

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST

The US Women's Olympic soccer team was saved from a shooting in the Vancouver hotel where they were staying by a well-timed yoga session. Unfortunately, the shooting interfered with the team's plans to go to Starbucks. Can't win 'em all. More »

Hey, My Thighs Are Up Here

Doug Barry — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:15:00 EST

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 15: Jerrad Tyson of United dives on the ball during the round 15 A-League match between Gold Coast United and the Wellington Phoenix at Skilled Park on January 15, 2012 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images) More »

Wave Your Thighs In The Air If You Just Don't Care

Cassie Murdoch — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:35:00 EST

ROME, ITALY - DECEMBER 18: Libor Kozak of SS Lazio reacts during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on December 18, 2011 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images) More »

The Fight To Save Women's Soccer

Anna North — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:50:00 EST

Women's Pro Soccer has lost one of its teams, and now it could lose its sanctioning as a professional league. But players are fighting to keep the league alive. More »

Iran Condemns Two Soccer Players For Celebratory Butt Squeeze

Seth Abramovitch — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:40:00 EDT

The Iranian football federation has scrutinized controversial footage of Persepolis defender Mohammed Nosrati (below, left) squeezing teammate Sheis Rezaei's (right) firm buttocks following a goal during the Persian Gulf Cup, and ruled that the two players be fined $40,000 each and "banned indefinitely from all football activities for committing immoral acts." More »

Turkish Soccer Team Plays For Only Women And Children

Anna North — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:20:00 EDT

Officials in Istanbul had planned to hold a soccer game in an empty stadium as punishment for ill-behaved fans, who wouldn't be allowed to attend the match. But then they decided to admit women and children only, and the game went off without incident. Now authorities want to give away more free tickets to ladies and kids as a way of keeping violence down — but anyone who thinks moms and their children are always peaceable hasn't seen this family. More »

Referees Hate It When You Talk About Their Genitals

Anna North — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:40:00 EDT

Soccer referees are supposed to penalize players who curse at them. But they don't always — and a new study shows they're more likely to crack down on certain swear words than others. More »

North Korean Women's Soccer Team All Hepped Up On Deer Hormones

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 13:53:05 EDT

The North Korean women's national soccer team has been banned from competition in the 2015 Women's World Cup after five members of the team tested positive for performance enhancing drugs derived from the musk hormones of deer. Musk is a smelly brownish secretion that male deer rub all over trees and other inanimate objects in an attempt to attract a mate. The ladydeer go nuts for it. Think Axe Body Spray commercial, but in the forest. More »

Reporter Asks Pro Soccer Player To Autograph Her Bare Ass

Whitney Jefferson — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:50:00 EDT

What happens when Costa Rican supermodel-turned-reporter Viviana Sánchez interviews soccer player Wilson Munoz after the game? Pretty much the exact same thing I imagine happening if I ever run into Ryan Gosling on the street. In other words, nothing but class. More »

Hope Solo "Hints" That She'll Pose Nude

Anna North — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 18:45:00 EDT

So apparently star goalie Hope Solo "hinted on her twitter account on Tuesday that she will pose naked in the famed "Body Issue" of ESPN The Magazine." Her "hint": "Being naked outside is very liberating....atleast I hope it will be @ESPN and @ESPNMAG!!! GAMETIME BABY! Ball up!" Yeah, subtle. More »

Colombian National Soccer Coach Sorry For Punching Female Fan In The Face

Irin Carmon — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:35:42 EDT

Colombia is an uproar over news that its national soccer coach, Hernán Darío Gómez, known as El Bolillo, punched a female fan in the face late on Saturday. As of this morning, he has lost his position as Colombia's head coach for the next World Cup. More »

What Products Should The Ladies Of The Women's Soccer Team Endorse?

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:20:00 EDT

Professional athletes and huge ad campaigns go hand-in-hand. From sneakers to sports drinks to credit cards to cars, sports stars with fans often become advertising stars with a following. Although the U.S. soccer team lost to Japan in the World Cup Finals, some of the players — Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan — could be breakout stars with sponsorship potential. More »

Abby Wambach Loves Her Headers, Brain Damage Be Damned

Whitney Jefferson — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:48:00 EDT

US Women's Soccer team leaders Hope Solo and Abby Wambach appeared on the Late Show couches last night and certainly held their own against Dave's snarky line of questioning. When asked about the possible brain damage heading a soccer ball could lead to, Wambach coyly replied, "I'm sorry, what?" and used Megan Rapino's goal by-way-of-forehead as the perfect example as to why "being dumber for that moment is okay." More »

Japan Defeats US in Nail Biting Shootout

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:29:48 EDT

Have you been paying attention to the Women's World Cup? Hope you have a cardiologist on speed dial, because this entire tournament has been a nerve (and heart) destroyer. Here are some highlights from today's seesaw match between the US and Japan. More »

What Japan's Women's World Cup Team Means For The Country

Irin Carmon — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:18:00 EDT

Okay, here's a silver lining if the U.S. doesn't win the Women's World Cup finals on Sunday: Japan could use all the happy news it can get after this year's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster. More »

Abby Wambach: "It's Our Time. It's Gonna Be Awesome."

Whitney Jefferson — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:35:00 EDT

Team USA's Lauren Cheney and Abby Wambach spoke to Good Morning America about yesterday's big 3-1 win over France. More importantly, they're prepping for Sunday's final against Japan, a team against which our ladies are undefeated. Not that that matters, as Wambach rightly points out. More »

US Women Headed To World Cup Final

Jessica Coen — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:10:00 EDT

Boom. That's the sound of the U.S. women defeating France, 3-1. Check out the highlights. NB: Abby Wambach really is the shit. Actually, they all are. More »

Why Women Don't Fake It on the Field

Erin Gloria Ryan — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:46:00 EDT

Detractors of female soccer argue that the women's game isn't as interesting for spectators as the men's because men are bigger and stronger. When you watch a men's team play, you'll see more athleticism! More manly muscles! More grunting and five o'clock shadow and questionable tattoos! But there's another, less desirable trait that male soccer players exhibit with much greater frequency than female soccer players- the practice of "flopping." More »

The Winner Of The Gender Equality World Cup Is…

Mark Leon Goldberg — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:50:00 EDT

After two weeks of round robin play, the FIFA Women's World Cup is entering the semi-finals. More »

The Many Shades of Soccer Celebration

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EDT

The US women's soccer team just defeated a favored Brazil to advance to the next round of play in the Women's World Cup in Germany in a nailbiter of a game that was finally resolved with a shootout. More »

Meet Marta, The Star Of The Women's World Cup

Anna North — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EDT

Marta Vieira da Silva, also known simply as Marta, is probably the Women's World Cup's biggest star. Let's learn a little more about the athlete sometimes called "Pele in a skirt." More »

Women's World Cup Thighlight Spectacular

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:30:00 EDT

Last year's men's World Cup drew the world's attention to South Africa, but men aren't the only ones who can kick balls and turn heads with their soccer prowess. More »

Ladies Love Rock-Climbers, Hate Golfers

Anna North — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:40:00 EDT

Climbers rejoice — a survey found that women deemed their sport the sexiest among a list of options. Golfers, however, are out of luck. More »

Kick of the Spider Woman

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Berlin, June 26: A fan wearing a colourful dress wait for the beginning of the group A match between Germany and Canada at the Women's Soccer World Cup. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) More »

The Female Athletes Who Are Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't

Ramona Emerson — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:05:00 EDT

In the past month, religious women have been prevented from participating in soccer, basketball, and weightlifting — all because their faith dictates they cover their heads, necks, arms, legs, or some combination thereof. If three makes a trend, then it looks like we're on the way to seeing an unofficial consensus from athletics organizations about whether devoutly religious women can play sports at all. More »

Life's a Pitch

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:16:00 EDT

Porto, Portugal, May 8: FC Porto's Radamel Falcao, from Colombia,heads the ball past Pacos de Ferreira's Wanderson 'Baiano' Carneiro from Brazil in a Portuguese League soccer match at the Dragao Stadium. (Image via AP) More »

Soccer Fans Fly Charlie Sheen Banner

Anna North — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:45:00 EDT

A San Jose Earthquakes fan group called the 1906 Ultras hoisted this banner during a recent game, quoting Charlie Sheen and depicting him pushing two women (presumably the "goddesses," though the hair color is wrong) toward his crotch. The banner is tasteless, especially if, as I suspect, the "goddesses" are wearing jerseys of Earthquakes rivals (the one on the right looks a lot like a Galaxy jersey). Can any eagle-eyed soccer fans confirm this? More »

International Kickers Play Hard

Jessica Coen — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EDT

Carmarthen, Wales, April 2: The national U-19 teams from Germany and Turkey took to the field yesterdayWomen's U-19 International Friendly. From left to right, you've got Nicole Rosler (G) and Elif Deniz (T); Jennifer Cramer (G); Gulbin Hiz (T) and Isabella Schmidt (G). Germany won 2-0, but these are ones to watch, all around. More »

Shirts Off To Soccer

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:42:00 EDT

Rome, March 13: AS Roma forward Francesco Totti celebrates after scoring his second goal during the Serie A soccer match between AS Roma and Lazio. Roma captain Francesco Totti scored twice in a 2-0 derby win over Lazio, Roma's fifth consecutive win over its city rival. More »

The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 17:26:00 EST

Florence, IT, March 6: Fiorentina's Alberto Gilardino, right, is hugged by teammate Riccardo Montolivo after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Catania. More »

Ab Fab

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 16:35:00 EST

Parma, Italy, Feb 6: Parma's Carvalho Amauri celebrates after scoring a goal during their Serie A soccer match against Fiorentina. More »

Saturday Thighlights: Join The Huddle

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:45:00 EST

Barcelona, Feb 5: FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi from Argentina, second right, reacts after scoring against Atletico Madrid during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium.

Sexist Sportscasters Are Welcome At Al Jazeera

Anna North — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:16:00 EST

Andy Gray and Richard Keys the sportscasters who were taped making offensive comments about a female line official, may get new jobs with Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, the line official still can't do her job because of the controversy. More »

Sportscaster Who Insulted Female Ref Continues To Be Awful, Is Fired

Anna North — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:16:00 EST

Sportscaster Andy Gray, who drew criticism for his disparaging comments about a female line official, has now been fired. The final straw was sexist behavior toward a coworker. More »

Female Refs Won't Cure Soccer's Ills

Anna North — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:25:00 EST

A female line official is causing one British football commentator to opine that all such officials should be women. The reasoning is interesting, but (mostly) wrongheaded. More »

British Soccer Commentators' Sexist Diatribe Caught On Tape

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST

Yesterday two male announcers launched tag team on-air screed against female involvement in the English Premiere League. If it's fair to assume that ladies don't understand sports, is it also fair to assume men don't understand microphones? More »

Philadelphia-Area Soccer Fans Displeased With New Team Jerseys

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 11:55:00 EST

Their new jerseys advertise the fact that Philadelphia's Major League Soccer team is now sponsored by Mexican baking giant Bimbo. I predict that Philadelphia Union jerseys will be popular hategifts this Valentine's Day. Send it to someone dumb! More »

Sunday Afternoon Thighlights: Viva La Bromance

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:20:00 EST

Porto, Portugal, Jan 16: FC Porto's Givanildo 'Hulk' Souza from Brazil, celebrates with Radamel Falcao, on top, from Colombia after scoring his team's second goal against Naval in a Portuguese League soccer match at the Dragao Stadium. (Image via AP)

Eye And Foot On The Ball

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 14:05:00 EST

Bari, Italy, January 9: Bari's Stefano Okaka, left, and Bologna's Matteo Rubin fight for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Bari and Bologna. (AP) More »