Oscar returns to São Paulo, District Press on Bluesky, and more: Kwanzaa/Boxing Day Freedom Kicks
Hello everyone, and a Joyous Kwanzaa to you all. Today is the first of seven days of Kwanzaa, so Umoja (unity) to you all. It’s also Boxing Day, which means for EPL fans a loaded day of Boxing Day soccer! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy start to the eight days of Hanukkah…let us know in the comments if you got any cool soccer-related gifts. Because of the holidays, this will be a short set of links, so here we go:
Ex-Chelsea star Oscar confirms return to Brazil’s São Paulo (ESPN)
The former Chelsea star is returning to his roots, signing with boyhood club São Paulo.
For those of you who are on Bluesky, you can now follow us over there!!
Do footballers train on Christmas day? (BBC)
It’s a nice look at whether soccer players abroad train on Christmas Day and of course, what they’d rather be doing.
The NFL games on Netflix may have happened with relatively few issues, but Netflix securing the Women’s World Cup TV rights has a lot of people concerned. I get to speak with my man Ryan Rosenblatt about how the deal could affect the growth of the women’s game and whether some of the concerns people have can be fixed in time.
McKennie: USMNT players at big clubs lacking urgency (PSW)
USMNT players who are at big clubs, according to Wes McKennie, need to increase the urgency with how they play and get better.
From red to green: Syria seek united future on pitch after Assad era ends (The Guardian)
Syria is once again in turmoil, but their national team hopes to be the unifying symbol as they enter a new era politically.
Enjoy the day, y’all!
https://worldsoccertalk.com/amp/news/fifa-introduces-new-regulation-that-will-completely-transform-the-upcoming-winter-transfer-market/
The lawyers are about to make bank!
Strange how guys from multiple generations of players are saying some version of what McKennie is saying. It’s not really the same “ugh young lazy Americans don’t care” BS that Lalas and his ilk spew. It’s not even uniquely American. England and perhaps Germany (and maybe even Brazil?!) have dealt with their squad lacking the x-factor for a long time too.