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Before you ask, no Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez did not get called into the Argentina World Cup squad. And yes, it is an enormous snub. La Albiceleste will try to help Lionel Messi bring the trophy that has eluded him home to Catalonia Argentina without the help of LGP, a military junta, or la mano de D10S.
Argentina's preliminary list of 35 players for the World Cup is out. Lautaro, Icardi and Centurion in. pic.twitter.com/6QIVK6pBIj
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) May 14, 2018
Of course, while he may not suit up for the national team for the World Cup final, LGP will be playing soccer as Atlanta United hosts the Seattle Sounders on Fox after the match.
Joining him will be both Julian Gressel and Kevin Kratz who were left off of the German World Cup squad.
Here it is! The provisional #DieMannschaft squad for the 2018 #WorldCup! #ZSMMN pic.twitter.com/7HxNQaeU8s
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) May 15, 2018
There’s no way Kratz isn’t the best free kick taker in the Western Hemisphere at the moment and he won’t even get a chance to take one in the tournament, they are really going to miss him against Mexico.
Anyway, onto the Dirt...
Domestic
If you are a visual learner, perhaps the spreadsheet that the MLS Players Association released to discuss their roster valuation didn’t exactly paint a picture as to how Atlanta spends their money. Luckily, Steve Fenn put together this handy infographic for you to enjoy. Atlanta United really isn’t doing bad for a mid-market spender.
Visual guide to 2018 @MLS Salaries, including a look at the evolving tiers of MLS wages 2007-present, with the option to shift the main chart to any single season:https://t.co/yxvRxXjNzA pic.twitter.com/kwmQmhJRW6
— Ⓢⓣⓔⓥⓔ Ⓕⓔⓝⓝ (@StatHunting) May 15, 2018
Edgar Davids hammered home the golden spike on Wednesday night, but he also met with Waka Flocka Flame and sat down with an interview with him on Dugout. The interview is revealing not only about Davids, but about Waka Flocka Flame’s soccer fandom as well. Also, if Tata needs a no. 6 for a game, Davids looks like he rolls out of the rack and knocks out about 1000 burpees a day so I think he could be offered a short term contract.
Hope Solo is one of the most brilliant and divisive players ever to wear the Stars and Stripes. She will be featured on Gimlet’s awesome podcast We Came To Win today but our friends over at Sounder at Heart had a preview of what to expect from her episode.
International
Every sad Arsenal fan is sad, but they really have nothing compared to the quarter-century of futility that Olympique Marseille has endured. Bein Sports has a look at the scandals and fall from grace that the club pushed through since winning the first Champions League title in 1991. Marseille has a chance to win a major trophy as they face Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final this afternoon.
Speaking of managers and World Cup heroes, Diego Maradona has a new job...
Having just left Fujairah, Diego Maradona already has a new job - president AND manager (supposedly) of Belarusian club Dinamo Brest pic.twitter.com/VmW1ZqUo1m
— Peter Coates (@golazoargentino) May 15, 2018
Well it seems to be on everyone’s mind today, so let’s just talk more about the World Cup. Before he was given the Landon Donovan treatment by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006, Oliver Kann was a superb goalkeeper for Germany. He even had a standout game when Torstin Frings handled a ball to help knock the US out of the 2002 World Cup - but here’s his story told in a more fulsome and less glib way.
Here’s the goal from Aston Villa vs. Middlesbrough from Tuesday
Villa will face Fulham for the biggest cliche in soccer as one team will be promoted to the Premier League for next season.
You should get excited about
The Queen movie...