As soon as David Beckham announced his retirement, some soccer commentators started saying he was never much of a player. Bill Littlefield disagrees.

Much to the chagrin of England soccer fans, it looks like a pair of German clubs will meet at London’s Wembley Stadium for Champions League final. ESPN’s Roger Bennett joins Bill Littlefield to provide an update on happenings across the pond.

Ahead of a World Cup qualifying game, we revisit the last match between the U.S. and Mexico. Sportswriter Andrew Powell was there, and says the friendly–soccer’s term for a match without consequences–wasn’t as friendly as it was meant to be.

The Sporting Statues Project has compiled a database of baseball statues throughout the United States. Dr. Chris Stride joins Bill Littlefield to discuss the project.

What do Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo have in common? Bill Littlefield shares a connection that spans generations.

Major League Soccer’s regular season opens this weekend. Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl joins Bill Littlefield to discuss whether or not the defending champion L.A. Galaxy, or the league itself, will be any good without what’s-his-name.

The European Union’s police agency says 680 soccer matches that took place in Europe, Africa, Asia, South and Central America may have been fixed. ESPN’s Roger Bennett joins Bill Littlefield to discuss the scandal.

In Argentina, boys are given soccer balls on their first birthdays and men play the game with their friends after work. But women are generally excluded from the fun, and women’s soccer is never shown on television. In Buenos Aires, Eilís O’Neill met up with some women who’ve decided it’s time for things to change.

The National Women’s Soccer League has announced the allocation of the national team players to the eight teams scheduled to begin play in the spring. Bill Littlefield rooted for the league’s two predecessors, and he’s trying to figure out how he should feel about the next incarnation of the women’s pro game.

For a brief time earlier this month, F.C. Barcelona star Lionel Messi was widely celebrated for scoring his 86th goal of the calendar year, breaking a record set by German Gerd Mueller in 1972. But, in recent weeks those voices have gotten quieter. Bill Littlefield turns to ESPN’s Roger Bennett to find out what happened.