Barcelona and Juventus will play each other in the 2015 Champions League finals. Latin Post lists five big storylines you should be following before the big match.
Anytime that the idea of best player in the world is brought up the list starts and ends with two names - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When looking at 2014, picking the top player between Messi and Ronaldo seems like a futile and uninteresting task. So instead, Latin Post.com's David Salazar and Edwin Molina, as part of our Best of Soccer in 2014 feature series, are looking at players not named Ronaldo or Messi, who deserve some credit in 2014.
The soap opera that is sports always rivets for what takes place on the battle field. But often times the stories that take place far away from the pitch are just as unique and special. They make for some interesting conversation and add an element to the world of sports that moves into the social, political and economic realm.
This year featured a number of off-pitch events that continued to elevate the dynamics of soccer and add new elements that are rarely discussed. As part of our Best of 2014 feature series, writer David Salazar and Edwin Molina look at two off-pitch events that really brought the soccer conversation to a new level.
Uruguay turn to Edinson Cavani and Abel Hernandez as they look to make adjustments with Luis Suarez banned from playing in the 2015 Copa America tournament. Meanwhile, Chile is looking to stay unbeaten, with help from Alexis Sanchez who is having a career year, after their heartbreaking exit from the 2014 World Cup.
Real Madrid cut down Barcelona's lead in the La Liga standings, handing Barca their first loss of the season, as Uruguayan Luis Suarez made his debut, assisting Neymar for a goal after coming off his suspension for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup.
World Cup winners Germany were upset 2-0 on Saturday by Poland in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, giving Poland their first win over their neighbors in 18 previous games. Also, LA Galaxy's Robbie Keane scored a hat-trick for the Republic of Ireland against Gibraltar in their 7-0 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
While Uruguay's Luis Suarez finally apologized for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during their Group Stage game, the punishment does seem to fit the crime despite what Suarez's supporters - including Chiellini - may think of the nine-game and 4-month suspension of the polarizing 2013-2014 English Premier League (EPL) Player of the Year.
Uruguay has defeated Italy and advanced to the knockout Round of the 2014 World Cup. But in the 79th minute of play Luis Suarez takes a bite out of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini.
