ESPN Body Issue- Our Top Picks!

ESPN The Magazine annually posts an issue dedicated to none other than the beautiful, sculpted male and female athletes that kill the game, literally and physically. From all shapes and sizes, ESPN gets the up-close and personal view of some of our favorite athletes.

Here is my top 10!

Now go pick up a copy, read by the pool or use it as motivation to get that ass in the gym! (Uhm… Hello Paige Selenski, can I just have a few of your abs?! Hook a sista up!)

1. Kevin Love, F, Cleveland Cavaliers

Photo: ESPN Instagram

2. Odell Beckham Jr.,WR, New York Giants

Photo: ESPN Instagram

3. Ali Krieger, USWNT, Women’s World Cup Champion

Photo: ESPN Instagram

4. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

Photo: ESPN Instagram

5. Natalie Coughlin, US Women’s Swimmer, 6 time Olympic Medalist

Photo: Natalie Coughlin Instagram

6. Venus Williams, US Women’s Tennis player

Photo: ESPN “Bodies We Want”

7. Paige Selenski, US Women’s Field Hockey Player

Photo: ESPN “Bodies We Want”

8. Dallas Friday, US Women’s Wakeboarder

Photo: ESPN “Bodies We Want”

9. DeAndre Jordan, Center, Los Angeles Clippers

Photo: ESPN Instagram

10. Ali Raisman, US Women’s Gymnast

Photo: ESPN “Bodies We Want”

Well, I think I’m going to have to go do a spin class now and drink some green sh*t or something. Later!

– Morgan

 

Messi vs. Ronaldo- Who is the BEST?

Ah, the debate of all debates in soccer- Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the world’s greatest soccer players, but which one is the best?
This is a rivalry that may not be matched again! It is tough question to answer when both are scoring consecutively each game and breaking world records. So let’s compare and break it down…

Messi has scored 458 goals in his career and Ronaldo has scored 491 goals in his career. In 2014-2015, Messi has averaged a goal every 87 minutes, playing 5,060 minutes throughout all competitions.

Ronaldo has averaged a goal every 77 minutes, playing 4,689 minutes. Messi is the first soccer player ever to score consecutively against all teams in a professional league. Ronaldo is the first player to score in every minute of a game.

On the other hand, both Messi and Ronaldo are the only soccer players in the world to have scored 60+ goals in all competitions in two seasons. They have left their own individual stamp on soccer history.

In other words, if you hadn’t already noticed, they’re both beasts.

People will always have a view, however, I think Lionel Messi is the better player. There, I said it!

At 24, Messi is taking over soccer with his countless goals and untold skill. Messi has won the most coveted prize, the Ballon d’Or, on three consecutive occasions, while Ronaldo has only won it one time in 2008.

According to Football Speak, Messi has scored 50 goals from 194 shots in La Liga this season which gives him a 25% conversion rate. That’s one-in-four chances! Ronaldo has scored 45 goals from 247 shots which works out to be 18%. Plus, Messi has played in more minutes than Ronaldo has. He ranks fourth in most minutes played, while Ronaldo falls five spots lower at ninth.

Also, how can you forget the 73 goals Messi scored for Barcelona this season! Even one of Ronaldo’s teammates, Fernando Gago, agrees that Messi is the best as he states,

“For me, the best in the world is Messi because of the way he plays, moves with the ball and changes matches, Messi has incredible ability and I love the way that he plays.”

And that’s how the cookie crumbles folks…

But hey, don’t sweat it Ronaldo. If this were a debate on looks you’d be winning the gold! 😉

 

But seriously… Look at that face! 😍 (SWOON.)

-Briana

Winning Winnipeg! US Women’s Soccer Wins World Cup

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

That’s right! Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past couple days, you should know our USA women’s soccer team won the 2015 World Cup Sunday against Japan. And boy, oh boy, did we dominate! You see what I did there? It’s very clear that our women’s soccer program is much more successful than our mens soccer program. Even though their paycheck doesn’t seem to reflect that. (What’s up with that?!)

Since our guys couldn’t do it, our girls had to bear the duty of getting the World Cup Trophy and bring it home to America. Girls rule, boys drool… duh.

The game started hot and heavy when Carli Lloyd scored the first goal of the game, only three minutes into the game. This happened to be the quickest goal scored in a Women’s World Cup Final.

And she didn’t stop there. Lloyd proceeded to score two more goals: one in the fifth minute, and one in the 16th minute.

HELLO HAT-TRICK!

Damn girl, we like the way you work it.

In between Lloyd’s goals, Lauren Holiday scored a goal in the 14th minute. And just to top it off, Tobin Heath topped the game off with the final & fifth goal for the United States in the 54th minute. The women finished the final game of the World Cup with a 5-2 win over Japan.

And the post game festivities were definitely tear-worthy if you love this beautiful country as much as we do here at TCD. It could not have been better timing that our girls won the day after our Independence Day, July 4th. Alex Morgan kissing the Cup, Wambach holding the flag up behind her with pride  after playing in her last game… I just get chills thinking about it!

Talk about feeling proud to be an American. GOD BLESS THE USA! And God bless our fabulous US Women’s soccer team!

– Hailey

No, No Neymar! Suspended for Two More Games

Brazil will be without it’s most popular player (and captain) Neymar, for another two games.

Neymar was suspended for four games on June 17th following a 1-0 loss to Colombia. There were a couple things that led to his suspension.

1. Received a yellow card for a handball after a blocked attempt on goal

2. Kicked the ball at opponent Pablo Armero

3. Tried to headbutt opponent Jeison Murillo, receiving a red card

4. Supposedly verbally abused referee after the game heading into the dressing room tunnel

Well, I guess that will do it.

Neymar was originally suspended two games, until news broke about the verbal abuse. Brazil went on to play Venezuela and won 2-1. They then lost 4-3 to Paraguay thus knocking them out of the tournament.

This is important because with the loss, Neymar has only sat out two games. The other two games will carry over to the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign. 

What a loss for Brazil.

However, if you need Neymar back for a game, this match up with Argentina on November 17th would be the one. Hint, Hint: Messi.

Okay Neymar… Please keep your hands, feet, head and words to yourself. We want to see you on the field in November!

– Paige

There’s Little Hope for Hope… Off The Field

I have spent countless hours on a soccer field. All of the blood, sweat, and tears were absolutely worth it when we finally walked away with a state title (Yeah Bellevue Blast circa 2008!!! Shameless plug in, I am painfully embarrassing, I know.) While I have played just about every position you can on the field, being a goalie was always been the one position I refused to play. It terrified me.

Hope Solo makes it look so easy. Hope, on the field, you make it look like a piece of cake. You are a phenomenal soccer player (duh, you’re the goalie for the United States Women’s team) and an amazing goalkeeper. You rock it on the field. Girl, you are a bad ass!

But Hope, off the field, I straight up don’t like you. And don’t worry, it’s not just because you’re a Husky (although that is reason enough #gocougs). Blunt, I know. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Honestly though, have you NO respect for authority? I mean, I get being angry and upset, I do. But to throw insult after insult at officers who are merely doing their jobs and protecting the community? And to make inappropriate remarks, all while you’re in the wrong? Oh no honey, I don’t think so. As a woman I am disgusted that you would partake in such vicious actions, then claim to be a victim?! Girlfriend, you just ruined so much progress our society has made for women.

At this point, it wouldn’t be far fetched for the U.S. Soccer team (players and coaches alike) to assume Solo as simply a goalkeeper, and nothing more. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? Solo has quite the track record: in 2007 she was benched during a World Cup semifinal game for being critical of the coaching staff and her replacement (Brianna Scurry); in 2012 Solo took to Twitter to speak of her distaste that Brandy Chastain would criticize the United State’s defense; in 2014 Solo was charged with two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault with her SISTER and a 17-year old; and lastly, last January Solo was suspended for 30 days after her husband was arrested on the assumption of drunk driving behind a team van.

Of course being one of, it not the, best keepers in the game, the U.S. would not want to make the mistake of losing her. But is she worth all of the hassle? They say there’s no such thing as “bad publicity”, but is all the bad publicity for the United States really worth it? Tweet me your thoughts! @alexa_bordner

– Alexa