Football Emotions

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy stands centered on a pedestal, with a blurred stadium background behind it, representing the prize in U.S. soccer’s oldest national competition.

And Now They Know...

A cold weeknight in Vermont. A hostile, beautiful little ground. A wall of green behind a team that didn’t blink for 120 minutes. And somewhere in the middle of it, a handful of us from the 914th Infantry, watching it all unfold and realizing this wasn’t going to be easy.

Randy Medina

3 days ago3 min read

A large coach bus labeled “914th Infantry” and “Westchester Soccer Club” drives along an open road at sunset. Graphics above show Vermont Green FC vs Westchester SC for the U.S. Open Cup at Virtue Field in Burlington, Vermont. A sign reads “Next Stop Burlington, VT,” with a “For the County” flag displayed.

This Is Why We Go: the U.S. Open Cup calls again

Tomorrow, Westchester SC walks into Vermont with something bigger than a fixture list attached to it. This is the U.S. Open Cup. And if you’ve been around this game long enough, you know that means something different.

Randy Medina

4 days ago2 min read

Split graphic showing Westchester SC players celebrating with the text “I hate stoppage time…” and Tottenham’s Richarlison celebrating with the text “I love stoppage time…”

The Curious Case of Stoppage Time: A Tragedy in Mount Vernon and Salvation at Anfield

Stoppage time is either a cruel injustice or a glorious gift from the footballing gods. The determining factor is not the laws of the game, the referee, or even the amount of time actually wasted. The determining factor is whether your team benefits from it.

The England Snob

Mar 163 min read