Cautiously Optimistic Since 2007
He may not have been the most heralded transfer in club history, but the minute Angeliño stepped onto the pitch in March 2024, his value was clear: he was fast, direct, and aggressive. Combined with his low center of gravity, those traits made the Spanish wing-back a nuisance to opponents and an asset to Roma’s […]
Hump Day is upon us, and, at least by World Cup standards, it’s shaping up to be an incredibly busy day. After two rounds of play, Groups A, B, and C reach their crescendos today with three pairs of concurrent matches. With locales as far-flung as Guadalupe, Vancouver, and Atlanta, this is likely the busiest […]
While most of our Financial Fair Play-related stressors have revolved around the futures of key players like Manu Koné, Evan Ndicka, and Matías Soulé, we may need to add a new name to that list. Neil El Aynaoui may have had an up-and-down debut season with Roma, but his talent was never in question. Now, […]
Groups K and L take center stage on Day 13 of the 2026 World Cup. With fixtures in all three host nations and a handful of household names in action, Tuesday promises to be another exciting day. Harry Kane and the Three Lions of England can secure a spot in the Round of 32 with […]
Week three of the World Cup begins today, with Groups I and J taking center stage. With global icons like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland in action, Monday could be a day to remember. And better than that, we have a Group J six-pointer, as Argentina and Austria go head-to-head with a spot […]
As we discussed several weeks ago, Roma’s pursuit of Marseille forward Mason Greenwood is fraught with problems. From the moral and ethical quandaries that arise from signing a player with his arrest record to the sheer cost of the transfer, this was always a dicey proposition. While the club itself doesn’t appear to have a […]
Day 10 of the 2026 World Cup saw a pair of lopsided scores, with the Netherlands and Japan taking Sweden and Tunisia behind the woodshed by a combined 9-1 scoreline. Incredibly, despite the 5-0 win over the Swedes, Roma’s Dutch forward Donyell Malen didn’t have a hand in any of the goals, taking only 12 […]
While the Roma rumor mill continues to spin in its tracks, the 2026 World Cup marches on! With some nations already booking a spot in the Round of 32 (that still sounds weird), early favorites like France and Argentina, and surprising upstarts like the United States are already plotting their paths to the final on […]
If there’s one immutable law of football, it’s that transfer rumors somehow become both more plentiful and less believable during major international tournaments. The World Cup may be football’s grandest spectacle, but it’s also the season of the utterly bizarre transfer rumor. The latest entrant into the pantheon of midsummer nonsense is a report linking […]
As the World Cup heads into its second weekend, the newly expanded tournament has been a rousing success. From Messi hat-tricks to Canada’s first-ever victory to the shocking first turns from Cape Verde and DR Congo, the early returns have been fantastic. Day nine figures to be equally exciting, featuring Christian Pulisic (maybe) and the […]
With the World Cup entering its second full week, we’ll get our second look at the 48 nations vying for the Jules Rimet Trophy. Thursday’s action features co-hosts Mexico and Canada defending their home turf against Qatar and South Korea, respectively, while Atlanta hosts Czechia and South Africa, with a BiH-Swiss fixture in LA sandwiched […]
Day seven of the World Cup features action across all three host nations, including one of the game’s true meccas, the Stadio Azteca, a pair of European powers with legitimate aspirations to hoist the Jules Rimet Trophy, and even our old pal/nemesis Anthony Taylor officiating one of the matches. Yesterday’s fixtures, which featured a whopping […]
The difference Wesley made last season was easy to see. The young Brazilian was a menace down the flanks, scoring timely goals and providing plenty of pace down Roma’s wings. Unfortunately for Roma, Wesley never got to play much on his natural right side due to a lingering issue that kept Angeliño miss essentially the […]
The sixth day of the World Cup features another slate of four matches, spread over two days, with stops in the New York-New Jersey metro area, Boston, and Kansas City, before another midnight Eastern Time kick-off in the Bay Area. Today’s quartet features the 2022 finalists, France and Argentina, one of the planet’s greatest goal […]
Undaunted by his €55 million price tag and his 2022 arrests for attempted rape, assault with bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behavior, Roma is forging ahead with their pursuit of Marseille winger Mason Greenwood. Despite the deal’s questionable moral and financial aspects, Gian Piero Gasperini and the Friedkin family have identified the 24-year-old winger/forward […]
After a late-week/weekend full of goals, red cards, and Freddy, the German tourist who has become inexplicably famous as he tours the states, the 2026 World Cup begins its first full week with a smattering of matches across the continental United States. While there aren’t any explicit Roma links to today’s matches, between Spain and […]
The 2026 World Cup continues to chug along, throwing another four matches at football fans. While today’s fixtures aren’t quite as far flung as yesterday’s, Sunday’s action spans two-thirds of North America. Starting the day in Texas, Germany and debutants Curaçao square off at NRG Stadium in Houston, while the Netherlands and Japan take the […]
The United States stole the show on Day 2 of the World Cup, breezing past Paraguay in a 4-1 rout at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Fueled by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun, the Stars & Stripes breezed to victory, putting four goals past a Paraguay side that conceded only 10 goals during their 18-match […]
Every summer, the worst-kept secret in the transfer market is that Roma must sell before June 30th to balance the books and avoid UEFA’s FFP restrictions. This summer, with Roma in need of about €50 million, the sharks have begun circling some of Roma’s prized assets. There were already reports that Roma turned down a […]
If the first day of the 2026 World Cup was any indication, we’re in for an interesting month of football. From the red card-infused kickoff between Mexico and South Africa, which saw three players sent off in the second half, to South Korea’s come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Czechia, there was no shortage of action in […]
Day two of the 2026 World Cup kicks off later this afternoon, with co-co-hosts Canada and the United States begin their journey toward the Jules Rimet Trophy. With Mexico setting the standard in yesterday’s 2-0 win over South Korea, the remaining North American hosts will look to follow suit today. Canada hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina at BMO […]
Roma supporters have seen this movie before: a talented young attacker arrives and he flashes enough brilliance to convince everyone that he might be part of the club’s future. But then comes the haunting pressure of Financial Fair Play; the young star suddenly becomes expendable. A transfer fee gets booked before the end of June, […]
With Roma presumably flush after ending their Champions League drought, the club has been linked to a bevy of exciting players. Sure, they can’t play amongst the Real Madrids and Manchester Citys of the world, but the Giallorossi’s return to Europe’s most prestigious competition should give them more financial leeway on the transfer market. We’re […]
Few among us can deny the impact Donyell Malen had on Roma’s up-and-down attack. Prior to his arrival, Gian Piero Gasperini’s attack was fueled more by good intentions than by goals, with Matíás Soulé struggling to do the heavy lifting up front. However, once Malen arrived, Roma became must-watch viewing for calcio fans. With Malen […]
Marash Kumbulla and Anass Salah-Eddine return to Roma after their loan spells at Mallorca and PSV, respectively. This summer, they aim to earn Gasperini’s trust and fight for their place on the team. But is that a realistic goal or just sheer hope? The Albanian and the Moroccan experienced very different seasons. Kumbulla struggled with […]