You Won. TAA Is a Midfielder Now.

Hello — from Ireland! If any of you happen to be in Ireland right now, gimme a shout. Love it here, and I’ll be around for the next couple weeks. Met a bartender who was a Manchester United fan and then a friend of the bartender, who assumed I was a Leeds United fan because I’m American. After a week of sun, some people are saying I brought the good weather. Others are saying I need to just lock in my winnings and leave as soon as possible.

Every morning, I’ve been watching the Irish version of The Today Show on RTE. It’s called … Today. They were talking about the right time and place for protest, the loss of various Gaelic traditions they all went through as kids, how to become a TikTok star, and etc. A less-contractually-limited writer than me should write a piece or a book or a both: How Morning Shows Explain the World.

Everything Else

• Trent Alexander-Arnold is (sort of) a midfielder now. Liverpool were the last holdouts against a sweeping trend: attacking fullbacks are disappearing.

• Jude Bellingham: You love him, but what is he?

• I finally wrote about Wrexham.

• The question everyone is asking has finally been answered: Who is the Travis Kelce of soccer?

• A lot of good coaches are jobless, and a lot of rich soccer clubs have (or will soon have) job openings. Let’s match ‘em up!

• This piece is about the best subs in Europe, but it’s really about Rayan Cherki.

I’m off next week, so no pieces from me until next month. See ya then.