Category: WCOH
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 8: A Hate-Filled Fiesta
Two spots are left when it comes to African representation at the World Cup of Hate. While the previous three have been filled with plenty of hate, drama, and passion, there’s an argument that these last two have aspects the others don’t — and that makes them better. They’re both insane in their own way.…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 7: North Africans are Crazy
AFRICA (5) Soccer isn’t necessarily the first thing you think of when someone brings up Africa. But the cradle of civilization had a soccer scene that is both historic and impactful, both inside the continent and beyond its borders. Some of the game’s greatest players were born in Africa, such as George Weah (Liberia), Didier Drogba…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 6: The Best of the Rest of Europe
Alright I’m tired of writing about Europe, although these last few rivalries are filled with enough history and hate to keep me going for one more part. Now, you might’ve noticed (or maybe didn’t give a shit about) the fact that my previous walks through European rivalries neglected to mention some important soccer countries, including the…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 5: The Ones You Should Know
Welcome back — prepare for batshit insanity. We continue our trip across Europe’s landscape of soccer hatred by heading east, to three countries who happen to be really close together. They also contain three of the biggest, most intense, utterly crazy rivalries in all of sports. Each of these rivalries are contested between the two…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 4.5: Individual Break
We’re going to take a break from our global journey to find the best rivalries in soccer, partially to not make things repetitive and partially because there are some other aspects of soccer rivalries that I want to talk about. The first is something that may be more prominent in other sports, but definitely exists in…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 4: The Ones You Might Know
The trek across Europe’s road of soccer hatred continues. Last time, we touched on the clubs and rivalries that even the most casual of American sports fans have heard about. This time, we still mention teams that people should probably know, but also some that many don’t. But ask any soccer fan to name ten big…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 3: The Ones You Probably Know
EUROPE (13) Our journey of hatred has taken us overseas for the first time. With this move comes a bit of a shift with these presentations. We’re taking a huge step up, taking a look at hatred that’s much deeper and older than anything we’re used to in our sports. These rivalries don’t involve just soccer…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 2: West Coast Best Coast
Last time, we went into detail on the biggest rivalry in Mexico, the biggest soccer nation in North/Central America. The Clasico Nacional set a hell of a bar — a rivalry so fierce it unquestionably tops others that would probably make the final tournament had they been in most other countries. So what can the United…
-
World Cup of Hate, Part 1: A Trip Down Below
It’s often said that love makes us do crazy things. I’d argue that hate makes us just as crazy — if not crazier. While many believe love and hate to be polar opposites, I think they’re more like two sides of the same coin. Both are powerful emotions with a singular focus — a person,…
Ruben's Writings 