by Paolo Condo
(translated from Italian by Anthony Wright)
DeCoubertin Books, £12.99
Reviewed by Paul Kelly
From WSC 372, February 2018
Buy the book
Search: ' San Jose Clash'
Stories
Before Leeds United proved that the city can support a top-flight football club, Leeds City showed exactly how not to do it in 15 years of chaos
Leicester 17th, Chelsea champions and Watford relegation – what WSC contributors got right and wrong about the previous season
12 August ~ “The arrival of manager Claudio Ranieri doesn’t seem to be the most reassuring,” wrote Leicester City fan Simon Tyers in WSC’s 2015-16 season guide last summer. “I’m still confident we’ll survive… but probably with someone else at the helm.” He wasn’t alone, with the Foxes averaging 17th position among the rest of the Premier League contributors’ forecasts.
Gavin Willacy tells the turbulent tale of USA team the San Jose Earthquakes, the club that refuses to go away
While British media coverage of the MLS play-offs started and ended with David Beckham and LA Galaxy’s exit at the penultimate stage to Dallas, a more interesting story was ignored in the other semi-final. San Jose Earthquakes came from mid-table to within one win of the MLS Cup final, losing 1-0 to Colorado in only their third season since returning to the league. The Earthquakes – football’s ultimate boomerang club – are back, again.
Amid anger and recriminations, has David Beckham's US "project" failed? Neil Forsyth considers an alternative view
While most British footballers watched Ayia Napa slide sadly away through aero-plane windows before returning to pre-season training, the most famous of all has had a far more demanding month. David Beckham returned to America and a controversy that could bring a premature end to a relationship that always seemed built on artificiality and misjudgement on the player’s part.