Author: Ruel Gutierrez Apostol

I think I write about sports. Yeah - I think I do. I also write about video games on the side.

On Tuesday morning, the former German international announced his retirement from professional soccer after 18-years out on the pitch. His decision to retire was discussed with current Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic before their 5-2 win against Orlando City on Sunday. The 35-year-old midfielder-turned-defender start his footballing career with FV Oberaudorf before eventually joining Bayern Munich where he would spend the majority of his career. In Munich, he had 500 appearances throughout all competitions – winning 18 trophies including the illustrious UEFA Champions League. During his tenure at Munich, he was also a staple with the German National Team.…

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Earlier this year, fans of Newcastle United were buzzing as the Bin Zayed Group was reported to buy the club from current owner Mike Ashley. The news gained so much traction that Newcastle was one of the favorites to sign French superstar Kylian Mbappé. The deal eventually fell through and Newcastle fans were left with another season of discontent. However, on Thursday, American company GACP Sports led by former Manchester United Peter Kenyon announced their intention to acquire Newcastle. Should the deal go through, GACP will be paying a sum of £300 million over a period of three years to…

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Despite talks of being linked with “Top European Clubs,” former Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger is rumored to resume his managerial career in Japan. First mentioned by The Daily Mail, Wenger apparently wants to return to Japan where he has previously coached there prior to joining Arsenal. Wenger managed the Nagoya Grampus Eight for a season where he saw moderate success. During his time with there, he led the club to two trophies and earned himself the Manager of the Year. After his exploits, he was approached by Arsenal to manage their club where he eventually took the position. Wenger was still…

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Despite rumors of moving to China, the 34-year-old Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta signed for Japanese side Vissel Kobe. With this move set in stone, Iniesta completes his Barcelona chapter despite signing a lifetime contract. During his time with his boyhood club spanning 22 seasons, he won nine league titles, four Champions League trophies and three Club World Cup trophies to name a few. He amassed 674 senior appearances in all competitions. NHK first announced the deal between the two parties according to The Japan Times. Iniesta himself announced the deal with a picture of himself and Hiroshi Mikitani inside a private jet heading…

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Arsenal announced on Wednesday morning that former Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery will be the new manager following Arsene Wenger’s departure earlier this year. Following Emery’s appointment, chief executive of Arsenal Ivan Gazidis said, “Unai has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career.” The 46-year-old Spaniard is joining Arsenal with a reputable record. At Sevilla, he’s won the Europa League a staggering three times and overall as a 51.7%-win rate in all competitions. At Paris Saint-Germain, he led the club to seven trophies with a 76.3%-win rate in all competitions. Gazidis later said, “[Emery] plays an exciting, progressive…

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As the 2017-18 Premier League season draws to a close, it’s time to give out some accolades. Expect to see Manchester City players dominate the Top XI of the season with some footballers such as David De Gea and Mo Salah make a cameo. But what about the managers? You could make the case for Pep Guardiola. After all, he led what has touted as the “best” Premier League team of all time. Despite cries from social media stating that he is just a “bald fraud” who would get exposed if he didn’t have a blank checkbook, you can’t deny…

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For the first time in ten years, Liverpool has made it through to the Semi-Finals. Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino inspired Liverpool to a 2-1 victory over Manchester City while Pep Guardiola was watching from the stands in the second-half. Guardiola was sent off earlier after barking at match officials for a disallowed Leroy Sane goal. Manchester City started out strong. Right from the first whistle, Manchester City dominated the pitch. Raheem Sterling provided the assist for Gabriel Jesus which gave the hosts a 1-0 lead within the first few minutes. City dominated throughout the first half – at 70%…

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Konami has soured a lot of gamers with their treatment of some of their franchise and game developers. However, on the arcade front, they are still going strong. With games such as Pop’n Music, Beatmania IIDX and of course, Dance Dance Revolution, Konami will always stay faithful to the bright lights of the arcade. Now, rhythm games and arcades may have fallen out of the mainstream in the West, but the scene is slowly coming back.  With the 2016 release of Dance Dance Revolution A, Konami appeared they were going to recommit to the Western market. Surprisingly, they did – and they…

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MLB

Fan favorite Munenori Kawasaki is set to retire after the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks released him on Monday. According to The Japan Times, the 36-year-old Kawasaki is leaving the game because of a nerve disorder. “In my current state, I can’t conceive of continuing in baseball,” says Kawasaki via a statement released by the Hawks. Kawasaki spent five seasons in MLB with the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Chicago Cubs. Kawasaki became a cult hero among baseball fans during his tenure with Toronto.  During a postgame interview in 2013, he shouted, “Thank you very much. My name is Muneori Kawasaki. I…

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On Thursday, Manchester United announced that they have parted ways with Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic after two seasons. “Manchester United confirms that it has agreed to the termination of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract with immediate effect,” said the club in a statement posted online,  “Everyone at the club would like to thank Zlatan for his contribution to the team since his arrival and wishes him well for the future.” Ibrahimovic thanked the club via a tweet with a picture of him arm wrestling with a red devil. https://twitter.com/Ibra_official/status/976883992829026305 Joining Manchester United on a free transfer from Paris. St. Germain, Ibrahimovic made…

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