Two weeks ago, we looked back at the year in American soccer. Today, we look ahead — to, among other notable subjects, the quest for a fourth women’s world crown, to a new man in charge of the rebuilding men, to the Queen City’s MLS debut, to a 20-year-old in west London and to millennials in Germany.
Because “11” figures prominently in the sport — 11 players in the lineup, Best XI honors, 11 lines in Ajax Amsterdam’s crest — it’s appropriate to bundle the top story lines into what we’ll call a “soccer decagon.” (A baker has his dozen, right?