Italian soccer is famous for, among other things, the passion of its derbies. There's the Derby della Capitale between Rome-based sides Lazio and AS Roma, the Derby della Madonnina between AC Milan and Internazionale, as well as the Derby della Mole between Turin-based clubs Juventus and Torino. The list goes on.

But last weekend, a very different derby was contested in an otherwise nondescript match in Lega Pro, Italy's third tier, between Venezia and Reggiana. The two clubs aren't traditional...

Toronto goes home

How happy are Toronto FC's players to be back home, where they will face Houston on Sunday (5 ET, ESPN and WatchESPN), after starting the season with seven straight games on the road? Very.

"It's been a long stretch," TFC captain Michael Bradley told ESPN FC Wednesday after the Reds played their eighth consecutive away match, this one a 1-0 Canadian Championship semifinal first leg loss in Montreal. "You forget what it's like to play at home."

Bradley logged 74 minutes in the...

In the early weeks of the 2015 MLS regular season, little was going right for the Chicago Fire. Three consecutive losses had Frank Yallop's side firmly fixed to the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. The defense looked a shambles, the team's attacking prowess sporadic at best. Yet the return to health of the Fire's silent assassin David Accam has since helped turn around Chicago's season.

Since entering the starting lineup two games ago, Accam has helped the Fire extend its current winning...

As the 2015 MLS regular season unfolds, there's no letup to the challenges facing LA Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes. But perhaps the biggest one of all is down to simple familiarity.

Zardes is coming off a stellar 16-goal season in 2014, and he scored the club's opener in the 2-1 MLS Cup final triumph over the New England Revolution. As the 23-year-old and his teammates prepare for Sunday's tilt against the New York Red Bulls, he knows full well that he is now a known quantity.

Zardes can see it in...

Last week' latest Dos a Cero win against Mexico provided several clues about where certain American players stand in Jurgen Klinsmann's eyes on the U.S. national team.

Now, with the 2-0 result in San Antonio squarely in the rearview mirror, the focus for national teamers shifts to back club action for the next month or so.

The U.S. squad won't reconvene until late May, ahead of early June friendlies against the Netherlands and world champion German. So Gold Cup roster hopefuls will have to catch...

It's not often we stray into the wild and untamed confines of the United Soccer League (i.e., the third tier of the North American football pile) here on The Toe Poke, but we would be remiss not to share the following goal with you.

What you're about to witness is a 60-yard missile to rival the one scored by Charlie Adam from well inside his own half against Chelsea a week or two back.

The man responsible: Sacramento Republic midfielder Rodrigo Lopez, who glanced up, saw Whitecaps keeper Spencer...