Thrown into a very difficult position at the tender age of 17 as he was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkins lymphoma, the story of Matt Lampson’s journey to MLS is one of courage, perseverance and sheer will. In a blog post for the Huffington Post’s Impact Sports, Lampson opens up on his battle with blood cancer, his work with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society of Central Ohio and profiles the making of team LampStrong. “If I was capable of beating cancer, there was not a thing in the world that I could not do,” said Lampson. “Cancer has made me the person I am today.”
From TV appearances and press conferences with the media to college scouting and Blue Jackets games, Crew Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has certainly hit the ground running in his first few weeks in Columbus. TheCrew.com’s Cody Sharrett tells the Black & Gold's story of Berhalter’s first week at the helm of the Crew through the many different shades and filters of Instagram.
By tomorrow night, the 2014 FIFA World Cup playoff picture will look a lot clearer as the final games will be played out and the field of 32 will be set. With eight remaining bids at up for grabs, all eyes will be on the final playoff matches set to take place Wednesday night. Steven Goff of the Washington Post reminds us who has qualified, who has yet to qualify, and where to view all FIFA World Cup Qualifying action with bids to Brazil on the line.
Although the U.S. has already punched their seventh consecutive ticket to the FIFA World Cup, they still have one more international friendly to play in 2013 as they travel to Vienna to take on Austria. “We're going to Austria, another tough game away from home,” said USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard. “If we can get the victory and end on a high, everybody's going to feel really good." Goal.com has the full match preview for this afternoon’s contest – slated to kick-off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
