Greg O'Keeffe

England

Senior Writer at The Athletic

Senior writer for @TheAthleticFC mainly covering American players in Europe / Co-host @ATNCAST

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Articles

Player of the season

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

It's that time of year again. Throw on a tux, practice your fake smiles, heck, boycott it if you don't like your chances, because football's awards season is here. To wrap up another season of following the Americans playing for clubs in Europe, we're dishing out gongs in a range of hotly contested categories. So dim the stage lights, strike up the band and let's see who has won a coveted (ahem) Ballon d'Tracker. Sorry.
Brandon Williams and a case that highlights football's laughing gas issue

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Thomas Burrows |Greg O'Keeffe

Amid the rush of panic she felt as the speeding Audi raced up behind her car, the motorist noticed something odd. She would later recall how the young man and woman in the erratically driven vehicle had yellow balloons hanging from their mouths. Minutes later, Brandon Williams had hit another car, causing it to spin out of control. His own hit the central reservation after a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre.
Ex-Man Utd defender Brandon Williams given suspended 14-month prison sentence for dangerous driving

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

Former Manchester United star Brandon Williams has been spared jail for dangerous driving that saw him cause a crash after speeding at 99mph with a nitrous oxide balloon in his mouth. The 24-year-old defender was given a 14-month sentence, suspended for two years, along with a three-year driving ban and an order to do 180 hours of community service.
That Man Utd loss, Lyon's coach ban and fighting for a USMNT spot

2 weeks ago | bvmsports.com | Greg O'Keeffe

Tanner Tessmann enjoys defying expectations. "When I was at FC Dallas at the start of my career, everyone said, 'Yeah, he's good on the ball but has no idea how to defend'." he says. "So I went to the league that has the best defensive history and learned a lot from them and developed. "I'm not perfect at all but I learned a lot about how a team defends while I was in Italy, and what they look for, how to maintain the score.
That Man Utd loss, Lyon's coach ban and fighting for a USMNT spot

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

Tanner Tessmann enjoys defying expectations. "When I was at FC Dallas at the start of my career, everyone said, 'Yeah, he's good on the ball but has no idea how to defend'." he says. "So I went to the league that has the best defensive history and learned a lot from them and developed. "I'm not perfect at all but I learned a lot about how a team defends while I was in Italy, and what they look for, how to maintain the score.
Does Christian Pulisic need Champions League football in a World Cup year?

3 weeks ago | bvmsports.com | Greg O'Keeffe

"We didn't find the right solutions," said Christian Pulisic, ashen-faced and frustrated as he addressed the media to a backdrop of opposition euphoria in Rome. At Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night, the United States men's national team star tried to drag his team back into a Coppa Italia final they had trailed to Bologna since Dan Ndoye's 53rd-minute strike.
'Everton will be Everton, but this is the fabric of it'

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

Everton have played at Goodison Park since 1892, but now have one Premier League game left at their famous old home. A move to the new stadium on Liverpool's waterfront will follow. So, to mark the final few weeks, The Athletic has a series of articles and a special podcast to come. This is the third and takes you into the heart of the inner sanctum of Goodison Park from those that have worked there. You can read the first two here.
Does Christian Pulisic need a break from the USMNT this summer?

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

It is the annual cause of number-crunching and hand-wringing at clubs across the world. The mantra of 'load management' - or balancing a player's minutes to optimize performance and reduce injury risk - is entrenched in the medical department of every top team. But when it is weighed against elite football's other imperative, the need to win, its red lines can fade.
Pulisic clinging to Champions League hopes and Haji puts things Wright

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

Welcome to this week's USMNT Player Tracker - a compendium of stories about refusing to give up when the odds are against you, and the Americans doing just that across Europe.
football's most fashionable coach?

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Greg O'Keeffe

It was a look more associated with the Met Gala or the Oscars red carpet than the dugout of a professional football game. But when managing his Ecuadorian top-flight club Barcelona SC, Segundo Castillo dresses to impress. The 42-year-old went viral in March after wearing striking tuxedos on the touchline for two of his team's high-profile games in the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of Europe's UEFA Champions League.