For some time, it was almost inconceivable to any soccer fan that the Major League Soccer would become a competitive league, let alone the destination of tremendous soccer talent from Europe. That’s beginning to change, by and large due to the arrival of soccer superstar David Beckham in 2007, who shocked soccer fans the world over in a surprise move from Real Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Since Beckham’s arrival in the MLS, a number of his European counterparts have followed suit, most notably Irishman Robbie Keane (L.A. Galaxy), France international Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls), and now 2010 World Cup champion David Villa and Beckham’s former national teammate Frank Lampard who are both set to join new MLS expansion team NYC FC in the upcoming MLS season.

With just over one month left before the world’s largest sporting event kicks off, soccer analysts – from professionals to aficionados – have begun to fill out their brackets and dare to predict the winner of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. By and large, the following four teams stand out as the strongest and potentially most likely to win (in no particular order):

Four of Europe’s top clubs remain in the prestigious Champions League, with Atletico Madrid facing Chelsea and Real Madrid facing Bayern Munich. The ‘Road to Lisbon’ so far has proven to be an interesting one, with several twists and turns along the way. With the semifinal matches already under way, here’s what can be expected based on the quarterfinal outcomes:

After an impressive 11-5 record this season, which included an Atlantic 10 Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, The Observer caught up with women’s basketball head coach Stephanie Gaitley to talk about life both on and off the court.

With Major League Soccer (MLS) and international fan bases growing stateside and both cultural and business perspectives showing the arrow trending straight up, all evidence points to it—soccer is only going to get bigger in America.