John Silverberg

The first half of the Bundesliga season has revolved around the success of Bayern

Munich, they are on a hot streak and no one can deny it. The Bavarian side is 9 points

clear of second place, and for once seem to be on track to winning back the recently

elusive league title that has ruffled the front office in Munich. Although cross-country

rivals Borussia Dortmund sit 12 points below Munich at 3rd in the league table, they are

still Bayern’s most realistic threat. The first half of the season at Dortmund has been

disappointing in the domestic campaign. Yet, in the Champions League BvB emerged

atop the most dangerous and talented group of this year’s draw, beating the likes of

Manchester City, Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam. Jurgen Klopp’s well oiled, and

unpredictable attack was run through Mario Gotze, however the main cog on the wing

was Marco Reus.

In the first leg of the Champions League when Dortmund traveled to the Etihad to

take on City, I was converted to a believer. If it wasn’t for Joe Hart putting on one of the

The last few years in global soccer two players have reigned supreme in their league, and in their domestic league. Outside of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, La Liga has become a hotbed for quality players, and world-class talents. The following players will provide just a glimpse of that talent, and we’ll try to rank the brightest stars in the league behind these two leviathans of the pitch.

  Each year there are elite players in college football on both sides of the ball. In a year where Geno Smith has threw 8 touchdowns in one game. Or when Manti Te’o took the field after losing his grandmother and girlfriend and had two interceptions and 12 tackles. The game is remarkable, and that in itself will propel players to a new level of dominance and success. These five men right now represent the pinnacle of technique, statistical dominance, and intimidation. Furthermore, they are names that will one day appear on Sunday as players for professional teams across America, and perhaps go onto achieve new heights.In college football, being an elite defender carries a lot of implications. The following players have exemplified that on the field of play they deserve to be respected, but furthermore, they deserve to be feared.

Individual athlete rivalries are an intricate part of sports following, in the United States, and worldwide. However, the essence of individual rivalries can only be merited by the success of the competitor’s two teams.

            In the expansive realm of American sports, individual rivalries often trump team rivalries nowadays. Whether it’s Brady vs. Manning, Kobe vs. LeBron, or Ovechkin vs. Crosby, these rivalries have deep roots, roots in success and winning. If you take the success out of the teams, and the impactful involvement the individuals offer to each squad, what do you have? The end product would be two teams meaninglessly competing, on a platform with little to no merit, and absolutely no implicative aspect to their rivalry.