Hello and welcome to the L.A. Times weekly soccer newsletter. I’m Kevin Baxter, the Times’ soccer writer.
Strap in since we’ve got a lot to cover today, starting with a brief reflection on the global reach of soccer and how that diversity makes the sport unique.
Soccer is played in more than 210 countries worldwide — giving it the greatest reach of any team sport — although the only thing that’s the same in all those countries is the size of the ball.
The Dodgers, with players from seven countries, are one of the most diverse teams in the four U.